[MOC] Quirky crawler crane

[suffocation]

After completing the prototype of a superstructure for a six-axle crane, I decided it'd be fun to try mounting it on a crawler carrier.

 

The goal was to have six functions:

 

- slew

- boom raise/lower

- boom telescope

- winch raise/lower

- drive

- skid steer

 

all driven by a single XL motor. I also wanted to have each function controlled by its own two-way switch, without having to continually resort to the battery box.

 

The main body of the superstructure is my own very rough and unfinished design; the boom borrows heavily from Gerger's Grove; the undercarriage is a mod of 42042's, with the addition of bogies and a subtractor to enable skid steering.

 

The superstructure works fairly well, even though the slewing is a bit jittery. The big let-down is the drive and skid steering - due to the massive backlash that builds up along the drivetrain, the crane can barely stutter back and forth. Still, I guess it's a decent proof of concept and I'd love it if a more competent MOCer would take my work and improve on it. I'm leaving it as it is, since it was just meant to be a quick diversion from other MOCs I'm working on.

 

 

More pics here: http://bricksafe.com/pages/hateofallhatreds/crawler-crane

 

 

Edited January 27, 2017 by suffocation