Finally Building my Backhoe

[Iplayfarmer]

I need some opinions...

If I have the right size twist drill bit do I need a reamer?

As I understand, the reamer is to re-shape the bushing after any welding distortion. Could I not do the same thing by running the drill through it again?

 

[jmolwitz]

A reamer is long enough to get both holes at once .

 

[GPintheMitten]

I'm looking forward to following your project, Iplay. I plan on building a FEL and maybe later a backhoe for my small Kubota.

One thing I noticed, you said you were considering trying to make this work for $1K or less, or maybe just build the best you can for your use (or something like that). My advice, is just build it the best you can and if you go over $1K by a $100, it will likely be well worth it.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

I'm looking forward to following your project, Iplay. I plan on building a FEL and maybe later a backhoe for my small Kubota.

One thing I noticed, you said you were considering trying to make this work for $1K or less, or maybe just build the best you can for your use (or something like that). My advice, is just build it the best you can and if you go over $1K by a $100, it will likely be well worth it.

Point taken. The top priority here is to make the right thing for my needs. The $1K thing is more of a game to me than anything. If I need to go over to build the right thing, I will.

 

[eireog68]

I am new here to the site but if i might make a sugestion you have not mentioned plating any of the conections and looking at your pictures you are not leaving very much meat on the end of that steel tube from what i can see in the pictures so far unless you are only picking up hay it will crack at the joints unless you support them with plate steel at least 1/4" plate at all joints and welds.
good luck i love to see people build there own stuff it shows we are not all lazy and stupid.

 

[Renze]

A reamer reams to a tolerance and surface roughness you could never aquire with a plain and simple drill. Most reamers here in europe have a h7 tolerance which is +0 to +0.32mm oversize. A conventional spiral drill cuts with a +0.3 to +1mm tolerance.

oh, and most important: a reamer will not jam when trying to bore just that 0.5mm out of a hole...

 

[Iplayfarmer]

I am new here to the site but if i might make a sugestion you have not mentioned plating any of the conections and looking at your pictures you are not leaving very much meat on the end of that steel tube from what i can see in the pictures so far unless you are only picking up hay it will crack at the joints unless you support them with plate steel at least 1/4" plate at all joints and welds.
good luck i love to see people build there own stuff it shows we are not all lazy and stupid.

Thanks for the advice, and welcome to TBN.

There will definately be plating. I have a large piece of 1/4" plate that will be cut down for the various joints. I also have a stick of 3" X 1/2" plate that will be used for the higher stress points like the attachment points for the ram pins.

As for the lack of meat on the ends of the boom, I'm just going to have to be careful to properly weld these points. I'll also be plating the ends which will add an additional 1/4" of material.

On another note, I ordered both a 1" drill bit and a 1" adjustable reamer from the website that Brad linked to. I also snuck out at lunch and bought a cutting torch from a guy in the area (via Craig's List). Now I have two torch bodies, two cutting heads, and a handful of tips, Between it all I still can't make a single working cutting torch. All I need, though, is a tip nut and a tip for the brand new Harris torch that is in the bunch of stuff I bought today.

Any advice for a newbie learning to cut with oxy/ace? Most specifically, if I'm buying a tip anyway, which one should I get for cutting 1/4" steel?

 

[6sunset6]

I understand trying to keep cost down. Do it myself. I have tried to use pipe for collars in the past as you are but have not been satisfied . Not enough meat left and a lot of machining to keep them square , round etc.
I went to shaft collars. McMaster carr has them $1.50 for a 1" ID 1.5 od 5/5 thick with a set screw. They have a million sizes
If I want two holes to line up I lock them on a shaft and weld them in place.

 

[dfkrug]

Wow, they have pretty good prices on a lot of their stuff.

Back in 95, we had an Enco store here and I bought a 1.000" hand reamer
that had 6" of flutes so I could align bushings that were as much as 6"
apart. It was only $35 back then. I have never tried those adjustable
reamers in Brad's link. I sold my reamer after I finished with it to another
guy who threatened to build a CADDigger. (He never did.)

I have also taken a 1" twist drill to shed 40 pipe, to clean out the welding
seam. I used those for "poor man's bushings" where the pin did not
turn (mechanical thumbs).

If you want to buy DOM, you can buy it in small pieces from one of several
online steel sources.

 

[J_J]

Iplayfarmer ,

I would recommend using DOM tubing, and 63/64 pin stock from these guys.

MetKit Corp - Home Page

Select catalog of parts, HTML format, Bearings, pins, and tubing.