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Thursday 28 February 2013

coupling mechanism - Bad Piggies: Heavy Tractor-Trailer (Horizontal Coupling Mechanism)



The coupling mechanism between the tractor and trailer is reversible, strong, and flexible. The umbrella opens over a small wheel to couple the tractor and trailer, and the surrounding steel boxes of the coupling port secure the umbrella in place despite heavy load. The spring offers dampening of the load inertia and flexibility for changes in incline. The main difficulty in its implementation is that the umbrella does not always fit neatly in to the coupling port, which is evident at 0:53. This is rectified by using a propeller in the front of the tractor to slightly tilt the back end up so that the umbrella can engage. The propeller's other purpose is to keep the drive wheel in contact with the ground as the tractor pulls heavy loads.

The trailer in this video is extremely heavy. It has 30 sandbags, 10 steel boxes, 10 "dead weight" engines, and King Pig. Nonetheless, the tractor and its connection to the trailer is strong enough to pull it up the steepest incline in Field of Dreams.
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