Thanks folks.  I'll give it another shot using these new ideas, though it will probably take several weekends to figure it all out and build it. 

Don't give up,  just rebuild a few times it works eventually.

A quick question to you folks, if I where to build Efferman's RC version of 42054, would it help a lot to buy a second copy for parts? Or should I look for other sets?

5 hours ago, Dafgek81 said:

A quick question to you folks, if I where to build Efferman's RC version of 42054, would it help a lot to buy a second copy for parts? Or should I look for other sets?

To re-quote what I wrote up topic, " I had a spare 42054 sorted into my bins and possibly a small amount of parts from other technic sets and need to spend about $80-90 in parts for the Saddletrac.  I hope that helps you to have an idea of how much of the 42054 is used (maybe 60% as a rough guess)."  ***

In the USA a spare set of tires w/ wheels cost me around $45 shipped.  One of my 45054's was maybe $120 plus tax and the other even less, so you can see the value of obtaining a second set relative to the cost of tires/wheels alone.  Another observation from looking at BL stores in the Netherlands is that new Technic sets appear to be cheaper there than in the USA.  You might find a different option that's more economical for you.

*** Thinking back to this, I'm wondering if my purchase of a 3rd set of wheels was included in the $80-90 figure (making it wrong).

UPDATE: My additional cost for the saddletrac was ~$65 (not $80-90).  It looks like I had included the cost for a few actuators in my previous estimate, which were included in the same orders as the saddletrac parts.

Edited January 30, 20178 yr by teos
Updating

2 hours ago, teos said:

To re-quote what I wrote up topic, " I had a spare 42054 sorted into my bins and possibly a small amount of parts from other technic sets and need to spend about $80-90 in parts for the Saddletrac.  I hope that helps you to have an idea of how much of the 42054 is used (maybe 60% as a rough guess)."  ***

In the USA a spare set of tires w/ wheels cost me around $45 shipped.  One of my 45054's was maybe $120 plus tax and the other even less, so you can see the value of obtaining a second set relative to the cost of tires/wheels alone.  Another observation from looking at BL stores in the Netherlands is that new Technic sets appear to be cheaper there than in the USA.  You might find a different option that's more economical for you.

*** Thinking back to this, I'm wondering if my purchase of a 3rd set of wheels was included in the $80-90 figure (making it wrong).

UPDATE: My additional cost for the saddletrac was ~$65 (not $80-90).  It looks like I had included the cost for a few actuators in my previous estimate, which were included in the same orders as the saddletrac parts.

Thanks Teos for your reply, but I wasn't talking about the Saddletrac, I was talking about Efferman's RC conversion off the original Xerion.

But when I figured out the new version off Rebrickable, I found my answer already, with a extra 42054 set, I would have 90% off the needed parts.

I will wait for the RC version of the Saddletrac, Efferman told me he would look into it when he finishes the Dino machine. Hope he makes it and a LXF for it.

Oh, I misread your message and got mixed up about the mods for 42054.  The last I recall, someone wanted to RC the saddletrac. 

Well I now have a 2nd 42054 and additional PF parts waiting to be used in a RC version of the saddle track.., ?

8 minutes ago, Rolando said:

Well I now have a 2nd 42054 and additional PF parts waiting to be used in a RC version of the saddle track.., ?

I wish I had to, also enough pieces to build the RC Xerion and drive them together.

Any chance any of these mods will be made into easy to use instructions (pictures)?

 

I quite liked the crane from the preliminary pictures:

I tried to replicate it with moderate succes:

It looks better than the current one and has more degrees of freedom in the arm:

But as i'm not used to build things myself it's very flimsy, uses a lot of parts an is not as elaborate as the standard of this forum.

Still, i'm proud of it

(Please excuse the background, i don't have any photography equipment)

Looks alright to me, I still haven't seen any other cranes from the preliminary pics (with instructions), so this I the first I've seen.

I hope someone will build a crane like the prelim one and make instructions so I can build it two.

Nice work on that crane, i was hoping that someone could recreate it, it looks very nice.

I've made a Converter Dolly with a hitch!

http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/TheScooterGuy/LDD/MOCs/Vehicles/MT-Converter-Dolly/model_team_converter_dolly.lxf

On ‎5‎-‎2‎-‎2017 at 10:47 PM, schraubedrin said:

I quite liked the crane from the preliminary pictures:

 

Still, i'm proud of it

(Please excuse the background, i don't have any photography equipment)

I like the crane, any chance on instructions and partslist???

11 hours ago, BrickWild said:

I've made a Converter Dolly with a hitch!

Looks very nice, but I'm afraid you'd just pull off the 2x2 round brick 

Edited March 2, 20178 yr by Ludo Visser

Here are a couple of hitch ideas, first an articulating hitch for towed equipment. It pivots in all directions and requires no mods to the tractor:

And a 'quick hitch' type attachment for things that would normally go on a 3 point hitch:

On 2.3.2017 at 7:38 PM, Dafgek81 said:

I like the crane, any chance on instructions and partslist???

This is a half assed mod way below any standard for me to feel comfortable sharing it.

If you really need it, i could make a pictured deconstruction.

6 hours ago, schraubedrin said:

This is a half assed mod way below any standard for me to feel comfortable sharing it.

If you really need it, i could make a pictured deconstruction.

Well, any chance on improvement on it, would like a decent crane to put on the Xerion.

Install a small rubber tire on the small gray  cabin guide wheel . It totally smoothes out the bumps during cabin movement.

9 hours ago, Bobo08 said:

Install a small rubber tire on the small gray  cabin guide wheel . It totally smoothes out the bumps during cabin movement.

Thanks for the simple advice. It worked for me very well!

Alternate model, made only with parts from 42054 set:

 

a simple manual crane for the xerion.

battery mod

replace 3l axle pin with 2l axle pin

extra 3l  axle pin!!! yay!! (favorite part [i got one extra and now another]. )

i can make a photostream if wanted, if so tell me.

On 2/5/2017 at 4:47 PM, schraubedrin said:

I quite liked the crane from the preliminary pictures:

The reason this was not released is most likely a cost issue. This crane is way better.

1 hour ago, BrickbyBrickTechnic said:

The reason this was not released is most likely a cost issue. This crane is way better.

You are defenetly right, this way it uses ordinary beams and ordinary gear rack which is cheaper and not like new telehandler with arocs gear rack + gear rack housing

On 7/6/2017 at 3:33 PM, I_Igor said:

You are defenetly right, this way it uses ordinary beams and ordinary gear rack which is cheaper and not like new telehandler with arocs gear rack + gear rack housing

I guess the crane they released was a blessing in disguise: the preliminary crane would have made the set $20-$30 more in Canada, which would have put it out of my budget. Thus, no CLAAS for me. But the price was relatively low, so I was able to get one.