how the wa-hey does the internal boom crane work…? i assumed that its like a solid metal pneumatic rod which (when installed internally) lifts the entire vehicle up off the ground so that any work can be done with it (drop an engine out, remove/install wheels, etc etc)
but no matter where i put it on the inside of the vehicle, it just… doesnt.
so does the boom crane ONLY work on other vehicles, regardless of it being placed internally or externally? whats the point of installing it internally in that case?
Based on the description (“[…] when you want jack up the other vehicle […]”), yes.
The boom crane can only be installed on an unoccupied tile (with no frame), adjacent to an existing frame. This is great if you want to install it onto the side of a vehicle to lift an other vehicle, but it takes up space which might be an issue, especially if you want to have it stationary in your “garage” or something.
This is where the internal boom crane shines: It can be installed onto a frame so it only takes up a single space, and it can be dragged around (as well as hooked to an existing vehicle) easily.
Older builds, the internal crane would work inside the vehicle, but was still limited to the same range restrictions as it normally is. The airjack is the pneumatic tube that you’re thinking of, and it’s a bit more useful.
… though there’s no reason that the boom crane COULDNT be used in a similar way, placing the base through the bottom of the vehicle to rest on the ground, then lifting up the rest of the vehicle via cables.
also @Valase, you -could- attach an internal boom crane onto a single space vehicle… or you could attach a welding rig and battery to the single spot and put the boom crane on the outside, still dragable… its the ‘internal’ bit that throws me for a loop because its assumedly -inside- the car that you’re building… despite it being a massive piece of machinery. like, even if it was a part of the car, if your engine is placed within range of it, it should still be able to pull that out.
They rotate in a weird way though and are a hassle to get through a door or around an obstacle…
“Internal”, by definition, just means “inside of”. It doesn’t mean “to be used within”.
Look, I didn’t say it should not be able to lift the engine from the same car it’s installed in and I’m not going to discuss if it should, as that wasn’t the point of your first post or my answer. I also understand why it can’t (as you could use tools like it to lift the car to remove the tires, which clearly isn’t the point of it since there are other tools for that - as stated by Nonesuch - so it’s coded that it can’t).
Read my answer again: All I did was answering two of your questions, nothing more…;
Can it only be used to lift other vehicles: Yes.
Why would one want to use it: It takes up less space.
I imagine it like the crane/winch on top of a flatbead or inside a van.
caaaallm down, i wasnt attacking you or anything. i get that its meant to be external use on another vehicle
… its just strange, because you -can- install it on a frame that has a roof, inside a vehicle, where it’s more than 2 blocks away from everything (which means it can never be used for anything)
and yeah, there are things that do what i was thinking of (the airjack) but at this point my vehicles too large, and a boom crane is the only thing that would lift it.