Great Dane excavating co.

[Bo Wallen]

Originally Posted by Cooper

Lol!!! It's been a while since I last actually saw one in the daylight, but yes Pennsylvania has beavers, and Amish too, but I don't know about Amish beavers. Maybe this weekend mark, you can ask some of our planers (Amish) if they breed any beavers or if they make too much of a mess with damming up the streams for more fruitful harvests. I don't think pa allows trapping them anymore. Or maybe you have to get a fur bearers liciens if you trap them. It's been a while since I've been on any hunting trips

I saw one !!! KATE STOLZFUS

[Supermario]

I got some pics for you and will send when I get home this afternoon.

[9W Monighan]

I just thought of something. Did you figure the camber and caster out on your steering geometry? It looks like everything is 90deg of each other. There was a big discussion about this on "Dads Garage's" thread.

[JAMMER]

Very nice work Cooper it is coming along nicely. Ed

[Cooper]

Thanks guys!!!

I did think about caster and camber but for the model I think it will be more complicated and not really important. (A lot more work . ) but I am trying to get the Ackerman geometry correct. The 1:50 model actually works accordingly with proper steer geometry (Ackerman ). So I'm shooting for that. I will not really know till I get to the cylinders and center pivot point.

[bigford]

forget ackerman this coopermechanics ! there will 2 1/4 scale servos hooked to multi linkages
4 bell cranks and MR.nutters yanking on the wheels to turn that monster....

[Cooper]

Original idea with rod ends


Changed to smaller rodends. They are smaller and give more room for hydraulic cylinders.


Haven't finalized the "t" bar for steering but very close with getting the geometry correct. I don't know if pics really show it but wheels do have different turning radius.





And photobucket is being a PITA!!!

[Bo Wallen]

That must be a great feeling !!! Up on wheels !!! Awesome Carry on

[Cooper]

A couple little things to work out, the t-bar has to be notched out for pivot point. but with full travel up and down things all work smooth. A couple clearance issues to work out but I'm happy to get it working pretty close. The cylinders will work out good but fittings may be a issue. May have to make some hardlines to locate hose fittings in better area. But big thing is cylinder stroke with ends and piston I'll have a little bit of room to spare. Somewhere around 1.5 to 1.9" of stroke. Somewhere around 3" closed and 4.9" extended.

Yes bo, I'm happy it's working out somewhat. The 1:50 model steering works but it didn't translate to the 1:14 scale well. But that may be in my measurements. Off .10" on model and that could translate into off an 1" on the 1:14. So it could have been my inaccurate measurements. By the looks of 1:1 machines the stabilizing bars are parallel with frame crossmember but in my model I can't get 36 degrees of steering angle. Right now I can get over 40 degrees and still not hitting tires on frame of binding somewhere. Even with tires (suspension ) at different maximums.

[Bo Wallen]

Hard part done. check. Now just buffing it off and test run.........

[Cooper]

Question for you guys, would it be best to have a pressure and return line for each cylinder of make the two cylinders work as one? Like the left one being pushed with pressure line while the right one is being evacuated of oil? The stabilizers will also pull on the retracting cylinder. Just a thought I'm having. It would dramatically lessen the pushing power, and I don't really know how much force will be needed to make this thing turn. I'm fine with it if tires need to be in motion to turn. I'm not going to be static and cracking the steering.

[RCP57]

Looking awesome RW. Watching you build this makes me miss being able to do this type of stuff for myself a little.

[Northern Farmer]

Sweet that looks like one solid setup!

[JAMMER]

Great job Cooper just keep pressing on and before you know it it will be finished and then you can get crazy on another project. Ed

[Cooper]

Reg, it's time you start a big project!! (One for yourself!)

Thanks northern farmer, she is slowly coming together. I may not build perfect but usually try to make things somewhat indestructible. I just don't know what kind of forces will be applied to the linkages and holding 4mm pins will hold up. Using m4 screws for the pins in the rod ends.

Thanks jammer, seems like every new project becomes a major undertaking. I would think by now I would know going into it a lot of little road blocks await. But I keep thinking ,,, oh that will be simple, I'll figure it out when time comes. Well that is where the ever growing box of spare parts comes into play!!!

[modelman]

Cooper-your work looks great but I am thinking you have the geometry backwards. Maybe I am wrong but with my old eyes it looks like the outer wheel has the tighter turning radius. I think the inside wheel should be the tighter radius. Right-wrong-not sure but I looked at the picture a long time and that's the way it looks to me. Keep at it on this monster!!

[modelman]

Sorry cooper-just ignore that last post. I thought the front was the back and the back was the front and oh well; I'm going back to sleep.

[Cooper]

Lol modelman, my fault for having the pics different orientations!!!

So I'm starting on steering cylinders. Settled on 1/4" shafts and I D .375 cylinder. Looking at steves ,ihbuilder, post of cutting more threads on rodends. I gained a little more wiggle room and also cut out the swivel on one rodend. They are just pressed in and I will do same for the end of cylinder tube. Gives me more room for inlet and outlet oil fittings.

[Cooper]

Got the rough length of cylinders. The shaft is short in pic, keeping everything long till I can get the swivel bearing on cylinder finalized. And to figure out how/where to have oil inlet/exit ports. They are going to be the hard part. Hats off to you guys working on small stuff!! 1/4" id cutting internal grooves for the orings is about my limit. And I know for some of you that may be big stuff!!!

[Cooper]

Got it figured out



Have to trim other cylinder down and then both are to working stroke. Still have to make small blocks for m5 hose fittings. I figured out how to run lines, both will work with normal hose fittings and I don't need to make any hard lines. Guess that's next.