Skid Steer Costume (stroller Wrap)

Intro: Skid Steer Costume (stroller Wrap)

My son is obsessed with construction equipment ( like most little boys ) but his favorite by far is the skid steer. I have no idea why, maybe because it is small and compact and once you start looking for them they are everywhere. He can spot one a mile away in the middle of a busy construction site and since I don't have room in the garage for a full size skid steer I decided to do the next best thing!

Logistics:
My first thought was something wearable but since he is only 2 and I didn't want it to be lame and dangerous, I decided on something he could ride in. At the moment we have a whole selection of stroller so that seemed like a perfect frame and it saves it from having to be durable enough to roll and turn.

Now i've got an idea, a kid, a frame and I can really get started.

STEP 1: Planning

Everybody knows what a bobcat looks like right? I could have just free-handed something and started cutting but I didn't want to waste time (the time for building this came mostly out of sleeping time with 2 kids in the house) and material so I started looking in Sketchup's 3d Warehouse at the existing models until I hit upon one I liked, the Carepillar Skid Steer 236b. (http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=ef2791b1894dd31478fe949fc1419876)

This model is much more detailed than I would like and I need to simplify it before I can make my templates. I exported a 2 cad drawing from Sketchup ( I have a Pro license at work, if you can't export as a .dwg it is easy enough to export a .jpg and trace it.)

After tracing the exported image and simplifying it along the way, I drew a 4x8 box and planned my cuts to be as efficient as possible.

If you have access to a large format printer run off a print of what you've drawn and go to town. I was able to piece them together from 11x17 and print it on scrap. A little taping and I was ready to go.

Below are the model and the CAD drawing.

STEP 2: Cutting! Gluing!

Planning everything out so extensively meant I knew exactly what I needed and it was time to head to the store.

Materials:
2 - 4x8 1in Rigid Insulation
2 rolls black duct tape
1 tube construction adhesive (make sure it is ok for insulation, some adhesive will melt the foam)
1 handful of course thread screws or various sizes
1 roll of painters tape for temporary holding
1 can of permanent spray adhesive (look for one ok for foam)
1 quart of the paint of your choosing, depending on brand of skid steer you want to create.

Tools:
Box knife and blades
Jig saw with fine tooth long blades
120 grit sandpaper
Sharpie

Layout:
Lay your foam sheets out somewhere flat, trace your templates and get to cutting! 

Cutting:
I taped the two sheets together since the two sides are identical. When you lay out the cuts make sure that the printed side of the foam is on the inside since it is a pain and will take more coats to paint over.

I only planned out the two sides of the skid steer, planning on just winging the rest so I planned those pieces as efficiently as possible to make sure I had enough for the middle.

Once I had all the pieces cut out I used the adhesive to attach the pairs of pieces and sand them smooth and then assembled those to create the two sides of the skid steer. Areas with extra stress like the arms that hold the bucket, I put several screws in addition to the adhesive.

I hadn't really planned on how it would attach to the stroller and every one is going to be different so grab your stroller and look for where you can attach the sides. I wanted to be able to easily attach and remove it to ideally it would just rest on there. The particular stroller we have has a Y-shaped frame that makes this really easy.

Measure and temporarily attach the sides and cut the pieces for the middle. Remove the stroller, assemble the pieces. Here I used some long 4" screws I had left over from another project and the construction adhesive rather than spray to attached faces to edges.

Now I've got a pink skid steer shell!

STEP 3: Details

The main part of the shell was done, now to make it more real. No construction equipment is complete without a bucket. Using the leftover foam and with a toy bobcat as a guide I pieced it together with some 4" screws and construction adhesive. To add some realism and give myself a larger gluing surface area I traced a paint can and cut it in half to make a bracket. With spray adhesive I attached these to the arms and with construction adhesive and some screws added the bucket.

I thought the roof looked a little blank so I cut out some circles and made a couple lights.

The only thing not made of foam was the the hydraulic cylinders, I used a mailing tube and a paper towel roll. I traced the angle onto the tubes and cut them with a miter saw. Using some scrap foam I center the smaller tube within the larger one and the filled the gap with construction adhesive and smoothed it flush.

STEP 4: Add Some Color!

I opted for the Caterpillar version of the skid steer to match the Bruder toy that my son loves so much. I found a color that was pretty close and bought a quart in matte finish. For the black I used a matte black and the black duct tape.

I started with the tape. My thought was that it would help make the thinner parts of the machine more sturdy. In hindsight, I could probably have just used paint but I like the contrast of the glossy tape and matte paint in the end and any paint that got on the tape peeled right off.

Yellow was next. I roughed up the faces with some 220 sandpaper and rolled and brushed on 2 good coats of yellow. Everything else, including the bucket got matte black paint.

Again the hydraulic is the old one out. To create the silver I used spray adhesive and carefully rolled on a sheet of aluminum foil before attaching the cylinder to the body with construction adhesive. A little painters tape held it in place until everything was solid. 

STEP 5: Done!

Loaded up the kiddo and took a spin around the block. Everything worked great! I added some tape in areas that were rubbing on the stroller frame to get rid of the squeaky foam sound and added a couple spacers to help keep everything aligned!

I'd glad that I added a little height to the cab, it makes it easier to lift the kiddo in and out.

Hindsight:
I wasn't sure if the foam would be rigid enough to make the bucket operable. I think that it could probably work, especially if the pivot point was a decent diameter tube or dowel.

The design of the project meant that I had to lift him in and out every time. This isn't ideal and I'm not sure the best way to fix it.

Conclusion:
He absolutely loves it. I have a feeling we'll be taking a lot of Bobcat walks and every time we're out we get a lot of people slowing down and waving. A great little project, an impressive result and a very happy little boy.

Bonus: I also made a little ID card for him (his vest had a little clear id window) also attached below and his outfit - - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002F9NH4A/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Comments

[EmmaL10]

Beautifull job. Thanks!

[brandys04]

In the downloads, what is part one and part two of the skid steer costume. I’ve downloaded this and printed it out but I’m having a hard time constructing it so it would be most helpful if I knew exactly what part of the costume it was.

[mlero]

It has been a while... Sorry but I don't remember how I broke those parts up but they are the sides of it. I would have to print the whole thing out and put it together. You can go download the free version of sketchup and take a look at the overall model.

[brandys04]

Yes, I actually downloaded and printed it off and was trying to figure out how to piece it together and I am 100% lost. I’m gonna see if someone else can help figure it out.

[mlero]

Here are the parts with dimensions. Should be able to lay it out on a sheet of foam or might help with you assembly of the templates. good luck!

[brandys04]

Hey I just wanted to say thank you so much. My little boy is 4 and is in a wheelchair and we always do his costumes and this is the one that he is going to love. So thanks again for all your help.

[mlero]

You're very welcome! Let me know if you have any other questions. Looking back at the model was fun, it has been a while. It was more than a year before my son would let me get rid of it, we took a lot of walks post Halloween so make it extra sturdy...

[Aruss995]

How do i get your template?

[mlero]

The cad and pdfs are posted at the bottom of the instructable. I did modify it once I had it traced out to fit my particular stroller. Good luck! Happy to help if I you run into problems once you get going!

[rockyskelton]

Great concept, next to impossible to get your own printed. Don't get your hopes up dads....

[mlero]

I'd be happy to post pdfs of the different sheets. I did modify the cab height on the fly though based on the stroller so that isn't updated. The nice thing is that you are making doubles of everything so even if you draw it rather than use a template to trace it you only have to draw it once. That dwg isn't the easiest to deal with but worked ok for me

[LMDP2015]

Could you please send me the updated pdf's? How did you add to the height? Any added info would be great! Thanks!

[MatthewL40]

I didn't update drawing, just modified it once I had it drawn on the board. Just extended the vertical sides of the window part of the cab.

[MatthewL40]

The last two files have the outlines. Once I had it traced out, I added a little height just to the "window" part of the cab just to make it easier to put Isaac in the stroller.

[MatthewL40]

The first file is a cad file. The second is sketchup. You can download sketchup make for free, it is very intuitive. As far as connecting the two sides, that depends on what you are mounting it to. I built the 2 sides and then just filled in between so it would stay in place. I ended up getting some 4in course thread screws to attach the sides to the cross pieces in addition to the spray adhesive.

[alexis92]

Could you please post pdfs. I would LOVE to make this for my sons first halloween!

[mlero]

I posted them in two files. (part1 and 2) They are formatted for 11x17 sheets with boxes that overlap in the corners.This is only the main body side pieces. The wheels I just traced a plate and the bucket I made up on the fly along with a lot of the connection pieces since they depend on the width of the stroller. I've added all the photos I have, I think it is enough to go on. I ended up making the cab taller on the fly to fit the stroller better and make it easier to get him in and out. I also got some long course thread screws and added them at points where there was a lot of stress. Good luck! Post a pic when you are done.