3ds Max Animation :: Multiple Pistons On Object

Im modeling the engine on the image attached so im doing an example for the rig, looks simple enough, the left one(second image) has the pivot of the box near the center, so if you rotate it all pistons follows, but the right one works by just moving the pivots on one side, so you rotate any of the red point dummy(on local so you see the only rotation allowed), im thinking this is how it works, since i doubt it has a ball joint on the center and that the pistons are just for decoration, now the 4 red point dummys are just linked to each other so if you rotate the last on the chain the rest will just stay on the air so i wont be able to rotate it on another direction.

How do you emulate this kind of movement? the idea is that the pistons on a side push so the box gets a rotation, the first solution uses pistons on both sides to get a rotation.

what if i animated the pistons instead so they "pull" the box? would i need a physics simulation for that? with links theres always an order so i really don't get how to make it have "multiple pivots".

pistons_engine.zip