Trouble with crane design

[Jarin]

Okay, I'm trying to figure out how to build a mobile utility crane (KAS, Infernal Robotics) for the purposes of offworld base-construction (assume low-grav, right now I'd be happy with just "functional on Minmus"). I'm having no end of issues just coming up with a vaguely functional design, though. I was digging through the Exchange subforum and old showcase threads, but I really couldn't find anything. I'd think this would come up more often... anyone got some good examples, or threads containing same?

[Cerberus738]

I saw a crane in this thread! http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/29533-What-did-you-do-in-KSP-today?p=1590966&viewfull=1#post1590966

[RainDreamer]

I made a thread about this a while ago, seeing some decent designs: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/101154-Tutorial-for-building-transporting-a-KAS-ground-construction-vehicle

[Guest]

You can even build a crane completely stock as shown here.

[kerbiloid]

Antiles Liebig channel:

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGrBYmOsaW5lDVGUVPjN6qA/videos

"Mikro" animation

[Wanderfound]

How much vertical lift do you need? The easiest way to do it is just by sticking a Klaw on the end of some girders, and raising/lowering by sticking some landing legs or aircraft gear under the front of the crane.

[Fengist]

Try a gantry, they're pretty easy to build and get to other orbital bodies.

[Jarin]

How much vertical lift do you need? The easiest way to do it is just by sticking a Klaw on the end of some girders, and raising/lowering by sticking some landing legs or aircraft gear under the front of the crane.

I think I'll need a bit more lift than that. I'm hoping to use it to assemble an MKS outpost, so it would have to at least be taller than one of those units + base.

I've got EPL and a local mining operation, so I can build the crane in place. Which does give some design freedom, as I don't have to haul the dang thing out of Kerbin's gravity well.

(recommendations of mods that have useful parts for this sort of thing, other than KAS and IR would be fine, too. For instance... tractor treads there?)

[kerbiloid]

For instance... tractor treads there?)

If you mean rovers with tracks:

Caterpillar

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/84102-WIP-PARTS-PLUGIN-0-25-Kerbal-Foundries-wheels-anti-grav-repulsors-and-tracks

Kerbal Foundries

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/35147-Caterpillar-Tracks-NOW-OPEN-SOURCE-ALL-FILES-OPEN-TO-PUBLIC