Re: Nylint michigan crane conversion, hopefully
 

Those are some nice looking rope drums if i do say so... :rolleyes:

Re: Nylint michigan crane conversion, hopefully
 

Yeah, those winch drums and pulleys are the nicest part of the machine. The guy who made them should be really proud!

The big trick to keeping cable drums pretty and running flat is getting the first wrap as tight and perfect as possible, then running enough rope it doesn't have to ever use any of the first wrap. Then it's just don't slack the lines too much.

I've about got this part running well enough to start pulling it back apart to finally do some parts clean up. ...After it's warm enough to paint.

Re: Nylint michigan crane conversion, hopefully
 

The pins.............There's that thinking outside the box that you do so well. I absolutely LOVE the creativity that you did there! :cool:

Re: Nylint michigan crane conversion, hopefully
 

Truckmaker made pretty reasonable offer, so i picked up his 1955/56 Nylint "Michigan Shovel" T-24 crane with clamshell, a welded steel boom extension. Faded paint, some rust, broken hook. The boom extension might be a CCSM piece, i can't find much info on the accessories they build for these.

https://i.imgur.com/FL6H9wPh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/heC7Fkhh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/azPNTNHh.jpg

Looks like i'm *really* into cranes now. This makes 2 Michigan T-24s, and a Unit 357.

This new one has got 3 FEET of boom. With this much reach, this one really looks like it wants to play Crane more than it would Dragline and may need a jib boom and hoist cable pendant...

The doepke Unit (orange) needs a long boom extension.

Re: Nylint michigan crane conversion, hopefully
 

Make it look good Frizzen!

Re: Nylint michigan crane conversion, hopefully
 

WOW!! I have been missing out on this thread! those trucks are huge! Must resist urge to upgrade lol

Re: Nylint michigan crane conversion, hopefully
 

GOOD grab Frizzen!!

Re: Nylint michigan crane conversion, hopefully
 

Somehow I missed the acquisition of the other machines. I knew of the yellow one that Curious George operated, but not of the other 2 machines. Are they all RC operated?

Re: Nylint michigan crane conversion, hopefully
 

Thanks again truckmaker. So far I've only knocked a little rust off and restrung it.

Stuff don't resist, you need one of these too... Do it!
I'd originally been looking for a Unit crane, but these are bigger, much more available, and signifigantly cheaper. Or there's a Tonka crane/dragline that has a kinda Bucyrus Erie look, or a Structo that's just kinda weird and out of scale.

Thanks fab, i really like these.

Skeeter, the orange one (doepkey 1/16 Unit 357 Crane) was quietly picked up and has only appeared with a custom drawbar as the 'coolest trailer ever' in the Structo dump thread, maybe in my 'town' thread, and has followed me to a meet once.
The faded original yellow one (nylint 1/16 Michigan T24 Crane) was Truckmakers, there was a thread of his around here somewhere when he got it.
They're both still just static toys.

I might be working on a set of drums and pulleys for the Unit, and would like to rebuild a Clamshell to actually work correctly instead of toy style.

Georges crane still needs the pin on the truck tapped for some kind of thrust bearing to hold the bushings tighter, and a better counterweight made. It gets too tippy with the extension and big bucket, pulls out of mesh on the slew ring

Re: Nylint michigan crane conversion, hopefully
 

You dont happen to have a YouTube channel do you? And yes I'm tempted to get one and put tamiya running gear under it... lol

Re: Nylint michigan crane conversion, hopefully
 

I don't have a youtube channel yet, still can't come up with a good name. Although if you want to see one of these in action, Rvjimd has a channel

The truck is too narrow for semi running gear, it comes in at like 6". I'm trying to find gearmotors for power
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Yes, i do have a Youtube channel. It's not good though.

Re: Nylint michigan crane conversion, hopefully
 

Frizzy, have you though of adding lead inside the existing counterweight? I've done that to several Bruder conversions with success.

Re: Nylint michigan crane conversion, hopefully
 

Couple months ago I finally got around to epoxying lead shot into the back of the house about 1/4" deep. Probably in the 1-2 lb range. It helps, but i probably still need to get a thrust bearing, fender washer, screw, drilled&tapped pivot post...

Then reccently some people here were talking about clamshell buckets again, so i thought why not try to convert a Nylint clamshell bucket, using as much of the stuff removed during conversion of this Nylint. What could it look like if the factory were to have made one more complicated?

https://i.imgur.com/k2gc20Fh.jpg

This uses the original tip mounted Hoist line pulley moved to the top between the 4 links, brass axle with lifting loop, and a cable guide with a W shape. Then the Boom angle pulley was removed from its bracket and installed with spacers at the bucket fulcrum. The buckets closer line ties off to the top axle, runs below the bucket hinge, then up around the top pulley, to the cable guide and a ring where the Crowd line attaches.

https://i.imgur.com/xkaZxc0h.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/RyARCINh.jpg

Then i ran a Calming line from one of the buckets links, around a pin on the boom, to a fishing weight. It just needs enough weight to keep the bucket from rotating and tangling the lines, and enough length for the needed travel.

Re: Nylint michigan crane conversion, hopefully
 

If you want to dig something like sand, you may need to add weight and add more reeving to increase the bite. Clams have some weird dynamics as they close. The more they close, the more the closing line lifts the bucket and it needs enough weight to counter that. Adding parts to the reeving can do the same thing but at the expense of speed and needing more distance to the boom tip to give the extra line a place to go unless the line off the drum is rove directly into the bucket. Looks like you've got a good start, though.

Re: Nylint michigan crane conversion, hopefully
 

Thank you, i knew that clamshells had some pretty weird stuff going on. I hadn't tried digging deep enough into the subject yet to understand very much of the engineering behind them. I appriceate suggestions, it's pretty new to me.

So far i've got the axle between the jaw halves sleeved with 2 sizes of brass tube. I'm not sure how much closing force and weight something like this needs vs overbuilding it and reducing lifting capacity / working reach.

I do know that trying to keep the lines on this attachment balanced without them going slack or the bucket opening really makes just running a poorly built dragline bucket seem downright simple!

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I run a Flysky FS-I6. Due to the next post, I'd like to set up a switch setting for Dragline that runs all winches straight, and throw a switch for jareds suggestion of mix the lines for clamshell ops.

This looks like i can set up switching Normal and Sport modes for Crowd and Hoist epa. So i can make 'Noob' and 'Send it' settings.
https://youtu.be/xt5IdeLdiug
Not sure if my rig can actually toggle a Mix.

I'd also like to be able to run a servo slower than its nominal transit speed

Re: Nylint michigan crane conversion, hopefully
 

I mixed the channels so up-down on the right stick makes both drums turn together and left-right only controls the closing line.

Re: Nylint michigan crane conversion, hopefully
 

I LOVE the old line driven machines!

Re: Nylint michigan crane conversion, hopefully
 

Clamshell
https://youtu.be/g0zSWAf96Qo
Bucket still too light, need practice, need to see if my radio will allow changing modes to switch between Straight and Mixed channels.

Dragline
https://youtu.be/qP5V3h7Xa18
Runs well in crumb rubber, but my "formerly crawlspace dirt" isn't very uniform. Also needs more rear bucket weight to keep it planted better. Or i need to lower the line attachments at bucket leading edge so the rear won't want to lift under tension.

I probably need to find either a Tonka dragline bucket, or get one like TheStuff has for massive 1/50 scale machines like a Silver Spade

Re: Nylint michigan crane conversion, hopefully
 

Since i posted a video on Reeving toy cranes, a guy was asking me some questions about the Unit Crane boom, and since it doesn't have a build thread of its own...

These doepke cranes have a 2 piece boom so it can fold upwards for transport.
Total Boom lenght cab pin to center of tip sheeves 18.5"
Base width at cab 2"
Width at breakover 1.5"
Height at breakover pins about 1.630" but didn't pull pins or rivets
Width at tip 1.550"
1 sheeve and guides inside tip, 1 sheeve outboard of tip each side
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When i feel like yanking a boom extension off one of my Michigans, boom specs will go here

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Also so that this isn't just worthless to constuction guys:
if you've got a craft type of store that does christmas decorations like tabletop 'christmas town' kinda stuff look for a Lemax #44755 ''lighted accessory". I found these at Menards, but i know other places carry Lemax christmas stuff

It's portable worksite lighting that gives 5 light heads that can independantly aim and mast telescopes 8_9/16" to 12_3/4". Runs off 3AA cells or can use their 4.5v wall-wart power system

https://imgur.com/ED0o8T9h.jpg

If you're the 'warrany voiding' type like me, there's a glued in button that covers a screw to split the base apart. Electrically there's not much to mod, got a 23 ohm resistor (current limiter?), then each light head has a surface mount LED on a board. Each light head has a reflector, lens, retainer. I really want to bridge the base resistor for max light, but don't want to smoke it.

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https://youtu.be/wc7UmjQvfCM cool old crane & trucking photo montage

Re: Nylint michigan crane conversion, hopefully
 

And if you need those sheeves you can get them here
https://www.gasolinealleytoys.com/pr...-toy-parts-set
or a boom extension for the unit crane this is the long one, they also have a short one
https://www.gasolinealleytoys.com/pr...ment-toy-part2