Yet another version of gauge wheels

[BobReeves]

All this gauge wheel talk got me motivated, the attached is the almost finished result of me trying to come up with something that can be transferred to my Box blade.

Had it all planed out thinking I could weld the receivers to the top of the channel with a small piece of channel welded to the front making a box for the receivers to sit on. Built the wheels then realized if I put the receivers on top of the channel I wouldn't be able to turn the rake around.

Plan B, involved the cutting torch and angling the receivers up in back slightly so my already fabricated wheels would work and I could still turn the rake all the way around. About all I have left is a little paint and adding two receivers to my Box blade.

The trailer stands adjust the height of the wheels but wished I had put the support tube lower. They will be fine on the Box Blade but real close to being too long for the rake.

 

[RonR]

Hi Bob,

Good looking project. I'd be a little concerned that the jack stand/wheels wouldn't stand up to much abuse, especially on the box blade. Maybe it will, and maybe it's not a bad deal even if you have to replace the jack stands occasionally. Seems an easy way to "get 'er done!"

Ron

 

[BobReeves]

Wheels are 10 inchers from Harbor Freight, bolted to the bottom of the Jack Stands. Figure if they don't hold up I can always get better wheels or even build completely new/better. One of the neat things about using receivers, I can always do it different later if this doesn't work out.

 

[PineRidge]

Bob thats a great looking idea. No height spacers to fumble with or lose and if one side is to low you just jack er up a bit. Ingenious stuff here on TBN! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[RonR]

THKS.

I'm sure your set up will work better than a normal wheeled jack stand.

ron

 

[Barnboy]

Thats a good idea. That makes it adjustable.

 

[HomeBrew2]

Very nice Bob !!! Hurry up and get it done for your scraper! Soon you'll find that a box blade withOUT gauge wheels is ... just ballast /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
Cheers!

 

[djradz]

Bob, great ideas and nice job to boot! Now, can I offer a couple of concerns and hope you won't be offended?
1) You may have weakened the frame by cutting it as you have. Probably someone more familiar with cutting and welding structures should comment however. Looks like you did a nice job nonetheless.
2) I think those wheels will hold up fine, but you may need to keep them well greased or eventually replace the bearings with sealed.
3) Typically these caster spindles are fairly susceptible to dirt getting in the bearings. Some have zirks, but no way to keep the grease in or dirt out. I can see the ball bearings instantly filled with dirt the first time you move any kind of large load, and eventually, even if not. You might try to caulk/seal them with silicone or poly caulk, but by putting a film of oil (or other release agent) on one side and adhering the caulk to the other.
4) I couldn't tell from the photo, but is there any way the handle locks to keep the crank for slowly turning during use?

 

[hobbyfarm]

What a cool mod Bob!
Excellent idea to use those Bulldog implement stands.
Does your rake have parking stands or can you insert those wheels in reverse to act as parking stands? (just another idea)

 

[BobReeves]

Thanks for the encouragement,

What can't be seen in the picture is that I didn't cut the slot for the receivers all the way out, cut the sides and heated/bent the tab over then welded the receivers to both the tab and the channel on both sides. I would guess (even with my bird poop welding) it's probably stronger than the channel by itself.

Thought about putting silicon sealant on the wheel bearings, (saw this recommendation in the other thread) then thought these wheels are so cheap that if I have a problem I'll replace them and do it on the new ones.

Didn't do anything to make sure the handles won't turn, other than vibration I don't see anything that will cause them to turn, if it becomes a problem I can turn them down to the storage position and they will hit the mount which will keep them from going too far.

Didn't add a stand and didn't think about turning the wheels around, now I just use an old screw jack I had laying around. Turning the wheels around isn't a bad idea. If it gets warm enough this afternoon I am going to drop the box blade and hook up the rake to see how well it works. If turning the wheels around doesn't present a problem with getting it hooked to the tractor I may just do that.

Will report back on how they work if I get out this afternoon.