[Volvo Contest] Volvo ETS 770 14x14 with I-Hoist Crane

[Saberwing40k]

Recently, there was a contest on Lego Ideas to come up with a futuristic construction machine. I came up with this, a truck mounted knuckle boom crane with some interesting party tricks. I apologize in advance for the wall of text, as I would like to actually explain some of the details behind the design, because I did not have enough room on the actual entry page to do so.

First off, why a truck? why not make some kind of dedicated carrier? My reasoning is that having commonality with standard haulage trucks would be beneficial to operating costs, and then there is the fact that in some countries mobile cranes are not allowed on the highway, so this gets around that as well. Also, I had wanted to build a truck like this for some time before the contest was announced, so that's a personal reason. Originally, I had wanted to use the cab of 42079, but the contest dictated otherwise, so I made my own cab and chassis. The crane I based this off of would be the gigantic Cormach 575000A X, as seen here:

However, I do not like the way the crane looks, mounted at the back of the truck, so my version has the crane reversed, so the crossed outriggers and crane base are behind the cab. I also added an additional axle, bringing the total number of axles to seven, to reduce axle loads.

As for the truck itself,ETS stands for Electric Truck System, the line this truck would be sold under. I chose a long nose design in order to provide space for a hybrid range extender, and an extensive cooling system for the electric motors. There is also an equipment rack behind the cab, in order to hold various crane parts, as well as more cooling systems for the motor controllers, and a bleed off module like a locomotive, for when the truck is under regenerative braking.  As I mentioned, the truck is electric, and has all wheels driven. Unlike a standard truck, their are much lower transmission losses, and each additional axle powered only adds more horsepower and torque. Normally, the truck only has two axles driven, but any number can be driven as needed, for difficult terrain or starting a heavy load. To improve safety, the truck has an extensive network of cameras positioned at all angles, instead of mirrors. This eliminates blind spots, as the truck would have massive ones ordinarily. Another feature of the cab is the fact that the steering wheel and other controls can be swapped left to right as need be, for when the truck travels to a country that drives on the wrong side of the road. Another innovative cab feature is the VR crane cab, a fully outfitted driving station in the sleeper cab of the truck. This allows the crane to be remotely controlled from withing the cab, useful for inclement weather. This system already exists, Hiab has a version of it, but I take it much farther. The primary crane cameras are at the end of a boom, in much the same location as a regular cab would be. This gives workers on the ground something to look at while interacting with the crane.

With full outriggers and full extension, the crane reaches high. Unfortunately, the pneumatic functions of this model do not work as well as I'd like, particularly the outriggers.

As a futuristic function, the crane is actually dismountable, and can drive around on its own set of retractable tracks. The tracks are also mounted on a platform that can be raised and lowered, which allows ground clearance to be changed.

This configuration allows the crane to be much lower, and far more compact, allowing the crane to fit in spaces the truck could not, such as indoors. Since the crane is also electric, it can operate inside buildings without exhaust problems. For additional range, the crane can either plug in to an appropriate wall socket, or receive power from the truck via a cable. I have seen a number of tracked knuckle boom cranes, but they all require their own trailer. This configuration would allow for far greater speed and versatility. Without the crane, the truck could also be used as a flatbed, to move items around. The crane has an additional normal remote control, like most knuckle boom cranes. Also a part of the interface is the warning beacon on top of the superstructure. It is a series of red, yellow, and green lights. Most cranes have a setup like this, red means overload, yellow means approaching max capacity, and green means normal. I also added a warning light on each side. These would be activated when the crane is under VR control, to indicate that the crane may move suddenly. Another idea that is hard to get across in Lego is the fact that the crane is equipped with sensors, that would prevent the crane from hitting walls and especially power lines. I wanted to add a fly jib, but due to the outriggers, that was not an option. With a fly jib, this machine would be able to do the work of a truck crane, a crawler crane, a tower crane, and a heavy tractor, all in one unit.

The truck chassis itself can actually split in two, allowing the truck to operate as a heavy tractor. Stored at the back of the equipment rack is a retractable fifth wheel, which can be extended when the crane is dismounted. Getting a steering system that could be disconnected was hard, and unfortunately struggles with the full crane on the truck.

 

And here we have the Volvo ETS 770 on its own, without the crane. As a summary of the functions, this model has:

Manual:

• Steering
• Track unit fold/unfold
• Slewing
• Track Slewing
• Chassis disconnect
• Two boom extensions
• Winch

Pneumatic:

• Crane elevation 1
• Crane elevation 2
• Folding outriggers
• Extending outriggers
• Lowering outrigger feet
• Raising crane body
• Locking to truck

These are the five entry pictures, I plan on taking more later , showing off more details of the crane and truck. I hope you guys like it.

 

[BrickbyBrickTechnic]

Like it? I love it! That's one monster of the build and an awesome crane. The truck is really clean and looks both futuristic and like something from the present.

I think you really captured the essence of the contest. Good luck!

[1gor]

It looks like it is impressed by Kenworth C500 with Comanche crane 

It is impressive build even due it is small scale like Mack Anthem