R Blade upgrade x4

[RedDirt]

This post could go into one of several forums. It is about modifications and upgrades I've done to my 5ft KK Rear Blade.

The used bx23 I bought last fall came with a rear blade instead of the box blade I'd have preferred. In the long run the RB will likely get more use than the BB yet I still have the need for the rippers and side plates of a BB for a Spring project so I built removable ones for the RB.

The title is labeled upgrades x4. These upgrades are:
1. Rotate lower 3PH lift arm pin tabs downward to increase lift height.
2. Add Gauge wheels - I posted this separately, see
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/113281-another-gauge-wheel-build-post.html , my work begins at post #15.
3. Add removable ripper bar.
4. Add removable side plates

I've used the gauge wheels for back-plowing driveway snow and they work great.

The lift work raised my blade lift from 8" to 17" and I know that will be handy. We had quite a discussion trying to figure out the best fix here:
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/114764-how-do-i-raise-3-a.html

I apologize for the following photo quality. It was a very bright day and I've had to lighten many pictures to see into the shadows.

You'll see only two ripper shanks. I'm still not sure what the tractor will pull so I am postponing buying the other pair until I get a chance to test it. I purchased the rippers from Agri Supply for $16 ea + shipping.

The bx23 is rated for a 4ft box blade and a 5ft rear blade. With my attachments I have the equivalent of a 5 ft box blade so I'll likely need to take lighter cuts.

Completed Project:






Now here's something a BB can't do: Rip and angle blade. It was this feature that led to the maximum length of the ripper bar. It is as long as I could make it and still engage the first pin of the angle adjustment.




Here are some details of the ripper attachment. It pivots from the rear pin then bolts to welded-on nuts below the attachment. All the load is on the pull bar of the blade and the two 3/4" dia bolts that wrap the pull tube. I'll watch the pull tube for warp under load (at the bolts) and add a gusset to the top if needed. The heart of the system is a 5" "H" pile below the pull bar and a 4x4x3/16 tube to mount the rippers. The rest is hangers, gussets and ripper shank mounts. I'd have preferred a larger tube wall thickness but I had only this piece along with a 3/8 tube in the scrap pile. I started the use the 3/8" piece but it was way heavy making installation a chore. If the slots in the 3/16" tube for the rippers start to stress I plan to put some back-up plates at the stress points.




Note the tabs welded on the top of the H pile that bear against the sides of the pull tube. These these are to prevent rotationl twisting of the ripper arm.














The captured nuts are welded to an "L" angle that is welded to the bottom of the H pile. This is to strengthen the attachment point by moving the load from the edge of the flange to the pile center and angle brace.





And here are the side plates. For now I decided not to angle or cross brace them. This based on mjcad use of similar side plates on a frontier blade. He has had good luck without additional bracing. I'll take it easy at first and beef them up as needed if they start to tweak.

 

[LBrown59]

Pretty neat.
I'm suprised no body replied.

 

[MJPetersen]

Red dirt,

That is one tricked out RB!!! It looks to me that the ripper attachment is plenty strong and you should not have any problem there at all. With all that metal you have added you have significant weight to help you get a bite on harder stuff.

I was working on smoothing up some piles of dumped clay a couple of days ago and my blade would mostly just slide across rather than digging in like I wanted. I even put my gauge wheels straight in the air to gain down pressure. I was wishing for a ripper bar that I could put in place of the blade.

A job well done. Now some pics of it working for you!!

One question--how did you get the square hole fo the carriage bolts?

Mike

 

[scuvnut]

Very impressive indeed. Looks like it will be a real work horse for you.

 

[RedDirt]

Red dirt,
One question--how did you get the square hole foe the carriage bolts?
Mike

Thanks for the compliments.

I really looked forward to giving it a heavy duty work out this spring (driveway re-shaping) but "work" got in the way and I'm now embarked on other projects. I have high expectations for it and hope I won't be disappointed. I'll be sure to post pros and cons once I get it into use.

The square holes? I just drilled 1/2" round diameter holes then hand filed the squares with a tapered square file with the plates clamped in a bench vise. It was only 1/4" thick plate and there were only four holes to do. It didn't take too long and was not much work. I'd consider doing a dozen, maybe twenty, this way. More than that I'd take the part(s) to a metal shop and have square holes punched.

 

[MMH]

Nice Mod!

 

[Baby Grand]

RedDirt -
Super nice job. Well thought out load transfer in your bracing and looks like it should adjust, put on & remove easily. You are making me want to get a load of steel from the junk yard and start work on my blade.
-Jim

 

[JDGreenGrass]

Pretty neat project and I know many of us just like to do things ourselves but, I think I would go out and buy a boxblade.

Post back with pictures of the projects that you use it for.

 

[RedDirt]

Thanks for the compliments.

Although I don't have any experience with a bone fide box blade I think my adapted rear blade is actually more versatile than a box blade albeit somewhat lighter duty.

Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of the blade in use but I have used it a lot. Not so much with the rippers yet, that project has been postponed, but I've done a lot of blading, often with angled blade, and sometimes straight with the end plates on, box blade style. I also used it exclusively for snow blading for a couple years but last winter I built/converted a snowblower for my Kubota and may not need it for snow any more.

I have used the rippers a bit but not heavily loaded. The seem to work alright. I missed my (last two!) late Spring opportunities to regrade my drive due to other projects but maybe next year I'll get the chance to give the rippers a real workout. I'll try to get some photos of that.

I especially like the gauge wheels. I rarely blade without them. They create a very smooth track. I rough set the blade with the wheel height adjustment nuts and then fine tune the height with the top link. Works great!

 

[easygo]

Nice mod there Red Dirt. It's like origami. You start out with something very simple - a sheet of paper or a plane old grader blade in your case - and then it is turned into something interesting like a bird .... or a weird but really well thought out box/grader blade ..... thing. It's really ingenious.

You might want to keep it handy for snow though. You can really cruise along with the blade clearing the smaller snow. I always start the winter with the grader blade switch to snowblower and then back to the blade in the very late winter/early spring small snows.