Technic model based on the Hurricane concept vehicle from Jeep presented at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in 2005. Main picture updated with Unimog tires.
About this creation
When the Jeep Hurricane was introduced in 2005 it got a lot of attention. Jeep claimed that this was the ultimate Offroader because it had 4x4x4 (All Wheel Drive and All Wheel Steering), but on top of that had some extra tricks never seen or done before. Ever since I had seen this car I wanted to know if it was possible to convert this complexity somehow in a LEGOŽ model. So here is my attempt on a proof of concept starting with some basic shots:
The front, which is very characteristic...
... and the rear which is also quite unique.
Here's a sideview picture, which probably looks least like the real thing.
There is an explanation for that, namely that building something in Technic is not only about looks but also functionality. So let's take a closer look...
Each wheel has independent suspension and is driven by an axle.
Not only is each wheel connected with the engine, but like every good offroad vehicle the transmission to all wheels goes through several differentials, so all wheels can turn at a different pace independent from eachother.
And of course you need a step to get in and out of the vehicle, especially with such a high ground clearence and no doors...
Just like cars in real life, all the functions of the model can be controlled from the cockpit. Of course there is the steering wheel, but you might have noticed the levers too...
The 4 wheel steering in action.
Because of this the Hurricane is able to make very tight corners, as you can see here.
Should be great fun to go Off Road.
Here's another shot... But wait a second, that back wheel doesn't look quite right...
Now it's time to unveil the unique feature of the car which make it possible for the vehicle to turn on the spot. The wheels 'toe' inwards and skidsteer drive is activated, resulting in a zero degree turning radius. The levers in the cockpit are to swith from AWD and AWS and activate skid steer and zero radius.
To avoid wheel misalignments with all the different wheel configurations electronic equipment is used in the real Jeep Hurricane. The challenge was to come up with a mechanical solution against wheel misalignments, in which case it was necessary that all the wheels somehow stay connected with eachother in every position; left to right, and front to rear. Due to this complexity the crab steering option unfortunately had to be left out.
A top view which gives the best shot on the odd position of the wheels. It also nicely shows the shape of the Hurricane.
So this is how the real car can turn on the spot.
And a shot from the back.
All these pictures show some interesting details, but how are the different configurations achieved in practice? Hopefully the functions in motion should give a better view. To give the video some flair and make it easier to present 2 motors were included, but they are NOT to let the model drive autonomous or remote controlled.
May i know what is the steering angle at the Zero radius Steering mode ? and What kind of Cv joint is actually used in The Jeep Hurican pls help me withe the appropriate answer thank u
this is better than an official Lego set!! excellent job on the two steering modes, i really like how the whole drivetrain goes through three differrentials so the driving can be more independent. well done!!!
easily the best technic creation ive ever seen, and its amazing how much detail you managed to put in, usually technic cars have gaping holes all over them, but yours is perfect!
Can I ask a question? You drive the centre differential for regular movement, and it's half-axles for skid steer-mode right?
So do you have another switch that we can't see that locks the centre diff for skid-steer? Awesome work by the way!
Genius car, both in Lego and in real! You did a great job on all the features, it's a pity it don't drive but the Lego engines are too weak, the car is too heavy and the axes and all are not strong enough for real fast action, oh well, it's Lego, can't have it all
;-) Anyway, congratulations with this fantastic model!
I saw this Jeep and I thought of building it as well but I didn't know where to start since it is a very very complicated model and as you said it yourself - crab steering must be left out because it is a bit hard to do with LEGO. I know now that I couldn't possibly do this model the way you did it and the way you did it is stunning! I didn't understand that last part you wrote about the drive. Is it possible to drive it on a rough terrain by using remote control or not?
Anyways I have my hopes that LEGO decides to do such a model with all 3 steering options which means that they would have to invent some new parts that would allow all the functions to work
A very big STEP forward compared with the first Jeep Hurricane MOC!
But I just wonder why there is no driving performance, especially turning-in-own-position performance in the video.
MOTM! MOTM! MOTM! Seriously, dude, you've got to submit this to LEGO and ask the Chrysler Corporation to make this into an actual mass-scale model! This is by far one of the nicest Jeep vehicles that I've seen online and you've just stepped up considerably on MOC Pages with this creation.
Very very good Nathanael!
The on the spot turning is the whole point of the model, rather than a detail to me. Nice solution to push out the rack and pinion to set the wheels in 'circular' mode. Was that your own idea or does the real thing do it in the same way?
You did an amazing job on this, especially considering the functionality. It is always nice to see a good technic creation that has BOTH form and function.
I've been struggling with trying to build something like this myself... the designs here are great inspiration. The working turn-in-place function is a great detail.
Wow this is good. I wish Lego could produce a real offroader like this. Gone are the days of the functionality of the older sets (8880 for example). Excellent moc.
