Erie Digger Claw Template

[purplebuilder]

Hey, I was wondering if anyone has a template design for the claw used on an Erie digger machine as I am keen on creating a replica of one similar to the design used on this Erie digger machine:



Thanks in advance, purplebuilder.

[pennymachines]

Have you checked out the Digger project?

See also patent GB301940

[purplebuilder]

Thank you so much, these drawings are really usefull and intresting to found out more about this machine,

I did an investment cast of the claw from a toy candy grabber

[purplebuilder]

I have assembled the claw.

[purplebuilder]

Does anyone know how I could make the beam in the middel heavier so that the default claw position is 'open'

[gameswat]

Purple, I imagine there could be a major issue here with weight re-distribution as the claw design you've chosen seem to all be made of lightweight pressed sheet metal. By reinventing instead of closely copying I think you might have opened up a can of worms!? I've had a handful of different style claws over the years and all were finely balanced. I remember having a lot of problems getting a 1950's Williams Sidewalk Engineer claw to work properly, that one used a magnet to help close the jaws, the magnet had broken and getting a new one just right was tedious. Vague now as that was 30 years ago.

Ah, se re-reading the previous posts i see you copied your design from a toy candy grabber, but was that also a metal casting, or more likely plastic? If you copied the original exactly with same weight then why would it not work the same?

[purplebuilder]

Hi, Thank you very much for your advice, I resolved the problem by adding more weight to the rod

[purplebuilder]

Here are some photos showing the extra weight I added to the claw.