bonox

it would be relatively easy to get 'correct' tolerances with some proper machining equipment or especially a small NC mill. Obviously you're guessing and it's very much a near enough is good enough approach if the parts work (just like the 3D printed parts) because I doubt anyone has access to TLG's manufacturing tolerances. There are some things to remember though - broaching axle holes will be tricky and you'll need to remember the spot face around every hole you want to put a pin into. If you're planning on free hand drilling a sheet then you may be disasspointed in the outcome, however I would think it's still possible to make simple items like train connecting rods by this method. Making a 20L liftarm with all holes in it would probably be a nightmare.

Hi mnpumar I've just been fiddling so no parts or instructions at present. I'll also probably keep fiddling with it for a while and it'll be busy in the next month going for public display. If there are bits you want photos of i'm happy to oblige. I originally just swapped all the black bits for white and red for blue. The red for blue works perfectly, subject to availability of parts for the truck. The white for black though needs more thought - the underbelly, mudguards and suspension of the trailer, plus the belly and radiator plus insides of the truck are much better off in my opinion remaining black. I also tried trans-clear bricks behind the radiator and I wanted you to get a peek at the stuff under the bonnet, but i wasn't pleased with the outcome. I may revisit this at some point though. And I really should put those headlight dishes on as well :) The axle assembly of the trailer use to have the same rocking/pendular suspension as the original design in this post, with some panhard rods to control the twisting and springs to control the fore-aft rocking, but it was complicated and didn't steer very well on a hard surface. I found a basic rigid box unit works very well which is what you see here. I also got some performance benefit out of putting the middle axle centreline one plate lower than the other two. It looked pretty much the same, but all the load went on the centre axle only and the other two sagged a bit to look like they were on the ground. Well mostly. It steered very nicely, but i ended up not liking the look and i mostly build static models. The final thing is that I built it where I could from light gray parts as that's what the original 5571 uses and i wanted to keep it all in line, but the wheels will probably always be an issue in that regard. Maybe i'll leave a set of rims in the sun for a year and see if I can get them to darken like that last 6x16 plate under the rear deck.

Yes, a thread necro, but the OP requested followup from others making this build and hopefully i've got something to contribute. I wanted more of a realistic frame, so this is based on the working trucks around here, where you have the frame of the trailer, plus some toolboxes, spare wheel racks and a supplementary diesel tank. I also prefer dual wheels and triple axles as we typically run here due to a lot of these being used on poor roads (including dirt). Of course, it's only after posting these that I see i've left the headlights off the prime mover Also, unlike the original plans, this one is quite structural - there are 1x16's crossing the floor of the trailer at loadpoints - the king pin, the supports and two sets over the axle assembly. Consequently you can really pack this one with sand (well, tin cans of food at least) if you want to without causing it to flex too much. Very happy with the colour scheme too - it sits next to Grazi's tow truck in it's original black, so I wanted something a little different.

what's your timeline history like? The last 10 years got a huge pile of connectors for example that never used to exist before that. Are you purist if you only use parts before some particular period? What if you make or modify some piece that turns up in a production set next year? Is your previous solution now null and void? Are you more of a hero if you can use a minimalist parts selection? Do you become a legend if you can make an RC sewing machine using nothing more than 1x2 technic bricks and 4L axes? I make a habit of grinding teeth of old connectors to make smooth x44 units. The reason is that i get get toothed ones for a couple of cents instead of 50-100 times as much for the smooth one. Yes, it's modifying parts, but it still achieves an aim you could achieve by being a purist. Also, regarding your first bullet point since i was one of those involved, how do you get a pulley to spin on a bar? mine are all friction fit into axle holes and you can't get a low friction way of mounting them without slop either, since they are also friction fits into the 1/2 pin or similar.

fabulous Zero - overkill is only a good suggestion about where to begin :D

yes - as doug noted, the movement of each pulley is different so they can't be joined together on one axle. You have hole centres so you're ok there. You may improve things by making sure they're free to spin and lubricate them as well. The string looks like the single direction wound stuff you find in a lot of kitchens for tying chicken legs together. A collection of those under load will tend to introduce a moment that will twist blocks. You might try some thin braided stuff if you can find it. I think for that application the lego stuff might be ok - I was expecting you to be trying to reeve the load block not the luffing assembly. The basic reason it happens is outlined in calculations in the first document I linked - the load in each line is not equal, as much as fairy fiction analysis land would have you believe. A big reason for this is internal friction in the (wire) rope as it goes around each sheeve. You can get away from it by controlling the twist of the rope, the choice of bearings and lubrication of the sheeves (not really applicable at lego scale), the size of the rope and the diameter of the sheeves. You may also get some value from a narrower total sheeve block width (perhaps the 1/2 stud wide larger diameter pulleys, but these are on axle centres. If you can prove the concept though, you can machine out the axle centres or buy a custom set from efferman.

btw, what are you using for sheeves/pulleys? If they are axle centres and all mounted together on one axle that will explain why only the first few lines are loaded and the rest go slack

And while i think of it, I think what you're after is termed Double Reeving, where the orientation of the lines are strung such that the hook will not move laterally when under load. With a high enough hook weight (which you can calculate using the formulae in the first crosby link if interested) to keep the lines straight, this means the hoist line is reacted by a support line at a point equidistant from the load line of the block.

You may find some real life info useful. You're after a reeving method that puts the hoist line in the middle of the block. Have a look at this link for a 4 sheave block https://www.thecrosbygroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/375_382.pdf Then there are general reaving instructions from the crane manufacturers. You'll probably need to make a sheave block with a fair bit of weight to it as well use lighter string than the lego braided stuff. https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiYu-L_m9_TAhXBJJQKHSn1CZQQFgghMAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.manitowoccranes.com%2F~%2Fmedia%2FFiles%2FCrane%20Care%2FReeving_Information_v2.pdf&usg=AFQjCNHP6qdZ2OB_h3TlJ2sKc1G21lfb8w and another http://www.manitex.com/manuals/3500-000/adlib library/7600005-036/7600005-036_publish/.\7600005-036_Data\Operator_Manual_-_7600001-047\7600001-047-2_07-2003.PDF

my holy grail is actually only one part - the orignal instructions for the 858 Engines set Blakbird mentioned above. The parts are trivial to accumulate and the sets I have built vary between chromed and plain taps (that hold the ignition leads). Occassionally the 'sets' come up for sale but they invariably have photocopied instructions. Dream - maybe the 41999, but I have a suspicion that with the plethora of recent parts releases in dark blue, including panels, that this model will become pretty easy to build out of original colour parts in the not too distant future without having to pay outlandish sums for what is essentially a box and a 5 digit numbered tile. Regrets - perhaps one of the sadest things about being old with disposable income to spend on your hobby is that your only real limitation becomes supply. The money and space are much less of an issue than when you're young, living in an apartment, juggling career, family and so on. Perhaps that's why my major grail is something pretty simple (like searching for an out of print book really) but at the same time complicated enough to provide a lingering challenge.

and one day it will grow up to be just like its big brother. and maybe even harvest wheat to make the new breed of non-ABS bricks :)

your combination of engineering and artistic talent is first class :)

I would have posted this sooner but I was busy riding the real one around the country. Now I get to carry a spare bike with me :)

it's not only lee pin as a company. Ebay is now covered in the stuff with the fake logo covered up or ripped off the box by the seller who then advertises it as new unopened LEGO. I wonder whether any of the recipients even care?

box it and send parcel post - many people already sell the same thing by post - theirs just had more contents.