bruder excavator conversions

[edwalsh18]

well, i ordered one up

gonna need some help/info/inspiration on this, first one for me. wanted to build from scratch but i guess i can get my feet wet with a conversion.

i like how this guy used metal for stick/boom/bucket.
http://www.youtube.com/user/Lele1077

i like this guy's way to hide servos, can hardly tell they are there! similar to an idea i had but not quite. also the servos have good strength, i plan on using towerpro mg995 servos
http://www.youtube.com/user/YVAN07ify#p/u/9/1hjNKeM7SnU

any help will be appreciated. questions and thoughts are more than welcome, not sure what to expect. any bruder conversion veterans with tips, or warnings, etc. help me with any heads ups on what to expect.
thanks in advance!

btw- i am hoping to use this to actually do work. get some digging done in the yard! not just a toy
-Ed

[rockNmayhem]

Hey Ed. I'm working on my conversion right now and am currently in the process of making a new boom and arm as the plastic one doesn't hold up to much power. If you are wanting something to play in the sand with you will be ok with stock but if you are going to use it for anything heavier and want more power to actually dig with I would sugguest upgrading them if you have the funds or knowledge. You can look at pumptech's build that he has completed and it works quite well and will give you a jist of what can be done. If you would like you can look up the start to my build thread (that I need to update) to see a little more idea of how they are setup. I am building custom sets of screw drives that will be more than adequate for the basic lifting and digging and can help answer any questions you may have. Lemme know if you need any help or advice and I will be glad to assist.

[edwalsh18]

i have been stumbling on more and more bruder conversions... i found one i want to share with you guys and see what you think.

videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCfup...feature=relmfu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQCAn...feature=relmfu

pic:

[edwalsh18]

this is another one i liked! it is clean. probably for looks, my favorite. i like how he used same idea i had to mount servos, he used yokes between drill bit and servo and removed electronics from servo and cut it smaller. he used the perfect color paint and added a bunch of little detail.

video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTfMG...feature=relmfu

info:
http://mancave.conrad.nl/hydraulisch...dus/#more-9938

pic:

[edwalsh18]

i like this guys, he changed the body a little to make it a different model. looks cool plus gives you more room to work with

video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17fju...EddVe2qqAoTP8=

pic:

[fhhhstix]

Originally Posted by edwalsh18

i have been stumbling on more and more bruder conversions... i found one i want to share with you guys and see what you think.

videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCfup...feature=relmfu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQCAn...feature=relmfu

pic:

Ed I am not real sure but I don't think that is a bruder conversion. If it is it is an expensive one as it has full hydraulics and custom metal parts.

Travis

[edwalsh18]

hmmm... u think it is hydraulics? why is boom shaped funny? anyone else have an idea?

[fhhhstix]

Look close at the boom it is held together with screws. He may be using servo cylinders and that is why the boom is modified so much and the hoses could be his wiring. The cups on the boom for the cylinder mounts and the ease of digging and lifting sand lead me to believe it is a scratch built excavator with a bruder body.

Travis

[edwalsh18]

Originally Posted by edwalsh18

i have been stumbling on more and more bruder conversions... i found one i want to share with you guys and see what you think.

videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCfup...feature=relmfu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQCAn...feature=relmfu

pic:

Here is another one that i think is the same. No hydraulics but how did they build it? I want this. The speed and power are perfect. Anyone have any more info on these???

I think this guys bucket is shaped kinda weird, is it just me? Kinda looks like its not digging right.

[scalelover]

Hate to say it but those are hydraulics running that one. The screw drives are a lot easier to see because of the servos that would be mounted near the ends of the arms. I'm not sure which model it's based off of, it looks like a bruder conversion. The bucket looks normal to me their are tons of different styles depending on what it's being used for.

-Dan

[edwalsh18]

Whoa, how weird. Post #9 didnt show the link i entered. So here it is again. Maybe i didnt paste it right.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6p3fZ...e_gdata_player

[edwalsh18]

Originally Posted by scalelover

Hate to say it but those are hydraulics running that one. The screw drives are a lot easier to see because of the servos that would be mounted near the ends of the arms. I'm not sure which model it's based off of, it looks like a bruder conversion. The bucket looks normal to me their are tons of different styles depending on what it's being used for.

-Dan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPIZ...e_gdata_player

I have come across several of them now and i think they are all the same. They all have quick couplers to change buckets and they all have that funny shaped boom. I have been to several rc forums in different languages using google translate and found them there. I think i even found the guy who made them and his website but that was a while back. He claimed to have came up with a.better than hydraulic way to create them. They have same performance but much much better battery life. I couldnt help but think that joe would be the best guy to test it out in his basement since he puts so many hours on his and has used and gone through several excavators from different makers all hydraulic. To see what he thinks of how.they compare would be really cool. So Joe if you are reading this i think u should test this out if you could get the information on them. I remember them making a big deal in the thread about how this guy made them, he wouldnt reveal his secret. The guy in the above video bought it off the maker. I am interested in the price and any more info on these. So if anyone can help me out with that i would appreciate it. The problem is it is hard to understand the websites in google translate. So if i was wrong about some info i am sorry. This excavator is just really cool.

[edwalsh18]

Originally Posted by scalelover

Hate to say it but those are hydraulics running that one. The screw drives are a lot easier to see because of the servos that would be mounted near the ends of the arms. I'm not sure which model it's based off of, it looks like a bruder conversion. The bucket looks normal to me their are tons of different styles depending on what it's being used for.

-Dan

At first i thought it was hydraulic also. But i kept on searching and found more of them on foreign rc forums. They are definitely not hydraulic which is really cool. On the forum where the guy made it, had a build thread, he didnt say how he did it. I see now that there are more so he must have been selling them. But i am really interested in knowing how he gets the speed and strength without hydraulics.

Oh and also, listen to it. No hydraulic pump. But you can hear what sounds like a screw drive or something similar

[edwalsh18]

I found a video of the oldest one on youtube that i have seen, its from 2007.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqH7...e_gdata_player

I remember seeing this video before i knew what a servo or hydraulics or a bruder was. Awesome speed and strength from this excavator. Hehe the mammoth looks kinda cool too.

[edwalsh18]

Here is a pic of it.

[jetdog]

Hey bud have you found any more info on these conversions im just about to pull the trigger on an excavator from rc4wd but this interests me quite a bit

[edwalsh18]

Originally Posted by jetdog

Hey bud have you found any more info on these conversions im just about to pull the trigger on an excavator from rc4wd but this interests me quite a bit

Sorry nothing yet. But i am still looking.

[edwalsh18]

well it seems like this project has dragged on... i couldnt find the wood auger bits at all. recently spotted some on ebay and also some in harbor freight.

$6.99 free shipping
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Irwin-1-4-x-...item2a262b43a1



$15.99 minus 20% with coupon($12.79) + tax no shipping($13.91). i would buy 2 packs and use the 2 smaller ones on the excavator and the bigger ones for other stuff maybe
http://www.harborfreight.com/7-piece...set-68166.html



about $28 either way...

anyone know of any other place to get these?

[edwalsh18]

so i did manage to convert the tower pro mg 995 servos to full rotation. at first was a pain but now it takes a few minutes. i am not great at soldering and didnt have a bunch of 2.2k ohm resistors(i think is what is needed) so i did it another way.

- removed the gears to get to the one with the pin on it
grabbed the gear with pin using pliers... turned on bench grinder...
NO MORE PIN!!! (took 10 seconds!! compared to the hour i spent
trying to use 2 pairs of pliers to remove them like i read on some website!!!!)

- cut the pot with a mini pair of bolt cutters, connected to rx, centered it and placed it back inside servo

all in all i was pleased with the results, they might creep a little but its okay. i thought i would have destroyed at least one but all that happened was i pulled a wire off the first servo's pot and successfully soldered it back on... first successful solder job for me! lol

since i bought 10 for $70 its a great deal. cant wait to see how they hold up when digging.

also while taking apart the excavator i destroyed every clip/pin whatever they are. my flat head screwdriver skills are horrible!! either that or bruder plastic gets a little brittle after being out in the sun. but its ok i will put it back together so it can come apart easily if needed.

i seen the way cdm is extending his boom/stick and reinforcing it. i like that idea, might try to do it also.

here:
http://rctruckandconstruction.com/sh...13&postcount=4

i was planning to reinforce the plastic with metal strap and metal tubing as sleeves but keeping the plastic outside. something easy and at my level. LEVEL 1!!!!

[edwalsh18]

hows this for a bruder conversion???

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-5q6RViDY0