Dirt scoop for my 434 IH

andyfletcher · Apr 7, 2004

Just painted. The bucket is from a circa 1900 horse drawn
scoop used for grading roads. Very light and 3/16 plate. When it got to the other end the guy would trip the rope and it would dump the load and he'd bring the horses around for another bite.

The bucket of course can't be brought over high mounds as it's a 3PH system, but it will dump on the fly by pulling the leaver. It'll stack about 3 loads in one mound before the scoop edge touches the earth. It's so well balanced I don't even stop. The bucket dumps and swings up to the lock mechanism on it's own. I can adjust forward or back by my MH bracket shown. I used 4in channel, and the rest scrap. I included a wear edge which it didn't have.

Only thing is the MH bracket has 5/8in holes so my pivot bolt is limited to that size. I may have to drill all to 3/4, but I hate drilling.

Taylortractornut · Apr 8, 2004

i like that scoop my granfather had a larger one like that theres still a few that are used toay by the Menonites. I used to make one like that for a friends feed store to handle mulch and other duties. Its nice to see something like that reused. I need to build one like yours to go on the tractor at work when landscaping around the pond ill haul 10 yardsto the site in a scraper then i could use the tractor to tote it to the smaller spots.

KiotiJohn · Apr 9, 2004

Looks like a great job Andy. I think tractor people were playing the recycling game long before it became popular! good job. John

jinman · Apr 9, 2004

Andy, I can't remember where I saw the picture, but it was an old horse-drawn scoop being used to build a pond. I can't imagine the time and effort it took to do that with a scoop. Of course, if all you have is a team of horses or mules, what else are you gonna do? /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

I like your "repurpose-ing" of that old scoop. Every time you use it, you can just imagine what the original inventor would think if he could see what you've done with it. I think he'd be proud. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

Bird · Apr 9, 2004

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( used to build a pond. I can't imagine the time and effort it took to do that with a scoop )</font>

And some pretty big ponds, too. Lake Murray at Ardmore, OK, was built by the WPA in the 1930s and my parents used to have some pictures of the construction underway with mules and those scoops.