🏗 Realistic Lego city Heavy Excavator MOC for digging skyscraper basements

[@SuperSecretBricks]

Good murning, as always, your knowledge / research of construction site engine is mind blowing! I really dig your excavator, it looks perfectly scaled and realistic. You've once again stumbled across some design issues that you have to solve and it makes those MOCs even more valuable, with all the engineering that you had to go through to make it work. Now you'll just have to recolour the crane, because this palette is just top notch 👌

[@TealBricksinParadisa]

Good murning Super Secret!! 😄 I'm really glad you 'dig' it! haha! I have always tried to make my builds as though they were official lego sets sold by lego, and unfortunately this build would not be approved because of having to 'find' the pieces that have a tight fit! Womp! womp! haha I really like this teal & burnt orange color combo too. The tower crane in this same color scheme would definitely make it unique! 😆

[@Guestnotfound_19]

Add a plow to the front

[@jaythomas4536]

just discovered your channel a few days ago. I too am obsessed with teal lego. went back and watched most of the videos you've produced. fantastic work. new sub here.

[@TealBricksinParadisa]

Toteally the best color ever, haha! 🙌🏼Hey, I'm stoked you like all the creations, Jay! 😃 May all your builds have at least one teal brick hidden in them 😆

[@tr-tv794]

These are very nice construction vehicles!

[@AaronSmithRocks]

Not lying when I say I dig it! Great build Hans!!

[@TealBricksinParadisa]

I really dig your comment as well, Aaron! haha Thanks so much dude!! 😄

[@witerabid]

Honestly, it _had_ to be teal. And I don't think it looks out of place at all. On my way to work I come by a construction site where they use bright green equipment from one company alongside the standard yellow ones and I've also seen a company painting their vehicles in a light blue. The design is genius once again. The arm looks really sleek. I feel like this would be one those excavators where you can switch out the bucket for different tasks. Like, this is the top tier model and the construction company that uses it puts it everywhere on their website because they're so proud of themselves for buying one. 😅 I also love that you've included the counterweight in the back. Many people - and apparently even Lego themselves - tend to ignore function in builds that aren't Technic. And adding weights would be a fairly simple way to make so many things a lot more stable... Seems like it's all up to us to fix this. 😋

[@TealBricksinParadisa]

😂😂😂 'Top tier model proudly over-displayed on the website' made me laugh! But so true! 😆 And yes! it had to be teal, haha! I was actually tempted to make the tower crane in the bright yellowish green (lime green) when they released truss pieces in the Stuntz sets last summer 😆 And thanks to my tower crane, the counterweights gave me the idea to add them to my Cargomaster crane and the new 2022 mobile crane! So when I was building the excavator it was a no brainer! Gotta order more weights tho....to replace the ones I borrowed from the TC 😅 I've had the same conclusion...Lego just be like...'they're adults, let them remoc these kids sets if they're not happy with it' 😅😆 I hadn't even thought of that yet! Switching out the bucket to add a swiss army array of tools! Glad you mentioned it! with the 3x3 technic block..the design is already geared for easy swaps! Love it! Thanks Rabid!!

[@witerabid]

@@TealBricksinParadisa Thank you, thank you. I'm here all night. 😋 It really is a pity that Lego have discontinued some really useful parts like the weight block. I mean, yes, City sets are usually meant to be played with and as long as you have two hands on the excavator it won't tip over anyway. But it completely leaves out the option to just display the model in whatever pose you want. It took Lego about four iterations to give us actually posable Bionicle figures that don't fall over when you breathe near them. But construction equipment should inheritely have this feature. That's what they're built for. That's why I mentioned it. By making the bucket able to swivel (great feature for digging trenches for strip foundations btw) you've basically already done all the work for using multiple tools on the same machine. Tyoically, it would have at least one narrow bucket and one wide bucket, perhaps a drill and/or jackhammer attachment, some sort of grab claw,... and they would usually be stored on the flatbed the excavator is transported on so you could easily display all of them on your construction sites. 😊 I can see it already. Your construction areas will take up so much space... 😅🙈

[@TealBricksinParadisa]

@@witerabid haha! Comedians in the comments section is highly encouraged 😆 Actually Lego brought back the lego weight! It's in one of the education sets iirc. I've been getting mine from B&P! I'm just stoked that it has had quite a few practical purposes in my builds already! Yeah I've been a bit disappointed in the current solutions from lego in being able to replicate smooth hydraulic motion. The click hinges are somewhat great at holding a set position, but lack smooth motion...'clunk....clunk...clunk' 😒. and the other options seriously don't have enough friction to hold much weight. I did a MOC last year of a truck with a lift for electric utility pole work and everything I tried (refusing to use the click hinges) would just slowly droop. I had to bust out the bionicle ball joints just to get it to hold. 😂I completely forgot about the first gen bionicle sets falling over! I remember that now! That's gonna be 'pack'd n' stack'd' (ref:RHB) transport trailer too! haha I just had an idea that whenever I run out of city space, I could actually set up a construction scene in one of the underground layers....new hyperpod terminal in the works!

[@witerabid]

@@TealBricksinParadisa Oh, I didn't look at the education sets that closely. I just thought, that's a _lot_ of random pieces! 😅 The click hinges are absolutely horrible! The only place I actually use them are the stabilizing stanchions on cranes or firetrucks. But I have seen them used in 3D lettering quite effectively as well. Actually, I just remembered I also use them for the pantographs on my tram because it seems like a fairly simple solution and it doesn't have to hold any weight. I'm still not 100% happy with it though. The click hinge arms aren't even the piece I hate most though... It's the click hinge roof piece that's the most annoying. First of all there are just huge holes in there that make it look super unrealistic which wasn't the case with the different old hinges. Secondly, these basically never actually have to hold any weight, so it doesn't make sense to give them this much clutch power in the first place. And thirdly, if I actually use them to angle a part of a plate anywhere it is absolutely never one of the angles the click hinge wants to go. I'm glad they at least kept the bar-and-clip joints posable in a smooth way. I have my own problems with the different ball joints but sometimes it's the only solution small enough to work. My favorite way to put something like a tow hook on a truck is the Technic construction with the worm gear from the Corner Garage modular. In general, I think it should become more normalized to use small Technic solutions within Lego System builds. Most sets only barely make an effort to make it look like it works but usually there isn't any actual functionality apart from wheels that let you roll a vehicle forward and back. Pack'd 'n' stack'd to satisfy both the density and the variety rules! 😋 Robin would be proud. 😉 Oh, an underground construction site would be really cool! You could have one big hole to the surface for getting all the equipment down there and then all manner of tunneling machines - maybe even a tunnel bore - constructing a new hyperloop tunnel. And somewhere along the line one of the buildings on the surface has cracked from all the vibrations. 😅 Perhaps the owner of that house is just complaining to the foreman in front of their trailer office and some of the people living in the area are now protesting the construction with picket signs and blocking the trucks trying to bring all the removed material from the construction site. 😅😅😅 So many fun scenes to go crazy with there. 👍

[@TealBricksinParadisa]

@@witerabid I can't even remember how I accidentally bumped into finding the lego weight! Because I don't typically look at education sets either! But as soon as I saw it, I was like 'oh boy!...maybe I'll remake some classic 80s floating boats! ' which I haven't haha. haha yeah I know the feeling! when the click hinges first came out it just felt like a huge downgrade compared to the compact-ness of the old finger hinges. And YES! I thought the exact same thing about the panels being upgraded to the click hinges! YUCK!! open holes and a ginormous lump sticking out! They are useful in some situations like you say, so they're not a total fail. and I agree, the bar and clip hinging is a better solution than the click hinges in many cases. hahahah! that does sound like a fun scene! I hadn't even thought of a tunnel boring machine yet! Great idea!! and totally makes sense for Paradisa City!! New Hyperloop terminal expansion in the works!😄

[@policemancronk9686]

this is the first video I'm seeing of ours and it's absolutely awesome! great moc

[@TealBricksinParadisa]

Hey thanks Cronk! Glad you like the excavator!

[@brickben7840]

Wow, Hans I love this. The colour scheme looks really fresh, and the fuctionality is just awesome. I love how you always do your research and make your builds as functional as possible. That build is an absolute yes for me, can't wait to see it in some kind of scene. Btw, also waiting for the boutique hotel. It will surely be great

[@TealBricksinParadisa]

Awesome! Really glad you like it Ben! Functionality is the best! I think you're gonna love the Boutique Hotel. It's definitely a complex build with the angles! haha

[@tayshonharris6430]

This excavator looks really cool Hans! I like how you made the hydrolics for the arm! It really makes it look realistic! I actually own the excavator from 2012! I got it for Christmas one year and it's in my city now! I also like the color scheme! If I were to make it, I would probably make it yellow and black, kind of like the Volvo one! (But that's mainly because yellow is my favorite color)

[@TealBricksinParadisa]

I was hoping you would like the excavator!! Moarrrrr construction sets ftw!!! 🙌 😆 I had our previous conversations about the lack of a construction wave in mind when I made this video, haha! And yes, your version definitely has to be yellow and black haha! Maybe someday you will remoc the 2012 excavator with tracks and a bigger arm? haha

[@tayshonharris6430]

@@TealBricksinParadisa that's a good idea! I've already made my own mobile crane moc, so maybe I could make a video on the two! But seriously though, Lego better make a new construction wave, that isn't overpriced too!

[@TealBricksinParadisa]

@@tayshonharris6430 Oh cooool! Can't wait to see your mobile crane MOC! (I'm 99% done with mine too! and am planning a video on it soon! Let's take the internet by storm! 😄) Yeah, they better!

[@tayshonharris6430]

@@TealBricksinParadisa haha yeah!

[@Mr.PierceG]

For some reason I just saw this video, that crane looks great. I love the colors. #❤️Ukraine

[@avantikaghosh3597]

Wow Just saw the first few seconds.. Its great!

[@TealBricksinParadisa]

Haha thanks Avantika!! great to hear from you!! 😄

[@legojo3]

Wow bro what a great looking bulid i think this is a lot better then legos set like the pieces you used for the arm I think that looks really good in the Hydraulics really give it that perfect smooth effect and looks really good love the orange with the teal! I might have to build this myself good Job bro!! Hey! Want to hear a Construction Joke.... I'm still working on it lol😄😂

[@TealBricksinParadisa]

Hahaha!! 😆 good one! Sounds like you've built a good joke already! Thanks Jo! Yeah, I agree about the hydraulics! I have been avoiding the click hinges simply because it doesn't have a smooth operation...its too jerky haha! Glad you like the color scheme too!

[@jumpy_jumpers]

Such a solid, well thought out and great looking build my friend!!👌👏 Excellent work on that tracks function and the overall balance. Wading through your part bins to find the one piece with the strongest friction is what I call dedication !! 😀...and I love these colours 😍 Keep it up!

[@TealBricksinParadisa]

Thanks so much Jumpers!! I'm so glad you agree about the color scheme! Yeah, trying to not change the design and instead risking it by finding pieces with strong clutch power was a gamble that surprisingly paid off! I think it was worth it to preserve the compactness/efficiency of the design! 😅😅

[@robbiedobbles]

absolutely great build. i think that is the perfect size unit for a city scene. i have something similar on my ideas list. you have any instructions for it?

[@TealBricksinParadisa]

Thanks so much Robbie! It's the goldilocks size for sure, haha. Unfortunately I rarely have the spare time to re-dissect my mocs and put together instructions, so I don't do them. Feel free to copy it to the best of your extend and I can answer questions here and there to the trickiest parts if need be

[@xfilethe]

Hi long time no see hope you are alright mis your vids..... Just came te say hi and what you think about set 60420..... Honestly i think they lifted your mock there are so many similarities..... Hope your doing alright....

[@radjeck9346]

Wow . It is great . Only the Color is not my ( in Germany is Yellow Typical - My Colors are Orange and Green with small Violet parts ;-) ) . Is there Instruction on Rebrickable ? The Idea with the AI is also Great . I hope one Day we got in Real ! Yours is the best E-Excavator ever 🙂

[@Martin-xo2le]

can u put this on lego ideas pls

[@JackeyChai]

Hi Hans, can you please explain to me how the rubble wheels help with the tracks to move when you are pushing it on a smooth surface as the rubble only increased the grip between wheels and tracks, but not tracks and surface? As a trained engineer and with some background in physics, I spent the entire video thinking about it but couldn't wrap my head around why that works.

[@TealBricksinParadisa]

Hey Jackey! 😄 I'm really glad you asked! Yeah same here! It's also been a challenge for me to figure out why it works that way! And since you asked me about it, I was perplexed & intrigued enough as well as you inspired me to investigate further. I just now went into troubleshooting mode to see if I could figure it out. I created a simple MOC with the gears (instead of the tires) to analyze and compare and see if I can learn from it. It wasn't what I initially thought it was ..and Here is what I learned: Known principles: You and I know that in order for the tracks to roll, the friction forces (FF) from the table to the bottom of the tracks resting on the table has to be greater than the rolling resistance (RR) (RR = all the internal rotating friction forces: axles, wheels, track to wheel/gear/rubber contact, each link from tread to tread, etc) of the entire [tracks + wheels]: in order for the tracks to roll on the table. If FF > RR = tracks that roll (High FF and low RR are desired). If FF < RR = tracks will slide (undesired) A. We both know that the friction forces FF increase when more weight or downward force is applied to the vehicle, and the opposite, the less weight = less friction forces FF from the tracks to the table. B. We also know that the surface type (friction coefficient) also matters: the tracks are a ~smooth abs plastic which does not seem to have high friction coefficient (lowers the FF)...and the table surface can vary from a textile surfaces like bet sheets (high coefficient: increases FF) to ultra smooth: new lego roadplates or a glossy smooth quartz kitchen counter (very low coefficient: lowers FF) C. We also know that the size of the contact surface area that the tracks make with the table will also influence the friction forces between tracks and the table. The greater the contact area the greater the FF. Side note: rolling of tracks on the surface is an issue specific to vehicles pushed by hand. Does not apply to vehicles with tracks driven internally by motors. 3 test cases 1. Lego's gear/sprocket method: Used on numerous lego vehicle track sets using the technic track links (both large and small links). Note: A single gear/sprocket runs in the center of the track: The gears: I just learned the gears are the problem!! They are causing too much rolling resistance (high RR) because they dont act as a perfect circle. When I was trying to get them to roll without sliding** I noticed how 'clunky' the gears were as I made them roll! They are not smooth and are rolling with very small clunks or jerks that can be felt as the vehicle rolls along. I realized the gears are behaving essentially as polygons...the gear that lego uses for the tracks is the Z24 technic gear and so they act as a 24 sided polygon. In order for the polygon to roll..it has to lift up (ever so slightly) (against gravity) and over the sharp corner (gear tooth) from the flat polygon side (space between gear teeth) that it is resting on the table to the next flat polygon side. The contact point of a polygon is not equidistant (flat sides vs its corners) to the center of polygon. Because of this, the [tracks + z24 gears] create too much rolling resistance RR and therefore is greater than the friction forces FF of the tracks on the table, therefore, the tracks were prone to just slip across the table rather than roll. I also noticed the rolling resistance RR gets worse with the heavier the vehicle or when pushing down on the vehicle (as a kid might do when driving the vehicle around with their hand). More downward force makes it even harder for the polygon to roll. (makes sense now). The tracks were more likely to slide on the table instead of rolling. This is counter-intuitive to our expectation of more weight equals better FF equals better rolling. And vice versa..The rolling resistance actually decreased when the vehicle was lightweight and the tracks were more likely to roll **[table = roadplates. I did my tests on the smooth surface of the new lego roadplates to simulate low friction forces FF for the tracks]. 2. Rubber tire method: (first seen on the Arctic set) Note: Rubber tire towards the inside of the track paired with a plastic round disc or technic pulley towards the outside of the track: I discovered that the tires are essentially a circle and therefore rolls perfectly. The contact point of a circle is always equidistant to the center of the circle. It doesn't have the additional rolling resistance RR, as the polygon creates. The rolling resistance RR of the [tracks + rubber tires] is less than the friction forces FF of the tracks on the table. I also noticed in my tests that the more weight the vehicle had..the better the tracks roll. (makes sense..more weight or downward force applied equals higher friction forces FF from tracks to the table). And vice versa..the less weight the vehicle had..the more the tracks were prone to slide on the table instead of rolling: low FF. It seams that even on a super smooth surface there is still enough FF from the tracks to the table surface to get them to roll! Contrary to what I initially believed 3. Replacing rubber wheels with technic pulleys: Note: technic pulley on the inside of the track paired with another technic pulley towards the outside of the track: I did this final test to validate my theory of polygon vs circle rolling resistance: by completely removing the rubber from the equation. Boom! The perfect circle of the technic pulleys had the same exact effect as the rubber tires! The tracks rolled with ease!! Therefore, I was previously incorrect. It has nothing to do with the rubber on the tires at all. My new theory seems to be correct...any fully circular wheel will have better performance than a gear/sprocket. After learning from my analysis, my perspective changed my thinking from: The tracks on the table had too low of friction forces as being the initial problem (incorrect)....to instead...it is the gears in old method that was providing TOO MUCH rolling resistance due to the polygon roll effect...as being the initial problem. This is resolved by the circular shape of the rubber wheels or even wheels without rubber. The rubber is nice, but not necessary. Thanks again for inspiring me to dive deeper into this phenomenon! I think I have figure it out but of course I may have missed something or made an incorrect assumption, if you spot any, let me know!

[@JackeyChai]

@@TealBricksinParadisa thank you very much for spending so much effort on testing and replying my question that most of your viewers probably doesn't care 😅 It is very much appreciated! I think you are right and you provided the best explanation that I could think of, but somehow I still feel like something is still missing from the full picture. I will spend more time to think about it and let you know if I came out with any more questions. Regarding the pulley/wheels without rubber setup, did you notice if the tracks slide around them (without turning wheels and axis)? That would be my assumption without doing any experience. Therefore the rubber wheels help, allowing a more realistic play?

[@TealBricksinParadisa]

@@JackeyChai Haha no problem Jackey! Like i said, I was also intrigued to know why! Yeah I think the rubber wheels have other benefits that make them worth having rather than going fully with the technic pulleys. And yes...the tracks do not do a very good job of getting the technic pulleys to spin. Most of the time they erratically spin, sometimes yes and sometimes not. That was something already evident with the arctic set as well as the excavator with the technic pulleys paired with the rubber wheels, even before I even did the troubleshooting. If lego were to make rims for the rubber tires were to have an axle hole instead of a pin hole then they could be used to spin the technic pulley wheels.

[@xfilethe]

I like your digger.....and like I said in the past I like your style as I feel you look at things in a simmilar manor as I do.... I gather we both share Design and eingenering.....it shows... I like your use of the 2x2 withe the curve and the hole in places....wich is cool don't see that much... But here comes my bug about it 🤣🤣🤣 You did not use it for the tracks 😉😉 I mean you can extend that side plate over the wheels then round them of withe the quarter tile....😉 It's not a critique but something that stupid me just sees and wonders why not 🤣🤣🤣🤣 Curious what you wil come up next... I'm working on a train and a foldable tower crane( rigging is hel ) ....bet you know the ones I mean that we have in Europe... Have fun building

[@TealBricksinParadisa]

Thanks Felix!! 😄 l'm glad we have the sense for not just technical engineering but also the art of aesthetic (industrial) design, in common! Haha! I know what you mean! It would look aesthetically clean if the wheels were covered up. I did actually consider using that piece within the tracks. I'm already familiar with it since lego designers have used it themselves on several sets, including the volcano explorer tractor I showed in the video. If I can recall correctly there were 3 reasons why I decided not to bother with using it 1. When I was designing the interior of the track I was on my second redesign of it and I stuck with it. I was designing it to avoid too much of the tracks scrapping on the bricks, which was a potential to mess up the rolling of the track. I didn't want to go back and change it all again just to add the plate with the hole to cover the wheels. 2. With the current geometry I designed hidden inside the tracks, the hole on the plate does not line up with the axle from the wheels. 3. With the current geometry, adding the plate with the hole to cover the wheel would have made it stick too far out (1.5 plate thickness) from outside/beyond the tracks, which was ugly and unrealistic. Oh nice!! The foldable crane MOC sounds very interesting! Sounds like you've got a fun challenge on your hands haha!

[@markolysynchuk5264]

I actually don't like wheel excavator. Only crawler

[@TealBricksinParadisa]

I agree

[@markolysynchuk5264]

I've made tracked version of 4203 set