42042 Crawler Crane Modifications

[TylerridgwayAUS]

hello everyone, this is my first time posting here so hopefully what I've done is okay. Im a long time user of lego since i was a kid up until probably 3-4 years ago but recently i bough the 42042 kit. This being my first ever Technic kit and first time using technic pieces i was excited to give it a go. I'm pretty happy with how the crane looks and its power functions but obviously i was like to modify it in my own way. I've searched through this forum (and others) on various modifications but have found it fairly difficult at times to understand what exactly everyone is talking about.

So, i was hoping that opening this topic where everyone could post their own 42042 modifications, and others that they have seen, leaving an explanation and details on what can/needs to be done as well as additional parts required for the mod.

thanks and i hope to see some stuff soon!

[ctx1769]

https://rebrickable.com/mocs/Catweazel/42042-rc this is a remote controlled version of 42042, some you will have to get some power functions stuff everything you need is listed, I have yet to committee myself to it, busy trying to make space for a lego room

at the moment .

[Technictiger]

This one is interesting!

[Boulderer]

This one is interesting!

A little gearing to slow everything down a little and this would be spot on.

[doug72]

See previous forum topic here:-

http://www.eurobrick...pic=113124&st=0

Where lots of mods have already been posted for A & B models.

Edited January 22, 2016 by Doug72

[Techno]

https://rebrickable....weazel/42042-rc this is a remote controlled version of 42042, some you will have to get some power functions stuff everything you need is listed, I have yet to committee myself to it, busy trying to make space for a lego room

at the moment .

Built this last week

Catweazel is a clever fella

[Techno]

Six motors and cab tilt is a real treat

[ctx1769]

Finally got round to getting 2nd 42042 and some extra motors and started building the RC version using Catweazel's instructions. Need to finish it before i can start on 42053 and 42055 which are sitting on the lego room floor

[Bricktrain]

mine has 7 m motors, 4 winches, luffer and superlift, track frame lengthened 4 units and widened 2. Full RC. need to get some later pics, this one is when I was waiting for links for the pendants http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=6409801

I have also added extra bracing into the boom sections to lessen the twisting.

[andrewganschow]

WOW!! Holy cow, and I thought just having 3 extra boom pieces was massive.

[bloodnok]

I've had this model since Easter last year and this seems as good a place as any to say what I did to it. Most of the modifications to it here seem to be (impressive) changes to let it lift elephants, but the two things I wasn't happy with were that it can't be steered and it rotates freely about the tracks when that lever on the gearbox is disengaged. I addressed the first problem moderately successfully:



Yellow parts are those that are newly added. The 8 tooth gear on the middle axle is sliding; this means - although everything is a tremendously tight fit - the middle axle can be slid back and forth to engage either the 8 or the 16 tooth gear on the long axle. (The bush on the long axle wants to have its indents towards the 8-tooth gear because that gives a little more leeway to slip past it). The angled 3-stud beam can then be dropped down on one side or other of the gears+bush on the middle axle to stop the whole affair slipping, which works better than I expected. All this folderol means one can select a different gear ratio on the left and right sides of the crane, and so it can be steered. Conveniently, it also provides an extra-low gear ratio for climbing slopes.

LDR file for the design.

I've not really got anywhere with the free rotation. I've experimented with driving it through a worm gear, which can't be driven in reverse (and perhaps a clutch so bumping against the model doesn't try and rip it apart) but if the worm gear isn't firmly braced fore and aft it slips, and there's so little space in this part of the model that's quite hard to do. To try anything new here demands disassembling half the model, too.

Edited February 26, 2017 by bloodnok