scraper / earthmover

[willfick]

That's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I'm in love. I must have one.
Maybe I can build one my old Farmall will pull. It ought to handle a foot and a half wide, four cubic foot model.
Wm /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[unreconstructed]

Hey Bob,

You answered a question for sure I had asked myself. I have a 2wd JD 5203 which is 56 horse. I figured there would be no way even in sand that my tractor would handle a 3 yard scraper--You say the 125 horse is challenged.

I think mine would handle the 1 1/2 yard rollover--what do you think?

Also, does the scraper you are using distribute the dirt pretty well?

Gary.

 

[have_blue]

Gary,

I think your tractor would handle the little rollover unit.

One of the strong points of the scraper is the dumping. Unless the soil is very lumpy and sticky, it dumps beautifully. I can lay down a nice uniform 2"-4" layer easy as cake.

Be advised that scrapers are brutal implements. By that I mean they can bite, gouge, and hang in the dirt, and despite your best efforts you can lug your engine occasionally. They create rough ground as they dig, and you need to go pretty fast for them to be effective. Therefore you end up with a lot of bucking and jumping of both the tractor and the scraper. I can't think of anything that's harder on a tractor.

Just a note about scraping loose plowed ground: Tried it yesterday, doesn't work. It just pushes the dirt around as we predicted. Looks like you would have go really fast in order to shoot the dirt up into the bed. That's out of the question, because if the scraper digs in at speed... well, you know! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

I wish someone would make a "pond digging" implement for CUT owners. It could till, pick up the soil, store 4 or 5 yards, and dump it smoothly to build up roads and land. It could be a non-stop implement just like a scraper. The pond bottom would be smooth as can be, and contouring very easy. It could also be used to knock down gentle hills. Even a little 18hp could pull it.

 

[yugo]

Jim,
I'd like to put my 2 cents worth in. I have an old antique dirt scraper that uses hydraulics and cable. It holds approximately a yard and a half of dirt. I pull it with a small JD crawler. The scraper is approximately 5' wide. It takes lots of horsepower to pull a dirt scraper, and mine doesn't like loose soil - it doesn't fill good. The punch line is be careful of the width of your scraper, and the horse power you are pulling it with. Good luck - Yugo

 

[CTyler]

I'm a bit puzzled on why a scraper takes so much power to pull. What makes it harder to pull than a box blade? I'd think it would be easier since you dont have to drag the dirt and cut at the same time.

 

[unreconstructed]

Bob,

Thanks for your input. Your idea would be a dream tool no doubt. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif My project involves cleaning out an old tank (pond) that has washed in with blow sand for several years. I think the going would be pretty smooth but I can see where digging out a hole in undisturbed ground would certainly be a chore. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Gary.

 

[Dozernut]

Try scraping a knife along a block of cheese. Then take the same knife and try to cut through the block of cheese. You will notice it takes a lot more effort to push/pull the knife when cutting. If you will look you will see that the big self propelled earth movers have a push pad on the rear so a dozer can push to help load the pan. A lot of the old dirt pans have a cutting edge that is worn out and no longer sharp. If a new cutting edge is put on the pan, you will notice a significant improvement in the cutting action and an easing of the power required to pull the pan.

 

[have_blue]

Dozernut,

Exactly!

Also, the angled blade tries to pull itself (and everything attached) downward, greatly increasing drag on the blade. Even though the wheels are large and inflated real hard, they still yield quite a bit. The ideal scraper for undisturbed dirt would ride on long metal runners or a sole plate (like a wood plane) instead of wheels. Of course, there could be retactible wheels for transport. Ideally, skimming a uniform 1/2" at high speed is more efficient than hogging 6" at low speed. It's much easier on the equipment that way too. But, it takes serious rigidity to achieve. That just about rules out balloon tires.

 

[CTyler]

I understand your analogy but wouldn't it take the same effort to scrape 1" vs cutting 1"?

 

[CTyler]

I can understand that if it starts gouging the HP requirements will go up quick.