Truck crane generator Pro

A crane that really lifts: turn the crank to wind the hook up, a ratchet holds it.

Open Truck crane in the app Pro generator: explore its settings in the app; cut files come with the Pro plan (coming soon).

A laser-cut truck crane with its boom, winch drum and hook

In short: Truck crane with a turret that slews on the carrier, a boom that locks at several angles and a hand-cranked winch with a ratchet that lifts a hook on a string. Tows the Vehicle trailers. Checked for collisions through the whole range of motion. No input drawing needed.

A truck crane with working parts. Turn the crank and the winch winds a string over the tip of the boom, lifting a hook; a ratchet and pawl hold the load when you let go. The turret slews all the way round on the carrier, and the boom locks at four angles with a pin.

It is built on the same truck chassis as the dump truck and has the same tow hitch as the free Vehicle generator. Everything scales from the wheelbase; no drawing is needed.

The assembly is checked for overlaps at rest and through every joint's range, with extra checks of the boom in side view and the turret as it turns, so the boom clears the cab at every angle.

You need: plywood, rod for the axles, dowel for the pins and the winch drum, a length of string, and glue.

Settings

All of these can be changed in the app, and the 3D preview updates as you type. The name under each setting is its key in a share link, e.g. https://laserpuzzle.app/app/#/crane?size=…; a link only needs the settings that differ from the defaults.

Crane

Setting	Default	What it does
Wheelbase `size`	100 mm	Distance between the axles; everything else scales with it. 100 mm makes a truck about 19 cm long. From 70 to 400 mm.
Wheel layers `wheel_layers`	3	Plates glued together per wheel, the outer one a blind cap: more = wider tyres. From 2 to 4.
Tyre tread `tread`	on	Lugs round the wheels, offset layer to layer.
Cab windows `cab_windows`	cut	Options: cut, engrave, none.
Engraved details `details`	on	Hub caps, grille, lights, doors, fuel tanks.
Boom length `boom_length`	0 mm	From the winch shaft to the sheave. 0 = reaching just past the cab. From 0 to 1000 mm.

Hitch

Setting	Default	What it does
Tow hitch at the rear `rear_hitch`	on	Peg on a tongue behind the truck; a trailer's drawbar ring drops over it.
Hitch height `hitch_height`	8 mm	Top of the tongue above the ground. Use the same value (and sheet) as the trailers made with the Vehicle generator so they couple. From 4 to 40 mm.

Pins

Setting	Default	What it does
Pin diameter `pin_diameter`	4 mm	Measured diameter of the dowel or rod used for every pin and both axles. From 2 to 8 mm.
Press-fit hole offset `press_fit`	-0.1 mm	Hole = pin + this, where a pin is fixed (and in the wheels). Find it with the fit-test hole strip. From -1 to 1 mm.
Pivot hole offset `pivot_fit`	0.05 mm	Hole = pin + this, where a part turns. Small = stiff, holds its pose; larger = swings freely. From -0.5 to 1 mm.
Axle hole offset `axle_fit`	0.2 mm	Hole = pin + this, where an axle or shaft turns, or a pin has to come out by hand. From -0.2 to 1 mm.

Plus the material and machine settings every generator has: material thickness, kerf, slot clearance, sheet width, sheet height, part spacing, engrave part labels, cut line colour, engrave line colour.

Related generators

A laser-cut dump truck with a rock body and a cab over the front wheels

Pro

Truck crane generator Pro

Settings

Crane

Hitch

Pins

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