Mini dragline, help me out

[stumpjumper83]

So I built a mini dragline, well its almost done, still have some details to work out. Little things like the length of the dump cable. Anyone know how to size those? As you see I have the basics completed, still need to attach the hand winches to the rods in the main frame, it needs a counterweight, and the main pulley needs remounted, that's just a tack job to see if the bucket worked. Oh, and its a compelation of scrap I scrounged, scaled to nothing.

 

[Delmer]

Can't help you on the dump cable, but that seat would worry me a little bit. I thought those old seats were usually mounted on a spring, and I wouldn't want that weld to fail and have somebody fall backwards. Maybe weld a bracket around the spring so the weld isn't critical?

If I get the time I might try to copy that. First I have to fix the mini merry go round that I built and broke when I was younger. Just an old farm rim with the hub sticking up and a 3' diameter platform with some "stanchion dividers" sticking up to try to hold onto. The fun part was getting it up to speed, then pulling in towards the center. With two people one of them got thrown off as the speed increased. Kinda like this only not quite as fast https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lwo9AvTA5xY

 

[bigshow]

I built one for my boy with 8' of boom and a cab that looks like a 3900. 1bad55chevy is a YouTube user who has some videos of his a well. It was trial and error for dump cable lengths but mine is about 3'-6" long. I hate the pic format for this forum so I won't waste my time re-sizing a picture of it, sorry.

 

[stumpjumper83]

Yeah, 1bad55chevy is guilty of getting me started on this whole deal. As for the seat being missing a spring, well that seat is of the older style that didn't have one. I have mine working now, winches and everything. Doing trial and error of the dump cable and so on. Might have to re-do the bucket. I just used a piece of 6" channel and bent the lip down and sharpened the edge with a grinder.

 

[Delmer]

No, the seat's not missing a spring. I was afraid the flat piece the seat is mounted on is a spring steel to give the farmer a little bounce, and a spring won't hold up when welded. If it was originally bolted, not welded, I'd do a spark test and see if a bracket is a good idea.

 

[wrwtexan]

Anybody think these might sell to high end customers with grandkids? I have worked out most of the details and dimensions from actual draglines and buckets, and the swing mechanism, but need to get it from paper to a working and duplicable model. First one is for my 17 month old son to test when he is big enough. There were many posts on 55chevy's page asking if it was for sale.

 

[bigshow]

I can't imagine any paying me enough to justify the time and materials invested into the contraption. Plus it wasn't originally my idea so I won't try to profit from it.

 

[stumpjumper83]

Here is a short video of some friend operating it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYLXMJpO8t0&list=UU8lEePRFc808Tncyg54pI9A

 

[td25c]

Looks good stumpjumper83 !

We have an old wood version of a drag line in the barn . I'll have to get it out let the kids have at it .

 

[rayman]

stumpjumper, move your center pivot forward, under the mast, fit a roller or small wheel under the backend to take your weight. make a new bucket as big again and fit drums about
3" in dia.Maybe 3-1/2" for the hoist line. For working,I would make the hoist on the right and the drag on the left, and make a wooden(plywood sandwich)crank disc with the handle about 6 or 7" diam.maybe even a little bigger, then you can use the palm of your hands as brakes to control the run-out. To get your rope length, put 3 turns on the drum then take the hoist up to the head sheave and down to the bucket about half the length of the boom out, read 1 1/2 boom lengths, please keep us posted regards rayman then take the drag rope straight out to the bucket.The cutting edge of the bucket should really be back about where it apears to be folded down a little and the pull point needs to be a little below the line of the top edge and out in front a little. The arch should be a little higher too. I can't make out how the bail block is rigged.
now just "gitterdun an git contracting"