Homemade Middle buster.

MarkStewart · Sep 10, 2003

Here is something I cobbed together with my new used arc welder I just bought. Surprisingly it works better than I had anticipated. I used a drawbar that I bought at TSC for 22$ some scrap metal and a 10" plow type blade I bought also from TSC for 4$. Just welded everything together and drilled two holes for blade.

msuttner · Sep 10, 2003

How about a picture! A picture is worth a thousand words... /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

MarkStewart · Sep 10, 2003

Sorry about that here is the link to some of my pics.

It will take a minute to load. web page

Mrwurm · Sep 10, 2003

That'l work. Sure feels great to make it yourself /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

MossRoad · Sep 10, 2003

Very nice!

msuttner · Sep 12, 2003

Thanks for the pictures, it gives me some ideas on how to make one myself.
Michael

MarkStewart · Sep 12, 2003

Thanks for the comments. I think it turned out ok considering it was my first welding project. I already see how I could have built it better, but for what I am going to use it for it should be fine. My tractor is only 14hp and only weighs 1200 lbs, when It snagged roots the tractor just spun it's tires. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif Actually it was my second welding project, the first one (front weights) wasn't too pretty.

RonR · Sep 12, 2003

Nice thing about welding......

I welded chain hooks on my bucket and one weld looked like a real rookie did it. It was about 110 out and I was dripping sweat on the helmit glass, so it was impossible to see. The weld was strong enough, just looked bad.

So I ground it off last weekend and laid a better looking bead on top.

Ah, the joys of working with iron........

Ron /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

wroughtn_harv · Sep 13, 2003

Re: Nice thing about welding......

Probably the hardest thing for me to adjust to when I started working with wood and stone versus steel was with steel anything could be stretched and no one would know it. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

It only took a couple of too shorts on four by twelve cedar beams to comprehend the difference between a mistake and a joint. One is a very very expensive toothpick, the other a work of art. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

Except for some mig welds there is this interesting point I've discovered. The best way to make a good looking weld is to concentrate on making a good weld. It seems that best welds seem to look that way. Funny, huh?

The reason for the caveat about some mig welds is it's a lot easier to make a good looking weld that isn't with a mig than any other process.

One of the things neophyte weldors worry about is blowing a hole while making a joint. But if you watch a weldor making a weld you will see that hole is all part of the process. You make a gap and then you fill it with material from both sides and your filler, stick, mig, etc.

If you never make a hole then you're not close enough to welding the material. It's all about riding the edge between melting everything and melting just enough.

Welding is a lot like riding a bicycle or driving a car. When you're adept at it your attention is ahead of where you're at. Also it takes you places where you want to go faster and easier than you ever thought possible.

Gary_in_Indiana · Sep 13, 2003

Re: Nice thing about welding......

<font color="blue"> The reason for the caveat about some mig welds is it's a lot easier to make a good looking weld that isn't with a mig than any other process </font>

The very, very first thing my instructor did when I walked into MIG welding class was have me watch him set two pieces of stock at 90 degrees and run a bead at the joint. When he was done he asked me what I thought and I answered honestly that I thought it looked great. He then picked it up and slammed it down on the welding table and it came apart instantly.

"That's your first lesson," he said. "All MIG welds 'look' good. You have got to make sure they 'are' good."

RonR · Sep 13, 2003

Best welders in the world

A mfg plant I used to work at had a customer service manager who used to say "We have the finest welders in the world working making our products! No other welders in the world can run a perfect bead on a joint and not get any penetration on either part!"

I liked that.

StoneHeartFarm · Sep 21, 2003

Did you bolt on the blade, or weld it? I didn't notice any bolts in the picture.

Steve

mrcaptainbob · Sep 23, 2003

Please forgive my ignorance.......what's the idea behind a 'middle-buster'? What makes it different (preffered?) from the 'regular' plow blade?

Bird · Sep 23, 2003

A "regular" plow, also known as a breaking plow or turning plow, digs in and rolls the dirt over to one side (usually the right side). If you want to plow up a whole field, a good plow to have. A "middle buster", sometimes also known as a potato plow, digs in and turns the dirt to both sides simultaneously; great for digging up potatoes, or even occasionally other root crops, such as beets, turnips, carrots, and onions. In some cases, you can use it just to dig a shallow ditch, may or may not get deep enough to run underground water or electric lines and such. And since it turns the dirt both directions, you can make multiple passes, moving over the right distance each time, and leave "hills" or raised rows. I sometimes used mine just to tear up the ground a bit deeper before using the tiller.

MarkStewart · Sep 24, 2003

I used 2 grade 8 bolts. Here is some more pics. web page It will take a minute or two for page to load.

StoneHeartFarm · Sep 25, 2003

Really looks nice! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Steve

mrcaptainbob · Sep 28, 2003

Thanks, Bird.

Junkman · Sep 28, 2003

I assume that the dog is the official post hole digger????? LOL....

MarkStewart · Sep 29, 2003

I wish that was the case, he's good at digging holes, but they aren't deep enough. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif Because I have about 50 holes to dig for my new fence. Unfortunatly I'll have to dig them by hand.