dozer root rake

[markct]

i started to make a root rake for our dozer this weekend, for the square cross tube that the teeth all will attach to i am using two C channels that were the outer channels from a forklift mast, and for the uprights that will go up to pin it to the top of the blade i will use some of the inner sections of the same forklift mast which are shaped like a heavy I beam, heres a few pics of the start of the project

 

[markct]

here is the parts in the process of grinding off the remaining welds after i had torched all the brackets and mounts off the forklift mast channels, my girlfriend is helping grind down the parts

 

[markct]

after cleaning all the welds from brackets and stuff off so i had just two six foot long channels i beveled the edges where they will go together and then clamped them up, ran a root pass of weld

 

[markct]

here is a close up of where i started running a finish bead over it, this is the part that will be the main cross piece that i will weld all the teeth to to form the actual rake part

 

[markct]

and these are the two pieces that will be the vertical uprights to attach it to the top of the blade, more forklift mast parts, plenty heavy duty steel, and best of all the forklift was free, it was one of those electric stand up warehouse ones, so it was of no use to me so i had just take it for parts anyhow

 

[markct]

and heres a pic of the dozer it will go on, its actualy my fathers machine but he lets me use it and do what i like with it, i made the brush canopy for it just a week or two ago, its all schedule 40 pipe bent, notched and welded together, it came out pretty good, didnt have any batteries for the camera tho while i was making it so no pictures of the project just the end result

 

[EddieWalker]

Thanks for the pics. I'll be watching to see how it comes out.

Are you going to add side screens to the dozer? I have them and couldn't imagine clearing brush without them.

 

[markct]

i had thought about adding the side screens but at the time i dont have any mesh big enough for both sides, the mesh on the rear is actualy scrap "skelaton" that i saved from some parts we had punched outa 11 gauge at work on the punch press, they are one inch squares that have a hole in the center, so when they punch them out i usualy save the skelatons since they are good to use as mesh, and best of all they are free, most likely i wont bother to put side screens on anyhow, we dont do all that much land clearing with the dozer, i mostly wanted something to protect me from "widow makers", branches falling outa trees when pushing them over

 

[markct]

here is a pic of welding up the rest of the seam between the two channels to form the box tube

 

[markct]

another of me welding, i burned up almost an entire 10lb box of rod this evening