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The Power Cube is a multipurpose, self-contained, hydraulic power unit that consists of an engine coupled to a hydraulic pump.
(last updated April 2014)
See Power Cube Genealogy for development history. The official stable release as of early 2014 is v12.11 (November 2012) – is Prototype 7. This features a 1/4″x2″ angle frame, contains a 27 hp gasoline engine, and a 1 cubic inch hydraulic pump with a 3/4″ splined shaft. This version, with its modularized components – is optimized for production in under 1 day with 8 people.
In future Power Cube versions – in order to further facilitate integration of the Power Cube with the rest of the GVCS – we will use a structural frame made of the 4″x4″ space frame with xyz bolted corners. This allows for the Power Cube frame to serve as a machine frame – such as a Microtractor or a Bulldozer frame. While the power cube with the space frame XYZ-bolted tubing will be slighlty larger in size, the modular frame allows for higher flexibility (it can be used for attachment of other modules directly to the frame) and lower parts count. LifeTrac 6 featured 3 power cubes bolted together for 75 hp. In LifeTrac 6, a structural frame of our standard tubing was placed around the non-structural frame of the Power Cube 7. Future versions will omit the nonstructural angle frame, and couple the Power Cube innards directly to the structural frame.
In 2014, we will begin using a single-cylinder diesel engine of 33 hp as a new version of the Power Cube. We are currently working on sourcing these engines, and we intend to build these engines from scratch in the future as part of the Piston Engine Construction Set. Read more about how the LifeTrac relates to the Power Cubes.
