Snow plow adapted to the FEL

[4shorts]

Paul, I'm delighted you sent me the link to the post....brilliant. Like the others who follow your work, I am in awe of your improvements. Have you tested the difference the shock has made (I bet it's a great improvement)?

For the others who wish that they lived close to Paul.....I'm sure you'll be jealous when I tell you that I do. I just purchased a Kubota L4240 which will be delivered next week. I've been speaking with our man Paul (and his very understanding wife Cathy) and I'll be dropping my unit off at Paul's in a few weeks
to have it pimped "just like Pauls" LOL

Thanks once again Paul pat

Well what a pleasant surprise to see that you've signed up on TBN Pat so welcome to the site! Great to have another Newfoundlander on here
Your going to sure enjoy your new Grand L 4240 HST cab model. Glad you went with the 4240 due to the larger LA854 FEL. Heck it's not even my tractor and I'm excited :laughing:
Don't worry, when and if I get to mod it for you you'll be more than pleased with the outcome.
As for the latest redesign I've done, yes it's worked exactly as expected. It was a well worth modification. I wanted to do it in the past but never had or took the time to get it done so I'm glad it's done now. Looking forward to working with you on your new machine :thumbsup:

Well what's my point? I it is people like my old friend, 4shorts and others on TBN that are willing to share their collective knowledge, talents and ideas that further our knowledge and understanding. Trying to stifle these posts in any way hurts us all. 4shorts keep it coming! I for one respect the talent shared for no other reason but to help and inform others. None of us are too old to learn. Thanks for your generosity.

Oh man what a great story and an experience you had my friend. See its this kind of stuff that I just love to read about.
I've worked with guys like it in the past. Some of them didn't even speak English and only French.
I was 16 years old, still wet between the ears (not much better now:laughing and working for a company part time cleaning the floors, picking up garbage around the shops but this one french machinist would get me to help him all the time. I could hardly understand him and to be honest I dont think I even liked him at first.
When he would call out to me he would call me "Newfie" and I hated anyone calling me that at the time. I knew I'd be stuck with him for a day or so before I could sneak away.
Anyway I stayed with that company for years and I eventually went on to become a heavy equipment operator for them and when I wasn't out on the machines I would look forward to going back in the shop working with the same old guy.
I didn't have to at that point but I wanted to and he knew that but appreciated the fact I still wanted to be around him. He learned a little English and I learned allot of French plus a wealth of knowledge on machining from him that I seemed to retain until many years later when I picked up my own lathe and mill.

The old guy is passed on now but I often think of him and appreciate everything he tried to teach me and I know there were times he must have been terribly frustrated with me

Thanks for taking the time to post your story and your kind remarks. It was very moving to read it. Heck I even told my wife she should read it seeing it was so interesting so thanks again for that :thumbsup:

Yeah Paul I didn't mention lining up the holes either. I knew that was even worse to do... But i couldn't even see that it would fit in the press for the second bend. Can't always tell from the photos... But i get it - so it deformed a little? Just press it back to shape. I would probably make the holes after the bends so they lined up, but then it would probably not be possible to punch them, and you'd have to drill. That's one of those experience thingies you've got going on....

Thanks.

I really try and take as many photos as I can when I intend on posting some of this stuff but sometimes I get so interested in the project I forget a system or two
It do work out better that way because guys who really think about this stuff and scrutinize it will ask the questions which is great. Helps keep me on my toes as well. :laughing:
Those holes are 3/4". I really wanted to punch them because the punched hole is much cleaner than a drilled one in MHO so that why I did it that way. Yes it's kind of taking the long way around but I seem to do that all the time.

Been thinking of a brake to do those close bends and realized I could still do it with the brakes I hand built for y hydrilic press. It will need a small mod but it's very doable so when I get the time I'm doing it

 

[dstig1]

Oh - no criticism here, I understand totally as I end up doing the same and forgetting to take photos until the end. You are much better than I in that respect. Just looking to learn these techniques....

That would be one heckuva finger brake to bend steel that thick...

Now I realize that if you forced it into a U-shaped die, you could make the bend in one shot, but ain't no sense in making that unless you are going into production or have some unlimited supply of steel for dies and punches on hand....

 

[4shorts]

Oh - no criticism here, I understand totally as I end up doing the same and forgetting to take photos until the end. You are much better than I in that respect. Just looking to learn these techniques....

That would be one heckuva finger brake to bend steel that thick...

Now I realize that if you forced it into a U-shaped die, you could make the bend in one shot, but ain't no sense in making that unless you are going into production or have some unlimited supply of steel for dies and punches on hand....

No my friend. I didnt take it as criticism in anyway and think of it as good conversation actually
I think I can do a simple mod on my home made brakes to make those close bends. I could make set of dies but I use dufferant thickness' so one wouldn't work for all my needs. I don't need to make them often but there a pain in the butt when I do have to make them.
I'll try and do the mid this week and do a short video IF it works

 

[k0ua]

I'll try and do the mod this week and do a short video IF it works

Aw c'mon Paul you gotta show us the "bitter" with the "sweet"
The world is NOT all Unicorns and Rainbows:laughing:

(total disclosure department) I have been know to throw away bad looking weld pictures

James K0UA

 

[4shorts]

Aw c'mon Paul you gotta show us the "bitter" with the "sweet"
The world is NOT all Unicorns and Rainbows:laughing:

(total disclosure department) I have been know to throw away bad looking weld pictures

James K0UA
[/COLOR]

James you know I'm not going to show the bitter stuff. If I did that everyone on here would be making there brackets wrong and blaming me for it :laughing:

 

[Builder]

When I first started out as a mechanic I befriended the meanest, grumpiest old sob in the shop. Somehow he took a liking to my attention to detail and asking for help if I did not understand or was not completely sure of a project. Well anyway as it turned out he was a master machinist, tool and die maker. His position in the shop was no way commensurate with his training or talent he had just found a place rebuilding sub assemblies that worked for him. As the years went by he shared a lot of knowledge with me that he would not share with others in the shop. He would often stray over to my job and offer suggestions etc. When I had a machinist question he was always willing to offer not only a solution but the why and how and hands on help. I had become his apprentice. One day out of the blue he comes to me and says ,give me a hundred bucks, puzzled I told him I would see him on payday. Well when payday came he escorted me out the parking lot to his car, opened the trunk and gave me several thousand dollars of machinists? tools. All old school, no digital, but well worth the money. The tools included handmade micrometers, height gauges, depth gauges, vices, angle blocks, sine bars you name it, enough to start a small shop. His reasoning was that his son in law would only use the stuff as hammers or pry bars. For years after I would occasionally find another tool on my box with his initials engraved on them, he would just find another thing he did not want or need and pass it on. He is gone now but I strive to pass on what I can.

When my son was younger in his early teens and we would be working on a project I would often try to explain the whole process as we went along, much like my friend had. Well as with all kids his age he was in a hurry to see the finished product and not too interested in just how to get it done. I love his most famous quote when he asked how do something, dad I don't need the twelve page explanation. Since he has gotten older, he is in his twenties now; I have gotten a whole lot smarter! Now we are at least up to the six page answer.

Well what's my point? I it is people like my old friend, 4shorts and others on TBN that are willing to share their collective knowledge, talents and ideas that further our knowledge and understanding. Trying to stifle these posts in any way hurts us all. 4shorts keep it coming! I for one respect the talent shared for no other reason but to help and inform others. None of us are too old to learn. Thanks for your generosity.

Great story thanks for sharing.
I think some guys here read what a talented guy can do here, get jealous and feel the need to criticize his work to feel like they're important, too.

 

[akraven]

Excellent fabrication job 4Shorts. I wish I had all the toys you have in your shop. I would like to do something similar but have a rookie hydraulic question. I have a LS4047 tractor that has two sets of ports on the back controlled by two joysticks. I am planning on extending one set to the front for various uses. When you adapt a plow like this that has two rams how do you plumb from the two front ports to allow the joystick to control left to right movement? Thank you for any insight you can offer!!

 

[4shorts]

Excellent fabrication job 4Shorts. I wish I had all the toys you have in your shop. I would like to do something similar but have a rookie hydraulic question. I have a LS4047 tractor that has two sets of ports on the back controlled by two joysticks. I am planning on extending one set to the front for various uses. When you adapt a plow like this that has two rams how do you plumb from the two front ports to allow the joystick to control left to right movement? Thank you for any insight you can offer!!

Thank you very much. Glad you enjoyed seeing the build as for your question I'll have to admit my experience in hydrilics are limited. Someone on here like J-J could help you out I'm sure. You might even try posting your question in the hydrilic section of the site. When I did this mod I simply tied into my 3rd function set up and that was it.

 

[akraven]

Thank you 4Shorts I will try a post over there.

 

[Jeepnford]

Excellent fabrication job 4Shorts. I wish I had all the toys you have in your shop. I would like to do something similar but have a rookie hydraulic question. I have a LS4047 tractor that has two sets of ports on the back controlled by two joysticks. I am planning on extending one set to the front for various uses. When you adapt a plow like this that has two rams how do you plumb from the two front ports to allow the joystick to control left to right movement? Thank you for any insight you can offer!!

I plumbed mine originally from the rear remotes. Just run a hose from each side of one remote to the plow cylinders. They are usually single-action cylinders so when one is pressurized the other side will retract. Plow cylinders only have one hydraulic port on each cylinder.