Backhoe Bucket Grader Blade

[bindian]

I have had the idea to make a 6 foot grader blade fit my BH bucket teeth for a long time. I proofed the idea with some treated 2x8s and bolts. It worked great until I swung it into a tree. So I ordered a cutting edge (and bolts) from KingKutter that fits both their box blades and rear blades. I drilled up the eight 5/8ths inch bolt holes. Then I looked around for a place to bend 1/4 inch steel for a mold board to mount the cutting edge to and weld up the pieces I made for a "glove" mount for my 24 inch bucket's teeth. I found out my local welding shop had a press brake. I kept waiting for them to get their press brake repaired to bend 2 pieces of 1/4 inch plate that were 3 foot long. The owner said it would not bend a 6 foot long piece. So I had them bend it to 35 degrees to meet the upper cutting edge. I went 10 inches wide on the mold board.

I did a lot of engineering (head scratching) to make sure it did not hit the boom when curling the bucket in and would clear the teeth of the thumb. As it is, it just barely clears the boom and the thumb catches it just right so not to ding the cutting teeth.

Then they welded (I do need to purchase a welding machine!) a wedge shaped mount centered on the back side of the mold board. A welded chain holds the blade on the bucket via a clevis and an eye mount they welded on the back side of the bucket.
I painted it all Saturday and hope to bolt it back up today.
hugs, Brandi

 

[bindian]

I got antsy a last weekend before getting it bent and welded. I used the thumb and bucket teeth to hold the blade. Held in this fashion, you can sit it down and uncurl the bucket a hair to let the blade take the angle of the dam's slope. With the chain, it will angle a little, but not like in these photos. I graded the water side crown on my dam before 3 inches of rain in an hour chased me inside and filled the pond that was empty after dredging it out labor day weekend.
hugs, Brandi

 

[Coyote machine]

Nice work! What's that blade weigh? What else do you plan to use it for? How big is the pond when filled? did you dredge the pond with the bhoe?
What did the fabrication/metal cost to make the blade?

thanks!

CM

 

[bindian]

Nice work! What's that blade weigh? What else do you plan to use it for? How big is the pond when filled? did you dredge the pond with the bhoe?
What did the fabrication/metal cost to make the blade?

thanks!

CM

Thanks CM! You can read the pond thread here.............http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/projects/251326-instant-pond.html The pond is a teardrop shaped 130 feet by 70 feet. I dug the pond, last year to about 6 feet with my loader bucket and with a Bobcat 770 mini track loader down to 7 feet. Labor day weekend, I rented a Bobcat E42 mini excavator and dredged around the island and both ends down to 11 feet, where I hit water.

According to my bathroom scales, the cutting edge weighs 52 lbs. and the moldboard/mount weighs 57 lobs.

I plan on using the blade for backfilling trenches and grading anywhere my loader bucket won't get into............like moving and leveling dirt around trees. If I want to grade a slope like a dam and crab the BH in at a 45 degree angle to the dam, I can use the thumb and teeth to clamp on to get extreme angles more than what the slack in the chain allows. Then I just push the tractor forward with the blade/bucket combo. But with the thumb holding it, it is not as long a reach and I need to hold curl pressure in as I grade dirt this way.

I paid KingKutter a little over $100 for the cutting edge and 9 bolts, lock washers, and nuts and shipping. I bought a section or joint (20 feet) of 10 inch by 1/4 inch steel plate for $144. Just buying the six feet I needed and having it cut into two, 3 foot sections cost right at $106. So I have a 6 foot and an 8 foot piece left for other projects. The welding and bending costs will be determined later and will probably be just spreading two loads of gravel for the welding shop's owner..........as his shop is more like a welding yard as they do large and small projects.
hugs, Brandi

 

[BukitCase]

Brandi, don't know if you've seen this but here's a slightly different version of the same idea

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/272356-backhoe-blade-ripper-rake.html

From reading several of your (always interesting) posts I can see you getting into welding - but it also sounds like you have a good 2-way thing going with your weld shop guy... Steve

Another version I've been considering - I have an extra HF quick hitch for 3point stuff, thinking about grafting some ears on it so it can be pinned on like the hoe bucket, then I could use a 6 foot back blade I have - one advantage I can see is that the blade could then be rotated just like on the tractor, so a person could orient the blade to be in line with the boom, then control bucket curl to change the angle the blade hits the ground, and use the swing to shape an area at whatever angle suits the situation.

Just one of many projects I've yet to get into, but I don't plan to be bored before they "pat me in the face with that shovel"...

 

[bindian]

Brandi, don't know if you've seen this but here's a slightly different version of the same idea

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/272356-backhoe-blade-ripper-rake.html

From reading several of your (always interesting) posts I can see you getting into welding - but it also sounds like you have a good 2-way thing going with your weld shop guy... Steve

Another version I've been considering - I have an extra HF quick hitch for 3point stuff, thinking about grafting some ears on it so it can be pinned on like the hoe bucket, then I could use a 6 foot back blade I have - one advantage I can see is that the blade could then be rotated just like on the tractor, so a person could orient the blade to be in line with the boom, then control bucket curl to change the angle the blade hits the ground, and use the swing to shape an area at whatever angle suits the situation.

Just one of many projects I've yet to get into, but I don't plan to be bored before they "pat me in the face with that shovel"...

BukitCase,
Thanks for saying my posts are interesting. I never saw that rake, but have some thumb size rake photos somewhere on my computer.
Interesting project you describe. I just can't see why you want a blade to pivot when you have BH swing? As I crab in the dipper stick and boom, I swing the blade up and over the top of the dam. It worked real well.
hugs, Brandi

 

[IXLR8]

Brandi,
I have been doing similar engineering studies to build the same thing. I hope you don't mind me borrowing (stealing) your great, simple, idea.

 

[bcp]

The simple version of this is a length of railroad rail or a structural beam grabbed between the teeth and thumb.

Bruce

 

[bindian]

Brandi,
I have been doing similar engineering studies to build the same thing. I hope you don't mind me borrowing (stealing) your great, simple, idea.

IXLRB,
I don't mind at all. If I did it over...........I would make the moldboard 12 inches high. I am going to add another clevis to try to get more tilt out of it on side slopes. We cut a couple of links out of the chain until it would not fall off the teeth hanging straight down. One of the welders mentioned with the design of the glove mount on the teeth, any slack in the chain would let it fall off. So I want to figure out how to make more angle in getting the blade to grade on a slope.

Last night while getting ready for bed........I thought of how you could mount a pivot bracket on the glove mount and have the moldboard hanging off that pivot and install a hydraulic cylinder for power tilt if you were doing a lot of ditch and slope work.......or landscaping hilly yards.........just like Bobcat's power tilt!
hugs, Brandi

 

[bindian]

The simple version of this is a length of railroad rail or a structural beam grabbed between the teeth and thumb.

Bruce

Bcp,
That is simpler and I once tried my 4 foot RR iron. But using the thumb loses a few feet that the bucket can curl out and reach. Also, the grader blade as built can do heavy or fine grading, not just back filling. With a RR iron, you are also limited on the slope you can use it on.
hugs, Brandi