LEGO® Technic™ has offered several fun and detailed mobile crane sets over the past four decades including standard and compact crawler cranes, rough terrain crane, cherry picker, and the Technic Mobile Crane MK II. We have featured articles on the Sims news page for the 42108 Mobile Crane and 42100 Liebherr R 9800 Excavator. These and hundreds of other sets are comprised entirely of pieces and components manufactured by LEGO Technic. Sometimes their sets are a result of fans submitting ideas to LEGO’s website, which are then reviewed and selected by the LEGO team.
Liebherr built with LEGO, almost
Autoevolution.com is an informational website for classic vehicle, motorcycle, and sportscar enthusiasts. They posted a story earlier this month about a LEGO fan who built a replica of Liebherr’s LTC 1045-3.1 mobile crane and posted a video of it to his YouTube channel, Sariel’s Bricks & Pets. Though the crane is built almost entirely with LEGO pieces, Sariel included third-party components that would make it ineligible for submission to the LEGO ideas team.
Heavy build, lots of functions
Sariel has been working on this project since 2017 and only recently finished it. The crane measures 20 inches long x 6.3 inches wide x 11 inches high, features 12 functions that are powered by 14 motors, and is completely remote controlled. Total weight is 10.9 lbs. with a main boom length of 44 inches when extended, and 58 inches with an additional extension jib. Much like the full-size crane, the jib is deployed manually but extends automatically in conjunction with the main boom.
The operator cabin uses three motors to elevate, tilt, and extend. Motors also power the superstructure rotation, boom elevation and extension, winch, and side view mirrors.
Sariel included working headlights, brake lights, reverse lights, turn signals, and LED beacons. He was able to successfully perform a lift test with a toy tank that weighed just over 1.5 lbs.
A few limitations
Three axles support the chassis, but each performs a different task. The center axle provides forward and backward movement, while the first and third axles are attached to a double wishbone suspension and used to steer the vehicle. Unfortunately, this limitation requires the crane to remain on a flat surface to be driven, because the middle wheels must always make contact with the ground. The motorized outriggers can be extended and lowered, but are not powerful enough to lift the nearly 11 lb. crane.
Please click here to read the story and see more photos at Autorevolution’s website. Check out Sariel’s video presentation of the crane here.
January 25, 2023
