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Old 01-08-2017, 10:32 PM
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Kent_323is Kent_323is is offline
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Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Currently in Eastern South Dakota
Posts: 29
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Kerry brings up a good point about facebook vs the guys here. I'll add some more info and pics...

The fuel tanks on this project were really the first items that really fall within this subject matter of metal shaping. I designed them before I had bent any of the aluminum, so I ended up making a special rolling bender to make the smooth large radius bends. I made one prototype tank that required some cuts to make everything fit, and after that made a few modifications to the bending process, and then I got the 2 production tanks to bend up and fit up with no cuts or modifications to designed flat pieces.

A majority of the project so far hasn't been metal shaping... a lot of design and fabrication for suspension (air ride) with hydrostatic drive for the tracks. The vehicle is fully radio controlled, so you can drive it remotely. Quite useful for parking it where the wheelchair can't go, or loading it onto a trailer.
It has a secondary alternator and rear PTO, as well as a 12,000 lb winch. The ramp in front raises and lowers so a wheelchair can back directly in/out, and then it will have a fully enclosed cab, with heat, side opening windows, and the front windshield will open via air cylinders and gas shocks to allow the wheelchair to get in/out.

I have done all of the work on this project, from the design, to the metal fab, tube bending & rolling, aluminum tig welding, electrical & electronics.

I've been working on this project for almost 2 years, and the first 1.5 years I was in China working, so I only worked on the fabrication every 6 months when I came back to the US. During those visits, it was an intense period of 2-3 weeks of fabrication, then back to China (corporate job) where I worked on design of this project in my spare time in preparation for the next visit back to the US. Fortunately, we finally moved back to the US in Aug for good. 5.5 yrs in China was enough!

You can watch videos of the project progress if you follow this link:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...HEjSNpCyGB1dO8

I've learned a lot on this site, there's a lot of members that have some really cool shaping projects!

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Kent

Eastern South Dakota (work & home)

Researching sheetmetal shaping and forming, starting to buy the tools and practice the techniques

My shop projects: www.kustomsbykent.com
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