Homemade Tiltrotator - How hard can it be ??

Will_c

Will_c

Well-known member
have you factored into your calc.s the possibility/probability of the drive being driven against an 'immovable' object ??? ... this is not 'just' a conventional 'drive', as we would 'normally know it'
The cross line relief valve stops the aux line blowing the motor seals in the event of this happening. What you have to remember is that the worm drive cannot be back driven.
 
V8Druid

V8Druid

do it as well as you can,but learn to do it better
The cross line relief valve stops the aux line blowing the motor seals in the event of this happening. What you have to remember is that the worm drive cannot be back driven.
agreed, but with a 47:1 reduction you could continue to put in a hell of a lot of driving force into a belt - before the CLRV comes into play to save the motor's seals
 
Quattromike

Quattromike

Well member-known
Not sure I have the facilities at uni to be able to machine the threads into the cylinder ?
@CPS You said you normally use a sacrificial head gland when welding trunnions on ? - Where do you source your cylinders from-is it the same with the oring below the threads ?
Of course the head gland doesn’t necessarily have to be threaded on you could do a flanged head gland like most excavator cylinders . You take your grunion block and drill and tap holes for bolting on the head gland on the front then socket the cylinder into the back of it and weld it in.
 
Will_c

Will_c

Well-known member
Of course the head gland doesn’t necessarily have to be threaded on you could do a flanged head gland like most excavator cylinders . You take your grunion block and drill and tap holes for bolting on the head gland on the front then socket the cylinder into the back of it and weld it in.
Any recommendations on suppliers for this sort of custom cylinder?
 
CPS

CPS

Well-known member
Not sure I have the facilities at uni to be able to machine the threads into the cylinder ?
@CPS You said you normally use a sacrificial head gland when welding trunnions on ? - Where do you source your cylinders from-is it the same with the oring below the threads ?
Never had any problems, weld it on and let it cool.
We normally get the rams local, or buy them in kit form and build to suit.

Some engcon rams we built from scratch a few years ago.

(On edit, it was 10 years ago😮)
Screenshot_20260120_204846_Photos.jpg
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V8Druid

V8Druid

do it as well as you can,but learn to do it better
@Will_c ... this of any interest to you ... Bought my Ajax turret off this guy ... easy to have a deal with
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Will_c

Will_c

Well-known member
Progress has been a bit slower recently with university assignments and other commitments, but I’ve still managed to move the build on.
  • The weld-in bosses have now been machined
  • The top tilt pins are mostly complete — just the drilling and counterboring left to do
  • The trunnion mount has been partially machined; it now needs putting on the CNC to bore the centre out and profile to final shape
  • The two trunnion stubs have been machined concentric to each other, so the alignment is done
A few quick photos below showing the current progress.
IMG_7581.jpeg

IMG_7584.jpeg
 
M

Monkeybusiness

Well-known member
Progress has been a bit slower recently with university assignments and other commitments, but I’ve still managed to move the build on.
  • The weld-in bosses have now been machined
  • The top tilt pins are mostly complete — just the drilling and counterboring left to do
  • The trunnion mount has been partially machined; it now needs putting on the CNC to bore the centre out and profile to final shape
  • The two trunnion stubs have been machined concentric to each other, so the alignment is done
A few quick photos below showing the current progress.
View attachment 79783
View attachment 79784
Stunning!
(Hopefully your welding does the machining justice…. 🤣)
 
Vinpetrol

Vinpetrol

Well-known member
Progress has been a bit slower recently with university assignments and other commitments, but I’ve still managed to move the build on.
  • The weld-in bosses have now been machined
  • The top tilt pins are mostly complete — just the drilling and counterboring left to do
  • The trunnion mount has been partially machined; it now needs putting on the CNC to bore the centre out and profile to final shape
  • The two trunnion stubs have been machined concentric to each other, so the alignment is done
A few quick photos below showing the current progress.
View attachment 79783
View attachment 79784
How’s your build height looking ? Do you have dimensions of any of the big manufacturers similar size units for a comparison ? Every few mm will make a big difference on the machine .
 
Will_c

Will_c

Well-known member
How’s your build height looking ? Do you have dimensions of any of the big manufacturers similar size units for a comparison ? Every few mm will make a big difference on the machine .
Current build height of 345mm using a standard hitch which is taller than what I would like,
Aiming to build a low profile hitch once I have completed the build and tested its functionality.
Screenshot 2026-02-14 at 20.35.35.png
 
Will_c

Will_c

Well-known member
Not far off being able to start welding everything together now — just a few more parts to finish up.
I’ve made a few additional components and I’m currently waiting for the cylinder to arrive so I can machine the recess in the trunnion mount.

Here are a few photos of the latest parts.
The surface finish isn’t the best as the tooling was a bit worn, but it shouldn’t really be an issue — at the end of the day it’s going to be mounted on the end of a digger.
IMG_7661.jpeg
IMG_7663.jpeg
 
doobin

doobin

Well-known member
Not far off being able to start welding everything together now — just a few more parts to finish up.
I’ve made a few additional components and I’m currently waiting for the cylinder to arrive so I can machine the recess in the trunnion mount.

Here are a few photos of the latest parts.
The surface finish isn’t the best as the tooling was a bit worn, but it shouldn’t really be an issue — at the end of the day it’s going to be mounted on the end of a digger.
View attachment 80265View attachment 80264
Grinder and paint makes you the machinist you ain't.....

Just kidding obviously- very jealous of your skills!
 
Will_c

Will_c

Well-known member
Grinder and paint makes you the machinist you ain't.....

Just kidding obviously- very jealous of your skills!
Thanks — I’m trying to avoid having to resort to the angle grinder if I can!

This might also be of interest to you. A couple of years ago I started building a hydraulic, remote-controlled replica of a Bobcat E27z. I hadn’t really seen a compact machine like it built at a small scale before, so I thought it would be an interesting project.

I never got the chance to finish it before joining university, and there are a lot of parts involved.
Eventually the plan is for everything to be made from metal, but I 3D-printed the main shell to begin with just to make sure I had the overall shape right, as it’s quite a complex shape to model with no flat surfaces on the bodywork and cabin.

IMG_5384.jpeg
 
Lancs Lad

Lancs Lad

Well-known member
Thanks — I’m trying to avoid having to resort to the angle grinder if I can!

This might also be of interest to you. A couple of years ago I started building a hydraulic, remote-controlled replica of a Bobcat E27z. I hadn’t really seen a compact machine like it built at a small scale before, so I thought it would be an interesting project.

I never got the chance to finish it before joining university, and there are a lot of parts involved.
Eventually the plan is for everything to be made from metal, but I 3D-printed the main shell to begin with just to make sure I had the overall shape right, as it’s quite a complex shape to model with no flat surfaces on the bodywork and cabin.

View attachment 80272
That is awesome. I've a 13 year lad who's nuts on RC stuff. His bedrooms a workshop basically.

If you've any more pics or even drawings if your happy sharing he'd love that.
 
Storrsy

Storrsy

Well-known member
Thanks — I’m trying to avoid having to resort to the angle grinder if I can!

This might also be of interest to you. A couple of years ago I started building a hydraulic, remote-controlled replica of a Bobcat E27z. I hadn’t really seen a compact machine like it built at a small scale before, so I thought it would be an interesting project.

I never got the chance to finish it before joining university, and there are a lot of parts involved.
Eventually the plan is for everything to be made from metal, but I 3D-printed the main shell to begin with just to make sure I had the overall shape right, as it’s quite a complex shape to model with no flat surfaces on the bodywork and cabin.

View attachment 80272
Your going to go far in life😁
 
Furniss

Furniss

Well-known member
Thanks — I’m trying to avoid having to resort to the angle grinder if I can!

This might also be of interest to you. A couple of years ago I started building a hydraulic, remote-controlled replica of a Bobcat E27z. I hadn’t really seen a compact machine like it built at a small scale before, so I thought it would be an interesting project.

I never got the chance to finish it before joining university, and there are a lot of parts involved.
Eventually the plan is for everything to be made from metal, but I 3D-printed the main shell to begin with just to make sure I had the overall shape right, as it’s quite a complex shape to model with no flat surfaces on the bodywork and cabin.

View attachment 80272
ace 👍 but needs rust
 
Will_c

Will_c

Well-known member
That is awesome. I've a 13 year lad who's nuts on RC stuff. His bedrooms a workshop basically.

If you've any more pics or even drawings if your happy sharing he'd love that.
Thanks something a little different to the off the shelf Chinese models

Might be worth setting up a separate thread for non tiltrotator related projects where I’ll put a few more photos up
 
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