Rebuild thread...Brillion cultimulcher...paint in the spring.

[sixdogs]

Going to use this implement in a few weeks so time to finish up by packing the wheel bearings and getting the right tires on.

On the wheel bearings, I took them apart and knew it wouldn't look good and was right. Implements left outside with old grease seals lets water into the large bearings and picks up grit. All four big bearings were bad but they're so cheap it's not even worth cleaning them.



Check that crap out. Look at the grit.





This race looks like I didn't wipe it out but I did. The bearing is really scored.





Even races with a little "burn" like this can go bad and I have seen it. A new bearing and race is $9 so why risk it?





If you try this at home and reuse the bearings, always keep them in the same hub and always label the hub to the place it came from. Old timers told me this 50 years ago and they told me it matters. Makes no difference so why not?

Tires soon.

 

[sixdogs]

Here's a photo of hauling home after field work. It's about 13' 8' wide and we had to cross a bridge that's a whisker under 14' wide. It took a few minutes, and I really feared getting stuck but we scraped by. As much as I like this one I think I'm going to look for one that's about two feet narrower and sell this one. This one is 12 1/2' usable and I have a separate one that's 8' so a 10' one would still save me time in the field and be easier to transport.

 

[pharmvet]

Very nice job and very inspiring!

 

[sixdogs]

Very nice job and very inspiring!

Well, I hope so. There is oodles of modern farm equipment around that only requires some disassembly, reassembly, TLC and a proper coat of paint to not only be functional but worth multiples of what was paid for it. It engages our hobby and passion, has practical application and makes money in the process. It's the perfect storm. Plus, I feel pretty good at the end of the day.

 

[art]

Looks like a nice clean older machine! Did you do the field work with the pickup? just jokin! Tough to tow much over 20 with those old ones as they had to much weight behind the axle. Don't ask me how I know!

 

[sixdogs]

Looks like a nice clean older machine! Did you do the field work with the pickup? just jokin! Tough to tow much over 20 with those old ones as they had to much weight behind the axle. Don't ask me how I know!

Ah, good observation and I solved the problem. I got four 25 lb weights from resale shop--the kind of weight used for weightlifting--and made an adaptor so I could add or remove them quickly from the front of the drawbar. That gives me 100 lbs of added tongue weight and means I could go 50 if I wanted to without fishtailing. I keep it to 35 or 40,however.

I can post a picture tomorrow if anyone wants to see the setup.

 

[denm74]

what a difference a bit of paint can make!

 

[sixdogs]

Here's how I did the tongue weight thing. The post is 1/2" plate with a hole punched in it that's the size of the hole in the weights. I set the round rod in the hole, stopped short of it flush with the bottom and welded it in. Got some U bolts and bolted to the frame. The bolt threads sticking up are OK because the spacer shown in the photos allows the weights to clear the bolts. The cap shown on the right keeps the weights in place while bouncing around.

There are four 25 lb weights and I can add whatever I want or don't want in a hurry. This solves my fishtail issue, makes everything safer and can be removed quick for field work. Seems like this idea would work for other things as well. Cost of weights $10, steel, $5, U-bolt $4. Satisfying ride down a country rod at 35 MPH (rather than 15 MPH)...priceless.

Photos below.

 

[sixdogs]

Also, I forgot to add to take a look at the way I (inexpensively) lengthened the tongue. It is now easier to make sharper turns in the field and prevents the bindup so common when you turn too sharp. This would really work for any pulled implement that had the too short of a tongue problem.

I simply removed those steel hookup plates at the front of the drawbar and made new ones that were a few inches longer. Usually, that's all you need. The old ones were 3/8" thick, if I recall so I could make some that were not only longer but of thicker steel and with tighter tolerances than the plates removed. Piece of cake and it tows better, turns better and there is less "hunting" when in use in that it doesn't bounce back and forth because of the slop in the holes. It's easier in my tractor. Life is good.