42055 - Bucket Wheel Excavator

[aminnich]

Has someone noticed the new buckets on the scraping wheel?

Arent the buckets these??

http://alpha.brickli...page?P=2950#T=C

Edited January 30, 2016 by aminnich

[N-4K0]

I don't think so, the side of the bucket from the mounting points down to the teeth have a bend in it, going slightly inwards, and the edge is different, I think. It looks like a new mold to me, or at least an updated mold, but I'm not sure.

Edited January 30, 2016 by Error404

[efferman]

no, they are different

[aminnich]

Ya, you are right, I thought they were those form the beginning. More new parts!!! haha

[N-4K0]

From the pics we have, I think this new bucket looks better and more realistic. I do kinda feel that they look a bit too big to the scale of the BWE, though.

[Blakbird]

When it comes to the problem(s) with gearing and axles mentioned on the previous page, would it be better for bigger sets if axles and perhaps also gears were made of metal, to avoid twisting axles and broken gears on longer connection travels?

Of course this would probably require the metal parts to be encased to avoid finger injuries from metal drive train that doesn't go as lightly on stuck things as the plastic.

Metal axles are one on a long list of things that could be used to make technic more mechanically efficient. But that has never really been the target of the product.

[bob st-claire]

metal axles is highway to hell.

Just imagine how long would plastic part that holds metal axle last if such and axle would start rotate in it?

Solution, either come up with some completely different material for plastic part (there are plastics that would last - but ABS is not one of them). or come up with bushings, bearing, greasing and killing Lego for what it is.

[Alegomind]

I have noticed that the rear conveyor is rested on new turntable!!

[dr_spock]

Sorry if it has been mentioned, I might have missed it:

When it comes to the problem(s) with gearing and axles mentioned on the previous page, would it be better for bigger sets if axles and perhaps also gears were made of metal, to avoid twisting axles and broken gears on longer connection travels?

Of course this would probably require the metal parts to be encased to avoid finger injuries from metal drive train that doesn't go as lightly on stuck things as the plastic.

Metal axles are used for LEGO train bogies. They are child safe to assemble. They aren't as cheap as plastic axles but offer lower rolling resistance. They would add to the cost of a set. LEGO could raise prices or adjust the set part content and design to meet a price point that they think works.

[Bulga]

Since this is my first post here, i'd like to say hello, fellow lego enthusiasts.

[sNIP]

The discharge conveyor is usually connected to a conveyor belt that carries the (usually) coal out of the pit and to the (usually nearby) power plant, as can bee seen in the photo above. In most cases, a secondary machine is used to link the BVE to the conveyor belt, like this:

Thank you very much Gabi_BC for your explanations, because they help me to understand how this strange thing works. (And welcome to Eurobricks! ).

I have some questions about the secondary machine. If I understand correctly, this is is nothing more than a mobile conveyor belt. Why this secondary machine is present in some cases, and not in other cases? Also, the Lego set suggests that after the discharge conveyor, the coal falls directly into the truck. Is it a realistic functioning?

Edited January 30, 2016 by Bulga

[Saberwing40k]

With some bucket wheel excavators, the conveyor belt carrier is part of the machine, but in the above case is not, likely because the mine is smaller, and there are probably times that the machine is a lot closer to the stationary conveyor belt, and can use its own belt. As for using a truck with one of these machines, forget it. I have never seen a situation with a bucket wheel of any size being used with a dump truck. However, Lego probably included the truck to both add play value, and really hammer home the scale of the thing.

[Gabi_BC]

I have never seen a situation with a bucket wheel of any size being used with a dump truck

That would require stopping the bucket wheel and then the belts each time the dump truck is full while another truck gets into loading position. This works well with shovels since they work in a cycle, scoop, rotate, dump, repeat. In some open pit mines (especially in the former soviet union) they use trains instead of the fixed conveyor system. This would be an interesting idea for a technic/train lego mix.

As for the mobile conveyor belt (the secondary machine) - the bwe moves forward into the coal face, digging away. From time to time, the fixed conveyor needs to be translated forward. This is somewhat time consuming and i guess the mobile conveyor reduces the number of such required translations. Where they use trains, they need to shift the rails when the bwe advances. This can be done using dedicated rail shifting machines.

Speaking about opencast mining...if you think a bwe is big...get a load of this:

[andrewganschow]

*Snip*

Speaking about opencast mining...if you think a bwe is big...get a load of this:

what on earth is happening there?? On a different note, what does the superstructure use as a pivot point? I think a simple pin would shear of after a while, ifs its as heavy as it looks, and an axle doesn't seem like an efficient attachment method. What if the new style turntables are used for pivots, the mounting points fit nicely into a frame piece, and would provide great strength. I hope it's designed this way now that I'm thinking of it. Edited January 31, 2016 by andrewganschow

[Saberwing40k]

They'd probably use small turn tables to support the boom, not big ones.

[andrewganschow]

Small ones would be more appropriate, a new turntable is wider then 7 studs, so there by teeth sticking out on both sides.

so your probably right.

[doug72]

Speaking about opencast mining...if you think a bwe is big...get a load of this:

Its stripping overburden off and transfering across the site to back fill area that has been mined.

At left side of photo can be seen the scraper buckets arm working to remove the over burden..

The spoil is transfered by conveyor and dumped at several points to cover up the previously mined area again.

Whole machine runs on two sets of tracks and just goes back and forth.

The smaller machines below are doing the actual mining of the mineral - probably coal.

There are a lot of weird huge machines used in strip mining along with massive reclaimer units.

Found images of one machine that has two bucket wheels.

Both these machines used for recovering stock piles.

pr300-2 by Doug Ridgway, on Flickr

pr600-1 by Doug Ridgway, on Flickr

Edited January 31, 2016 by Doug72

[Jump]

what on earth is happening there?? On a different note, what does the superstructure use as a pivot point? I think a simple pin would shear of after a while, ifs its as heavy as it looks, and an axle doesn't seem like an efficient attachment method. What if the new style turntables are used for pivots, the mounting points fit nicely into a frame piece, and would provide great strength. I hope it's designed this way now that I'm thinking of it.

The "small" machine in the middle at the bottom is scooping up the brown coal and dumping it on the central conveyor belt. The large machine is taking the topsoil on the left, and dumping it on the right where the brown coal has been mined.

[deehtha]

For scale reference, the small machine looks to be a BWE of some sort. Hard to tell in my phone though

[Rikus]

For scale reference, the small machine looks to be a BWE of some sort. Hard to tell in my phone though

The "small" machine in the middle is an SRS 1301... A big BWE!!!

http://www.bea-tdl.de/uploads/pics/Mining_14_BaggerSRS1300_04.JPG

[paul_delahaye]

I still can't get over the scale of this thing. I'm thinking ahead now, where on earth I'm going to store this (dust free)

[Ngoc Nguyen]

Does anyone has the count in studs/modules of:

- The length, width, and height of the base (width not counting the tracks)

- The height of the turret (not counting the base)

- The length of the arm from the bucket wheel to the battery box

Many thanks!

Edited February 1, 2016 by nguyengiangoc

[powder12321]

[doug72]

Does anyone has the count in studs/modules of:

- The length, width, and height of the base (width not counting the tracks)

- The height of the turret (not counting the base)

- The length of the arm from the bucket wheel to the battery box

Many thanks!

I estinmate height of turret above top of base = 40L

Length of Boom from Bucket Wheel to Battery Box = 90L

base:

25 L wide (not including the tracks) x 9 or 10L high

Width over tracks = 35L

Track sprocket centres = 35L Correction its 31L

Are those new yellow panels around the rear of the battery box ?

Found it:

It,s p/n 6133245 as used in the new 42049 mine loader set.

Edited February 1, 2016 by Doug72

[Ngoc Nguyen]

I estinmate height of turret above top of base = 40L

base:

25 L wide (not including the tracks) x 9 or 10L high

So the BWE will be about 50L high. That's approximately the same width as the Mobile Crane MK II. When I come home I'll put the MK II upright to see how high it is.

[Maaboo the Witch]

Because the BWE features a white version of 42035 (I've looked at Kumbbl's photo and there are some design differences) I wonder if you could build a white Wheel Dozer? Holodoc's recent post features a WD, too.