Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

Thanks Bo, I knew something was amiss!! Didn't know cubed scale weight. I forget what the actual weight is, I know at some point in past I added some weight to beef her up but forget actual weight. I'll have to dig out a scale and check. I remember telling people at cabin fever 80# , I'll have to harvest a 9 volt from a smoke alarm and stick in scale. Never have any of those weird square batteries when needed!!

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...pszbetusht.jpg
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...ps5tbuziwh.jpg

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

Had a little bit of time to do some more work on the blade. Made the push arm attachments to blade. Still have to trim them to correct distance for blade attitude. This time around I am trying to get everything exact from both sides. And will be swapping out radio so I can use the trannis Rx/tx. Then I'll be able to slow down the hydraulics to be more realistic in movements. Always have something to improve on. I think that's why I never really have a finished model, can make the excuse "it's not completely done yet". :). Easy way out for when something isn't right :)

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

Very nice work that should not break. Ed

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

Thanks Ed, this time around things are being made better, not from necessity but from more welding/milling experience.

http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...pss11ryskk.jpg
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...pslc2pv5er.jpg
The spacing is for when blade tilts and cylinder shafts don't contact supports. Probably wider than needed but it also ties into cutting edge reinforcement. The lift braces only have to lift not push so I figured it would tie into better.

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

And thank you Mario for hooking me up with some pics!!! I'm close with the blade except for the dirt blade with rock guard. But backside is going to be close to 1:1. The cat book I have has only a side cut away of blade and part numbers for cutting edges. Thanks!!

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...pswyzqta9e.jpg

The brass rod is allowing the shafts to pass into. It is acting as my alignment jig. Trying to keep everything square and aligned.

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

Well first trial fit with hydraulics working, everything was just tacked in place. I didn't take in consideration of the cylinders becoming more vertical as the blade is fully lifted. So, have to move the lift bushing out about .75". Only problem is I don't want to make all new pieces. They were hack sawed and milled to shape. Just lots of work so another piece will be added and an extra set of holes will be there. If I can press the bushings out I may just weld holes shut. Never know :). And after doing some measuring I'm going to lengthen push arms .75" also. That gives more room between blade and tractor. Allows more room for stabilizer arm clearance. Difficult to measure off of the 1:50 scale model for the small details. I'm more so trying for a scale look and not necessarily exact scale. And have to wait on some metal stock delivery. Hopefully it will see paint in less than two weeks. Have dirt piles everywhere, having the dozer in the shop is hurting backyard business. :)

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...psqshdask8.jpg
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...psuneoxvtv.jpg
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...pshumyzbno.jpg

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

I'm having issues with photobucket on my I pad, once I load a pic it freezes. So posted from phone and now typing on pad!! Anyway,,, I made the push arms .75" longer. Gives more space between tractor and blade. Will allow better placement of stabilizer bar with the proper mounting area. And this time around I was able to remember not to drill too deep for the mounting holes. And was able to remove pivot ball from old ones and place in new ones. (That was good for the first one,, second one had some colorful language added to it). Still have to mill the ends a bit but for fitting and testing its good so far. Have to attach stabilizer bar ( made new one out of steel) make hose mounts for it, and cutting edges for blade, and some little odds n ends.

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

I'm sure you have your reasons, and I'm probably not the first to notice, the track pads are on backwards. Just an observation.

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

Depends how you look at them, I have them mounted the same direction as the 1:1 cat dozer. The idea is when the grouser digs in , it get traction and at the same time it will force the following grouser down by means of force thus giving more traction. At least that's the way it was explained to me :).
http://www.cat.com/en_US/products/ne.../18332635.html

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

One thing I did screw up is how the push arm linkage is mounted to blade, on the 1:50 scale model I have the mount is angled like I have it, on the 1:1 machine it is in line with push arm. I didn't catch that till after I made and attached them!! I keep forgetting the scale models aren't accurate but close. The little details sometimes get changed to make a scale model. It's one of those little things but it bugs me to no end!! Lol!!

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

Wow, it looks odd but I stand corrected...not standing as tall and holding my as high though...lol

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...psiunlmbtr.jpg
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...psr18apjcf.jpg
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...psvm6sy3up.jpg
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...pshuggs6vl.jpg
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...psxbcsosvz.jpg
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...pslvrnnukw.jpg

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

Now that's looking just like the real thing :cool: It's a shame about the left corner bit tweaked on ya. No big deal though, you don't plan on putting a fancy acu-grade satellite system or do any landscaping in the future eh? :)
Can't wait to see you wear it out! :bounce:

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

Good job cooper,i sent you a pm

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

Yeah, I really tried to get it really square and even. I think when I attached the push arm mounts it went a little out. But it might also have been my welding table. If ya can see it in any of my pics I got it from harbor freight, just stamped steel table. It's not even close to flat but along edges where the stamped bends are its good enough. One of those things that I have to work around/with. :). It was like $80 verses the one I wanted to get $400. Might get a piece of 3/4" steel and make a better table. Have a salvage yard close by but he doesn't cut, so whatever he has you have to take the whole piece (pay by pound). Last time I looked he had a nice 4' by 5' piece of 5/8" that would have make me a nice 3x4' table. :).

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

thats all looks verry nice - iam interested in your CAT Dozer

http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...psmpmxxe5b.jpg

how much iss it

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

Pm'ed you papabaer,


http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...pscxsha6iw.jpg
Got primer and first coat on. I'm going to 3d print the rock guard for on top. Black and paint blade face yellow. After looking around on the net, there are a lot of variations of blades. Some made by owners, different year models from cat, so having looked through all of them , it really doesn't matter to me as I've always been more for function verses replication of exact model. :)

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

looks so fantastic - i think i´ve to build some too

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

Haven't had much time lately but I was glad I installed lights, a couple short videos that the wife filmed. It looks like some alien planet with someone running a d11 around giant bat-bear-pig animals!!!

http://youtu.be/4Y4-fbRANpk
http://youtu.be/MaWmqg1XLLw

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...psvtigwdhx.jpg
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...psqs3v6v3x.jpg
Still have to make the rock guard, attach tilt hoses to back of blade and to stabilizer bar, paint stabilizer bar

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

That thing does some serious damage in the dirt! The little guy better watch out or he/she will end up under the dirt, the dozers as big as the dog!

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

Yes that brute moves some pretty serious dirt in a short time ,,well done ..great graveyard shift vid .

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

That looks killer! way to be productive with your time, now its 24/7 of play!

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

That is one nice piece of equipment. Looks like the tracks are scratching in good too. That dirt looked pretty wet and heavy and you were pushing a pretty big jag.

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

Thanks guys!!

Right now it is really appreciated the good complements!!! So,,,,, tonight I finally decided to get into the computer aspect of radio programming. I went the traditional way programming the dumptruck, excavator and the lowboy trailer. So I decided to try the computer programming for setting up the dozer. I had been using the turnigy tx9 for the dozer, had some minor glitches and have been wanting to change to the taranis radio system I have for the others, modelmatch, telemetry ect,,, better set up for me. After getting the mixes and channels sorted out and using the simulator I was ready to swap the actual Rx out of dozer and do the fine tuning of servo end points, centering, ect. Figured wait till tomorrow to do that. But tonight I figured I would flash the actual radio memory with new dozer model. Had the appropriate slot and downloaded the other models to computer. Now it gets bad, somehow I accidentally loaded the new model to radio memory before I downloaded and saved models that were already established on the actual radio. Sooooo now I have model 1-3 nothing and model 4(the d11) programmed but not physically hooked up. I was soo mad at myself for doing that!!! Could have cried!! So now I get to reprogram the excavator, not that bad, the trailer, a little bit confusing as I used 4channels not a splitter for the 4 actuators, and finally the dump truck, that's the pain, transmission servo, lockers, dump mixing ect,,,,, oh one of those nights to lay awake thinking about my mistakes I've made, definately puts me in the bad side of the man child, feel like I have to go to bed without dinner to think about what I've done as punishment!!!!

Well I guess I'll get a little more familiar with my radio programming skills!!!

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

Spektrum, buddy... :)

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

that sucks rw but you get it figured out. that blade looks great pushing dirt

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

I figured out what I did wrong, I had two different programs open on the desktop of computer, I was updating the firmware on one and reading/writing on the other. I downloaded all the models to the desktop and then wiped the radio to start fresh. When I went to download the d11 file I got confused and x'ed out of the other file I had on desktop with the original models. Temporary storage, but I deleted it!! It would have happened with anything, I can say that being able to set up the models on the computer is easier than hitting all the buttons on the radio (if ya know what your doing :) ) tonight I ran the dozer for the last time using old radio, tomorrow I'm going to swap out tx/Rx on her. Should be just a matter of centering and limiting servos. And I also just got done redoing the excavator. I did slow the action of slew ring, still turns same speed just a little delay to start. Hopefully it will be easier on gears and less jerkey from inputs. Also changed the initial startup on track motors. A little less sensitive from small travel on side pots that I'm controlling them with. Center beep also to let me know when in neutral. The pump is on a switch then directed to dial pot. That way I can set it and forget it from switching different models, or up/down the rpms manually. All these new radios have a tones of what ya can do!! I do like this taranis, it's completely open it whatever ya want to do, can change any inputs to any channels any switches ect, assuming like the specky stuff but only $250!! Next it to reprogram the dumper.

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...pskvdfoa13.jpg
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...psbbfsspm9.jpg
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...psochdkfzc.jpg

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

Well I can't run the dozer wide open and level at the same time. On a1:1 dozer I can level running wide open. Guess I need some more experience on the little guy:). No videos but will take some soon. And there is a giant wolf running around the pit!! Look at the size of his tracks! Lol!!

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

Yea it does!! The part I hate the most about this hobby, programming the radio stuff. Well I just had to learn all over again!! Thanks, after playing around with the new blade it definately is better for the dirt!!

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

It looks pretty smooth to me, I have trouble staying in the seat of a 1:1 dozer when I'm grading. That's the toughest part for me. I'm good with the hoe and loader, but grading with the dozer is up,down. Up,down...

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

http://youtu.be/VZnT9h0UjpA

http://youtu.be/XAzs_EyDjBc

Some videos of the equipment. I still have some tweaking to do with dozer yet.

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...psguhxujxe.jpg

Had to cheat a little bit, brought over another scoop of dirt!! I tilled up a patch of dirt last year. Tilled it when it was super dry then stock piled it. Figured over winter any clumps of grass would be pretty much decomposed. Got into the pile last week and in the middle it was still popcorn-fart dry!! Just like it was last year when I piled it!! Even made the pile as to collect water on top!! We had a lot of rain/snow also! Had a nice pile of about 80 yards

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

Nice videos cooper-I enjoy watching that dozer work. That new blade is a much better fit for that machine in my opinion.

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

Thanks , yes I agree, I have been around coal mines and always wanted to drive a d11 with the big coal blade. Guess that's why I went that way to start. But for the model the regular dirt blade is working out better. And I think I got the geometry of cutting edge and blade more accurate this time. If I get motivated a bit more I'll get around to making the rock guard. Still haven't attached hoses to back of blade and just have them zip-tied to the stabilizer bar,, for now :). Just having too much fun using it while the weather is nice!!! Oh and just watched the weather, I live in central Pennsylvania and they are saying we have a frost warning tonight!!! Crazy!!!! Was going to take equipment down to Riverlot to rework our truck track but keeping them home instead, that's why the pile of dirt got dropped off,,, more quality relaxing holiday weekend time,, running heavy equipment. (1:14 style :))

Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

IM with ya on the frost, we were going to camp out with the grandkids. I guess they will be happy to play around in the crop coal I dug up. I need that dozer and a nice drag line down here to get a real mini mine started!