tractor grader construction

[AKwelder]

You might take some time to see how the horse drawn units were made. One of the farms when I was a kid had an ancient horse drawn grader that one man would ride on the back and turn large hand wheels to operate. We pulled it behind a 1066 and could stop the tractor before the duals and fluid were added to the tires. This 100 year old unit had all the movement you are looking for, at least each direction. all though with screws, gears, slides, and pins.

I don't have any pictures and just remember that the hand wheels were 5 foot in diameter, and if you made the boss made you got to run them.

 

[tlbuser]

Larry has built a great blade, but i dont have the resources (nor the friends ) to build it with a worm gear rotation...
The double pivot with sort of gauge wheels is my B route, I do keep that open as an option, but my worry is that mine must be able to take a bit more bashing, because our tractors outweigh his by a factor 3 to 4.... Thats why my A route is a fixed frame with a minimum of pivots... But if that means i have to use a blade slider, maybe the headstock pivot, up and away from the dirt, would still be the better choice...

As Mike said, a rotating mechanism must be pretty stout to take the forces when meeting a root when cutting a ditch with the end of the blade...

yea, the worm gear setup is pretty special, and I was thinking about the tilt and offset being applied on a bigger scale. Maybe instead of having the entire blade offset, you could use a hydraulically activated sliding wing section either leading or trailing the main edge? If it"s to be purely a drag type, 4 (6,8) wheels with the king pin becoming the tilt point?

 

[Renze]

You might take some time to see how the horse drawn units were made. One of the farms when I was a kid had an ancient horse drawn grader that one man would ride on the back and turn large hand wheels to operate. We pulled it behind a 1066 and could stop the tractor before the duals and fluid were added to the tires. This 100 year old unit had all the movement you are looking for, at least each direction. all though with screws, gears, slides, and pins.

I don't have any pictures and just remember that the hand wheels were 5 foot in diameter, and if you made the boss made you got to run them.

You mean something like these ?

YouTube - Using a 1932 Allis Chalmers Tractor

YouTube - Adams Leaning Wheel Grader No. 1C

Maybe instead of having the entire blade offset, you could use a hydraulically activated sliding wing section either leading or trailing the main edge?

Thats yet another option to concider... thanks !

 

[2smallbotas]

That aint no good... a 5245 mfwd with loader, brings in at about 4 metric tons, and will warp it like a soda can..
I sure need the heavier variety: #1 Double B Repair Pull-Type Road Grader

Maybe I posted the wrong link, the grader I was mentioning is rated for up to 150 hp, the 5245 mfwd is 50 hp isn't it? Nevertheless I'm speaking about the design of the double B grader. I too have had the privledge of "running the wheels" on the old pull type graders, perfect machine for camp roads and such. Pulled it with a 1958 MF TO-35.

 

[Taylortractornut]

Renze about 9 years ago I got an old frame off a Deere combine. it was a frame and a n axle and a little more. I was about out of college and needed some cash to buy a lathe. I had a fella come by that had seen some pictures down south of some pull graders they used in the feilds. He wantd one to do their duck hunting land roads and levees. I built the frame out of 2by 3 tubing and had a blade made from and old bank sloper from a grader. it was about 10 feet. I used a clevis hitch for a thick drawbar, and I built it where the 2 lift arms did all the lifting because he only had 3 circuits to run everything. I built a somple pivot pin to angle the blade with one cylinder to run it. Then the other I weled in the combine rear frame and axle pivot to the grader frame. Since the clevis hitch was made of pipe we made it swivel. We then added a cyliner attached to the axle and the frame. That gave it a tilt. James wanted me to stationary the combines steering so I tacked it shut and we angeled the blade the blade would slie the whole implement over then I backed it a bac into the shop and ground off the tacks and bolted the combines steering cyliner back into place. When grading and angleing the blade you could steer opposite of the leading aedge of the blade sort of like the way a graders wheel lean works. Our unit looked alot like the Hoelscher rig with a ladder type frame. I used it a few times testing it by steering into the ditch with the grader and angling my blade back to a perpendicular position to the ditch. I did want to add a hydraulic side shift like a grader. I bought an old Grader whe scrap dropped off its and Austing Western I think and had a scarifier and good drawbar and mold board. the rest is picked over. It still has the hydraulic side shift and turn circle. I thought of makin a larger unit to go on the D5 at work for dressing our haul roads.

 

[AKwelder]

the first horse drawn grader is a small version of the one we used. You may have a couple in museums in your area? The blade on the one we ran was over 12 feet wide and over 18 inches high. Every thing adjusted with gears and cranks, and was held in position with pins and bolts and gears. It could give you a couple ideas.

 

[AKwelder]

If you build the unit and use rear wheels that are steerable, you could move around fence post, left and right, and not change your blade height. The rear wheels would be running on ground that you had already graded, and the 3pt hitch would fine tune your height of blade, and you could have one of several methods to do coarse adjustments. Then use a pivot and pin set up like most rear 3pt blades. copy the hydraulic tilt shown and you would have gotten most of what you want with out multiple hydraulic circuits and expensive pivots.

 

[Renze]

Maybe I posted the wrong link, the grader I was mentioning is rated for up to 150 hp, the 5245 mfwd is 50 hp isn't it?

Yes, its originally 50 hp, opened up a bit (but never dynoed) but because its weight and traction, it will do the job of an 80 hp, just in a lower gear... i have bad experience with light duty equipment.

the blade would slie the whole implement over then I backed it a bac into the shop and ground off the tacks and bolted the combines steering cyliner back into place. When grading and angleing the blade you could steer opposite of the leading aedge of the blade sort of like the way a graders wheel lean works.

Now you have my full attention: i have already foreseen that problem, and also thought of the solution to it: You just tell you've been there, done that.
How much offset did you do with the steering wheels in order to keep the grader from sliding ? Did it pull the rear end of the tractor aside when pulling in offset ?
I wanted the 3pt hitch setup so both the front and the rear axle would take up the side force of the blade, and the offset function would equal the forces of the angled blade.
You're right, the pull type might be even simpler, and with steering rear wheels just as manoueverable as the 3pt unit (which, if you have a fixed axle, will make it hard to steer the tractor, and if you make them caster, will give no extra resistance to keep the angled blade going straight.

Please tell me everything about this !

If you build the unit and use rear wheels that are steerable, you could move around fence post, left and right, and not change your blade height.....
....copy the hydraulic tilt shown and you would have gotten most of what you want with out multiple hydraulic circuits and expensive pivots.

i agree, a steered rear axle is the cheap ticket to move around trees and clear ridges under a horse fence.. when using a rigid axle with central pivot steering (like a hay trailer) It can be steered at standstill with little resistance nor friction.

On the other hand, a dual pivot conventional axle (fist axle) can be mounted in such order that the wheels lean "against" the blade by using a very agressive caster angle, something like 30ｰ kingpin inclination. When done right, the wheels lean into the corner when steering. all cars have this for steering stability and better tire grip when cornering, but i think i will have a good effect if i increase caster from 5 or 7 degrees, to 30 degrees.

 

[chickenman]

here is what i built, it's light and a bit slow but does an incredably smooth surface

i made it to grade my horse training track

this is a pic before it was finished, i put a post on the back and used an adjustable link for the tilt

before i use it again im adding end caps on the blade so the dirt dosnt fall of the ends

 

[Renze]

I just googled this up: Miller Equipment - Art's Way - Pull Type Graders

http://www.iconindinc.com/GraderSpecs.html