radman1
Elite Member
- Joined
- Jul 8, 2006
- Messages
- 3,017
- Location
- midwest
- Tractor
- JD 4520, Toolcat 5610, Bobcat S300, Case-IH 125 Pro, Case-IH 245, IH 1086, IH 806
I bought a carry hauler from TSC and modified it to better fit my CUT and upcoming Toolcat 5610 3pt. The basic carry hauler was purchased at TSC and shown below. Wire mesh bottom. Self dumping. Basic frame is a good design but needed improvements.
It is not cat I so my quick hitch would not work. Cut off the 3 pt link and welded a pair of 3/16x2x3" angle iron on top. Also extend the 3 pt attachment further forward so it is now more in alignment with the lower pins.
Added a set of casters underneath. This raised the link pins higher so my quick hitch hooks can be used. As the carry hauler is designed it won't work with any link arms unless they reach to a few inches off the ground or the hauler will need to be supported of the ground. The casters also makes it easy to move in my shed. I already had the casters and they are overall about 6" tall. Welded a 4x4" plate to the bottom frame and bolted on the casters. If possible, taller wheels would probably work better. My quick hitch will just go low enough to clear the pins. If needed, simple legs could also be welded/bolted to the bottom to make it higher.
Next, I bolted 14 ga 4'x6' diamond deck plating to the floor over the mesh. Welded 14 ga 13"x72" diamond deck plating to the tailgate. Now I can haul dirt, rock etc. I also added 5/8" pressure treated plywood to the sides. Thought about using steel for the sides, but plywood was significantly cheaper. One could also use wood on the floor and tailgate, but I wanted material to easily slide from the hauler.
The sides near the tailgate and back of the hauler seemed weak, so I welded a 1/4"x1.25" flat bar across the bottom of the hauler and extended it slightly beyond the bottom corners. Then I welded additional flat bar up the sides of the rear corners to the flat bar across the bottom. The bottom is now very solid and the back corners won't bow down. The sides are now rock solid and any heavy loads in the hauler won't bow out the sides when the tailgate is down.
The finished product.
I took the hauler to a dirt pile. Rained last night, so the clay/dirt was very sticky and heavy. Without getting off the tractor, unhooked the hauler, loaded and reconnected. The dirt in the hauler was the most my JD 3720 could carry. Front end, even with loader, was very light. Put a scoop of dirt in the front bucket and all was good again.
Took the dirt about 1/4 mile away to the dump pile. Got off and opened the tailgate. Then I set the hauler on the ground. This released the pressure on the front latch. Then I raised the hauler and the unit will self dump. Since the dump pivot is near the middle, it is important to load the back of the hauler more than the front so it will self-dump. It will tip nearly vertical and cleaned the bed out very well. Lowered the hauler, drove forward slightly and it will tip down and relatch itself the front. Got off again and raised the tailgate
The front latch as currently located is a real pain to release. The hook of the quick hitch is in the way. I will cut off that latch and add a new one to the side of the top pin. I plan to use a short rope and pull the latch from the seat of the tractor.
I thought long and hard about adding a dump cylinder to the hauler. Bought a 4" short stroke cylinder but it seems to dump well enought with its self-dump capability. If I was going to use it a lot, I would probably fabricate the hydraulic dump.
Overall cost of steel diamond plate and wood was $200 ($170 for steel and $30 for treated 5/8" plywood. The hauler cost $350. The casters I already had from a sale and paid $5 for all. Low cost approach would be to use plywood or OSB wood for the bottom and sides.
Cylinder and hoses from surplus supply would be near an additional $100.
I could only haul about 2.5-3 buckets of wet dirt in the hauler due to limited lift capability. My 3720 is rated for about #2000.
This may be an idea for those of you who want a hauler/dump for your CUT. Haul wood, trash, mulch, dirt, rock or whatever you want. With a quick hitch it is easy to unhook and reconnect without getting off the tractor. The hauler is rated for 2500#.
It is not cat I so my quick hitch would not work. Cut off the 3 pt link and welded a pair of 3/16x2x3" angle iron on top. Also extend the 3 pt attachment further forward so it is now more in alignment with the lower pins.
Added a set of casters underneath. This raised the link pins higher so my quick hitch hooks can be used. As the carry hauler is designed it won't work with any link arms unless they reach to a few inches off the ground or the hauler will need to be supported of the ground. The casters also makes it easy to move in my shed. I already had the casters and they are overall about 6" tall. Welded a 4x4" plate to the bottom frame and bolted on the casters. If possible, taller wheels would probably work better. My quick hitch will just go low enough to clear the pins. If needed, simple legs could also be welded/bolted to the bottom to make it higher.
Next, I bolted 14 ga 4'x6' diamond deck plating to the floor over the mesh. Welded 14 ga 13"x72" diamond deck plating to the tailgate. Now I can haul dirt, rock etc. I also added 5/8" pressure treated plywood to the sides. Thought about using steel for the sides, but plywood was significantly cheaper. One could also use wood on the floor and tailgate, but I wanted material to easily slide from the hauler.
The sides near the tailgate and back of the hauler seemed weak, so I welded a 1/4"x1.25" flat bar across the bottom of the hauler and extended it slightly beyond the bottom corners. Then I welded additional flat bar up the sides of the rear corners to the flat bar across the bottom. The bottom is now very solid and the back corners won't bow down. The sides are now rock solid and any heavy loads in the hauler won't bow out the sides when the tailgate is down.
The finished product.
I took the hauler to a dirt pile. Rained last night, so the clay/dirt was very sticky and heavy. Without getting off the tractor, unhooked the hauler, loaded and reconnected. The dirt in the hauler was the most my JD 3720 could carry. Front end, even with loader, was very light. Put a scoop of dirt in the front bucket and all was good again.
Took the dirt about 1/4 mile away to the dump pile. Got off and opened the tailgate. Then I set the hauler on the ground. This released the pressure on the front latch. Then I raised the hauler and the unit will self dump. Since the dump pivot is near the middle, it is important to load the back of the hauler more than the front so it will self-dump. It will tip nearly vertical and cleaned the bed out very well. Lowered the hauler, drove forward slightly and it will tip down and relatch itself the front. Got off again and raised the tailgate
The front latch as currently located is a real pain to release. The hook of the quick hitch is in the way. I will cut off that latch and add a new one to the side of the top pin. I plan to use a short rope and pull the latch from the seat of the tractor.
I thought long and hard about adding a dump cylinder to the hauler. Bought a 4" short stroke cylinder but it seems to dump well enought with its self-dump capability. If I was going to use it a lot, I would probably fabricate the hydraulic dump.
Overall cost of steel diamond plate and wood was $200 ($170 for steel and $30 for treated 5/8" plywood. The hauler cost $350. The casters I already had from a sale and paid $5 for all. Low cost approach would be to use plywood or OSB wood for the bottom and sides.
Cylinder and hoses from surplus supply would be near an additional $100.
I could only haul about 2.5-3 buckets of wet dirt in the hauler due to limited lift capability. My 3720 is rated for about #2000.
This may be an idea for those of you who want a hauler/dump for your CUT. Haul wood, trash, mulch, dirt, rock or whatever you want. With a quick hitch it is easy to unhook and reconnect without getting off the tractor. The hauler is rated for 2500#.
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