[WIP] Tigercat Skidder

[agrof]

Hi All,

I know, I have unfinished projects enough (published here too), but time for another long-term build. I was lucky enough to find great deal on pneumatic cylinders, and finally I own Claas tires too, these caused to raise the Skidder-particle ppm in my haemodinamics.  This is a very old plan of me, basically since I got back from my dark-age with the 8265 in 2009.

So this is the plan: http://www.tigercat.com/product/630e-skidder/.

I will not build a specific model, but a generous one (610/620/630/632 mixed style), because I am not that much interested in specific models - simply: I love them all (and beside that I am afraid of @M_longer's justifiable criticism ).

Finally I found a working design for the grapple with nice range of movement. It has virtual pivot points, and floating cylinder (this is already differs from real-life counterparts), but I wanted to use 1 cylinder only due to tubing - which should be nicely hidden in the boom panels. Some might be not a fan of the Bionicle parts, but I find them right here, and they tend to close properly due the lucky combination of build slack and their pointy-thin design (I might figure out an offset for them, but wasn't successful yet). I made a pure Technic version too, in case.

This is how it looks so far (partly built in bricks too - waiting for parts), with Power Puller tires in the model for the scale:

Still a very long trip ahead, and I am not fast on building, but I feel passionate, which is a promising sign I guess.  

Special thanks to:

@Lipko for inspiration and for the pneumatic parts in LDD from his majestic Backhoe,

@nikolyakov for the beautifully purpose designed and inspiring TC10 entry,

@BrickbyBrickTechnic for his 42054 C-model as final motivation,

and for Bricklink to make it feasible to emptying my wallet...  Every suggestion, criticism for improvement is welcome.

Edited September 21, 2017 by agrof

[jorgeopesi]

I tried to build this type of machines several times but I couldn´t because the wheels aren´t big enough, they are very narrow machines and I would need huge wheels in order to have enough room between the wheels, have you considered to use the class wheels?. It is nice build generic machines but in the end it has always something left but I never know what...

[1gor]

Idea is good, but I personally like CLAAS tires more that balloon on such machines even if tread pattern is a bit different on forest machines than on tractors or harvesters...Since your inspiration was 42054 C-model by @BrickbyBrickTechnic, you could have made 42030 C-model (it only uses LA) 

[BrickbyBrickTechnic]

Oh, my C model was an inspiration? Thank you 

So far it looks really good. Following this project, hope to see more soon.

[M_longer]

OK, here's my criticism:
That grapple will not work, due to locked in place (under that C frame) pneumatic cylinder.

[agrof]

@jorgeopesi @I_Igor It will have the CLAAS tires, they just don't exist in LDD / Stud.io., I decided to use PP wheels to get closer diameter proportions in virtual reality - so those are just placeholders. Pneumatic is a new challenge for me, also I don't want to use any motors and batteries, pure manual experience is foreseen. This is also the reason why I don't take LAs, 42053 convinced me about pneumatic playability. 

The grapple is actually reverse engineered, so this is luckily working, as mentioned the cylinder is floating.  I will edit pictures in this post in the evening. 

Thanks for the notes!

Edited September 19, 2017 by agrof

[1gor]

  On 9/19/2017 at 11:28 AM, agrof said:

@jorgeopesi @I_Igor It will have the CLAAS tires, they just don't exist in LDD / Stud.io., I decided to use PP wheels to get closer diameter proportions in virtual reality - so those are just placeholders. Pneumatic is a new challenge for me, also I don't want to use any motors and batteries, pure manual experience is foreseen. This is also the reason why I don't take LAs, 42053 convinced me about pneumatic playability. 

The grapple is actually reverse engineered, so this is luckily working, as mentioned the cylinder is floating.  I will edit pictures in this post in the evening. 

Thanks for the notes!

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you have point there, multiple LAs require lots of axles and universal and CV joints popped up or even broken

[Lipko]

Thanks for mentioning me! But I don't get one thing: in one image you use the placeholder/dummy cylinders and on another one you use modeled cylinders. How is that?

[agrof]

  On 9/19/2017 at 3:54 PM, Lipko said:

Thanks for mentioning me! But I don't get one thing: in one image you use the placeholder/dummy cylinders and on another one you use modeled cylinders. How is that?

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Stud.io can not offer nice snapping drag and drop usage (actually sometimes it is horrible, you can note this in the pictures with pneumatic cylinders), but it has the pneumatic parts, PP wheels and tires, + professional rendering modul (POV-Ray).

Summary: I build in LDD (easier), and render in Stud.io (nicer).

The grapple design so far, this was the first design criteria:

There was quite big side slack in open position, but accidentally this solution was a perfect fit (right side beam is partly hidden for better visibility inside the construction):

+ Axle sketch with CLAAS tires. Still, bigger tires would be more on pair with the large V2 cylinders in this scale, but I think these new parts deliver already good proportions for the final model.

Edited September 19, 2017 by agrof

[1gor]

It looks that you nailed 1:17.5 scale model 

(real machine has 28lr32 tires - 1855 mm in diameter, so you are representing it in 1:17.5 scale)

So far model is developing in right direction 

[Mudmog57]

You could use 2.2 third party tires from Rc4wd they will fit nicely on your moc 

[agrof]

Thanks guys!  I don't want to use third party tires here, the ones from CLAAS were clearly produced to my pleasure. 

I digged into my Bionicle treasure, and found another piece which could be nice for the grapple claws. They do form much nicer  the required shape than the previous ones.

[offroadcreations]

Looking good so far, nice progress. I like those second Bionicle pieces more. One question: what is that long angled piece on the arm of the grapple? I don't think I've ever seen it before.

[Aventador2004]

  On 9/19/2017 at 11:52 PM, Offroadcreat1ons said:

 what is that long angled piece on the arm of the grapple? I don't think I've ever seen it before.

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it is a creator crane arm piece. Part#: 64449

Edited September 20, 2017 by Aventador2004

[TechnicRCRacer]

  On 9/19/2017 at 11:52 PM, Offroadcreat1ons said:

what is that long angled piece on the arm of the grapple?

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I believe it is this:

https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=59807&idColor=3#T=C&C=3

[1gor]

  On 9/20/2017 at 3:43 AM, TechnicRCRacer said:

I believe it is this:

https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=59807&idColor=3#T=C&C=3

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It is, now we know that @agrof bought ocean explorer for parts 

[agrof]

No, agrof did not.  My ideology for MOCing: I rather spend a bit more on parts I need, than having unused parts laying around (which I have enough in a small flat).

Some proportional test progress in CAD:

Edited September 21, 2017 by agrof
updated picture

[1gor]

... my phylosophy is the oposite, and unused parts challenge me for next moc, but sometimes I buy parts when there are dominant parts in set in "wrong" color and I need particular parts like battery box for my Unimog.

For your Tigercat moc I must say cab is very well proportioned 

[agrof]

Thank You, actually  the cabin was a bit long, I shortened it, sketched a hood too - this must be probably bit longer. Pictures are updated above.

It seems, I will have no fake engine, but I have an idea for a nice Tigercat feature. 

EDIT: I reorganized the parts, lifted a hood a bit, made the cabin even shorter, now it looks even more accurate to the 632E model (more serious look)

Comparison to previous version:

Edited September 21, 2017 by agrof

[1gor]

IHMO hood is very good. I really like solution with Panel Curved 3 x 6 x 3 (https://www.bricklink.com/catalogItemIn.asp?P=24116&colorID=3&in=A)

I still think that engine could be squeezed inside this hood.

[doug72]

Its looking very good, looking forward to seeing it in action.

I tried to build something similar a few years back using L.A.s for all functions but became too complicated and gave up.

 

Edited September 21, 2017 by Doug72

[1gor]

  On 9/21/2017 at 10:34 AM, Doug72 said:

Its looking very good, looking forward to seeing it in action.

I tried to build something similar a few years back using L.A.s for all functions but became too complicated and gave up.

 

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I assume that problem was with power transfer to LA with axles and universal joints. 

[doug72]

  On 9/21/2017 at 10:37 AM, I_Igor said:

I assume that problem was with power transfer to LA with axles and universal joints. 

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It was based on an articulated shovel loader which had a compact gearbox with all motors in the rear section.
Not sure if it was a lego model or somebodies MOC.
It used a white 24T gear modified to a 24T clutch gear.

It was quite a squeeze routing all the drives to the L.A.s inc. the grab.

Heres an image of it.

Edited September 21, 2017 by Doug72

[1gor]

Rear part looks OK, but I think tires are a bit to small IMHO

[doug72]

  On 9/21/2017 at 11:35 AM, I_Igor said:

Rear part looks OK, but I think tires are a bit to small IMHO

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Agree but they were the only large tires I had at the time.