Fixing a junky plow.

[Farmwithjunk]

Oh, I thought that was the frog. Probably got my terms mixed up, but that is the part that is bent. It must be 3/4 of an inch thick. The wear surfaces look quite good. I have hit quite a few rocks and have popped the shear pins on a stump or two. One stump stopped me cold. So I may have damaged it myself, but like I said, the hitch pins, and their attachment points were bent all to heck before I ever used it so someone, probably with a bigger tractor than mine, had already given it a pretty hard time.

I wonder how much a welding shop would charge to heat it up and hammer the bend out of it? Would that weaken it a lot?

The frog is the piece of iron that all the wear parts bolt to that gives the bottom it's form. It attaches to the shank. The moldboard, shin, share, and landslide all attach to the frog.

As far as where to check for bending, I'd be more inclined to believe the portion of the frame that captures the shank would twist before the shank itself.

 

[N80]

As I suspected, I've got my terms all wrong. The shank is what is bent. The actual frog looks fine. It also looks a lot easier to fix if it were bent. This shank is a hefty chunk o steel. Thanks to you guys for helping me with the terms. I think the problem I would run into with getting the part from KK or Leinback would be the bolt pattern on the upper end of the shank. The bolt pattern on the plow end is probably the same but there may be some variation on the frame end.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Where would you find something like that? Body shop maybe?

Welding shop is what I was thinking. We have a guy here that has a 2 story press that could bend a 24" I beam into a "U" if you wanted it. The press probably has a 6' stroke. I had a bent reese hitch straightened like new with it.


Chris

 

[N80]

There is a welding shop near me. They fixed a crack in a weld in my bucket for cheap. I may see what they can do.

I do not want to spend much money on this because I'd prefer to buy a good old plow.

 

[gemini5362]

The shank is leg portion of the frame. The part that swings back when the shear bolt does it's thing.....

I am going to go out on a limb here since this is a tractor forum but your local tractor service center might even have a press.

 

[N80]

I am going to go out on a limb here since this is a tractor forum but your local tractor service center might even have a press.

I've been in their shop a few times. Its pretty small. I don't recall seeing a press of any size but I might have missed it.

The JD place nearby (which I like) has a huge shop....so big it seems intimidating to me. But, it never hurts to ask I guess.

 

[gemini5362]

I've been in their shop a few times. Its pretty small. I don't recall seeing a press of any size but I might have missed it.

The JD place nearby (which I like) has a huge shop....so big it seems intimidating to me. But, it never hurts to ask I guess.

I could not imagine trying to run a tractor repair shop without a press. by the very nature of their product they have to straighten things that get bent. They also have to press out bearings and races etc. Presses are getting a lot cheaper than they used to be Harbor freight sells a 20 ton pretty reasonable. I believe I gave somewhere around 300.00 for my 30 ton press. If your favorite shop does not have one then probably the JD will have. You might get some estimates. A local machine shop might do the job for you cheaper.

 

[N80]

The problem may be what kind of press we're talking about. I just assumed a typical shop press would be too small for this sort of thing. I'm sure the Kubota shop has a press for bearings and such, but in my imagination I was picturing something more....industrial. Even my brother-in-law has a good sized press in his shop. No idea what the rating is, but its a good 6-8 feet tall, 'I' beam frame and all that.

How much press would you need to straighten something like this? I initially said it was 3/4 inch thick and I tend to overestimate everything, but in reality I bet it is at least an inch thick.

Come to think of it, it wouldn't take much for a machine shop to make something like this. If the stock was the right thickness, all it would require is a few holes drilled.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I am in the process of adapting my log splitter into a press. My splitter is one I built and has a fixed plate on the end of the beam. The wedge is connected to the piston via a pin and the whole thing slides in a track. All I have to do is build a piece to replace the wedge for the press. Then when I need to use it as a press simply pull the pin, remove the splitting wedge, and insert the press adapter.

Chris

 

[nate_m]

I am in the process of adapting my log splitter into a press. My splitter is one I built and has a fixed plate on the end of the beam. The wedge is connected to the piston via a pin and the whole thing slides in a track. All I have to do is build a piece to replace the wedge for the press. Then when I need to use it as a press simply pull the pin, remove the splitting wedge, and insert the press adapter.

Chris

I too have found that a log-splitter makes an excellent press. One additional point to add, though, is that the high flow-rate of the hydraulics can make it difficult for precision work. I would add a flow regulator or restricter orifice to slow things down a bit.