Look at what I "built" today

[k0ua]

This is really more of a modification than a complete build, but this morning while out working in the yard on road repair and clean up with the tractor, the wife said "I wonder if we could put the sprayer on the tractor somehow". The little sprayer had been her idea in the first place, and I had knocked together a little wooden platform on wheels with a tongue to pull it behing our little JD lawn tractor. We have used it for a while like this, but she hated the times she had to back up with it behind the lawn tractor (jacknife) and I hated taking it down our steep hills full of water, (can you say push you into a ditch?) So her idea of putting it on the back of the tractor seemed like a good one to me. I started hunting up some steel, I wanted a 2 inch piece of square tubing, but didnt have any of that size, so I just used a piece of 2 inch angle iron, ground to fit the hitch reciever in my home-made ballast barrel, ( I knew that thing would come in handy for something when I put in it, I just didn't know what!) So I drilled the holes for the 5/8 pin and the screw holes and tore the little cart apart (took off wheels and tongue) added a little scrap of wood, and WAH-LAH. a mounted sprayer on the 2" hitch reciever. Then on to the electrical, I used the existing Kubota power wires under the left fender for the work light, re-ran and taped them back up, put on a 2 prong waterproof power connector (trailer hitch style, and put in some no-oxide grease), and hooked it up. Worked good, and way more fun to use than pulling the stupid cart behind the lawn tractor. The last photo is just to show, we are getting a little green-up here now, and have some flowers. This is to make you northern boys and girls jealous:laughing: It was a beautiful day here today, and worked out all day in it. I had a rough week at work, lotsa stress, and I am tired tonite, but boy was it a good day. Thats it from Branson, today.

James K0UA

 

[magicheater]

That's what its all about, having fun with your tractor and coming up with creative ways to do things using it! :thumbsup:

 

[Beefie]

I like it, looks like it is used for spot spraying? Nice ballast barrel too.


Beefie

 

[jcliburn]

Hopefully not too stupid a question, James, but how is the tank fastened to the platform?

I have a sprayer like that, but my method of attaching it to a platform (using bungee straps hooked to eyebolts) doesn't work very well; the tank shifts a bit too much.

Thanks,
Jay

 

[k0ua]

Thanks for the kind words, The tank is attached with machine screws 1/4-20 through the plywood, into already threaded inserts in the tank (this is the way it came). We use the sprayer for many things, The wife uses it to feed flowers, I use it to wet down the concrete mix I put on my road to patch potholes. ( much cheaper than asphalt) much easier to place, no tamping, just wet the hole, dump in the sackcrete, smooth it with a pushbroom, and wet the top 2 or 3 times. It is best to do it after a rain event as the ground moisture will keep the mix wet by itself until it sets up.. wears pretty well, and a lot less work and a lot less money. Now that said this is a mess of a road, and I would not do this to a nice looking finished driveway, but to a heaved up chip and seal roadway.

James K0UA

 

[jcliburn]

The tank is attached with machine screws 1/4-20 through the plywood, into already threaded inserts in the tank (this is the way it came).

Thanks for the info.

Unforch, mine doesn't have the threaded inserts.

Jay

 

[k0ua]

Hopefully not too stupid a question, James, but how is the tank fastened to the platform?

I have a sprayer like that, but my method of attaching it to a platform (using bungee straps hooked to eyebolts) doesn't work very well; the tank shifts a bit too much.

Thanks,
Jay

Jay what about some plumbers strap and your bolts to tighten it up. Put the strap on the grooved area of the tank.. maybe that would work.

James

 

[boggen]

Thanks for the info.

Unforch, mine doesn't have the threaded inserts.

Jay

wait for a sale and pick up some straps at a local hardware store. straps i am talking about is what folks use for tieing stuff down onto a trailer or in back of a pickup truck, instead of using chains.

granted cost maybe a few more bucks than plumbers strap. but *shrugs* being able to just use the rachet already on the strap to snug the straps down might be easier for ya to get things nice and snug.

 

[mjncad]

Where did you get the hooks on your ballast-barrel? I've been looking for a couple like that.

 

[k0ua]

Where did you get the hooks on your ballast-barrel? I've been looking for a couple like that.

Oh, man, your making my head hurt tryin to remember:laughing: I am not sure, if it was TSC or the local huge hardware store in Harrison Ar. called Millers hardware, I am thinking it was Millers.. but not for sure. sorry.

James K0UA