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| Link-Belt
box. |
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| Good steering. |
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| On the road. |
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| Detailed
carrier undercarriage. |
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| Hooks tied on. |
|
|
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| Detailed cab. |
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| Detailed
outriggers. |
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| Loading a
ballast plate. |
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| Tilting cab. |
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| Fly jib set at
an offset angle. |
|
The Link-Belt 175 AT is a 5-axle All
Terrain crane with a maximum capacity of 175 US tons.
Packaging
The model comes in a
Link-Belt branded box, and the model
contained within two expanded polystyrene trays with most parts wrapped.
There were no defects or missing parts on the review
model.
A coloured
instruction leaflet is provided, which is mainly
pictorial. This describes the assembly and most of the
features of the model although there are no reeving
diagrams. A separate parts
list sheet is included.
There is a little information about the real crane on
the box, together with information about the model.
Detail
The model is heavy, and the chassis has the transmission
detailed. The wheels
have nice tyres and the wheels are detailed.
The carrier cab has nice details including very thin
windscreen wipers. A loop at the front allows tying on
the hook blocks during transport. Behind the cab, there
are high quality mesh grilles. Textured surfaces cover
most of the carrier, and a nice touch is the soft rubber
skirts that sit above some of the wheel arches.
The outrigger beams are two-stage metal, with very good
details including tiny graphics. The outrigger pistons
are smooth and look realistic, with pads which on the bottom. The
pads have a pinning system so they can be adjusted for transport
and operational modes.
The crane body sits on a large toothed slewing ring and the
operator's cab is nicely modelled with the grab rails being plastic.
The crane body is
detailed with tiny warning graphics applied. The
hand rails are metal and there are small beacon lights.
There are hydraulic hoses running to the winches and the
rope is nice quality.
The counterweight is complex being made up of a number of
different metal plates and parts, each with usable lifting
lugs. One piece has the Link-Belt name on it, and there are sharp chevron graphics applied.
The main boom ram has a plastic jacket with an excellent
colour match. There is an enlarged moulding that
accommodates a locking grub screw.
The boom has some nice detailing
including tiny rope guides which are delicate and can be
dislodged requiring them to be glued back on. At the boom head
axles act as connection points for the fly jib and this
represents the fixing points of the real crane. However they
are loose and can go out of position sideways easily.
Spooling drums are fitted to one side of the boom.
The telescope sections are engineered well. The
top section is very thin because of the thicknesses of
the telescope sections.
The fly jib is made in three separable parts and each one is metal.
They are nicely modelled and they connect with tiny brass
nuts and bolts for which tools are supplied.
All sheaves on the model are metal.
Two hooks are supplied. One is a single line block
and the other is multi sheave for heavy lifting. They
are very nicely made.
A metal Link-Belt load plate is included.
Features
Each axle on the carrier can be independently
steered to a reasonable angle and so any of the steering
modes of the real crane can be reproduced. They also
have working suspension which provides a good range of
movement on each wheel.
The outriggers pull out, and the pistons screw down. No
spreader plates are included but the range of travel supports
the model wheels-free.
The crane rotates well.
The counterweight system is very flexible. During self-ballasting
the counterweight can be placed on the
carrier deck. The entire counterweight is removable to
minimise axle loads during transport.
Attaching the counterweight is
done by screwing down and interlocking two rams, which
can then be screwed back up to secure the counterweight. Different configurations
of counterweight can be displayed.
The boom ram has some stiffness but it also has a locking
system using a grub screw and key. It appears that
is designed to be operated only at certain extensions as
the piston has indentations. It all works well enough
but is not as good as systems with metal jackets.
The boom has two locking points on each telescopic section.
The fly jib can be carried on the side of the boom or
attached to the boom head. It has a hydraulic ram system allowing
any offset angle to be posed.
The operator's cab can tilt
a small amount, reflecting the real crane.
Quality
This a heavy and well made model by NZG, with a high metal
content
The paintwork is nice and the applied graphics are very
sharp.
Price
It is fully priced.
Overall
This is a high quality Link-Belt model by NZG. It
combines fine detailing with mostly excellent
functionality, with only the main boom ram not as good
as a full metal system.
Footnotes
The model
was first announced in January 2021 and appeared in July
2021.
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| Tray and
instruction sheets. |
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| Nice road
wheels. |
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| Realistic
model. |
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| Small graphics
add detail.
|
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| With support
trucks. |
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|
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| Self
ballasting. |
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| Ready to work. |
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| Full main boom. |
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| Top telescope
sections are thin. |
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