The Second Dual Crane Pipe Transporter

[Superkoala]

I am continuing to explore the fascinating world of the pipe transportation with a new prototype. You may already have seen it on youtube, I’m a bit late to post here (busy week-end).

If you have a good memory, I did a first prototype on track (here) that had some limitation; in particular it couldn’t transport more than one pipe at once.

 

The complete album is available on FlickR

 

 

 

Prototype 2.

For this second iteration, I started again form a white sheet to try something new : The transporter is now on tire with multiple axle steering for a good maneuverability and good translation speed (more adapted to road).

I choose to keep two cranes for the consistency with the first proto. First advantage this allows making them smaller, as each crane support almost half of the weight of the pipe they don’t need to be reinforced and a mini actuator is enough to make them move.  Second advantage is that the pipe remains horizontal even if not loaded exactly on its center of gravity.

 

 

What’s inside ?

There is 6 functions in this truck (5RC + 1 manual).

Propulsion on axle 3 and 4.

Steering on axle 1-2 and 5-6.

The cranes :
1- 360 degrees Rotation.
2- 90 degrees Lift.
3- Cable.

The truck was built from the center to the extremity, both crane are a copy-paste and are actuated by the same motors placed in the middle of the truck. Advantage: the crane move simultaneously and are always in the same position, drawback: you can’t use only one crane if you want to (I don’t know why you would have to use only one crane but well.)

This was a choice at the conception because the goal of this prototype was to test the concept. With an alternative built it would have been possible to upgrade the truck so each crane have its set of motor , and the simultaneous movement is manage through the software  (because yes, SBrick allows you to control several port with one command)

Last functions are the additional lateral support that are deployed manually. They were added lattely in the building process (when I tried to install a larger pipe that clashed with the cranes), so I did not had enough room left in the truck to install the pneumatic line. Not a big issue in my opinion, I will do better next time.

 

 

Good and not compare to the first prototype:

Good

• Can transport more than one pipe
• Can load/unload up to two pipe in total autonomy
• No real length limitation
• Better road capabilities

Not good

• Still requires a manual intervention to catch the pipe
• Range of operation : Cranes are not long enough to load the additional support.
• The dual crane are still not independent.

Some improvements are still possible. So, project to be continued.

Thank you for reading

Edit:

One additional word: in the video you can see a support vehicle. It is a not-so-good mini forklift only used to load the truck, It has been possible by the use of a 3rd Sbrick (both vehicle controlled through the same interface) and 4 M motors.

Dedicated video here (yes I was terribly boring when I did the miniature ):

 

 

Edited April 23, 2018 by Superkoala

[doug72]

Nice MOC & presentation with a good balance of text & images - well done.

[ColletArrow]

Another interesting concept model from you. I love the mLA to crane boom linkage, and the simultaneous cranes accuracy overall. The cranes could have had better range if an extending section was added, but it would be difficult to implement 3 functions through the turntable. What you've built is pretty good I think.

In terms of the concept; overall I preferred the first version, as this model looks less versatile due to it's size and road-only tyres. However, this looks to be able to carry larger pipes, and would be useful in situations where a pipe was being laid under/alongside a newly-constructed road. Perhaps the next design (if there will be one) could be closer to the first, but with a different bed/crane design such that several (smaller diameter) pipes could be loaded by forklift at once, then they could be unloaded and placed one by one by along the route.

Overall, an interesting project. I'm interested what you'll do next.

Edited April 25, 2018 by ColletArrow
what, not hat

[Maaboo the Witch]

I think the forklift looks cool! Kind of like a classic Volvo BM loader. Great MOC all in all.

[Aleh]

Good MOC! And original idea!

[Superkoala]

Thank you all for your feedback :)

15 hours ago, ColletArrow said:

Another interesting concept model from you. I love the mLA to crane boom linkage, and the simultaneous cranes accuracy overall. The cranes could have had better range if an extending section was added, but it would be difficult to implement 3 functions through the turntable. What you've built is pretty good I think.

In terms of the concept; overall I preferred the first version, as this model looks less versatile due to it's size and road-only tyres. However, this looks to be able to carry larger pipes, and would be useful in situations where a pipe was being laid under/alongside a newly-constructed road. Perhaps the next design (if there will be one) could be closer to the first, but with a different bed/crane design such that several (smaller diameter) pipes could be loaded by forklift at once, then they could be unloaded and placed one by one by along the route.

Overall, an interesting project. I'm interested what you'll do next.

I don't have started thinking about a third prototype, but I may go back to a tracked carrier - I have to chose between something that look like the first proto or a vehicle inspired by a Foremost Husky 8 (here).
And this this it will probably be a single crane with more function. Something like a log loader.

[Wolf_Zipp]

Good MOC (s) ! I like it !

Edited April 28, 2018 by Wolf_Zipp

[Roman_Brovin]

Great work!
If you make the 3rd version, you may think about the 4-axis is also can steering.
On the crane, I see a double block, although only one is used, why not use it?

[Superkoala]

10 hours ago, Roman_Brovin said:

Great work!
If you make the 3rd version, you may think about the 4-axis is also can steering.
On the crane, I see a double block, although only one is used, why not use it?

I initially wanted to use two cable (see below, sorry for my MS Word skills ) but tehre wouldn't be any advancatge so I came back to only 1 cable.

To get back to the carrier, the same design was "supposed" to cover the three possibilities I studied (originaly posted on my Instagram).

In the reality it is not reusable and have to be desassembled and rebuilt from scratch due to the number of motor, cable and other thing in it.

 

Edited April 27, 2018 by Superkoala
Typo correction

[BusterHaus]

This is a very nice MOC! It looks pretty good for a prototype, and the functions are well executed. 

For the independent use of cranes, you can have each one working through a driving ring, so each crane only works when the gear is selected. In theory you can have them turning in opposite directions, too. I'm not sure if the independent rotation adds any benefit, and you will have synchronization issues to solve. 

By the way, I noticed that there are no outriggers on this model - is this typical for s truck of this type, or is this something on your to-do list? 

[1gor]

Actually I like forklift very much. Very nice small scale mocs. Pipe transporter seems very sturdy 

[Wolf_Zipp]

@BusterHaus 

I think with independent rotation can change the pipes from right to left side, when the ditch is at left side.

If the vehicle is heavy enough, it needs no outriggers , but it lock the suspention to get stabil. 

[ArsMan064]

I like yours pipe transporters. They are very accurate!