Rosco’s LugNet Page
These pages are no longer updated. You can view my LEGO related pages here.
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Minifig scale crawler crane
Well, this basically came about when I noticed that the Hose Reel (2585) has lugs through the centre to take a technic axle. I had 4 of them, and so it all just came together...
The crawler is built entirely with studless beams & pins, something else I’ve been experimenting with lately. Here’s some pictures:
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| | The crawler from above. You can see the bent beams attaching to the turntable, and the side-plates, which are not structural elements.
| | With side-plate removed, you can see the small runners for the crawler tracks.
| | From below, you can see some of the studless beams used in the crawler.
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| | The various functions are provided using the 4 cable spools (hose reels). In this picture, the A-frame has been removed, so you can see them clearly. They are controlled by the removable wheels, two on each side. A technic axle goes through the spool, with an axle joiner (6538) attached. The external wheels slide in & out the other end of the axle joiner. This makes turning the spools much easier!
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| | Here’s a view without the spool wheels. You can see the attachments for the main boom & super-lift derrick on the left, along with the 2 hooks, while the lowered A-frame is on the right. The two 1x6 beams on the bottom right are for connecting the super-lift counterweight.
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| | Here’s a shot of all the pieces of the boom, super-lift derrick, etc. Also the super-lift counterweight on the right, with the fixed jib attachment to it’s left.
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| | The super-lift counterweight is supported by 4 individually steerable sets of wheels. One beam attaches it to the main crane base, another attaches to the super-lift derrick.
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| | A couple of shots of the crane base before assembly.
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| | A couple of shots of the driver in his cabin. Due to limited space, the seat had to be offset 1/2 stud both forward & sideways. The second shot also shows the standard boom configuration.
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The crane is very versatile, and can be used in several configurations:
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| | Configuration 1
The standard configuration for average lifts, with standard length boom.
| | Configuration 2
For lifts requiring extra horizontal distance, just add a fixed jib to the standard boom.
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| | Configuration 3
For higher / heavier lifts, extend the boom, add a super-lift derrick, and extra counterweight.
| | Configuration 4
For even more versatility, extend the boom further, and add a luffing jib.
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| | Finally, a shot of the crane being used to lift a large I-beam...
| | ...and configured for maximum height lift, at approx 145cm.
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Site last modified November 4, 2004 Home
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