Hebby Rhino

Hebby was the second walking machine I attempted. This was going to be something I would ride, sitting inside the body not on it, and it would need to have some sort of steering, and having legs not wheels that’s a bit of a challenge.

The plan was to still copy the simple Zoid walk/wobble method but to separate the left from the right side so you could increase the speed of one side to steer you in the opposite direction…easier said than done on a four legged creature. Balance is more important than I understood when I began and not having drawings or calculations made things interesting.

Starting out without a clear plan it became a much bigger and heavier beast than I had imagined in the beginning. Originally having the idea it would be electric and battery powered, it soon became apparent it needed to have a diesel engine to power hydraulic motors to be certain I wouldn’t be left stranded with flat batteries so out with the electric motors and in with hydraulic.

I thought this would even be lighter than the huge batteries I would need if I kept with electric. If I had started out with diesel and hydraulic as the plan it would have been done differently, swapping out the electric motors for hydraulic and making new connecting shafts just created weak links that meant he never walked more than a few meters without breaking something.

Angle grinder in hand I set about putting things right. All homemade shafts in the bin. All motors and mounts and chains in the bin (not really in the bin but…). I then set out to mount half of a bobcat chassis and its motors, chains and shafts into the body. That being done and all working well, the next step is to remake the legs and links.

Unfortunately I ran out of funds and had to shelve the project and he still waits for me to finish him after more than 12 years. I had to make something new that worked and make it quickly to earn some money at festivals…hence the arrival of Lrry-1.