FUN FACTS
Time working on project: One year, with around 700 hours of work. That includes making a hundred mistakes, of course. It could be done in five times less.
Total price: $1700
Weight (empty): 55kg (121 lbs)
Dimensions: 1m (width) x 2m (length) x 1.3m (total height). This means 39 inches (width) x 79 inches (length) x 51 inches (height).
Materials: Aluminum (70%), plywood (15%), stainless steel (5%), acrylic glass (5%), heavy duty truck tarp (5%)
Insulation: Almost none. I intend to migrate rather than freezing my ass off.
Weatherproof: Absolutely. Has stayed dry through many storms.
Comfortable? Very much, thank you. The inside carpet space is 2m (79 inches) long, 70cm (28 inches) wide, and 1m (39 inches) tall, making me be able to comfortably sit up straight. That applies to my height, but make sure you check yours!
Theft: The Crab can be locked, making it almost impossible to steal, and difficult to break into. You'd need a big knife to tear through the truck tarp, or cable cutters to cut the steel cables.
Legality: The law doesn't regulate non-motored vehicles. Yay!
Electricity: Has dynamo generator and a solar panel. |
How long did it take you?
I started the project one year ago, working on it an average of one or two hours per day. Don't worry though, most of this was trial and error. I built a first one, not too nicely, destroyed it completely and rebuilt from scratch, this time armed with new knowledge. The second version is the one you see here. It's more aerodynamic, much tougher, easier to build, and has bigger wheels than the first one. But it's not perfect. If this project works out, I will build a third one, this time documenting everything from scratch and making it as simple as possible so that anyone can follow easy plans and build it. With plans, I estimate it would take one person a few weeks of good work to build.
What skills does it require?
Close to nothing. I never studing anything mechanically-related. I don't know how to weld and don't need to. Welding aluminum requires expensive equipment that would prevent this project from being accessible to anyone. Besides, nuts and bolts are great. It's like having an "undo" button to correct your mistakes. All I know how to do is drill holes, use a jigsaw, screw bolts, and think. I don't even have a driver's license and carried everything by train, or ordered online. |
