Another track brush wagon

[-steves-]

Following on from this thread viewtopic.php?f=39&t=12929 which incidentally I found after I had got this far, finding it before hand would hand been more than useful to say the least, I have produced the start of a brush wagon, of course partly 3D printed. It uses large ball races in each end, 3D printed gears, case, motor / gearbox container and joining piece. Should anyone want the 3D files then I will happily pop them into the 3D prints section. Notes on prints. It could do with the hole in the main brush unit for the chain being added before being printed, I just hacked it out as needed. Same goes for the screw holes in the side, again, I just hacked those in where needed. A better height adjustment unit could be made although this is perfect for my setup.

I have not made any cosmetic parts for it yet. It is intended to have somewhere to put a switch, some sort of sides, maybe even a top and a shed load of weight as I have ben using stones in the garden for testing. It is however dual gauge with just two screws removed, axles replaced and two screws back in. The spare axles will have something made to clip them into on top of the wagon, possibly with a clip in allen key place to save carrying my allen screwdriver set along with me, or at least if I forget it if I go somewhere else.

Just to confirm it works, but it need lots of weight and a very powerful loco to push it as the unit will push itself backwards on it's own with ease!

[-steves-]

The motor that is hidden away is a pre geared MFA motor, something like a 918D but I can't recall it's ratio. I just removed the motor mount and plastic gear cover and screwed it in, then made an end plate and screwed that on too.

I am surprised just how much force the brush has and how much it actually takes to turn the brush

[Old Man Aaron]

Tidy and effective!
Love the printed housing. Does it keep the debris from finding it's way onto the wagon behind the sweeping attachment? A cover for my sweeper's wagon body is on the to-do list for that reason.

Regarding the tendency to push itself backwards, have you tried lifting the brush further above the rails? Mine protrudes about 1mm below the railhead, and the speed of the brush kicks up just enough airflow to lift anything sitting between the rails, enough to be caught and thrown by the bristles. Then again, weather or not that works will depend on the size and weight of your particular debris. Your 4-wheeler likely having less rolling resistance than my bogeys might also make a difference?

Carrying the wheelsets and key onboard is a stroke of genius.
Looking forward to seeing what else you do with it.

[philipy]

have you tried lifting the brush further above the rails? Mine protrudes about 1mm below the railhead, and the speed of the brush kicks up just enough airflow to lift anything sitting between the rails, enough to be caught and thrown by the bristles. Then again, weather or not that works will depend on the size and weight of your particular debris.

Aaron, I can't speak for Steve, but the problem I have with my version ( which is probably less powerful than Steve's) is that it really struggles with soggy wet leaves and it needs to dig deep between the rails to even start to shift them.