Members home made attachments / improvements

Marks481 · May 27, 2007

rivco, what brand landscape rake is that? Looks like a pretty clean install. Did you buy it with the three pt attachment installed?

Rivco · May 27, 2007

Tim_in_CT said:
rivco, what brand landscape rake is that? Looks like a pretty clean install. Did you buy it with the three pt attachment installed?

Tim, The rake is a 48" york rake (model # TA14) but it's a tow behind type for lawn & garden tractors, so I modified my 48" John Deere snow blade mount and welded it to a 180 attachment plate so I can use both the rake and blade as front mount attachments. I have gauge wheels for the rake but it works pretty slick without them.

Barryh · May 28, 2007

Rivco said:
Tim, The rake is a 48" york rake (model # TA14) but it's a tow behind type for lawn & garden tractors, so I modified my 48" John Deere snow blade mount and welded it to a 180 attachment plate so I can use both the rake and blade as front mount attachments. I have gauge wheels for the rake but it works pretty slick without them.

I'm defiantly missing out here without a welder. One of these days.

Rivco · May 28, 2007

Barryh said:
I'm defiantly missing out here without a welder. One of these days.

Barry, I own a 230 V. Millermatic 175 mig welder, it will weld 1/4" mild steel very easy in a single pass. I have welded 3/8" & 1/2" plate (mild steel) in multiple passes with no problems at all. I wanted to buy the Miller 210 or 250 but they were not within my budget at the time. The 175 is a great little welder- very close in spec's. to the Lincoln SP175. You can get the new Miller 180 for around $800.00 W/O the tank. Starting out you don't need the gas setup. Just buy some .030 or .035 flux core wire and practice, practice, practice !!!

PS. If I were going to get into welding Aluminum, stainless, or exotic metals I would take a welding course at a local school, but think about all the trouble I could get myself into

!!!

woodlandfarms · May 28, 2007

I picked up a used Lincoln Tombstone ac/dc stick for $100. Craigslist...

Now I just have to figure out how to plug it in...

cqaigy2 · May 28, 2007

woodlandfarms said:
I picked up a used Lincoln Tombstone ac/dc stick for $100. Craigslist...

Now I just have to figure out how to plug it in...

That brings back memorys.

woodlandfarms · May 29, 2007

cqaigy2 said:
That brings back memorys.

I am glad it does. Get your tush over to my place and teach me how to use it

Barryh · May 29, 2007

Rivco said:
Barry, I own a 230 V. Millermatic 175 mig welder, it will weld 1/4" mild steel very easy in a single pass. I have welded 3/8" & 1/2" plate (mild steel) in multiple passes with no problems at all. I wanted to buy the Miller 210 or 250 but they were not within my budget at the time. The 175 is a great little welder- very close in spec's. to the Lincoln SP175. You can get the new Miller 180 for around $800.00 W/O the tank. Starting out you don't need the gas setup. Just buy some .030 or .035 flux core wire and practice, practice, practice !!!

PS. If I were going to get into welding Aluminum, stainless, or exotic metals I would take a welding course at a local school, but think about all the trouble I could get myself into !!!

Very nice setup. A welder is a little further down on my list for now, but I know it sure would come in handy around here. Watching you guys weld all of your stuff at will, makes me want to get one sooner rather than later

cqaigy2 · May 29, 2007

woodlandfarms said:
I am glad it does. Get your tush over to my place and teach me how to use it

I haveta get mine hooked up too. It's ac only though, not a fancy ac/dc rig like yours.

I hope i'll be able to weld with it. Last time i tried welding something, i discovered i couldn't see worth a crap any more. I could only hear the arc, the weld held but it sure isn't pretty.

Mine has what looks to be an old clothes dryer plug on it, uses 220volt so i have to wire in an outlet for it. I have a 200amp service in my "shop" so i'll get a double 50amp breaker, but that's going to be when the weather isn't good for working outside.

toy · May 30, 2007

Barryh said:
Very nice setup. A welder is a little further down on my list for now, but I know it sure would come in handy around here. Watching you guys weld all of your stuff at will, makes me want to get one sooner rather than later

My wish list reminds me of my sons Christmas list when he was young, mine just keeps getting longer and longer. I squirrel away a few dollars to keep on hand so when I get the weekly trader if one of the tools on my wish list shows up in it I can go right then and get it if it is a good deal and you can get good deals that way but you might not get the tools in the order that it is on your wish list. I also watch out for closeouts at the lumber yard on their tools and buy that way which saves a lot of money . I don't care if the package is dirty or dusty its the tool that I am buying . I've seen people pass up a good deal because of the packaging being frayed. I have also bargained with the manager of the store for a lower price[ my wife goes and hides at that point} and quite often I get it. That is just some of the ways that I accumulate tools[ often tools that I never use] . I am sure that others have better tips than these [share with us]. The tools that I like the most is when I make something that turns out to be something usable. The other day I made an attachment that I beleive would make the lightest attachment award. This attachment allows me to hook onto my utility trailer, pull the trailer up to the back of my truck and put it on the receiver ball without having to get off of my pt other than to lock it onto the ball and hook up the chains and lights. The attachment is just a peice of pipe and two plates bolted to the trailer tongue.,works great.