NACA 66 Special A/BGS

[Interested Observer]

Powered trailer tongue jack with appropriate mounting and linkage as/if required, e.g. backhoe bucket linkage or similar.

Gear motor with (SS) chain and sprockets.

What is existing configuration?

[robfrey]

How about welding on a steering arm and using a linear actuator to swing the crane around? Many 12v actuators have limit switches built-in. I used to have a C-band satellite dish that used one to steer the dish in hour angle.

Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ

It's hard to get a full 180 degree swing with an arm and actuator. We actually only need about 160 degrees but tat might still be too much.

You could drive a geared rack with the linear actuator, with a pinion gear at the base of the crane?

That is a neat idea but most linear actuators do not do well with a type of side load that would be generated from a rack and pinion (gears want to separate). It's not impossible but it would start to get pretty complicated.

[robfrey]

A backhoe linkage does give us more rotation.

[Glen]

I like the bottle opener.

[Ron Gibson]

How about a ss cable with a 12v winch mechanism. Look at how it is used on a snowblower chute.

Ron

[Rex Schimmer]

Rob,
Go with the linear actuator and use a timing belt instead of a chain. Won't rust and plenty strong. The other thought is a high torque engine starter with a sprocket on the shaft and a larger sprocket around your tower. Probably a smaller package than the linear actuator setup.

Rex

[robfrey]

Rob,
Go with the linear actuator and use a timing belt instead of a chain. Won't rust and plenty strong. The other thought is a high torque engine starter with a sprocket on the shaft and a larger sprocket around your tower. Probably a smaller package than the linear actuator setup.

Rex

I'm thinking on using the trailer tongue jack for a power source and welding starter pinion gear on the lead screw, welding a ring gear from a Chevy v8 flex plate. Of course the whole trailer jack could be shortened up a good bit. Slider that makes contact with ground would be eliminated, and support bearings would need to be added to both sides of pinion. We could cut a window into the outer tube to let the ring gear come through. To interface with the pinion.
Let me do the math but my gut feeling tells me speed and torque would be about right. If speed is acceptable,  I'll draw it up inSolidworks to design all the support brackets.

[robfrey]

I like the bottle opener.

That's the most important part of the trailer. LOL

[robfrey]

The trailer jack provides us with a low cost, high torque, slow speed 12vdc motor. I spent loads of time looking for something like this and I already had one on the front of my trailer. LOL
This is the real value of this forum. Nobody gave me exact answer I was looking for but the bottom line is I am much closer to a solution less than 24 hours since I posted about this.

It certainly helps to have a bunch of smart friends that I can bounce ideas off of.

[robfrey]

I like the bottle opener.

Btw, that stainless bottle opener has our 5 standard grades of coating on it. You can see this if you zoom in. When people ask "What is Carbinite?" We always have a handy sample to show them.

[Interested Observer]

Didn't quite follow the Chevy ring gear approach but might consider--

Motor mounted pinion down on the upper, rotating column.
Drives into a twin flange bearing mounted shaft with shaft projecting down to the fixed column.
Shaft has Rex's timing belt small pinion engaging belt around larger pulley fixed around the lower column.
Could use chain if belt is too spongy, or gears, but lube and corrosion problems.

Or, turn it all over, but may interfere with boom brace.

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Mr. Belt-and-suspenders sez:  How about putting some kind of brake in the system to either/or slow/stop when the swing gets out of control for some unexpected reason?  Don't rely on the reverse torque/drag of the thing -- be positive.  That ain't a cheap car that's swinging towards the wall's upright beam.

[robfrey]

If we could use a worm gear it would be a natural brake.

[robfrey]

Time for bi-annual reconstruction.

[robfrey]

Hopefully going to the sandblaster on Friday.
Can't find any cracks in any of the welds so far.
Plenty of souvenirs from Bonnieville and area 52. Gosh darn it, every surface we run on is corrosive. We need a new hobby.
Big debate amongst the team members on what color to paint the chassis. Definitely  not going to be bright orange.