Post a photo of your crane!
 

This has probably been done, but i've searched and can't really find a thread dedicated to cranes.

I've recently built my own crane. Soon I will have pictures. But for now i'd like to see what everyone else is working with. It'll be fun.

I'm particularly interested in cranes on dolly tracks. I'm hoping to build a dolly that my jib will attach to. Anyone done this? or atleast know a good pic of one?

As soon as I get mine back, I'll set it up and snap a few pics for you.

Sounds good!

As soon as I"m allowed to post attachments, I will too!

Ok, here's my set up. It's the Pro Am 250 with the optional extra 4' section. I didn't install the piece when I took the shots. But it booms out 12'! The only mods I've made so far is a tension wire that runs front to back. With my XL1 mounted on it, the 250 tended to sag when lifting. So I just made a new extension for the fulcrum and added eye bolts to the ends. I also made a little are to hold my monitor.

As you can tell I built the dolly myself with 3/4 or 1" ply. I had my friend weld up the wheel chassis, and push bar/yoke. The hardest part was drilling the holes for the axles.

The bearings are abec 5 and they're not to noisy. Running on 1 1/2" pvc we encountered a whirring sound. So I made the track ends out of aluminum diamond plate and 1 1/2" ABS test plugs. I found when you plug the ends of the pipe, it really makes the noise level drop. Plus it helps keep the pipe lined up and gives me a solid stop point.

James

Here's m DIY jib.

Bill

Hey Bill, What are those things that look like screw drivers handles. Is it some sort of parking brake?

James,

No, I hold the jib to the dolly with clamps, those are the clamp handels.

Bill

Nice crane guys!

Mine is still not finished. I've got to build the dolly and the tripod that it will sit on. It looks almost exactly like the Kessler crane.

Pics up soon I hope.

I have a question for you. I am absolutely new to film and am teaching myself everything so excuse bassic questions.

Once I build the crane, I will need a monitor and a cable that connects from the camera to the monitor. What do you guys suggest??

I am simply asuming that I will only need a monitor and a cable. If I am missing something please let me know.

When I have an outlet available I use a 13" Sony monitor if not I use a 7" Varizoom monitor with battary power.

Bill

my jib pic
 

Here is my 21 foot JonyJib. We did a series of "fly arounds" with this Chevy dealer. Looks great!

Bill - i'm probably going to need something with battery power. I will be working on an archaeological site in an area where an outlet will be to far away. Any recomendations on a battery powered monitor would be great. I am totaly unaware of my options at the moment as I am just getting into the whole filming thing... One wouldn't suspect so given that i've already built my own crane without first owning a camera.. My camera choice has been the XH A1 (like so many others..) simply because of the nature of my filming needs. I plan to film a documentary that includes both actor recreations and documentary style filming of archaeologists working in their respective field. I built the crane so that I could get an arial view of both temporal time frames (prehisoric life and contemporary historians).

If you or someone could give me an idea of what I will need in terms of battery powered monitor, what cables I will need to run from the camera to the monitor, sun shade...etc. I would be very appreciative.


thank you for your time.
Great posts everyone...especially the white crane :)

-Terry.

Hi Terry, I'm also intending to build something like yr crane.. could u comment on how the bearings were done for the pivot bracket?

muh crane
 

Here are some very unflattering pictures of my crane. It rides on a modified matthews doorway dolly. Max height is only about 12 feet, but since it can fly 2 people on it, there are a lot of fun things you can do. In the second photo ignore the tall grass that i was lax in mowing... and thats an upsidedown wheelbarrow next to the crane, not part of it. Orange strap on crane is just what i use to lift it in and out of the truck. (swing crane in the truck cranes the crane, so i can load/unload/build it by myself.

crazy, eh?