Homemade loader for Branson tractor

[ptsg]

Ha! You're the first one that got it! I must admit, I got lucky that time when I went to the scrapyard to get the diff. I bought the second diff about 3 or 4 years after I finished the machine. Since I couldn't find the same diff as the first one, I just bought something similar.

Turned out that the first diff was from an old Toyota KE70 and turned to one direction, while the second diff came from a classic Ford Anglia 105 and turned to the opposite direction of the first one, maybe because it's an English car? I don't know really. This actually worked awesome for me as I could simply do it with a chain drive. Meshing gear would complicate things quite a bit for me.

I forgot to mention, when we built the machine, we only had a milling machine, AC welder and a couple angle grinders. So no lathe at that time. That one of the reasons why we kept upgrading the machine, since we can do so much more with a lathe.

Since we're at it, here is another project. I restored a 1962 Toselli 226 crawler tractor. It's an Italian machine, 28 HP, 2 speed PTO, 6 forward and 2 reverse gears. I don't own it anymore as I trade it with the small Kubota B7000 for this new tractor. The Toselli is sadly sitting outside in the dealer out in the elements.

I could probably do a video like the loader. I do have lots of pictures of this restoration.

Some before and after pics:

 

[Oldpath05]

Do you want to see life on this side the pond.
Rhino Hauling Firewood - YouTube

Trailer Logging - YouTube

My sons 6x6 and him sawing shingles.....
Army 6x6 loading logs, p2 - YouTube

CKShingle - YouTube

 

[ptsg]

You do have a beautiful place there Oldpath. I just enjoy looking at places like that and remember the good ol'days over here.

About 15 years ago, we used to be the only house in the street along with my uncle's house, with forest (mostly pine) all around us. Now, it's houses all over the place, trees just disappeared and there are cars all over. Not quiet and calm like it used be, where we could breath the fresh air out of the forest.

I do miss those times.

 

[Oldpath05]

Ha! You're the first one that got it! I must admit, I got lucky that time when I went to the scrapyard to get the diff. I bought the second diff about 3 or 4 years after I finished the machine. Since I couldn't find the same diff as the first one, I just bought something similar.

Turned out that the first diff was from an old Toyota KE70 and turned to one direction, while the second diff came from a classic Ford Anglia 105 and turned to the opposite direction of the first one, maybe because it's an English car? I don't know really. This actually worked awesome for me as I could simply do it with a chain drive. Meshing gear would complicate things quite a bit for me.

I forgot to mention, when we built the machine, we only had a milling machine, AC welder and a couple angle grinders. So no lathe at that time. That one of the reasons why we kept upgrading the machine, since we can do so much more with a lathe.

Since we're at it, here is another project. I restored a 1962 Toselli 226 crawler tractor. It's an Italian machine, 28 HP, 2 speed PTO, 6 forward and 2 reverse gears. I don't own it anymore as I trade it with the small Kubota B7000 for this new tractor. The Toselli is sadly sitting outside in the dealer out in the elements.

I could probably do a video like the loader. I do have lots of pictures of this restoration.

Some before and after pics:

View attachment 625692 View attachment 625696

Guess yo are lucky, I been wondering all day at work what kinda wing-bang trick you used to get both rear ends going same direction.

Meshing gears might be a bit more complicated, first it requires a gear box, milled in seal recess for seals to hold gear oil. My son did that on his cut-up saw, it's the saw in the first part of his video, his motor's trans has no reverse and motor could not go in another position. So he took two gears and shaft out of a old transmission, mounted them on the saw table, made a two piece wooden box to fit around the gears, use the closest hole-saw to match the shaft size so's not much oil would leak out, that was 15 years ago and still working, but for that back-hoe you made, a more precise gear box is needed.

What was the original purpose for a crawler with no blade and what's that big silver round thing on the motor that two belts are on? What happen to the headlights? gotta have headlights.
To bad a old machine or any machine is sitting out side to the weather, you ever wonder what stories that old crawler could of tell................

 

[ptsg]

I suppose could make a gearbox if I had too. In fact, I actually played with some gears I had laying around before I got the diff.

The crawler tractor is meant to be used exactly as a wheeled tractor would. It has PTO, 3 pt arms, drawbar, etc. It's very common to be used on steep hills, uneven terrain and such, specially with orchard and vineyard farming. It's a very stable machine on hills, plus it can just spin around 180 degrees on the headland to go to the next row. Farmers use it for mowing, tilling, plowing, spraying, and pretty much everything. When I had it, I used mainly for mowing brush and tilling.

The headlights kinda got postponed and ended up trading the tractor before I could finish the headlights. It would need lots of work to bring them to mint condition as I wanted. The grille was broken on both and they had lots of dents. I still have them in a box.

The engine is air-cooled. So the belts go from the crank pulley, to a fan inside the shroud. It also spins the generator. The hydraulic pump runs of the cam shaft.

I had two crawlers tractors. First was this 226 on the pictures that I restored. A few months later, ended up getting a Toselli 340. Basically the same as the 226, but with 39HP and 3 cylinders, longer chassis and wider tracks. This one got sold to a English guy living here, without me doing any type of work on it.

Here is a few examples of crawler tractors:

 

[ptsg]

Time to bring this thread up as the time as come to build the forks for the loader.

I need to move some piles of pallets off road and my 1976 24V Electric forklift will sink right up after leaving an hard surface.

I'll borrow the forks from the forklift and I have to say, they just don't build them like this anymore. Each fork weights easily 50 kg (110 lbs) each and the forklift is rated for 1500 kg (3300 lbs).

That being said, all I need now is to build the frame for the forks.

The frame is made out of a 140 mm (5.5") I-beam sliced in half as it makes a nice base for the forks to slide. Everything else is made out of drops I had laying around. The top hooks are made out of 30 mm (1.18") thick plate and the bottom mounts are made out of 22 mm (7/8") thick bar. The bottom mounts look a bit funny because I had to extend them a bit so I would get some tilt back with the loader close to the ground.

The start of the frame and the leftover price of I-beam:



Machining and welding of the hooks:



And the final product:



I'll share more pictures once I get it mounted on the tractor with both forks. And it will get a coat of paint once the weather cooperates. The frame weights around 40 kg (90 lbs) which brings a total of 140 kg (310 lbs) for the whole attachment.

 

[LouNY]

Nice fabricating and reuse of materials

 

[Oldpath05]

("The frame is made out of a 140 mm (5.5") I-beam sliced in half as it makes a nice base for the forks to slide. Everything else is made out of drops I had laying around. The top hooks are made out of 30 mm (1.18") thick plate and the bottom mounts are made out of 22 mm (7/8") thick bar.")
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
(1) Subtract 1, the number of whole inches.

1.18 - 1 = .18

(2) Multiply .18 x 16 to get the number of 16th's inches remaining.

.18 x 16 = 2.88

2.88 = the number of 16th's of an inch. This is the numerator of the fraction. Apply the rules for rounding

2.88 rounds to 3 because .88 is .5 or greater.

Therefore, 1.18in. =(approximately) 1 and 3/16ths inch(es)
(You may have to reduce.)

Well you did get the measurements into inches-ish, but I couldn't find 1.18" on my type measure so I went online to find it, .

I was under the assumption that the tips on forks face down to floor not up, least my home-made ones do. I also assume that your forks will slide in&out and looks like the forks hooks on the I-beam lip, so is the lip strong enough to hold the weight?

 

[LouNY]

And if it's not cricical I just estimate;
0.125= 1/8
0.250= 1/4

so the 0.18 is a skimpy 3/16

or if I want to get closer every 1/16 is 0.065 or
every 1/32 is 0.03125 and every 64th is 0.015625

.18 divided by 0.065 = just under 3/16
.18 divided by 0.03125 = just under 6/32
.18 divided by 0.015625 = about 11 and 1/2, 64ths
if anyone cares

 

[ptsg]

Thanks Lou and Oldpath.

Wouldn't it be great if we all just use metric once and for all? :laughing: Just joking.

I do try to convert all the stuff to fractions most of the times as you can see on some of my previous posts. I know some of you appreciate that.

I made a cut out on the bottom rail so I can insert the forks in. I did weld a stop at both sides so the forks wouldn't accidentally slide out of the frame.

Regarding the lip holding the load, I think it will be ok. But if it starts bending, I do have some room to add a piece of flat bar to reinforce the lip.