I've heard many bad things about the 8043..some of which is a complete non-sense. While the older kit with the previous LAs seemed troublesome, I find it hilarious when some people (especially on Brickset) mentioned that even with the new updated LAs, they're still having trouble lifting the boom, and seem underpowered. As a proud owner of a 100% stock 8043 (I decided not to alter a single thing in respect of its designer, Mr. 'Goose' ) , I made this very short vid demonstrating the lifting capability of the so-called 'weak' M-motor and giving them a GOOD workout . I bought the newer edition set with updated LAs, powered by Energizer Ni-MH rechargeables.

Please see for yourself. The M-motor is clearly strained but never stalled. I doubt if you would need any more lifting capability than this (anything heavier will tilt the excavator or trigger the clutch mechanism inside the LAs). Under normal usage the M motor is fast enough and adequate in my opinion. Thanks for watching!

Edited January 8, 201114 yr by Out of Sight

Hehehe nice

But soon i wil ad a movie like this .

powerlifting

what is the weight of the little boy?

Hehehe nice

But soon i wil ad a movie like this .

powerlifting

what is the weight of the little boy?

with your XL motored 8043 and lipo, you should be able to lift around 4 times the weight. Hmmm I haven't actually weigh that 'little boy' hahaha, I say almost 200gr..but this proves that a stock 8043 has NO trouble lifting this kind of weight at full extension (maximum leverage) let alone lifting just the boom. Cant wait to see your powerlifting vid!

I agree @ stok it go's.

But for my hobby it issent enough hehe.

I also had no isses with stock excavator. I guess some people dont build like they should.

@ Out of Sight: Since you are relatively new to this Eurobricks Technic Forum, you may not know about the "Poll" we had about the original 8043 set. The Poll Results (viewable in full here when you press the "Show Results" button) indicate that MOST (but not all) of the respondents had problems that appeared within minutes. If you have the new, greased Linear Actuators, the friction is greatly reduced and the motors can do more lifting.

Mine lifts great too with my new energiser 1.5v lithiums,new la,s are great but my set is recent too.

That's an uplifting video. I'm going try it with mine.

My excavator was also fine when it was new. I had no problems with the actuators or speed. However the strain takes its toll on the M motors. Now, a few months later, the excavator hardly moves at all even with new batteries. The issue isn't the actuators any more, it is that the motors are operating at capacity and wear out.

My excavator was also fine when it was new. I had no problems with the actuators or speed. However the strain takes its toll on the M motors. Now, a few months later, the excavator hardly moves at all even with new batteries. The issue isn't the actuators any more, it is that the motors are operating at capacity and wear out.

correct me if am wrong but this cant be good i have the new one as well and i have found that one of the boom la's raises quicker than the other one

all these problems would have happened if it was pueumatic

Edited January 8, 201114 yr by Alasdair Ryan

If ur la,s are not screwed donw in line this will happen too

@DLuders

Yes sir, I'm aware of that poll. It took me 3 months of research before I had the 'guts' to buy the 8043, since it's very expensive, and certainly I didn't want to have a non functional model. But as I'd said in my first post, I want to focus this video on the newer updated sets that people are going to buy. The new updated LAs do wonderful job of alleviating the load on the M motors, and make the set work like it's intended to

@all

Guys, this video is just to show when the M motors combined with the new LAs are working close to their limits. Under NO circumstances would I recommend 'playing' with your stock 8043 with this kind of strain/weight. The life of the motors and LAs will be severely reduced. My 8043 is never used with any kind of weight or to do any digging.

Just a tip that I learned from my experience running R/C cars, when you first buy this set, it's a good idea to 'break in' the motors before actually installing them in the set. RC hobbyists usually refer break-in as running the motors with no load for a few minutes so the brushes will conform better on the armature. This will lessen 'arching', increase the power and prolong the life of the motors.

To do break-in, just stack all 4 motors connectors on the PF battery box, turn on the switch and run at least 10 minutes on both directions. This will also smooth out the gear reduction units inside the motors.

Edited January 9, 201114 yr by Out of Sight

Danm i dont have any smal models to lift!

Pleasse tell me exact weight of the little excavator .

I'm guessing the most common mistake is to not connect the two lower LA's perfectly parallelled. This would tear ALOT on the motor.

Danm i dont have any smal models to lift!

Pleasse tell me exact weight of the little excavator .

Around 190gr according to my kitchen scale.