The Kerbal Crane Challenge - Make an accurate crane replica in KSP (Preferably Liebherr, but any brand of crane will be fine.)

[Ben J. Kerman]

Who here can make an all terrain mobile crane in KSP that looks as close to the real crane as possible? (Actually, I would prefer all-terrain mobile cranes, but any crane from tower cranes to crawler cranes to ring cranes would be fine, as long as they look close to the real thing.

EDIT TO CHALLENGE RULES: Participants can either attempt to make the most realistic looking crane, or a crane with the highest lifting capacity, even if it is not aesthetically realistic.

                                                       

Here is the challenge badge or whatever you want to call it. If you want to participate, add it to your signature! I recommend scaling it down to about 256x160.

Here are mine, including the Kiebherr KTM 1120-4.3, Kiebherr KTM 1030-2.1, Kiebherr KTM 1300-6.2, and Kiebherr KTC 1050-3.1.  Sorry there are so many pictures, but I use Kerbal Space Program more like Kerbal Crane Simulator. As Hans Kiebherr always said, "Why go to space when you can lift the stars themselves?"

Spoiler

 

 

      

 

Check out my YouTube Channel for videos of some of the cranes shown here.

Edited September 18, 2022 by Ben J. Kerman
I forgot to add my cranes, and the challenge logo.

[Stormpilot]

Hmmm, interesting ksp project. Would be fun to do one day.

Spoiler

Gimme some time.

 

Edited April 3, 2021 by STORMPILOTkerbalkind

[Guest]

Same as @Stormpilot.  

[peridoot]

sir i dont think we have a chance because you are the king of kranes

[Starhelperdude]

the only crane that I can do is a space version, I'll try to make one, even if it doesn't count

 

[Max von Kerman]

Is it a concidence? i built one yesterday

[Max von Kerman]

Liebherr LTM 1095-5.1

Hope u like them!

PS: that debris is a part of my interstellar ssto that stalled t takeoff. The crew were ok, but the plane broke up

[Ben J. Kerman]

@Max von Kerman that's pretty good! Although next time, maybe add things like outriggers, have more realistic looking cabs, and use the offset tool to place hydraulic cylinders inside of other cylinders (Then use rigid attachment) as the telescopic boom. Still, that's not bad at all! I should probably add to the instructions that it doesn't have to be able to lift much (Mine can't, mostly because I use the rotation servos as slewing gears, but they are SO frickin' floppy) and you can use whatever mods or DLCs you want (I use KAS, Tweakscale, both DLCs, and sometimes a part or two from Space Center Vehicles for my cranes.

 

P.S. Does anyone know of any good robotics mods that has parts (Including hydraulic cylinders) of varying size, and has rotation servos or similar parts that look like this?: 

:

It doesn't need to have gear teeth, but it does need to be wider than the Breaking Ground servos, and a little shorter.

Edited May 10, 2021 by Ben J. Kerman

[Max von Kerman]

Lol it didn't even grab that i think it can just gram that tiny plane of mine, no much else.

[Guest]

On 4/3/2021 at 12:15 AM, Ben J. Kerman said:                                                                               

 

 

Nice crane work there. How did you make the cabs? From a mod?

[Ben J. Kerman]

I use Tweakscaled I-Beams and structural panels (One of the best mods ever!!! Thanks @Lisias!), and sometimes the Making History structural panels. Besides that, I use Breaking Ground to make the crane actually function, and more I-beams and panels for the frame. The boom is structural fuselages, with telescopic hydraulic cylinders inside it. I occasionally use the parts from Space Center Vehicles  to make part of a crane, but I don't think I have done that with the Kiebherr cranes. The winches on all of my cranes are KAS.

[ColdJ]

Humble Beginnings. Many bugs to work out. Had to make my own servo to be strong enough to rotate under load and apparently fuel line gets confused when re loaded.

[Ben J. Kerman]

That's pretty good! I recommend using KAS for winches instead of hydraulic cylinders next time, and maybe a telescopic boom, but those are harder to do. Where did you get those truck parts and those outriggers? I want them! 

[ColdJ]

8 hours ago, Ben J. Kerman said:

That's pretty good! I recommend using KAS for winches instead of hydraulic cylinders next time, and maybe a telescopic boom, but those are harder to do. Where did you get those truck parts and those outriggers? I want them! 

Just found them myself 2 days ago when looking for car mods. Called Grounded Modular Vehicles. Here is the page on spacedock where you can download.

https://spacedock.info/mod/1715/Grounded - Modular Vehicles#

And from there I just found their forum thread. I haven't delved deeply into it yet but it seems very versatile.

I built the crane in an install that is as close to stock as possible, for developing configs that most can use, so KAS isn't installed. One of these days I will load back up my heavy mod game which has all those things.

Edited June 21, 2021 by ColdJ

[Ben J. Kerman]

That mod looks AWESOME! Especially since half of what I do in KSP is ground vehicles! And I thought Space Center Vehicles was cool. I will definitely download that soon. Thanks!

What version of KSP does that mod work on? I think I have 1.11.2. Does Grounded Modular Vehicles work with that version?

Edited June 21, 2021 by Ben J. Kerman

[ColdJ]

I learnt the hard way that pistons don't like to be resized. So finally the booms stay where I attached them when building.

Yes I adapted parts to make your telescoping boom. Used the fuel tank mesh to make the boom parts and have re-enforced and upgraded the pistons, hinges and servo to make them work for a crane. Seems over 4 ton might be a bit heavy for it.

[Ben J. Kerman]

3 hours ago, ColdJ said:

I learnt the hard way that pistons don't like to be resized.

What do you mean "resized"? I have tweakscaled and have never been able to change the size of any breaking ground parts.

That crane looks great! A little less accurate to real life cranes, but what my cranes gain in beauty and realism they pay for in lifting capacity. My cranes can't lift much at all. If you want to, you can add the challenge badge that is at the top of the page to your signature! That goes for anybody who has participated.

[ColdJ]

21 minutes ago, Ben J. Kerman said:

What do you mean "resized"? I have tweakscaled and have never been able to change the size of any breaking ground parts.

That crane looks great! A little less accurate to real life cranes, but what my cranes gain in beauty and realism they pay for in lifting capacity. My cranes can't lift much at all. If you want to, you can add the challenge badge that is at the top of the page to your signature! That goes for anybody who has participated.

Cool. I mean go into the config and resize the part using the "rescaleFactor =" parameter. Then change the hard max and soft max extension parameter in the piston motor so that I don't have 1 half slide right out of the other half. But all for nought as it shrinks the boom piece attached to it when you extend the piston. Also it would never stay where I put it when building it. So same size pistons with upgraded motors only. Even then it seems a little twitchy. Possibly because it is large boom, piston, medlarge boom, piston, med boom, piston, Structural cubic times 4 then hinge with another piston. Still, finally got somewhere and the towing hitch from the mod pack works as a way of picking things up.

[ColdJ]

@Ben J. Kerman I see you have embraced "Grounded-Modular Vehicles"

[Ben J. Kerman]

Yeah, it's really cool!

[Fletch4]

i got one in progress

may be good

might not be tho

[Rutabaga22]

Here's my submission to this great challenge! (May take a sec to upload...)

 

Edited August 28, 2022 by Rutabaga22

[Second Hand Rocket Science]

On 6/22/2021 at 4:18 AM, Ben J. Kerman said:

Yeah, it's really cool!

I know I'm reviving a centuries old thread, but does anyone here know if Grounded Modular Vehicles is compatible with 1.12.0?

Edited September 15, 2022 by Second Hand Rocket Science

[Rutabaga22]

On 9/15/2022 at 8:37 AM, Second Hand Rocket Science said:

I know I'm reviving a centuries old thread, but does anyone here know if Grounded Modular Vehicles is compatible with 1.12.0?

it 100% is! I have used it on almost every save.

[Ben J. Kerman]

On 8/28/2022 at 3:24 PM, Rutabaga22 said:

Here's my submission to this great challenge! (May take a sec to upload...)

Nice crane! Not bad realism-wise either, especially trying to design it so the crane can actually lift stuff, although I use KAS for winches/cables instead of just using cylinders, but the winches don't lift stuff as well. If you would like, you can put the challenge badge in your signature! 

How did you get all those extra KSC facilities? Is it Kerbal Konstructs, because I have never gotten it to work on 1.12.3.