Cat 340D Excavator build

[crueby]

Mike is sorta right, not enough room to fit the boiler in the cab!




Actually, its a combination of cost and mess - having seen what happens when a hydraulic line leaks, and I want to be able to run this one around in the house. Also wanted to see if it could be done - kind of a middle ground between the pure hydraulic machines and the plastic-geared 'toy' ones. The gearmotors and leadscrews are an interesting combination, seen them used in some of the builds here (especially in truck dump beds). It seems to have enough power in initial tests, but it could always be converted to hydraulics later on if need be.

[crueby]

More done on the undercarriage - getting it skinned with aluminum sheet. All are roughed in, ready to do final trimming/blending on the edges.





The spindle unit is sitting on top - need to bore a large hole in the top sheet so it will sit down on the top sheet.

[crueby]

Bored out the hole for the spindle assembly:





and test fit in the base:

[skeeter]

Originally Posted by crueby

Mike is sorta right, not enough room to fit the boiler in the cab!




Actually, its a combination of cost and mess - having seen what happens when a hydraulic line leaks, and I want to be able to run this one around in the house. Also wanted to see if it could be done - kind of a middle ground between the pure hydraulic machines and the plastic-geared 'toy' ones. The gearmotors and leadscrews are an interesting combination, seen them used in some of the builds here (especially in truck dump beds). It seems to have enough power in initial tests, but it could always be converted to hydraulics later on if need be.

Very true! The hydraulic machines DO get messy! I believe the operating system you went with is far less expensive than a hydraulic system. For indoor operations, I too wouldn't want a hydraulic machine.

[crueby]

Got the cab/boom assembly bolted onto the track base this morning:




As expected, needs some counterwieght at the back of the cab to balance out the booms. The cab rotation drive gear meshes okay:




Good place to park the die-cast model:





Next up is to do a bunch of wiring for the radio/speed controls, and I can do some testing!