vauxfan2k

Hi Guys Followed the instructions for modifying the gears to incorporate the extra clutch, This mod would be alot easier if done during building, but my trucks were alreay assembled, so a bit of fiddling and stripping down and I managed to do the mods to my second truck, I had to borrow a white clutch cog from another of my built sets, and some of the other parts like the L shaped beams are not included in the original 8258 set, so you will need to source these also. Results are to be expected, no more crunching of gears and crane movements dont need to be closely supervised anymore. A success! Lego should provide revised instructions for future sets, or even an update leaflet to be inserted into existing instruction books, Cheers Ste EDIT: Seems I was a little hasty is calling this series of mods a success, The lifting power of the crane arm (lifting an object by use of upper or lower arm) is greatly reduced, this is because the newly installed clutches slip instead of allowing the arms to raise the object, if you prefer to use the manual winch to achieve this tho that works as normal. pros and cons for everything it seems.

Hi, I stripped and rebuilt the crane mechanism, as I was still not happy with the overall strength of the outer arm, This time I used some ports from an old 1980's technic set, the bushes and rods were far stronger, the bushes gave a tighter grip. I noticed that the older ones are made of a harder plastic which is harder to bend by hand. The crane operates smoothly and when retracting the only clicking that comes from it is within the actuator, My next step is to open the actuator and use some lithium grease to coat the gearing inside. this should make the actuator quieter and more forgiving when wound too tight in extended or retracted positions. as for lifiting power, the only holdback now is the white clutches and the general flimsyness of the plastic beams. White clutches can be temporarily replaced by normal cogs but the risk of damage to other components increases if the motor is left running unsupervised. Ill keep going and see what else can be improved. cheers Ste

Hi Starstreak, Im afraid you do have too many pieces left over, After building 2 of these I was left with all the same parts from both trucks. the 2 black axle joiners, a half bush, and all the grey full bushes were NOT left over from my sets. Makes me wonder where you missed them from or if you got more spares than the rest of us? Cheers Steve

Hi Guys Ok Ive stripped the pickup and trailer, takes a good while! Built the second truck, this time without the stickers, and also trying the mods to the gearing anf the pins at the universal jonit at base of crane. I used the half bush along with the full bush in all of the actuator mounting joints (all have the flimsy cogs) The first test run after build was flawless, except for when the crane closes fully. There is still the teeth clenching crunching of the cog pictured in the mod images. This has ruled out the mod as being worthwhile. there has been no significant advantage in having the bushes in the other mountings either. the only clear solution is to have another clutch cog in somewhere to prevent this, being a different size to the cogs in use. Leave it with me. :O)

Hi guys I just built the alternative model with my second set of this 8258, The duty wrecker itself isnt too bad, a bit basic and looks rather bland without stickers tho. The cherry picker trailer is pretty hefty, loads of parts poured into it, but again lacking lifting strength and for some reason the crane frame flops back and forth, I thought this was a mistake but I checked and rechecked the instructions. disapointed in the alternatice model, so taking it apart to build a second crane truck, hopefully modifying the crane to be stronger and a tad faster. cheers Ste