Moving models about.

[uuu]

I've been hacking away at mine this afternoon. I've taken some off the front of the jib, and off the legs. I don't think I'm going to reduce the height, but I'd quite like to take some off the width.

I can see how a small amount could come off without a complete strip down - but is there a knack to getting the base unit apart, please?

Wilf

[andyhigham]

If you remove the plastic plugs from the legs you can undo 2 M10 x 90 bolts each side and release the legs from the cross pieces. Undo the screws from the motor assembly it pulls out backwards. There will be a couple of stop bolts underneath, then the cross pieces pull outwards away from the centre section.
I removed 50mm from each side this afternoon at that is where the thread starts. The cross pieces were just a matter of sawing them down on the cut off saw. The centre section needed re drilling for the slippers and stop bolts after sawing down. The bolts holding on the legs will need replacing with shorter ones M10 x 40 if 50mm removed

[uuu]

Thanks for that - I'll have a go. I don't have a specific target width, I may not need as much off.

I see there's another on ebay for £150.

Wilf

[andyhigham]

50mm off each side is the maximum without re designing the arrangement for the leg fixing bolts, you'll see what I mean when you take them out

[92220]

Hi Andy.

I've just been to have another look at the crane. I cut the lower vertical pillar down to 35.3/4" high, I can't find the bits I cut off, although I did keep them for reference, so I can't say how much I took off the bottom of the sliding vertical section. I know I did play around and took a couple of cuts off the sliding section, until I got it down to the lowest it would slide down, before the curved part came in contact with the fixed vertical bottom section. The first time I lowered it under power, after cutting it down, the sliding part jammed at the bottom and it took a bit of effort to get it released under power, without taking it all apart again. That is when I realised I must put limit marks, top and bottom, on the sliding section. The width of the base was reduced to 650mm wide, overall, to go through my workshop door.
I don't know if you have found it yet, though I would guess you have; the mast is fully removable from the base, by undoing the 2 screws in the flange, below the pillar. The mast won't fall off because it has a spring section to the fixing bracket, that holds it in place until levered off with a screwdriver. That may all sound a bit difficult but it is actually very easy and prevents the mast accidentally falling after the screws have been removed. To replace it, it just clips back on easily, for the screws to be replaced. Mine were hex head screws so I changed them for cap screws, which makes unscrewing them one handed much easier. This easy separation also makes it easy to dismantle for transporting. I have a standard 1917 Astra hatchback, and I can fit my loco and tender in, plus the crane in (2 pieces), plus a toolbox and other bits and pieces.

One thing I did do was to make a fitted wooden base, out of 12mm plywood, that fitted closely over the legs of the crane. I am then able to lower the loco onto that baseboard, and the crane becomes a trolley to move the loco about. I forgot to mention that the end of the jib must be at, or inside, the end of the legs, for safety/stability. I reduced the crane jib by cutting a 8" long piece out, around 6" back from the front. I then bought a 12" piece of 3" square ally bar off ebay and machined it to be a slide fit inside the jib sections. I then slid the machined ally bar into the front section and the rear section, with 4" in the front and the maximum length I could get in the rear section. With the 2 pieces of jib pushed together, I drilled through the front piece, and ally bar, with a 3/8" drill, and fitted a 3/8" cap screw and nut to hold them together. I then drilled another couple of holes through the rear section of the jib and ally bar, to lock the pieces in place with one 3/8" UNC cap screw in the hole nearest the join. This then allows me to extend the jib if ever I need to, by the distance between to 2 screws. I also have the piece I took out, which can also be replaced using a second ally bar to provide jib strength.

Bob.

[andyhigham]

Bob, Mine has two tapped holes in the flange below the retaining holes. After unscrewing the mast retaining screws I can sgrew them into these hole releasing the mast without needing to lever it off

[92220]

Hi Andy. That sounds as if someone has done a very handy mod. I should have thought of that!! I must do the same and tap a couple of holes. Thanks for the info.

Bob.

[andyhigham]

I think the holes are from the factory, I can just make them out on your photos

[uuu]

Mine has the tapped holes, too. I'd not have realised their purpose, except the instructions referred to them. When I picked the crane up from the seller, a firm servicing and repairing them, they declared the mast was not detachable and were surprised how easy it was. This kind of feature seems to be baked into the design of the unit - you can loosen most the screws, but the unit refuses to fall apart

Meanwhile, I've disassembled the base, and am figuring out how much I want off. It goes through my workshop door (just), so it's only to make it take up less room. I recon I can take 20mm off each side, without trimming the central section, and bring the back wheels forward by 15mm. It's quite a lot smaller already, with 7.5" off the front of the legs, and 5" off the jib.

Wilf

[92220]

Hi Andy. Yes the screw holes are there. I hadn't noticed them!! I MUST go to Specsavers!!!!!

Bob.

[92220]

Hi Andy and Wilf. I'm sure I don't need to remind you, but others might follow us and not remember.....the lift hook MUST be inside the wheels footprint, after shortening the legs, to ensure there is no chance of tipping.

Bob.

[uuu]

Well worth pointing out. Although I've lost 2.5" of safety, I think my hook is now about 9.5" behind the front wheels at the bottom of travel, then improves slightly going up, as the column is angled back.

A reduction in width may also reduce stability, but the 7000 model is 670 wide (against 750 wide for my 7007 one), so I'm not into danger territory. And, at the touch of a button, it will go wider.

I've settled on a 40mm reduction in width, each side. I think, with moving the back wheels forwards a fraction (to remove the conflict with their fixing screws), I can re-use the original M10 bolts, with spacers under the heads.

Wilf

[andyhigham]

I probably won't reduce the reach of the jib, it would be nice to have enough room to rotate a loco (NDM6 is 1060 + buffers long)

[92220]

Hi Andy.

Shortening the jib, and machining up a sliding centre to fit inside, as I have done, and making the sliding centre piece as long as possible, could actually allow the jib to be extended to longer than the manufactured length. To gain stability, it would be relatively easy to make up some extending legs for each side, to provide side leg length that was up to half as long again, as the standard legs. If designed right, that could give the best of both worlds. I hadn't thought of it before this, but I might look into doing that on mine.

Bob.

[steamer5]

Hi Bob,
Like the idea of extending the legs out, as a suggestion look at a car engine lifter they use the same idea, they work it so when the extra bits are folded down it lifts the wheels on the short legs off the ground so you only have 4 wheels not 6 on the ground.
If you already know this please disregard and carry on!

Cheers Kerrin

[92220]

Hi Kerrin.

No I didn't know that. Thanks for the suggestion. Good idea because it could allow the crane to be moved around while the legs are extended.One way of doing that easily, is to have the sliding extension, sliding at a slight angle, so that when retracted, the extra caster/wheel is clear of the ground but when pushed forward, and locked in place with a pin, would lift the front fixed-leg castor off the ground.

Bob.

[uuu]

Having done all the cutting down, I'm about to assemble the unit and I have a question about grease.

There's a white grease here and there in my unit - but the technical manual does not mention lubrication of any kind, so I wonder if this has been applied during previous maintenance. I want to clean off to get rid of swarf and accumulated fluff etc. So should I regrease, and do I need this white stuff, or will ordinary do?

Wilf

[delaplume]

Here's my Ex-motorcycle scissors lift in action loading my 5 inch gauge GWR 1366 0-6-0 pannier tank onto a mobile workshop transporter...



I have made a 6 ft unit for main line Diesel models.....It can be raised for use as a turntable if needed....

[andyhigham]

Jul 2, 2021 10:07:56 GMT uuu said:

Having done all the cutting down, I'm about to assemble the unit and I have a question about grease.

There's a white grease here and there in my unit - but the technical manual does not mention lubrication of any kind, so I wonder if this has been applied during previous maintenance. I want to clean off to get rid of swarf and accumulated fluff etc. So should I regrease, and do I need this white stuff, or will ordinary do?

Wilf

I greased the rack and gears for the legs and the screw for the lift, everything else I gave a spray of WD40

[uuu]

Thank you - I rather reached the same conclusion as I reassembled - the sliding base sections moved smoothly after a bit of juggling with the plastic slippers (they're a variety of thicknesses, and some had worn unevenly).

It's SO much better for being smaller - there's not much room in my workshop.

Wilf