3D Printed Caboose/Light Freight Trucks (Roller Bearing)
In the never ending quest to reduce cost and make this hobby easier to enter, I designed and prototyped these 3D printed freight trucks. The roller bearing is functional, and turns as the wheels do when its roaring down the track!
There is NO machining required, and all materials with the exception of the PETG filament needed for printing can be bought at your local hardware store. The estimated cost to build a set of these trucks is around $100-150, making this by far the cheapest option for trucks on the market. These trucks are the perfect way to get into this hobby without breaking the bank.
There are two different wheel designs that come with these plans. A fully printed wheel, and wheels with laser cut steel flanges. 100% Printed wheels would work in light duty applications like cabooses or empty box cars with the proper material and print settings. However building these trucks with steel flanges is strongly recommended as the printed flange is the weakest part on the truck assembly. (A set of laser cut flanges from sendcutsend cost me less than $50 for a pair of trucks.)
While these trucks are not meant to be a direct replacement for traditional steel trucks, they do offer a cost effective solution for someone who doesn't need the strength of traditional trucks. These would be perfect for someone just getting their feet wet in the hobby, or for any kind of rolling stock that doesn't carry an absurd load capacity. If you use these trucks for the proper application, I believe you will be extremely happy with them!
For a pair of trucks:
4' - 3/8" Steel roundbar for axleshaft
12 - 9/16" X 1.75" X .082 springs for suspension
8 - 3/8 X 7/8 sealed ball bearings
3 Rolls of black PETG
2 rolls of Silver or Light Gray PETG (For the wheels and axleshaft covers)
5 minute epoxy
Superglue
Red locktite
These trucks are a pretty large item to print, and due to the strength needed for this design these parts are not able to be split to accomidate a smaller printer.
The bolster is the largest part, and requires a printer volume for this print is 300mmX300mmX300mm if you wish to print all parts laying down on the build plate. A smaller printer may accommodate these parts if supports were in place and the part angled on the vertical axis.
I understand this is a larger printer volume than most have, so I will potentially be revisiting this design at a later date to see if designing the bolster in multiple pieces while maintaining the strength needed is possible.
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