Great Dane excavating co.

[Cooper]

That's why I'm building and not buying! Lol!! Wife would rather me build, keeps me occupied in garage when I'm home!!! Steve I did get some stainless, 416, and the correct steel is easy to use!! The one pic has the mock up in brass but I have remade in stainless.




Last pic is the bolts holding the suspension towers. Everything will be milled down once proven to work. And the part holding towers is one piece from bottom cross member through frame rails. All integrates together for strength and rigidity, (I think )

[Supermario]

I know you said it's a mock up pic. The way you have the bearings is the opposite of how the real machines are. Bearing tapers should face inward.The cups are in wheel hub opposing each other.

[RCP57]

This thing is gonna be 200 pounds with a load of dirt. You better start building brake drums...

Carry on...

[Cooper]

Originally Posted by RCP57

This thing is gonna be 200 pounds with a load of dirt. You better start building brake drums...

Carry on...

Yeah!! That's what I'm afraid of!! Hopefully I can mill off a lot of material when she is built!!!

[ihbuilder]

Looks good Coop . I assume your putting a spring in the top with a cap along with some type of keeper .

I think a dewalt V24 will werk great for that kinda weight

[Cooper]

Originally Posted by ihbuilder

Looks good Coop . I assume your putting a spring in the top with a cap along with some type of keeper .

I think a dewalt V24 will werk great for that kinda weight

Yes Steve, hopefully tonight I can figure out the spring and cap. I'm using a external snap ring for downward retention. And spring for suspension. I'm thinking of having the spring inside shaft so cap will not be so tall. Have to look at some more pics of 1:1.

[Cooper]

Good spy Mario, I just double checked and I do have them mounted correct, just not in the pic. I left some wiggle room on being able to tighten them down with shims or use thread lock on bolt holding them in. It's a m8 bolt holding them on. And a hub cap , so to speak, will be hiding them, and keeping grease in along with seal on inner side.

I also just double checked the steering, 36 degree angle and a 1:14 scale turning radius of 93". She is big!!!

[Cooper]

Have the other side to cut and then the fun part of making the steering linkages and cylinders!!!

[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!!