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A truck is a transportation machine that you can drive in order to move yourself, others, and stuff to wherever you can get with wheels. The difference between a truck and car is that trucks are stronger and have more dedicated space for stuff on the vehicle.



If you're new to mechanical things, check out Mechanical Intro

Alternative Body Styles[edit]

Depending on the function of the truck, it could have a smaller body style. (Unless, it is intended for hauling large amounts of agricultural goods.) If a light duty vehicle is all that would be necessary in many situations, then a more efficient size might be better.

There are a couple examples of small body styles that are common to the rest of the world but not in North America. First is the coupé utility (basically the same as the Chevrolet El Camino), known as the Ute in Australia and New Zealand. Second the minitruck from Japan, as known as the Kei truck, which are being imported to the United States as light duty off-road vehicles in some rural areas. In both Australia and Japan, vehicles are right-hand-drive. Though, it might be legal to operate a RHD vehicle on US roadways, there is the issue of practicality.

A small modular design with standardized parts is probably more cost effective and still allows for vehicle type options.


More Concepts[edit]


Maintenance Concept Text[edit]


Tire Air Pressure


Engine Oil


Transmission Fluid

Brake Fluid

Windshield Washer Fluid



Brake Pads

Windshield Wipers

Engines have a lot of moving parts that rub against each other and create friction. The friction generates a lot of heat. When plastics get hotter and hotter, they get softer and eventually melt. When metals get hot, they get softer, which accelerates wear, and if hot enough, metals melt too. So cooling the engine is important. The engine is essentially a complex hulk of metal, so pumping water through it will cool it down. But water boils and freezes too easily- if the water turns into a gas, then it loses a lot of cooling ability- in other cases, a lot of pressure (from gaseous expansion or ice formation) will crack and break the solid parts of the cooling system (and the engine). So adding substances (like antifreeze) keeps the coolant system working in hot and cold conditions.

Another way to solve the heat problem is to stop friction in the first place. Lubricants are substances that have very low coefficients of friction so they generate very little thermal energy when rubbed together. By applying lubricants to the moving parts of an engine, less heat will be generated.

Car Maintenance - Scotty Kilmer's Youtube Channel

Maintenance Concept Videos[edit]

Vehicle Fluid Maintenance

More Concepts 3[edit]

Gear Dimensions and Terminology File:Geardimterm.pdf

Gear Types from Engineer's Edge

More Concepts 3[edit]


4 Wheel Drive

4 Wheel Drive Explanation at Wikipedia

Leaf Suspension vs Coil Spring

Leaf vs Coil Comparison at JP Magazine

Leaf vs Coil Comparison at eHow

Cargo Bed Size and Payload

Towing Interface and Capacity

Manual vs Automatic Transmission

Ground Clearance

Fuel Efficiency

Fuel for regular operation

Engine oil for lubricating

Oil Filter Replacement

Coolant for cooling

Filling Radiator Fluid, Video at Youtube

Coolant Filter Replacement

Brake Pad Replacement

Tire Replacement


The Open Source Truck is a heavy off-road vehicle capable of equipping many pieces of equipment used on the Tractor, and transporting heavy loads long distance. The Open Source Truck project is currently in the research phase.

Detailed Description[edit]

Goal specifications

Open Source Truck Concept - similar to Mercedes Unimog:
  • Top speed of 60 mph
  • Equipped with suspension
  • Capable of handling extreme off-road conditions
  • Equipped with front and rear power take-off, hydraulic take-off, and quick attach mounting plate for hydraulic heavy and rotary equipment such as backhoe, loader, power generator, hammermill, pelletizer, and any agricultural, utility, and construction equipment that is already avialable for the Tractor or Microtractor
  • Dual utility for agricultural and transportation uses
  • Hydraulic drive
  • Quick attach Power Cube
  • 27-270 hp models
  • Eventually powered with Modern Steam Engine

Product Ecology[edit]

Product Ecology
Truck Truck
From Uses Creates Enables



The Open Source Truck is currently in the Research phase of product development.

See Also[edit]

The Global Village Construction Set
Habitat CEB Press Cement Mixer Sawmill Bulldozer Backhoe
Agriculture Tractor Seeder Hay Rake Well-Drilling Rig
Microtractor Soil Pulverizer Spader Hay Cutter Trencher
Bakery Oven Dairy Milker Microcombine Baler
Industry Multimachine Ironworker Laser Cutter Welder Plasma Cutter
3D Printer 3D Scanner CNC Circuit Mill Industrial Robot Chipper Hammermill
Drill Press Induction Furnace
Energy Power Cube Gasifier Burner Solar Concentrator Electric Motor Generator Hydraulic Motor
Steam Engine Heat Exchanger Wind Turbine Pelletizer Universal Power Supply
Nickel-Iron Battery
Materials Aluminum Extractor Bioplastic Extruder
Transportation Car Truck


Key Design Planning Prototype Almost done Full Release