Cultipacker design question.

[HCJtractor]

I am designing and building a cultipacker using the packer wheels from Everything Attachments. It will be 88" wide using 22 wheels weighing 28 lbs. apiece for a total of 616 lbs. The shaft is cold rolled 2". It will be a lift style with hydraulic wheels to lift the whole assembly up off the ground for ease of transport. My question is whether I should add a center support and bearing to help support the weight when lifted to prevent bending or bowing of the shaft. It would add a gap in coverage, but that's no big deal as far as I can see. I just don't want to damage the shaft when it is bouncing during transporting. Would you add a third bearing or should 2" shaft be rigid enough??

 

[flusher]

I am designing and building a cultipacker using the packer wheels from Everything Attachments. It will be 88" wide using 22 wheels weighing 28 lbs. apiece for a total of 616 lbs. The shaft is cold rolled 2". It will be a lift style with hydraulic wheels to lift the whole assembly up off the ground for ease of transport. My question is whether I should add a center support and bearing to help support the weight when lifted to prevent bending or bowing of the shaft. It would add a gap in coverage, but that's no big deal as far as I can see. I just don't want to damage the shaft when it is bouncing during transporting. Would you add a third bearing or should 2" shaft be rigid enough??

What's the wall thickness on the 2" dia shaft? I'd go 1/4" thick and not worry about bending with only 616 lb. But it's easy enough to added a central support bushing so do that if you're still worried.

Good luck.

 

[ak9]

HCJtractor
I'm assuming the 2" is solid bar ? then with the 3 point in the air and the bar pulled o/c is supporting about 300 lbs on the tips? I think your ok ...say if you added more weight in the future to it.Then do your physics
ak9

 

[Just Bill]

It would be easier to add the center bearing now than later.
Thats a big span unsupported and will flex quite a bit both transporting and in use.

 

[HCJtractor]

Yes, the shaft is a solid shaft. I don,t think I have ever seen a packer with a center bearing. Have you guys?

 

[Oldstuff]

I have always assumed that they are designed without a center support because they need to flex a little bit to conform to the ground contour? What do you all think?

Oldstuff

 

[sweettractors]

If I were building a cultipacker, I would be sure the rollers were cast in the USA. I hear horror stories much too often about imported rollers cracking and busting after a short time. A new Brillion 18 inch USA cast roller should cost around $70 each.

 

[HCJtractor]

If I were building a cultipacker, I would be sure the rollers were cast in the USA. I hear horror stories much too often about imported rollers cracking and busting after a short time. A new Brillion 18 inch USA cast roller should cost around $70 each.

Herein lies the problem. At $70 each, a seven footer would be over 2 grand just in rollers. That's really not feasible for most of us. Even so, I don't know anyone in this area who could even get the Brillion, although I agree they are the mac-daddy cultipackers. The only other rollers I have seen are those little 9 inches from Agri Supply, and those appear to be the ones most use. These 15" ones from Everything Attachments appear to be pretty solid, but I have no idea where they are made. The only other source is to buy used, and they are very rare around here. I know you sell them and I actually bought a set of crow foot rollers from you last year, and frankly was rather disappointed, so they are still sitting in my shop unused. Because of that experience, I won't buy any more used rollers sight unseen.

 

[Creamer]

2" is a big shaft but you are right to question whether you should add a center bearing at 88" long. Quick calcs using a 10G shock load show that you should have no problem with the 2" solid shaft. It still seems like a long span though so I am wondering if my 10 G assumption is good. As for flex in the field under at 1G - don't expect any. If it were me I would still put in the center bearing.

 

[F250DSLPWR]

I would add the center support. It is easy to do it now while building the cultipacker. You might also want to buy a receiver hitch tube and weld it on the opposite side of the cultipacker. If you deceide later you want to pull the cultipacker rather than lift it with the 3 pt. Then you just slide in a 2x2 sq steel tube to make a trailer tounge and hitch.

something like this:
OMNI 60 Inch Cultipacker - OMNI Mfg LLC