Adding Hydraulic scarifiers

[BobReeves]

My Box blade looks like the one in this photo except it has 6 scarifiers and it is a real pain to raise and lower the scarifiers.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forumfiles/667873-1buhler%20front.jpeg

I am thinking about adding a hydraulic cylinder so I can raise and lower the scarifiers from the drivers seat. Just finished installing two rear remotes and have one hooked to my Top Link. The other could easily be used for the scarifiers. I also have a 4 inch stroke 2 inch dia, 3/4 inch rod hydraulic cylinder not being used for anything.

Am thinking if I can connect all the scarifiers together with a bar they will easily move up and down in the slots. I also have a bunch of 1/4 inch plate to make mounts and a bellcrank if I need to change direction. What am I missing, this seems too easy...

 

[HomeBrew2]

Are you planning on pinning them into place manually after raising/lowering them?

 

[BobReeves]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Are you planning on pinning them into place manually after raising/lowering them? )</font>

Wasn't going to, thinking when they are down the force will try to pull them farther down so a stop might be all that is needed. I am not a mechanical engineer so any aditional ideas apreciated.

 

[HomeBrew2]

I hadn't thought of that so, I guess I don't know either. (Thinking outloud) instictively, I wouldn't expect the teeth to bite initially. But, after they broke thru and hooked on something, they might pull down. Guess it would be easy to try ... yank the pins and shove a rod thru them all. Maybe a website has a closeup pic of one to get an idea.

 

[sandman2234]

Another way, instead of a bar, and raising and lowering it, might be to mount a pipe with "cams" that raise and lower the scarifiers. A lot more trouble to build, but they wouldn't be forced back up when you lowered the boxblade for a bite out of something hard.
David from jax

 

[BobReeves]

Actually I think the cam idea is a winner. Been imagining that trying to raise all six from one cylinder with a straight bar would be problematic. Rotating a pipe with arms hooked to the scarifiers seems to me like it would be much better.

The other issue is the scarifiers need to be raised 5 inches and my cylinder only has a 4 inch stroke. Can compensate for this with the length of the arms but have to take in consideration the horizontal movement as the arm moves up and down.

Moved my Box Blade into the shop yesterday, going to be a fun project.

 

[wushaw]

On my hyd scarfiers they are locked into place with a 1" pin. The hyd cylinder will not hold the scarfiers down, I don't know why it just won't ..I know this because when the pin doesn't lock the scarfiers just scrape the ground.
I have a couple of pics in my album of my hyd scarfiers.
Look under my album. my pics

 

[sandman2234]

Wushaw,
Nice setup on the boxblade. Did you build it, or is it a purchased item? All that orange paint kind of blinds me, so I am not exactly sure how it works. I can't tell what is making it swivel.
Not exactly what I had in mind, but definitely nice, and definitely orange!
David from jax

 

[BobReeves]

Just chimed in and have the same question. Looks like the top link rotates the whole works but may be another cylinder hidden behind the support. I see a hose that is lower than the top link in the side view, maybe this goes to another cylinder?

Nice BB and thanks for the photos, been working out the mechanics of what I might need to do in AutoCAD think it's going to work out pretty good. If the cylinder won't hold will work out plan B but in any case it will make lowering and raising a whole bunch easier.

 

[MadReferee]

To get an idea of how one works, just go to the Landpride site and download the owners and parts manual for their box scraper with retractable hydraulic scarifers. The parts manual gives nice pictures on all the moving parts. All the scarifers are attached to a tube that rotates into and out of place when the hydraulic cylinder is actuated.