Hello everybody. I'm a 51year old from the Netherlands, newbie here (with a long Lego history from 4-my 16thyear). Last year I started with the truckcrane.. It was as if an old friend visited me after 34 years!!

At this moment I'm busy with 8043, the caterpillarcrane. If you come to page 79, step35 in book one, there is a gearwheel placed the shaft from the left motor, which carries also the yellow knobwheel.. this wheel shall move the knobwheel from the shaft which swithes the gearpositions of all three.. IMO is this not possible, or does the motor operate as a servo?

best regards Ton

You will find that it is possible actually. I have the 8043 myself. When the motor is activated, it rotates the cog wheel until it can't rotate anymore and then the motor stalls and doesn't move. the Cog wheel is then stuck in the position that it was rotated to. i hope that makes sense.

tim

@ ton: Welcome to Eurobricks! Here is the 8043 building instruction page that you are talking about (from Brickfactory):

Thanks a lot guys! but when there's a constant power on the motor, will it not burn?? Lego hmmmmm I can talk hours about Lego.when I had a Legotrain in 1970, I figures out, that a train wasn't my thing.... I've build harbourcranes from plus one meter high from all the rails and by then three types of gears were available so that I could switch three speeds!! to me Technic Lego is great and when I'm gonna dismantle 8052/43, I'm gonna built my own stuff. again.... can't wait

best regards Ton

Edited December 4, 201113 yr by ton

Well i think the TLG figured that kids wouldn't keep the motor going even after the clutches have been switched, so the motor would not get burnt out.

tim

That is why there is a red stick on the remote for this switching function, so you know not to hold the stick for more than a second. I think you would have to push the motor for quite a few seconds before it started to get warmer.

Welcome to Eurobricks,

I don't think you should worry about the lego group using the wrong gear,if it was an issue they would of used a clutch gear.

The lego group carries tests out on all there models before thay are released it so if there was an issue if would have cropped up in the testing stage.

Yup, the motor that switches the gearbox uses knob gears. The motor just stalls once switcher hits it's limits. It's not a design I would use in my mocs, but I guess it works ok.

Welcome to EB!