lego_biggest_cranes Posted January 6 Posted January 6 (edited) It worked, the intended goal was achieved. But let's start from the beginning :) INTRODUCTION It started in 2015 in Poland when two models of crawler cranes were created with a height of 3m and 7m. Somehow it happened that no one had built a larger crane at that time, so this one became the highest LEGO crane model in the world, as indicated by the mention on: LEGO record list. The experience gained during the construction of that 7m model was used during the construction of the next, larger and much higher crane in 2020. The construction goal was then at a height of 10 meters and was achieved which is also on: LEGO record list. After 4 years, however, it was time to improve the result because I decided that it could be better because the previous structure was quite stable. The construction goal was now at a height of at least 11m. The construction of the latest 11m model took about 3 months and has just been successfully completed (December 2024). DESCRIPTION Technical data: Maximum height: 11mLength of lower arm section: 5mLength of upper section: 6mCounterweight weight: 35kgNumber of engines: 6 PF XLNumber of used building blocks: about 20,000 Proven wind resistance: very very very low Self-propelled chassis: It moves on 58 wheels on tracks. Two of them have rubber tires and are responsible for the drive. The whole thing is powered by 1 PF XL. This time I focused on a bit more detail, as you can see there are railings, stairs, etc. On the rear part of the chassis there is space for counterweights with a total weight of 35 kg. This description may be too long, but this video of the crane assembly is short because it's sped up: Crane riding on rails: Reelers: The crane has three reelers - hook, lifting the main arm, bending the arm in half. The reel from the hook is powered by 1 XL with a 5:1 ratio and the other two reelers - each by two XL engines with a 15:1 ratio. I am not fully satisfied with the winders - the line winding under load when it is overlapped in several layers causes the winder to be pushed to the sides so that the side wheels of the spool press hard on the side walls of the winder. The engines are fine but you can feel that there is a significant loss of energy and the spool wheels rubbing against the walls rub so much that you can see the crumbling, worn white plastic. Rear arm: Length less than 2m, inside there is a winder used to lift the main arm. Main arm: The lower section of the upper arm is 5m long, the upper 6m, I thought about the proportion between them for quite a long time. In the previous model it was equal to 5m/5m, this time wanting to increase the total height I decided to extend the upper part due to the fact that it is suspended on rods (and there may be more than one or two) and they can ensure easier support of the entire long structure during vertical positioning. The lower, heavier section must withstand the lifting process itself, so I left its length at 5m. Its dimensions are 5m x 24s x 26s. The upper section was supposed to be as light as possible. However, it is quite difficult to make a very light and empty structure from blocks that will hold at least 6m when held horizontally. For this reason, it was necessary to make a separable rod on which this section will hang, attached to it in two places. Home tests have shown that a 7-meter piece of the arm will hold horizontally when hanging in this way. In the final model, however, this section of the arm was shortened to 6m to avoid unforeseen effects that could potentially threaten the entire structure. CONSTRUCTION DIARY October 1, 2024 Beginning of construction of the self-propelled chassis. October 5, 2024 Completed main arm with an initial length of about 2m. October 7, 2024 Completed upper section of the arm with a length of 4.5m. Lower section extended to 4m with the possibility of extending it to a shorter length. Additional truss elements with lengths of 80cm and 100cm built. October 19, 2024 Completed all elements necessary for the initial assembly of the crane. October 20, 2024 2.5m test. All elements were connected together, the crane reached about 250cm high in home conditions. It currently has 7 PF XL engines. October 21, 2024 4m test. The crane reached just over 4m without any problems. The structure is rigid, nothing bends, large power reserve in the winders. October 23, 2024 5m test. The structure is very stable and I think it will easily serve as a platform to put a 6-meter second section on top. October 24, 2024 Successful home tests of the upper arm section extended to 7m. October 25, 2024 8m test canceled. Today the structure was assembled outside in the 8m 30cm configuration, but due to weather conditions (strong wind) I postponed the test until the next day. October 26, 2024 8m 30cm test completed successfully. Lower section shortened to about 4m, upper section slightly over 4m. Stable structure, but I added side cables due to gusts of wind - you can never be too careful. The model is waiting for further tests in longer configurations. October 27, 2024 The structure is currently 9m (lower section 5m, upper 4m) waiting for a test, which is delayed by strong gusts of wind. November 1, 2024 The wind knocked down the entire structure. The entire rear arm, lower part of the main arm (2m out of 5m) and upper part of the upper arm (2m out of 4m) remained intact. Self-propelled chassis broken into several pieces. November 7 - 27, 2024 Rebuilding damaged elements. December 1, 2024 Model back outside. December 6, 2024 9m test completed successfully. December 7, 202411m test completed successfully. MEDIA Model website: http://biggestlegocrane.pl/ Videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSI1f5EDzH3LfwZ96JhtKRA FLICKR: https://www.flickr.com/photos/190160916@N02/albums/72177720321606753 Official Polish Lego website: https://www.lugpol.pl/forum/viewtopic.php?t=34602&p=514955#p514955 Edited January 8 by lego_biggest_cranes Quote
jorgeopesi Posted January 6 Posted January 6 Awesome scary crane , seeing the more tensioned parts would be interesting. Quote
lego_biggest_cranes Posted January 6 Author Posted January 6 I'm planning lifting test and maybe not a long time new test with higher arm for example 12m. Quote
lego_biggest_cranes Posted January 8 Author Posted January 8 On 1/6/2025 at 3:21 PM, Lego Tom said: Wow! That be a big sucker!!! Thanks :) Quote
lego_biggest_cranes Posted January 10 Author Posted January 10 On 1/8/2025 at 6:49 PM, onzenuub said: Great job you did. Thanks :) Quote
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