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Hi, I was wondering since you're machining yourself those technic axles, can you do custom orders? Specifically I would like to have steel axles that permits free gliding/sliding of the gears on them, a bit like how a worm gear freely slides on a regular axle. Is it possible/doable? I'm assuming you can machine them at any lenght.

A XS motor would be perfect! Maybe the design of the XS motor housing could have an attachment for the regular and articulated LA bracket so that the motor could be closer to the LA and/or possibility to have an universal joint. Linear actuator holder Articulated Linear actuator holder

I second that, can't tell your design from your BS gallery

Wow! I did'nt realize how big the whole "sandvik collection" was until I zoomed in on the pics to check the tire's size... I was expecting 81.6 but they are actually 94.8mm!!!! These things are HUGE and beautiful!

This is just the first "trial" of the design. Obviously the original design for the powertrain from Pipasseyoyo is flawed. I'm thinking of doing some kind of worm drive. The geometry for the boom is correct, but grossly underpowered (got lots of room to change gear ratios). Some aesthetic will be changed. I think I have enough pieces to build a second one in parallel; we'll see over the week-end. On the other hand, the bucket tilting mechanism is "perfect", the speed is correct with a gear ratio of 72:1. Maybe I'll change the 8t gear for a 16t on worm gear... that'll be fun to develop. BTW, thanks for all the comments, it's really appreciated.

Here's the video; bear with me it's the first time ever that I make/upload a video. Lifting 2-M motors seems to be the limit for this boom geometry. I've tried with a BB with batteries, didn't even move a bit.

Hi again technic fans, While browsing BS, I saw a really nice Bobcat and decided to build one. It has been a untapped pet project for a while, and there, a really good inspiration. Can't remember the original builders name (have'nt noted it down) but the powertrain and bucket tilting are his ideas. Starting from there, I've built up the rest, and the final result: BrickShelf gallery when moderated. Summary: 2 XL for driving (skid steer) 1 M for raising boom 1 M for tilting bucket 2 PF-Lights 1 Rechargeable BB The powertrain is not very well designed; there's a lot of gear slippage and zero-radius turning is hell on the gears. There's a lot of bending of the axles that holds the tires, reinforcement of the axle holders should be addressed. When used with a regular BB the weight is to much on the back axles and is really unbalanced. All in all, it was a quick build, with room for a lot of improvement, and I'm thinking of building it in SR3D to show the mechanisms involved and MAYBE, put out the revised model for instructions. What do you think?

I don't think that the wheels are too small, but more that the whole crane is too big!! I did'nt find the proper tire/wheel combination for this scale. It lies between these and these. I've just order the latter ones on BL. So stay tuned for the next iteration.

Holy "5x7 frames", that's a lot of skid plates! I'm pretty sure it's not torsionally sensitive!!! (bad joke from a seismic design refresher course)

No prob, I did'nt realize the resolution of the pics. You're right about the driving big excavators, the smaller ones are much more tricky to master; with large ones, you just just break everything if you're not careful, too much power!!!

Hi Technic fans! You know when you're bored because you're waiting for some crucial BL orders to come in and you're stuck? Well, here's the result: The Mini-version of the 8421-XS Functions: All-wheel steering via HOG at back Outriggers via HOG at back Superstructure rotation via HOG at back Boom elevation via LA on turret Boom extension via HOG on boom Winch on turret Crane deploying Fully deployed comparison with Designer Han's XXL crane (the project on hold for BL order) All packed-up and ready to leave Anyway, it's always fun to do mini-projects in between large ones. I've discovered that I really enjoy building in mini-scale. Brickshelf Gallery My previous mini: 8045 mini-xl MOD Nonetheless, cranes are fun to build, next up a "midi-scale" 8421 with these tires:tire 37x18R

It's a real OUTRAGE! USD and CAD dollars are nearly at par (i.e. 1$ USD = 1$ CAD) and Canadians still pay 30% more... almost all the technic sets are at this markup, I wonder why the prices are so inflated here...

You should check out the harbour crane's boom (8053-B) is made out of a truss which is roughly 4 studs thick (8053-b book 4 p.6). The total deflection is really small; it's torsionally pretty resistant and fairly lightweight. With some minor mods, you can make it as long as you have liftarms. {{I've tried to upload a VERY SMALL pic and the browser wouldn't let me...}} Now the million dollar question is how to make it look good.

I've also tried to do a lowboy trailer for this specific application many times; and all the time I've failed. My current design uses 2 x studfull 1x14 bricks with 2 plates to build a "truss" system as the centre beam with the 5x11 panels as the roll deck. the bending is greatly reduced, but it does not look nice. For my particular design, and for the use of 8043 and 8265 as cargo, the minimum low-bow widht is 21 studs; which does not fit anymore with the crane truck. Good luck with this project!

Very cool MOD I really like the implementation and modularity of the backhoe system. It will surely be something I will study in details (meaning I'll try to replicate for sure for an another application). Good job, and thanks for sharing!

Very nice explanations there, it really cleared things up and "scientisize" something that is somewhat obscure. //So now to my last question, and this question is for you: What other LEGO models are there that have a //somehow clever mechanism to achieve level-luffing? //I took a look around already, but I found no prove for a working level-luffing mechanism. I don't know if this qualifies but, take a look to the cherry picker 8292, the vertical motion is "level".

I have (had) about 20 Duracell NiMH 2650mAh batteries for my PF models and I must say they are really bad after a year of use (about 50 charge cycles). Maybe they are defective but I ended up throwing most of them away (BTW, disposed properly in a recycling facility) I also have some Eneloop batteries from Sanyo, and these are the best up to now. They are in my #8043 since August and recharged them only once since. Also the AAA Eneloop are in my PF-Remotes and charged them once or twice in two years. Granted, I don't "play" very often with my models. I'll recommend the Eneloop batteries anytime.

D'Oh!!! I should have thought about it... But for some stupid reason I thought that the white and blue connectors were different angles (*wrong*). Anyways, it's too bad, because that's the connector that I have the least amount of, not enough for 2 octagons.

Very cool MOC design and the drum is awesome. Congrats to both. What's the white and blue connector's # (3 or 4 or 5) I'll try building one of those (justfor fun)

I might actually be very interested to get one of these modified buckets. I would like to see the final product. I certainly don't have the time nor the expertise to modify something like this. Good job, keep us informed!

I've sent an e-mail to TLG about that and that's the response I got. ""Thank you for contacting us on 12/20/10 and for your interest in LEGO® brand products. The products you inquired about have been discontinued from our current product line and we do not expect to receive additional inventory at this time. Each year, several items are discontinued and new ones added. By doing this, we provide a product line with more variety and continuing challenges to our LEGO builders. And you never know favorite themes from the past may emerge again with a slightly different look! We do hope that one of the many new items included in our current retail and Shop At Home product lines will appeal to the LEGO enthusiast in your home. LEGO products are sold in national chain stores such as Kmart, Toys R Us, Walmart and Target Stores to ensure that they are readily available to consumers. If, for some reason, you're unable to locate a particular current set at retail, you may call this direct order telephone line, 800-453-4652, for price information and a free catalog. You can also order items on line now at www.lego.com. Thank you again for contacting us. We wish your family many happy hours of creative building with LEGO brand toys in the years to come. JessicaLEGO Direct Consumer Services"" Me too I've missed this set during my dark ages. I really want to get my hands on this set/.

I don't think we'll have a 8421-similar mobile crane for a while (at least 3 more years) because the 8053 and 8067. But a large scale rough-terrain crane like the 8070 would be plausible. I think a lowboy trailer truck in the same scale as the 8043 and 8265 that you could put them on it would be really awesome! If not a large grader.

Might not be a typo (8285 and 8258) because the crane truck is still not available in Canada and the tow truck is marked as sold out. Out of 14 regularly available technic sets; 8 are sold-out or not available. It's a fairly slim picking. If it becomes available again, I'm buying one for sure!!

You're right Zblj, a nice 6-wheels flatbed would be great to transport the 8047 if it's in the same scale. Seriously, with all the nice MOCs of low-bow trailers we've had in the last few months, I'd really hope for an official set from TLG. Just the tractor and gooseneck trailer in the scale of the 8043/8065. It'd be a really awesome UCS set imho. A road grader in the same scale would also be great!!!

Very cool discussion! To all electrical/electronic engineers out there: what is the normal safety factor of any design? Because in this case from 9V to 11.1V is 25% factor which in civil eng. is really not enough for Ultimate States Design... Anyway, I'm electronically retarded; enlight me!