Gauge wheels or tail wheel?

[gerard]

I can see the advantage of guage wheels but they do add some complexity. I put on heavy duty skid shoes for $75 and they work pretty well. I can crown the surface by having them set at different heights, or smooth without digging too much by adjusting them both the same so the blade doesnt dig too deep.

 

[bcp]

One of the best prices I've seen for gauge wheels/mounting arms-$138:

Landscape Rakes

Bruce

 

[Piston]

Everything looks good, but there is one thing I would change. I like how you used the single tailwheel design for mounting (as in one boom off the blade) but two wheels, great idea. The thing I would change is where the two wheels mount to the main boom, it is fixed, I would make that able to swivel, so when you want to adjust the tilt of the blade, both wheels will still stay on the ground and support the weight. The way you have it now, if you adjust your sidelink to tilt the blade, one wheel will dig in and the other will be up in the air, this may cause some weird trailing forces since the one wheel still on the ground won't be centered in the line of pull, but I don't know that for sure just thinking out loud. That's the only thing I would change, looks great so far!

 

[WagonRanch]

Piston: good thought! The vertical adjustment of the wheels continues to elude me as far as being quick and easy yet strong. I think that I'll make longer spindles on the caster fork, but leave the tube they go through short and use spacers to adjust the height if I have to. Also I have the single wheel option that's inline with the main beam so, while I won't have much bearing surface at least the thing should track.

 

[MJPetersen]

You have made good progress on your design and I think that you are going in a good way.

However, 1) if the boom for the wheels slopes down the blade will hit it if it is sharply angled or rotated to reverse. The main boom for the wheels should be level with the main boom of the blade. 2) if you put a second bracket for the top link connection, then you will be able to completely raise the wheels out of your way and if it is over-center then it will not stick out in back either and allow you to back up close to a wall or other object. Pull the pin on the blade side of the top link and relocate the connection further forward so that the wheels have swung up over center. Should work i think.

Mike

 

[bigdad]

Here is the latest concept. 8" iron wheels. Shop made forks and spindle. 2.5" heavy wall tubing because I already have it. 3x3/8" plate for uprights. Note that there are 3 wheel locations so that I can run a single wheel for snow. Top link from TSC used as height adjuster.

There is room to swing the blade 360 degrees as do both wheels without touching.

Suggestions?

Thanks again!

Won't the extreme length of the wheel boom restrict backing up close to start your pull?
Like a garage door or a parked vehicle?

 

[WagonRanch]

MJ: Yep, you're right, good call. I don't think that I want the tail wheel main boom totally parallel however because then the wheel spindles get really long.

What if I lowered it to the point where the blade clears when the wheels are level with the blade?

It wouldn't clear if the wheels were a couple of inches lower, but I think it might be an acceptable compromise. What do you think?

I added the bracket to hold the wheels in the "up" position. Is this what you meant?

BigDad: Good thought. I think that if I'm working in tight quarters then I'll pull the pins and leave the whole assembly behind or fold it up like MJ suggested.

 

[MJPetersen]

That is right!:thumbsup: Exactly right. One thing that I have found is that you will want to make your spindles a whole lot beefier than you would think. I have increased the size of mine and in my redesign that I am working on I will increase them yet again. I am thinking now that the spindle shaft would be no less than 7/8 in. but preferable would be 1 inch. The reason for this is quite simple, :ashamed: inevitably because the whole thing is so long, you will hang it on something immovable or bang it against the same and you will bend the spindles or the yoke. :ashamed: I know this! So make the spindles stout!

Mike

 

[WagonRanch]

MJ: thanks for all of your input! I'm new at this, so I'm moving carefully.

I was planning on using 3/4" Grade 8 bolts for the spindles. Since that's a bit undersized from your experience I thought that adding a brace may triangulate the spindles for additional strength.

Simple, but I'm finding that bolts larger than 3/4" get rare and expensive.

 

[MJPetersen]

What I forgot to mention when I posted this morning is a bit about folding the wheels up when not needed. Rather than pinning it to the vertical attach point, which at best will put your wheels vertical and force you to have another pin and find someway of hanging the top link, why not unpin the forward attach of the top link and put a bracket somewhere along your main beam of the blade and pin it there. That way the wheels can be over center past vertical and no additional pins are necessary. One additional bit is that the wheels will provide additional weight (a good thing in a blade, and if they are over center (past vertical) you will be able to back up that much closer to an obstacle.

Make sure that there is a way to grease those spindles because you want them very free.

Mike