Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

Thank you!! I didn't even know about the kingpin until a little while ago. The spring I was thinking of is some simple strip of spring steel attached to deck (metal part) and resting on top of pin. This whole project was to show the wife how lazy I can be not having to move from any location yet still play with multiple toys:lol::lol::lol: I'm almost there :). Although trying to be lazy has been a lot of work!!! Originally my thoughts were for the winch but having to mod the truck,,, well at the time i thought a trailer would be easier, I know my logic doesn't always work out. Lol!!

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

As far as you are I wouldn't go the winch way, you pretty much got the "lazy" down pat just deck it and tune it to the weight and your good!:D

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

Your bass will get ripped up ,but alder will get scratched up also but not as quick . I use it and hard pine on my railway cars and load all sorts of rocks etc on them I also cut them as boards and beat them before you install them . Try what you want the offer is there . Oh and squirrels like to eat basswood 😄Mike

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

I'll keep you in mind mikem, thank you.

Truckmaker, I got to messing with it tonight. Put some temporary stops on the outriggers/landing legs. Lifts the vice I had on it along with four 123 mill blocks. But,,, I don't think the actuators will be able to completely lift the heavy excavator. I think another one in center is needed, maybe two. I'm very close on clearances to put two on each side, side by side. I don't think I could use e-clips on the shafts, would have to change to a set screw to give me a bit more wiggle room. Center has more than enough for one or two side by side, but then more drilling and welding in a rather hard to get to area. It's always gonna be I thought I had enough on the shelf at home but,,, but I need to get more parts !!! But good news is I have the clearances just right for the truck hooking up with fifth wheel. And definitely have to cut some spring steel to add to leaf springs on truck. Squats stock right away. It's one of these circumstances, have truck,,,,, build trailer,,, need to modify truck to suit built trailer. It may just get completely out of hand if a king hauler is needed, extra drive axle, different tranny/motor,,,,,,,,,,, help me I've got to stop!!!!!! Lol!!!! Really need warm weather to get here fast, it will get me outside!! :)

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

Coop, check TamiyaUSA they sell 3-4 different length add a leaf springs for the F350 which work well on the stock truck springs. You can make it as heavy as you want. If you go to post #6 in the link below you'll see a spring set with 4 leaves added ;)
http://www.rctruckandconstruction.co...ead.php?t=9138

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

Thanks, appreciate that !! I have some annealed spring steel sheet that I was planning on making springs before but I was able to use stock springs. I think I will do what you have done just cut some myself. Have to cut and temper but that's the fun:).

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...ps1dxl8fyt.jpg
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...ps89bs861n.jpg
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...psfsjlcnej.jpg
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...psqtrgdbul.jpg

I have the metal plates in the last pic for welding jig/spacers and the long brass rod is just to keep somewhat square.

http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...psgwd5lddz.jpg

The collapsable king pin. Needs reinforcing but just the preliminary stuff.

http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...psmn8awze0.jpg

And bit the bullet and got two more actuators if one on each side is not enough power. They are matched very well, and movement is synchronized well. Had some time and motivation last couple days to get some more done. Hopefully soon the weather gets a little warmer and I can set up a somewhat makeshift paint booth to get this and the excavator painted. I have quite a few furnace squirrel cage blowers that I was going to use one for a downdraft fume extractor so I'm not cleaning cat yellow off everything in garage like when I painted the dozer ;). A couple furnace filters and flex duct out window to give the shrubs a tint of cat yellow, hopefully not the siding on house!!!

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

See u have a use for Mr Nutters

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

Lol!! Put him to work, maybe he will drive better than me :)

http://youtu.be/VYeUEOzz6Fw

Just a simple video of the truck and trailer, I figured out the gravity drop kingpin.

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

Nice job on the king pin set up Cooper, the bracing and all look just like the 1:1.

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

Thanks!! I wanted to braze a lot of pieces but my skills at brazing yield warped parts and ,,, well just not good at it !! Practice more first.

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

Made all the shafts and cut retaining clip grooves. Between the arms I installed Teflon washers to help misalignments and ease of movement.
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...ps8sf0x1yi.jpg
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...psqmzbojr3.jpg

Added the other two actuators.
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...psoiryzu87.jpg


Bottom side with neck in the up position
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...pszjiu4iui.jpg

And I may have underestimated the power of these actuators, the metal that is bent against the aluminum was just a temporary piece to help locate where to put a stop. They bent that rather easily as it's not structural bent and temporary but it also bent the frame ibeams!! I still haven't figured what would be best to limit the trailer raise to help facilitate the neck lift. Some 1:1 use chains or pins. Still a work in progress
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...pspxolwdbg.jpg
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...pssarifiwx.jpg

And just another overall pic.
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...psn5cg13oc.jpg

Added the mixes to radio for all four actuators. They are independently plugged into 1-4 channels and work by throwing a switch then on a dial so the trailer can be raised/lowered to any position. So I guess next step is to get the I-beams bent back and figure out the stops. Then rear bumper, between wheel frame additions, decking, paint, ect. Thought this project was going to be a "quick" fun build. It has been fun and some burnt brain cells along way!!! :)

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

Well, if you would quit playing with Lego all the time , this build would be much further along! :lol:

Nice work RW. :cool:
Maybe it's a tough build but your still taking the time to think of things like Teflon washers so all is good and stress levels can't be that bad...:p:rolleyes::lol:

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

Makes my boxcars look to simple ! Mike

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

Load test one with the excavator.

http://youtu.be/eE9irWLSAxc

And load test number two, I think I said the dozer was 80#, I actually forget its weight! somewhere around there I think.

http://youtu.be/ewaWgGBbn7Q

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

Looks like it works good, seems to work a little lifting the dozer. Are you going to have a mechanical lock or let the weight ride on the actuators?

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

Thanks Mario, I have had quite a bit of "thinking" on this one :).

Truckmaker, I really didn't plan on being able to lift the dozer, but it can!! I found out (or it seems that way) that the actuators will lift more than they have the power to hold. They do act like they are working to lift the dozer but they will hold at any given location. When I originally did a load test with two, they would lift but then drift after stopping. Firgilli states they will not be damaged from staling but it's not good if repeatedly used that way. I just got back from the local proctologist hardware store with some small chain and small cable. Picture hanging cable. I figure between the two I can figure something out. I was going to use some metal bent up somehow for strength as a mechanical stop. I am now thinking of going the chain idea as I've seen some 1:1 use chain. And after looking into that the points that can be secured at are the arm shaft that runs from side to side ( probably the most secured part) and the landing leg itself. I'm sure to add some pics of the process. Hope you guys like all the pics, I always like looking at what others do or are thinking of doing :).

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

Fantastic job it looks and functions as it should.

Travis

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

Excellent Job, I really like the fact that it pushes down on the other pieces to lift the trailer to height and also acts as a landing gear, idk if that was intentional on your part, or just one of those by mistake accidents that worked in your favor, but none the less. BEAUTIFUL!

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

Yes that was the idea, when loaded the neck goes up first, when empty the trailer lifts first then the neck. The 1:1 work similar or have two separate controls for neck and/or landing legs. But the most of them have that sudden break loose effect of neck lowering, I didn't think I would achieve that but it is basically the same as 1:1 as far as pivot points go.

Thanks!!!

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

Hey Cooper, can you limit travel via radio endpoint settings?
Cheers, Neil.

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

Not really, if the travel on the actuators is changed any the landing legs will still move as far as they are allowed. They are the least resistance between landing legs (trailer lift) and gooseneck lifting. And that changes depending on load. With no load on trailer the trailer will lift first then the neck goes up. With load on the neck goes up first then trailer. That's one of the pitfalls I ran into on this build. It looks simple but getting the right locations for pivot points was a challenge. I am working on cutting some 1/2" angle iron for stops. It may be the perfect solution as I have a large area to weld to the ibeams and the 1/2" side can rest against aluminum landing leg flat. More surface area to contact resulting is stronger support and they are only 1.75" so not adding much weight.

Just got done plowing / shoveling ice and snow since 5 this morning. I think I may go groundhog hunting this summer, completely wipe out groundhog Phil and his family!! Three more weeks of winter!! I'll show him three more hollow points of summer!!! I just hope all this snow and ice doesn't melt too fast as I may not get to the river lot till summer!! Some more coffee and hopefully some time to mill those stops for the trailer.

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

RW, just one more thing to think about. Right now you're lifting on a hard surface and it's looking real good. But it's going to change on soft ground! the bottom of those legs will go straight in unless you have some surface area to support that much weight. Just thought I'd throw that in before you make the stops. I'm sure you'll need more area to sit on.
Rob

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

Yeah, another thing,, lol!! I haven't milled much on the landing legs yet, or made any type of shoe. Making sure the basics work first. But I do plan on having some sort of shoe. Originally those aluminum legs were configured opposite how they are now. May make new ones as the hole locations are what was needed. Didn't want to get too much into them if they were just learning parts :)

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

This is some of the basic part of what I'm thinking for shoes. I'm trying to have them front heavy so they lay flat when in transport, resting against landing leg. Probably have a set screw in landing leg to keep pin in place. No good clearance for e-clips, and may have to change to set screws on outer pivot arms to increase clearance for shoes. Everything is tight as in no wobble but loose enough for ease of movement.
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...psstwnuune.jpg
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...pslqjj1y4j.jpg

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

I was getting frustrated with messing with landing legs so I temporarily gave up on them to start work on wheel well supports.
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...pslxodviwf.jpg
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...pserzywkpd.jpg

They are just set in place for an idea. I think I am going to leave the back end open, possibly some mesh on bottom of frame for storage/wood blocks. Like on some of the 1:1

This is our new safety inspector, he has been doggin me a lot lately, can't find a compromise with keeping shop clean and safe whenever he drops in unannounced.
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...pseyjwh2pa.jpg


And after he got done barking safety compliance issues I shrugged them off and went back to work,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...psczjjitqz.jpg


Now he really has a bone to pick with me about shop safety. Lol!!!! I harpooned my finger with some sheet metal, pic makes it look bad but it was just a flesh wound and a little tissue, electrical tape, and a good dose of that s$&@ that stings all is well!! :).

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

RW, you're a hazard to your own health LOL. It's amazing how sharp that stuff is! 25 years in a sheet metal shop, so ask me how I know!! Great start on the feet as they'll be self leveling.
Rob

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...psqqg9ejrb.jpg

And an idea of the rear, have to make some flaps too. I wasn't planning on lights but these look good I think.

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

Yes, I'm usually very careful, self employed, self insured, self medicating (lol!!). I don't really like working with steel prefer alum!! The legs just got me frustrated as I need to make new legs to fit everything the way I want and just took a deep breath and decided to move to something else before the big toolbox had to be opened, the one with hammer and vice grips!!

Thanks

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

hey coop you make any headway with the FrSky Taranis? I just bought one today
for the china kat

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

I did set up my excavator with an 8channel rx. I still have to do some more with travel, limits ect. And the trailer is using that system. In short I haven't really got into it yet. I did change both sticks to centering. Easy to do. So far I think it is a great system, can't beat the functions along with price. I'll try and dig up the info I have on it. I did download the computer program but I haven't set up any models from the computer wizard. But I do have to get on that soon, as I want to have stuff set up and be able to remember what does what before cabin fever.

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1866206

A great thread here.

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

And the manual.

http://frsky-rc.com/download/view.ph...=Manual-TFR8SB

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

Oops wrong manual but frsky site, manual is like 50 pages!! Covers everything.

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

Now the craziness starts!!! The trailer is 7" wide (same as edges of tires on truck ) with the side extensions adding almost one inch to each side for a total extended width about 8 3/4- 8 7/8" wide almost 9". The excavator will have a good 75% of each track on trailer. I'm estimating 11 of these on each side. To facilitate not having a workforce of elves I decided to make this jig. I will be able to "pinch" the tubes the shafts run through so when not in use they will lay flat against inner frame rail. Originally I was going to make removable ones and add a compartment in frame to house them but these will pull from the imperfections in my welding my eyes are trained on. I thought about cutting holes in them but some of the 1:1 supports are solid so I'm keeping them solid. And only have to drill one hole in top of ibeams for shaft to slide through. Then the decking will hide holes.

http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...psqdryoq2i.jpg
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...ps3vfqszeq.jpg
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...psi5juauyd.jpg

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

Nice work RW! Especially having a butchered finger and all. :eek:
They look great but looks like a lot of work. I figured you might do 3D printed parts for this instead? ..... Then again, it's all metal up to this point, why stop now eh? :p:D

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

Mario, I have been really struggling with the ability to print parts for this, every day I walk by the printer and sigh. Yes it's been all metal and trying to keep up that way. I just wasn't sure if the printer parts would be strong enough, as keeping thin on things and the plastic would have to be thicker to get he strength. The plate steel appearances of parts. Like on the outriggers I have under 1/4" to tuck them in frame with hindge. Hey the wheels are printed!!! Lol!!! Idea for mud flaps and hangers,,,,, I'm pretty sure I was looking a bone inside my finger the other day, re dressed the bandage and the super glue held the skin back together:). Been keeping an eye on it and looks fine. Why is it always the pointer finger? That's the one that touches everything!! And I'm reminded as it is still a bit "touchy". Lol!!! Almost 5, the safety inspector is expected and I'm sure he is going to hound me some more. ;). Lol!!!

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

You got them all done yet?:lol::lol::D They're looking good!

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

Glad it wasn't the dog drawing, First Blood!

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

Haaaa!!! Still cutting pieces!!! Want to go beat my dog!!! But not as bad as making dozer tracks!!!!!! Lol!!