Automotive Repair Class Builds Rock Crawler
Seizing on the thrill and the adrenaline rush associated with
off-road riding, students in the Automotive Technology Program at
Southeast Kentucky Community & Technical College are taking to the
hills.
Students of Ronnie Daniels recently completed a ?hybrid? vehicle
constructed as a class project. They utilized parts from a 1948 Ford
truck cab, the frame of a Toyota truck and the drive train from a
three-quarter ton Chevrolet truck.
The project, according to Daniels, who for 13 years has taught
automotive repair at SKCTC?s Harlan campus, is one the entire class
endorsed and it also capitalized on the excitement generated locally by
the recent opening of the Harlan County Off Road Park located near
Evarts.
The recreational area, at Bailey?s Creek, was officially opened
June 4 to ATV vehicles of all types and has lured riders from across
the country to the Cloverfork area to ride along the hundreds of miles
of isolated and rugged trails that were once used by the mining and
timber industries.
The construction of the vehicle took about a year to complete
with 18 students taking part in the project. The workers included
traditional college students as well as high school students who are
enrolled in Southeast?s Explore College.
Daniels explained the vehicle or ?rock crawler? is actually a
4x4 off road truck and combines 2 transfer cases to allow for lower
gear reduction. It also features a redesigned steering system aided by
a hydraulic cylinder to allow the 40-inch wheels to turn more easily.
Students built the steering system, saving approximately $2,000.
?It didn?t cost us much at all,? said Daniels, ?that?s one of
the great things about the project. We started the venture because the
sport was just catching on here in the area, and we wanted to be able
to test it (the vehicle), at the new park, but we also wanted to
promote safe 4x4 off road riding.?
Daniels is also treasurer of the Kentucky Mountain Crawlers, a
group that has been one of the leaders in the development of the park
as well as being passionate promoters of the fledgling sport.
The local club attracts members who own stock or modified
vehicles. He noted that members of the Kentucky Mountain Crawlers group
are not usually riders of vehicles commonly called four wheelers. ?We
are only 4x4 trucks, stock and modified vehicles.?
While working on the project to construct the rock climber,
Southeast students utilized the school?s state of the art workshops at
the Harlan campus. Students worked tirelessly to sharpen their skills
in areas of welding, transmission and differential design and
construction, as well as chassis and suspension design.
The Automotive Technology Program at Southeast is a two-year
curriculum leading to a diploma. Individuals can also receive a
certificate for work completed.
The truck was recently test driven at the local park and passed
with flying colors. ?It was a fun project, something significant to
what is going on locally, and the students thoroughly enjoyed building
the rock crawler,? said Daniels. ?It was a good way to learn.?
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