A few new welding and tractor projects completed

[Matt Meiser]

I've been busy in the shop since I got my welder, and now a plasma cutter. First, I modified the cart that came with the welder (the grey Hobart box.) Originally the cart was real low to the ground and I had to bend over to make adjustments. I was considering building a new cart, but salvadged the steel legs off my dad's old grill and used them to raise up the welder instead. I also added several hooks for cables and the helmet. Next I built the stand for the plasma cutter (the black Thermal Dynamics box) from scratch. Wheels and casters are from Harbor Freight and cost less than $15. The rest of the steel is "drops" from a local steel supplier.

Then on to the tractor: I had previously posted something about modifying my back blade to fit my John Deere iMatch quick hitch. Here is the finished project. The final touch was a John Deere decal from Tractor Supply so it would match the tractor. Next, I built the chain box from some 4" steel tubing and welded it onto one of the loader uprights. This should work a lot better than draping the chain over the blade and hoping it stays there (usually it doesn't.)

BTW, that is "Lake Meiser" that forms every time we get a really heavy rain (like last night.) I used to stick around for several days, but now that I have a drain installed it will be gone by early afternoon. That was part of last spring's project.

I'm really enjoying working on these projects. In a lot of ways it is similar to woodworking with respect to designing something, building it, fixing your mistakes and getting a finished project. But I find it is also less fussy as you aren't cutting joinery that has to be ultra precise and paint and weld can cover some of your mistakes. :o

I've got four more tractor projects I want to do. First is to ad some tabs to the ROPS to mount auxillary lights. I've tried using u-bolts, then strong magnets to mount them but haven't been satisfied with the results. I finally decided I'm just going to ignore the warnings and weld to the ROPS. Then I want to build some brush guards for the front with some tubing and expanded steel to protect the grille a little better--I bent it up a little last year doing some brush clearing. Then I need to rebuilt the hitch on my brush hog to mate with the iMatch and build a stronger hitch for my lawn roller (it got bent up on the first use it was so flimsy.) Both will get painted to match the tractor like the blade as well.

[Mitchell Andrus]

Nice job on the carts. Won't be long before you add a few bins for short cut-offs.

Hey, if you own the propane tank, get some good quality paint on it. My cousin thought he was leasing his and let it go. The supplier forced him to buy a new one 'cause of the rust - at his expense because he owned it.

[Keith Outten]

Matt,

Congratulations on your new plasma rig, very nice!

Your tractor mods look great, I know that they will make the tractor more enjoyable to use knowing that you built them yourself. I bought the HF quick hitch for my Kubota but haven't decided what to do with it yet. I may do a modification to the hitch to make it fit my small implements better than it does now but I haven't given it enough thought.

My next tractor project is a lifting boom. I already own on of the half ton pickup truck booms that I plan to modify by replacing the stock hydraulic jack with an eight ton jack that is taller so it will give me more lifting height. A stantion plate welded to the bottom of the boom will allow me to lower the 3 point hitch until the stantion plate rests on the ground for heavy lifts.

So much to do and so little time :)

.

[Matt Meiser]

Mitchell: We rent the tank for free since we have it filled more than once a year. I've been thinking about calling them in the spring and requesting that they come out to paint it or reimburse me for doing so. I also want to put of some kind of decorative fence in front of it to hide it.

Keith, I don't know if you saw it or not but someone on TractorByNet made something like what you are talking about from and engine hoist.

[Jim Becker]

Nice job on that back blade, Matt, as well as the chain box.

On the ROPS, I actually did drill mine to route the wires internally as well as to screw a piece of angle to the top for fastening my aux lights. The holes are small and I really don't think they will material affect the strength of the ROPS. I suspect you will be fine with the tabs, too, if you do it cleanly and without changing the structure of the thing.

[Keith Outten]

Thanks Matt,

I did see the lifting boom on the Deere at TBN a couple weeks ago and I got some good ideas for mine from his project. I already purchased a new hydraulic jack like the one he used so I'm almost ready to start fabricating.

What I need is something powerful enough to pull small saplings out of the ground, man I must have a hundred of them to get rid of somehow. I can't dig them with my FEL because the machine is to small. A monster winch would do the job if I could find one that was gas powered. Heck if I found one I probably couldn't afford it :)

.

[Jim Becker]

Keith...that 600 lb thing on the back of my 'bota with the 10" wide bucket pulls them out quite nicely... :D :D :D

[Robert Mickley]

I wouldn't weld to the ROPS. If you ever need JD to stand behind it they won't. Did you drill drain holes in the bottom of your chain box?

Keith, do you have remote hydraulics? Get a 4 inch aux cyclander at a somplace like TSC. My nephew built one for hte back of his 1800 Oliver. It's got to be ten feet to the end of the boom and it will pick more than the tractor wants to before the frontend gets light :D He moved a set of 4 step precast concrete steps with it

[Keith Outten]

Jim,

Oh, to own a backhoe attachment right now would sure be nice :)

Robert,

I don't have remote hydraulics but I expect it would be fairly easy to add another set of lines and a valve for the rear of my tractor. Even if I did I would have the same problem as your Nephew simce ny BX1500 is such a light machine. Possibly adding a couple of outriggers might do the trick though, I'll have to give it some thought.

.

[Jim Becker]

Keith, awhile back there were any number of threads at TBN about putting remote hydro on various machines. It shouldn't be too difficult on your BX to tap off the FEL lines.

Keep your eye close everytime you pass your dealer...you never know when a machine will get traded or go on consignment. Sometimes there will be a BX-22/BX23/BX24 (all have the 'hoe) that proved "too small" for someone that underestimated their needs. And then there are the fellows who have to sell their tractor due to a divorce or something equally disruptive to their lives.

[Matt Meiser]

Robert, I am out of my warranty period, which is why I'm considering it. That and it will be two small welds making the heat affected zone very small. I did put a drain hole in the chain box.

Keith, I pulled remvoed well over a 100 large bushy "things" last spring with my FEL. I found that wrapping a chain around the base with the bucket rolled all the way forward and putting the ends of the chain in my bucket hooks worked really well. The force from rolling the bucket back would pull them no problem. I could also remove them by digging in under one side and then popping them out by rolling the bucket back, but that pulled a lot of dirt with the root ball.

On TBN, someone also posted pictures of a sappling puller that went on the 3PH. It had a v-shaped notch that faced backwards. You lowered the hitch, backed into the sappling digging in the attachment into the trunk, then lifted it out with the hydraulics. I thought that was pretty slick since it reduced how much you needed to get on and off the tractor (which was about 200 times my way.)

I would love a backhoe and Deere makes one for my tractor, but it is around $10K. I can't justify that.

[Jim Becker]

Yea, bucket curl is where the real power is...both on the FEL and on a BH. I have chain hooks on my FEL and have used them to advantage in that way, too.