DBCherry

My Feedback: (4)

Stick,
No one has discussed the smaller engines since the first couple of posts. In Ralph's last post he asked, "can anyone tell me how much thrust and at what rpm my 5" x 3.5 pitch tri-prop will deliver?".
Two sentences later he requesting the weight, with fuel, of the 40 to 46 size engines we HAVE been discussing.

I read between the lines and decided I would warn him that using this prop on the larger engines would not work.

If my presumption was wrong, you have my permission to slap my wrist. If I was right, I may have saved him the cost of an engine.
Dennis-

Jemo

My Feedback: (5)

A ducted fan unit is starting to look good, no open prop, etc, etc.

Pushrod02

My Feedback: (16)

Ever think of using a bow and arrow? Get yourself a bow, a fishing arrow, and an open face spool that you wrap with 100# construction string. It works great! Look here,

cabelas

They are under archery/arrows/miscellaneous

Now send me my $10.00

Ralph E Boy

To all concerned...
... no, I do not intend to try the 5" tri prop w/a .40 or .46 engine. If anyone has any idea where I might find a large pusher, feel free to enlighten me. And as far as pushrod's $10.00 goes, as I say/said, there are better ways than the bow & arrow. The problem w/all of them is regulating the distance of your shot. The best unit I've ever tried is called a "BIG SHOT" and is sold thru Sherrill arborist supplies. Check it out at sherrillinc.com Sorry, Rod, but you'll have to come up with a better one than that to earn your $$$$...

Kaos Rulz

"Sorry, Rod, but you'll have to come up with a better one than that to earn your $$$$..."

I don't know about everyone else, but I take EXCEPTION to the offering of money as an enticement to help someone. Everyone here is eager help anyone who asks and the advise has always been top-notch.

As far as your paltry $10 goes, I suggest you keep it! You're going to need it experimenting with a project that is bound for many failures before success. (should success ever materialize) Scrap the engine, and concentrate on an electric motor driving some type of rotating, mechanical, clinging device.

$10! UNREAL!!!!

Azcat59

They train squirrels to water ski--how about a trained squirrel? Peanuts are pretty cheap!

Jemo

My Feedback: (5)

Water skiing up a tree, has got to be difficult...........

Azcat59

Not as hard as driving an .049 powered tank up a tree!

Jemo

My Feedback: (5)

I don't want to ruin Ralph E Boy's thread, so I am not going to mention, training the squirrel to drive the tank.


Sorry Ralph, I will quit now.

I did mention the ducted fan unit as opposed to an open and vulnerable propeller.
I think IF your project has any chance of working, the protected fan would be better, not to mention easier to handle without chopping up your fingers.

MAJSteve

My Feedback: (-1)

I can see the claw idea a lot easier. Something that would be able to handle a large bole, and then not fall off when the truck got smaller as you went up.

Wha tI can see is a four-armed beetle, the arms being on something like a revolving plate whith springs so that the arms will be short, but the spring can lengthen and thus the arm gets longer.

Something like a disk with the arm attached at the rim, and then a servo moving the bearing block so as to change the angle of attack.

THIS might work.

murphy

My Feedback: (19)

OK, so I posted this under the wrong thread earlier,,,,,,,,,,,,,:-)


Ralph,
Being in the construction/remodeling business for longer than I care to remember, we use a trick to run wires over suspended ceilings that you may want to try (assuming your only end goal here is to get your guy rope over a lofty branch)

What I have is a old Zebco spin-cast fishing reel, (the kind with the button you hold with your thumb to release the line as you cast), mounted onto a "Y" shaped piece of wood, just like a sling-shot. A leather patch about 2"x2" is secured to the tops of the "Y" with surical tubing, again like a sling-shot.

We tie a steel nut, like maybe a 3/8 or 1/2" on to the fishing line coming out of the Zebco, then just hold your thumb on the button, pull back on the nut that is cradled in the leather pouch,,, and let 'er rip!!!!

You'd be amazed at how accurate you can get with just a little practice, and as for distance,,,, pull harder on the tubing>>>go farther!!!

Just lop the nut over your intended branch, tie on your leader rope,,,, and reel the nut in!!!

I ain't no physicist either, but, I like simple things,,,,,,,,ask my wife,,,,

John
aka "Murphy"

Ralph E Boy

John...

... Thanx for your serious reply. As I said in one of my earlier posts, Sherrill Arborist Supply makes a slingshot designed specifically for this application (the BIG SHOT). I had one up until 6/20/02 (yes, my aniversary just passed) when my shop burned to the ground & lost everything. Anyhow, tho rather costly at $270.00, in certain trees it works primo. Other trees that are grossly congested, not so primo. Before I invest in another one, I thought I'd research the remote possibility of "driving" my fine line to it's destination. While everyone seems to be scoffing at the notion, I believe it can be done, especially if I can acquire the coaxial tranny & motor out of the airscoot (go to airscooter.com for more info). Bottom line... to all the naysayers... if by chance I ever get this thing to work, rest assured I will be shoving this in your faces as well as other areas of your anatomies...

yukyuk... Cordially, Ralph E Boy

Jemo

My Feedback: (5)

Ralph E Boy,

I am not scoffing at your endeavor.
Yes I made a few jokes, but I am quite serious about a ducted fan rather than an open propeller. It would be protected, this is if you are still going to try to provide downward thrust to hold the device to the tree.

Dubro, made a coaxial model helicopter in the 70"s. They are collectors items now, but someone may want to get rid of one.
They didn't fly worth a damn, but the mechanism would be there.

Personally, I would love to see something like this work.

Bumble bees are not supposed to fly, but they do..........

Spaceclam

Train a monkey to do it. That is probably one of the most "crazy" ideas. No engine you can buy will give it enough thrust to even overcome it's own weight, much less the fuel and the vehicle. I suggest if you still are into the tank idea, get two, put one on either side of the tree, tighten a rope around the two, and synchronize the two. i still think the monkey would do better though.

Ralph E Boy

Spaceclam...

...hmmm???... the dual tank idea (strapping the two together etc.) is at least par with training a monkey etc..
And I was told RCUF sustained intelligent life. Tho I may not be a top-notch physicist, please explain to me how if..."no engine you can buy will give it enough thrust to even overcome it's own weight, much less the fuel & vehicle"...
then how does a helicopter overcome Newton's law? Excuse my ignorance, but does the airframe, props, etc on a helicopter (everything minus engine & fuel/batteries) weigh more than .37 lbs? I would think so, but then again I do NOT know everything. I'd love to forget I even started this thread, but to those who suggest, uh, rather "unlikely" (for lack of a better word) concepts, I simply can't help myself. I sincerely appologize to those who are more realistic, even if doubtful regarding my endeavor.

Cordially, Ralph Ivey

Spaceclam

Simple. Getting a helicopter to fly is one thing. While i am not a physicist, there are several things that keep the origional idea from working.

#1 You will not have enough thrust to overcome your traction needs to stick to a wall, simply because of the weight of the engine and the fuel

#2 Your tank will want to torque in the opposite way the propeller is spinning. when "scaling" a tree, that is not good.

#3 Getting it to put up a wire and go back down again will be nearly impossible without a lot of money. The monkey would be cheaper, and i am sure that you can get a monkey trained.

#4, Helicopters fly because they have a thrust/weight ratio greater than 1:1. My plane has a 1:1 thrust ratio, allowing me to "hover" when i want, mimmicking a helicopter. It will take a very high thrust/weight ratio to do what you demand. I don't think it can be done, becasue if it could, it would have ben done already. you can try though, but you are looking at some honkin engines, for some honkin money. If nothing else, they will be really loud and smell.
the monkey is a more realistic idea.

Ralph E Boy

You hit the proverbial nail on the head when you said the magical word - "money". I'm fairly certain all the opposing factors could be overcome, providing money was no object. End of thread!

majesticmonkey

Could I still jump in here? I just ran across this thread.

What if you added a spring-tensioned arm on either side of your tank. If each arm also had a spring-tensioned "elbow" your tank would look like it were hugging the tree. Now if these arms had rollers on the ends and these are the only points of contact with the tree other than the tracks, would it not work (somewhat)? The springs would provide the force neccessary to keep the tank glued to the tree and would also deal with the changing diameter of the trunk. I just don't know how you would get past clusters of branches sticking out of the tree.

Just an idea

Spaceclam

Use the monkey.

Ralph E Boy

If by chance you're serious, where can I find a good monkey & trainer? Because of my impatience, I'm afraid if I found one & attempted to train him, I may end up spanking him.

Spaceclam

I am serious about the monkey. the monkey will be able to scale the tree, no problem. I don't have a clue where you would find a monkey and a trainer, but that is probably your best bet.

bearmech

My Feedback: (1)

"If nothing else, they will be really loud and smell."

So would the monkey!

Spaceclam

monkeys do not sound like weed wackers

*Crash*Johnson*

My Feedback: (7)

I think I have a solution.

Hear me out before you say I'm insane.

The tank tracks have screws in them.. As it goes up the tree, the tracks screw a screw into the tree. When that screw gets to the halfway point, it begins to unscrew. Multiply this times many screws and it will attach the tank as it climbs.

Granted it would have to be a pretty large tank to contain the necessary tools onboard to screw itself to a tree, but I believe it is has a better chance than a tank with a plane prop.

*Crash*Johnson*

My Feedback: (7)

On better thought I like majestic monkey's idea better.

Arms that wrap around a tree and pull it up.