American 7260 crawler crane
 

Hi everybody

My name is Eef i am new here , but maybe some of you already know me.
I made an american 7260 crawler crane in 1:15 scale.
This has been an longterm project and it's still going ( slowly )
I am working on a 1:50 model also of the same crane.
There are some more things i like to add to the crane , so enough to post in the future here.
And i have a lot of other hobbies so sometimes there is lot progression and sometimes i do nothing at all for months on the crane.

Also like to play with computers so i made website about it.
http://homepages.ipact.nl/~eef7260/

So here are some pictures.

Hope you enjoy.

Eef



http://homepages.ipact.nl/~eef7260/images/img001.jpg

http://homepages.ipact.nl/~eef7260/images/img003.jpg

http://homepages.ipact.nl/~eef7260/images/img040.jpg

http://homepages.ipact.nl/~eef7260/images/img052.jpg

This is an orange peel grab i am working on at the moment

http://homepages.ipact.nl/~eef7260/i...20peel%203.jpg

And the 1:50 carbody i am working on

http://homepages.ipact.nl/~eef7260/images3/7260-007.jpg

Re: American 7260 crawler crane
 

Ah ha . You finally got clearance to enter. Glad to see your work on this forum!;)

Re: American 7260 crawler crane
 

Wow! Incredible work. Beautiful crane, thanks for posting pics.

Do you have any videos?

Re: American 7260 crawler crane
 

I can't help but stop and admire it every time I see it. Beautiful!

Re: American 7260 crawler crane
 

That is an amazing piece of work! Gonna keep following this.

Re: American 7260 crawler crane
 

Wow! This thing is incredible. How did you make the boom?

Re: American 7260 crawler crane
 

Nice to see you on this forum, Eef!

Kerst

Re: American 7260 crawler crane
 

WOW Great build, can you post some photo's of the building process.
Welcome to the site, great to have you.

greg

Re: American 7260 crawler crane
 

Greg, Check his site out he has some pictures. One shows the jig he used for the boom. I looked it over again yesterday laying in bed sick but I didn't find all the pictures. I think there's more showing build closeups. I hope Eef posts them. I would like to see the other cranes on the table at the model show too. The kid operating his crane looks just like my nephew. But he's never been to Holland.:D

Re: American 7260 crawler crane
 

Thanks for the warm welcome and nice words.
I will post some more pics in the next few days but unfortunately i do have not much from the building stage but i do my best to find some.
And like Steve i came home today with a flu as well ( is it on the forum ?? ) :).
I feel like **** at the moment so it might take a day or 2 before i feel like searching for pics and posting.
The little kid is my nephew and he is real good in operating the crane and he loves it , he going to shows with me most of the time.
The nice thing is that i have time to speak to people while he operates the crane and he is having the day of his life.
Ok the next post is about building the boom with some pics and about the other cranes from the show

Eef

Re: American 7260 crawler crane
 

Is that what they mean by a VIRUS on the computer?
My words are exactly about having a partner you can trust with the machine. My son has been with the build since the beginning and he knows what to do and is a really big help while walking. But we're still learning.:D

Re: American 7260 crawler crane
 

wow thats huge!!!

Re: American 7260 crawler crane
 

Hello EEf and welcome ...Wow pretty amazing talent and very good attention to detail..
How much will it lift?

Re: American 7260 crawler crane
 

Hi EEF and welcome, amazing work I can't wait to see more of this one. It looks just as detailed as the 1:50 models I have. Keep up the good work and get well soon. Are the crawler pads steel? I would love to see more on those they look just like the real ones.

Re: American 7260 crawler crane
 

What a way to make an entrance to the forum!! GREAT looking crane and the 1/50th looks like it could pass for the big one! Can't wait to see it completed also.

Lynn

Re: American 7260 crawler crane
 

That´s one fantastic model you have made. Realy liked to see the other pics on your home page. Hard to belive it´s a model! 5 stars!
Dan

Re: American 7260 crawler crane
 

Hello everybody
Thanks again for your reply's and nice comments.

tracksntreadslou asked : How much will it lift?
Well here is the answer.

100 US tons = 90 metric tons = 90000 kg divided by 15 to the third power = 26,5 kg maximum lifting capacity.
With the shortest boom configuration at 83°.
Thats been tested and it passed the maximum load test successfully.

SmallHaul : there are a few small videos on my website.

W900snowman : yes the pads are from steel i will post some about it in one of the next posts.

OK now about the boom.
Boom is made from 6mm steel hydraulic tube and 2.5mm welding steel.
It's cheap and strong , 90% of the connections are done with copper welding.
The rest of the connections are done with silver solder.
Reason for this is that sometimes there are to many connections close to each other.
If you heat up one place the other one is falling apart again.
Silver solder is a bit lower in temperature so i used this on the difficult spots.
Result of this it's extremely strong , but it's not that simple.
It's extremely difficult because of all the tension you will bring in with these temperature.
So be warned it can drive you nuts if you will give it a try.
Afterwards file of the spots with to much solder ( or some rough sandpaper).
And then sand or glass blasting the whole thing and that's it.
The photos will tell the rest of the story.


next post : about the other cranes from the show , and about the tracks.

Eef


http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a234/eef7260/1-1.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a234/eef7260/3-1.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a234/eef7260/2-1.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a234/eef7260/4-1.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a234/eef7260/5.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a234/eef7260/6.jpg

Re: American 7260 crawler crane
 

WOW very nice work. Can I ask why you chose to use steel for the boom instead of brass or ???. Just curious I've been planning on building a manitowoc 4100 in probaly 1:16 and I am always looking for ideas or advice. Again amazing craftsmanship it is top notch.

Re: American 7260 crawler crane
 

WOW VERY NICE i love you jig for making your boom. i was so pumped when you said that you did a scale max lift. that tell's me that it work's as well as it looks good wich is way hard. i can't get the work you have done.

Re: American 7260 crawler crane
 

That's just breath taking. Wow! I wish I had just 1/10th of your skills. That would boost the making of my dragline.
I've seen your sockets installed at your clam shell bucket. How did you made the sockets. This parts I could need too :).

Re: American 7260 crawler crane
 

That formula is interesting. 15 to the third power, can you explain?

Re: American 7260 crawler crane
 

Weight is related to volume.
Dimensions are in a certain scale, then areas are in this scale to the 2nd power and volume to the 3rd power.
Does this make sense?

Kerst

Re: American 7260 crawler crane
 

Now I see. I never could visualize it that way. I did that formula with my machine and given the approximate weight it come close to the 1:1 machine.

Model: / 1:1 Machine:
aprox wt 250# 1,030,000#
bucket full 12# max load = 50,500#

Re: American 7260 crawler crane
 

Thanks for explaining that one for me Kerst.
I was already thinking how am gone do that with my basic school English.

Re: American 7260 crawler crane
 

Hello everybody

W900snowman : Why did i used steel for the boom ?
It's cheap and was available at my workshop also it was as close to reality as possible.
Also it can be copper welded and silver soldered and that is stronggggg.
OK it might be over-constructed looking at it afterwards but i am happy with it.
But using brass and using soft solder might be a good choice.
( i used brass with my jib because those sizes where easily available in brass , but i used silver solder )
There is is one major problem with copper welding or silver solder and that is the temperature.
This generates so much tension in the boom , but it can be done.
You have to give it a try and learn by trial and error.

Here are the pic's that Steve asked for these are the best i have got.
The pictures are from an P&H 5300 from a friend of mine Cees.
He also made an American 5299 both in 1:16 scale.
We spent a lot time together on shows.
Most amazing about these models is that are controlled by one single motor.
Everything is controlled with small levers on the crane and works with with clutches and brakes.
He build these models long time ago and these models where my inspiration to build my model.
After all those years he is done with hobby and moved on to other things in life so he selling them.
Don't now if it's allowed in this section ( if not moderator please remove the link )
but here is a link to his selling page with some more pic's.
http://members.home.nl/cjrotering/

Another good friend of mine is building a 5299 American in 1:10 scale can post some pics of that as well ??

next post : about the tracks.

Eef

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...-5300-0001.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...-5300-0002.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...-5300-0003.jpg

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http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...-5300-0006.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...-5300-0007.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...-5300-0008.jpg

Re: American 7260 crawler crane
 

I know that guy!
He was a good friend of mine when he built these two crawlers. I helped him get started on the 5299. I had just finished my 4100W then. We used to go to exhibitions together a lot, when I still lived in Holland.

kerst

Re: American 7260 crawler crane
 

I figured you would responded Kerst
I now you had good contact , my contact with Cees started when his models where almost finished.
This was about the same time that you left holland.
I think i have seen only one time both of your manitowoc's and then you where gone.
Not sure but have you been back some years later and went to one of the shows again with a manitowoc and a tele crane ??

Eef

Re: American 7260 crawler crane
 

In 1989 i left Holland and moved first to Britain and then in 1998 to the USA.
I came to the show in 1998 with my 2 Manitowocs and the carrier of the Krupp 180GMT. About 4 years later i came from the USA with my then finished Krupp. Was quite an operation to fly it over!

Kerst

Re: American 7260 crawler crane
 

Thanks EEF7260, That makes sense with the boom materials. Thanks for all the pictures too. These cranes are amazing.

Re: American 7260 crawler crane
 

Some pictures as promised about the tracks.
Do not have much pictures from the building stage but here are some.
Tracks are made of steel each track plate is made out of 12 separate parts.
These were soldered together in a mold to a single track plate.
Sandblasted afterwards and thats it.
Each side frame has 37 track plates so thats 74 plus a few spare ones.
Took me more then a year to make them , this was the start of the model.
Reason for doing this first was that i figured that if i quit on this project it would be here.

Eef


http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...260/up0001.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...260/up0002.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...260/up0003.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...260/up0004.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...260/up0005.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...260/up0006.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...0/Dscf3550.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...0/Dscf3551.jpg

Re: American 7260 crawler crane
 

Re: American 7260 crawler crane
 

Now you got my wheels spinning in my head! Those tiny hinge pieces would make me go nuts. Those had to be a pain to locate,braze then have the pin align.:eek:
If I ever build one of my next machines track links are used by the hundreds-like 304 of them.

Re: American 7260 crawler crane
 

Almost forgot
Also 76 connection pins ( had to be turned on size )
And 152 small locking pins ( these where bought )
I am still surprised that i did not go nuts there.
Would never do it like that again.

Eef

Re: American 7260 crawler crane
 

You're crazy, really crazy ;). That makes me feel like I should hide my models in the basement. That's just fantastic (all thumbs up).
I think you missed it because it was the last post on the prev page but could you answer my question please?

Re: American 7260 crawler crane
 

Thank you for the info and the pictures. This build is more amazing every time I look at it. You had to be very patient to get all those tiny parts to line up right. Very nice work.

Re: American 7260 crawler crane
 

Very nice tracks, was parts laser cut? How did you manage to have all parts lined up while brazing? I had to spotweld my parts together before they where brazed in owen.
Do you have any pic from this assembly work?
Very nice model!
Dan

Re: American 7260 crawler crane
 

Hi lorenzo

Yep sorry missed that one.
My English is not perfect so excuse me for that but is this the socket you are talking about.
Just to make sure i am not telling you a whole story about the wrong piece.
So let me know are we talking about this piece ??

Dan , no everything was was made by milling.
I try to find to soldering mold and take a picture in the next few days.
Spot welding sounds like a good id too.
PS that is one big serious bulldozer you are building there.
Looks real good and impressive so far.


Tamiya Cowboy : have a look halfway the first page hope that answers your question.
100 US tons = 90 metric tons = 90000 kg divided by 15 to the third power = 26,5 kg maximum lifting capacity.
With the shortest boom configuration at 83°.
Thats been tested and it passed the maximum load test successfully.

Eef


http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...0/Dscf1757.jpg

Re: American 7260 crawler crane
 

Hello Eef,

Yes, that's the part I meant. If German is easier for you than try this way.

Re: American 7260 crawler crane
 

Hi Lorenzo

I made the basic shape by milling ( see figure 1 & 2 )
It's not an real socket with an key , sorry it's a bit fake.
I made 2 holes ( see figure 3 )
I put the rope trough one hole then make a not and then stick it up again trough the other hole.
After the milling i made all the round edges with a file and sand paper.
It's not the most easy part to made but it can also be done with a saw and a drill and a lot patience and some skills with a file and sandpaper.
Hope this made some sense.

Eef

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...260/Image1.jpg

Re: American 7260 crawler crane
 

Thank you Eef. That makes sense. Interesting way you did it.