Liebherr LTM 1055 S-4 in scale 1/24

[kerst]

My next project will be a crane again.
This time an all-terrain crane. This model is actually one of the first all-terrain crane and it set the trend for the future.
The LTM1055 was designed by Liebherr for a large order from Russia for a gigantic natural gas pipeline project in the early 80

[Hemi1966]

This will be interesting. Great work as usual

[Jared]

Watching!

[jerry56]

Looking forward to this build...

[kerst]

During the past months i worked on the axles. all 4 are driven and there is limited space, so I need to design them carefully. I started with one axle to make sure it fits and in order to try things out. Now I think I am ready to make the other 3 axles.
The basis is a block of AL.



The diff is a Traxxas 1/16 VXL E-revo. It is not too big and looks pretty sturdy.



here the axle is taking shape:





And here with the wheels:



Kerst

[sparkycuda]

Amazing design and workmanship - as usual!

[9W Monighan]

A TRUE Craftsman at work again.

[Krewmember]

It's nice to see a another scratch build on this forum. I'm really looking forward to this one

-Shawn-

[egronvold]

HD axles

[frizzen]

Those look absolutely bulletproof!

[kerst]

I still have a stack of tires, which I used for other truck cranes, like the Liebherr LTM1800 and they would be the right size for the LTM1055, but they are not perfect. This off-road crane needs off-road tires, so I have been searching the Internet for a while, but didn’t find anything.



Last week I was clearing up some drawers and found some nice tires and when I measured them, they proved to be perfect for the LTM1055! In the early 80’s I bought this Conrad model of a Wabco Haulpack and somehow the tires survived. But I only had 6 of them and I needed 2 more.

Luckily, I found a Haulpack for very little money, so now I have 12 tires!



Comparing tires:



Loosely fitted:





Now I have all the parts for the axles.


Kerst

[skeeter]

Kerst, you are a master builder! I'll be anxiously following the progress in this build thread!

[kerst]

Thank you all!
During the past months I have been making the parts for the axles. It's a lot of work, but it is getting there.





Kerst

[kerst]

I have been working on the axles and the suspension. The original LTM 1055 S4 had the old fashioned Liebherr suspension with coil springs. Only later they introduced the hydraulic suspension.
The third axle also has the transfer box incorporated.





I made most of the parts for the axles, but I first wanted to get the suspension done before finishing them. It is quite tight and needs a bit of figuring to make it all work.

Kerst

[kerst]

Finally something to show. With all the rain this weekend I had plenty of time to finish the wheels and fit the tires.







The axles are basically done, just lots of finishing and fitting. Then I can add the drive shafts. Then the steering.

Kerst

[kerst]

More than a month later and not much obvious progress, at least non visibly.

I got all the gears in the axles to turn smoothly, the suspension works well and I got the steerage linkage figured out. This was quite something with the limited space available.

This morning I mounted the servo and I am debating how to connected the rear axles, either with a separate servo or with a special linkage. Stay tuned!







Kerst

[sparkycuda]

As always, marvelous attention to detail and getting things to work!

Just for fun, consider having a separate steering servo for each axle controlled by 4 different channels - then you can go crazy trying to drive and steer! For a guy that made a transmission with actual mechanically controlled clutch packs, should be no problem!

Kerst, you do such interesting projects, overcome problems in new ways, and approach the hobby with a fresh eye, I salute your efforts to keep scratch building alive!

Looking forward to when we get to see each other again.

Ken

[kerst]

The past months I have been working on the RC controls and the cab. Initially I had a lot of stuff in the cab.



But I changed my mind and opted to create more space for the interior, like chairs, etc. that meant that I had to rearrange things a bit. I also fitted the light, which are usually an afterthought, but actually take quite a bit of space. Luckily there is some space behind the cab and there I fitted one servo (gearbox), the receiver and the speed control. There are two servos between the front axles and the rear axles on either side (one for the rear steering, the other to engage front wheel drive). The other two servos (5 in total) are under the floor of the cab, one for the high-low gearbox and the other for the front steering. All the servos are micro servos. Unfortunately there is not space (yet) for the battery. I will figure something out.



Then finally I could do a proper test run:

https://youtu.be/QchCmGFTASg

Kerst

[pufferfish]

What a fine build so far. Chapeau!

[trucker n]

amazing workmanship