8049 - Tractor with Log Loader

[tomacwhite]

After waiting ages before being able to build it, I finally got the chance last week, however I found myself with a missing piece! Arrggh! It wasn't a friction pin or beam either, but the short blue air cable that is required for the pneumatic system, so it stopped me dead in the build. It arrived after a few days directly from Lego, so tonight I finished the model off. Hurrah!

Firstly, and most importantly, I like the model. It's quite a simple design, with very little in the way of complex gear systems or a detailed transmission for the tractor, but it's nice, and it looks great. There are a few flaws in the design which I'll go into later.

First though, some shots of the front of the box, and its contents. I was surprised by how compact the new boxes were for Lego this year. Fair play to Lego for actually trying to reduce waste, this is smaller than the Cherry Picker model, and waaaay smaller than the Front Loader (although that does have double the parts count of this). The new Race Truck's box is exactly the same size as this model, in case you were wondering :)

Numbered bags, which I guess makes sense for the age group this particular model is aimed at. It's quite light on number of parts to be honest, but there is fairly decent selection of colours and beams here, and of course it has pnematics AND a compressor included. Also to note, there are many parts left over when you complete the model, and these are used to add PF to the Loader, and instructions are included at the back of the 2nd manual.

The Tractor is first up to be built, and its a nice looking model. I love the lime green colour Lego use here, and the white roof is a good match. Regarding technical features, the tractor is very limited, all that is included is HOG steering. The body is simple and lacking detail such as doors, and what body there is, is just floating on the sub-frame. It's a shame, but then the price point is lower. A engine with piston and some doors would of finished the model off nicely, but never mind.

Completed tractor:

Next up, is the trailer which of course has all of the good stuff in the model, and is more complex (but still relatively simple) than the tractor.

Early stages of construction with piping added

It's not long before you have a nearly completed trailer, and you realise it's fairly lightweight on detail.

Crane arm construction. I love how the piping is routed, its really neat and looks great.

Completed model.

I wish this had been given the pneumatic treatment too. It's also fairly weak and the logs slip through the claw design.

Overall I do like this model, playing with pneumatics is lovely, and brings my childhood memories right back. It's a nice model, but it is fairly basic on technical features. Do I think it should of had more complex systems to it? Yes perhaps, but that would of also put the price right up, and I assume Lego are testing the waters with the air system before committing to a full-on technical marvel. I guess that's why there isn't a pneumatic model for the 2H year yet, they'll see how this one sells first.

Pros

+ Pneumatics are back, and they're great

+ Nicely designed tractor and trailer, if a little simple

+ Well priced, especially in ripoff Britain (£45.00)

Cons

- Claw could of had a mini pneumatic cylinder

- Logs fall off the back of the trailer too easily, or through its base

- Not much complexity with gears/transmissions

7/10

[DLuders]

Great review of the first PNEUMATIC set in years! I'm going to get one soon, and then mod it with some spare pneumatic parts that I've had for years. I'll try to add the mini-pneumatic cylinder to the claw and maybe add some "teeth" to better hold onto the logs.

[Ratbat]

I really like the pneumatics! The tractor also looks very nice, but it really needs an engine.

Might skip this and get the Helicopter, but that's only because there's a lot out there that I want right now.

[Brickus]

Thanks for the review, I may have a look at this when I see it in stores.

[prateek]

Thanks for the review! I really like this set, and it is at a relatively low price

[Topsy Cret]

Thanks for the review! I really do like those pneumatics, though I've already got a bunch of the old ones. Here's hoping for an air tank as well.

[Holodoc]

Thank you for the review tomacwhite!

The only good thing about the set is: Pneumatics are back! Hurray for that!

For the rest of the set I have to say "meh", nothing to be overwhelmed.

Especially for the points you already have mentioned (claw/logs/complexity).

[Big Cam]

Awesome review, I had no idea the amount of tubing that was involved in the technic Pneumatics.

It's hydrolics for LEGO!

[ZO6]

Thanks for the great review!

This is a nice little set in my opinion. For the price, I honestly would not expect too much more out of it. Sure it has some flaws, but this set is all about getting pneumatics to the masses again. Hopefully in the future we will see some more complex use of the system, as well as the return of the air tank.

[Huffy1968]

Informative and interesting review, thanks.

This is the the only 1H 2010 set I don't have now (apart from 8041, which is in the post), and ironically the one I have been looking forward to the most. The UK price is very good, and I particularly like the mid-scale of the model. The fact that Lego did not put pneumatics aside when they introduced linear actuators bodes well for the future.

One more thing to add, tomacwhite - have you thought about extending your review to add the Power Functions compressor feature, if you are able to? Would love to see it.

Looking forward to more of your reviews!

H.

[tomacwhite]

Informative and interesting review, thanks.

This is the the only 1H 2010 set I don't have now (apart from 8041, which is in the post), and ironically the one I have been looking forward to the most. The UK price is very good, and I particularly like the mid-scale of the model. The fact that Lego did not put pneumatics aside when they introduced linear actuators bodes well for the future.

One more thing to add, tomacwhite - have you thought about extending your review to add the Power Functions compressor feature, if you are able to? Would love to see it.

Looking forward to more of your reviews!

H.

Hi, thanks :)

If I get chance this week, I will rip the guts out of my Cherry Picker and add them to the Log Loader for the PF option.

[cpc6128]

Good review; I agree with most of the main points.

The tractor looks great (I like the colour and the faring pieces especially) but functionally is unsophisticated. The trailer is a bit lucklustre both functionally and aesthetically. Although I'm sure a lot of people on this forum (like me) buy these sets mainly for the parts, LEGO sets are primarily aimed at children as toys, and I think in this case there would be limited fun to be had with this set ("A" model, I have not built the alternate model) mainly because the arm does not really work very well for its intended purpose of picking up and dropping the log.

I normally purchase Technic sets later on when they are discounted so comparatively I thought this set was poor value for money. I was expecting this though, so I was not disappointed with my purchase. The reason I bought this set ASAP was that I did not have any pneumatic sets when I was younger so I had to get my hands on this one! I was disappointed with the way the pneumatics operated, however. With only one pump on the compressor it takes a little while for pressure to build up in the system. Probably more pumps and/or an airtank would help to solve this problem? The pneumatic cylinders themselves are slow to operate against loads and generally seem weaker than I thought they would be. I have read that some people (mainly LPE guys) have re-bored the cylinders to increase the airflow, so I will probably try this when I aquire some more cylinders as "test subjects". Has anyone here tried this?

Regarding the performance of pneumatic cylinders generally, I could not imagine a much smaller load than the tiny arm on this trailer (and the performance with this was disappointing in my opinion). Perhaps they are better used in pairs rather than singly to provide decent force/speed? Or would a better compressor (more pumps/air tank) help provide better performance?

[DLuders]

piano000kr posted these two YouTube videos showing the quick, stop-action build of the 8049 Tractor with Log Loader set.

, the Tractor:

, the Log Loader:

Edited October 30, 2010 by DLuders

[RohanBeckett]

in the first video, there was the motor-pack..

needs a 3rd video that shows it being modified with the motor/compressor! :)

RB

[DLuders]

MRjonttu97 posted this YouTube video of a motorized Lego Technic 8049 Tractor with Log Loader. The functions COULD BE like the ones on the upcoming (2H2011) Lego Technic 8110 Unimog U400 set....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33aTWTGnD5A

[roamingstop]

The functions COULD BE like the ones on the upcoming (2H2011) Lego Technic 8110 Unimog U400 set....

Certainly looks like more control because the small compressor takes longer to fill the cylinder. Looking better and better... Poor Lego - the Uni-Mogi is the real cat out of the bag.

Edited December 29, 2010 by roamingstudio