Camera Crane Truck

CraigF · Jan 24, 2021

As a former Sound Department member, its a cool rig

WrongWD · Jan 24, 2021

matt2491[OP] said: ↑

If I wasn't a poor 24 year old when I started building this thing, I probably would've gone with one of those performance SUVs as the base vehicle. But there are advantages to the Tacoma platform as well. The geometry actually lends itself to increased crane angles for a larger work envelope. It was also easier to design and fabricate the tube chassis that bolts directly to the frame through the bed. Less intrusive on the truck (which at the time was also my daily driver).

The main limitations are speed and handling, of course. The supercharger helps in the speed department, but it's still never going to hang with any fast cars. It's not really a problem 95% of the time though. Most shoots are relatively low speed (or no speed - using it as a stationary jib like in the pic above). We did a lot of training on the race track in order to push the equipment and crew to the limit. That way everything else feels 'easy' in comparison.
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Thanks for the reply and additional info, and for sharing your unique truck!

matt2491 · May 20, 2021

Wrapped the truck in matte black and am now running a much larger camera gimbal (capable of handling a 50lb payload!)

CraigF · May 20, 2021

I feel that I should make a black wrap joke but I won't

matt2491 · Aug 17, 2021

I designed and fabricated a custom power supply system that has a receptacle panel fitted into the center console. The panel gives me 5v, 12v, 24v, and 110v (AC) in a variety of film industry-specific receptacle types all in one central location in the cab. Now I can easily power whatever I want, such as monitors, receivers, converters, and other video equipment, without having to deal with individual batteries for each piece of gear, saving time and hassle on set.

The heart of the power supply is a 40Ah LiFePO4 battery bank that is charged and maintained via a Victron DC-DC isolated smart charger. I managed to fit everything (batts, charger, inverter, converters, fuse block, switches, etc) in the storage compartment behind the left rear seat. I aimed to maximize the system potential given the space available.

Pixeltim · May 21, 2021

Damn, you do amazing work!

matt2491 · May 23, 2021

smacaulay · May 24, 2021

Fitment into OEM compartments, and cleanliness of wiring is amazing. Great work!

Southgaboy · May 24, 2021

Excellent work on the entire set-up. Great fab skills

SR-71A · May 25, 2021

matt2491[OP] said: ↑

I also designed and fabricated a custom power supply system that has a receptacle panel fitted into the center console. The panel gives me 5v, 12v, 24v, and 110v (AC) in a variety of film industry-specific receptacle types all in one central location in the cab. Now I can plug in whatever monitors, receivers, converters, and other video equipment I want without having to deal with individual batteries for each piece of gear, saving time and hassle on set.

The heart of the power supply is a 40Ah LiFePO4 battery bank that is charged and maintained via a Victron DC-DC isolated smart charger. I managed to fit everything (batts, charger, inverter, converters, fuse block, switches, etc) in the storage compartment behind the left rear seat.

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Thats an amazingly clean panel.

Torspd · May 25, 2021

matt2491[OP] said: ↑

I also designed and fabricated a custom power supply system that has a receptacle panel fitted into the center console. The panel gives me 5v, 12v, 24v, and 110v (AC) in a variety of film industry-specific receptacle types all in one central location in the cab. Now I can plug in whatever monitors, receivers, converters, and other video equipment I want without having to deal with individual batteries for each piece of gear, saving time and hassle on set.

The heart of the power supply is a 40Ah LiFePO4 battery bank that is charged and maintained via a Victron DC-DC isolated smart charger. I managed to fit everything (batts, charger, inverter, converters, fuse block, switches, etc) in the storage compartment behind the left rear seat.

Click to expand...

matt2491 · Jun 2, 2021

Shooting on top of Mt Washington today.

Sidney Vicious · Jun 2, 2021

Incredible work @matt2491

SR-71A · Jun 8, 2021

What did the people at the gatehouse say when you showed up with that rig?

daveeasa · Jun 9, 2021

Very nice. Even better that you get to use it frequently. Well done.

FastEddy59 · Jun 9, 2021

Lowerin’ the Boom right there.

matt2491 · Jul 8, 2021

More filming in the 603.

SR-71A · Jul 9, 2021

Cool stuff. Looks like @Bruce988jl in the background there?

Bruce988jl · Jul 9, 2021

SR-71A said: ↑

Cool stuff. Looks like @Bruce988jl in the background there?
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Yessir - that's me

@matt2491 truck is amazing - sorry about kicking rocks up...

SR-71A · Jul 9, 2021

Bruce988jl said: ↑

Yessir - that's me

@matt2491 truck is amazing - sorry about kicking rocks up...
Click to expand...

Very cool

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