MODIFY BRUSH HOG SOME MORE

[3RRL]

Larry, thanks for the videos. I have heard LOTS about Plasma, but have never seen one in action. Now I have! That makes really nice clean parts, and FAST!

Rob, What program do you use to make your sketches and then the parts layout? I really like the way your plans come to fruition.

Mike

Hi Mike,
I use an old (very old) version Of CadKey 99. I have their workshop solid modeling v21.5 too, but don't know how to use it.

 

[3RRL]

I did get to play golf this morning and then went to my grandson's 5th birthday. He is my only grandson out of 10 grandkids, can you believe that? Anyway, since Larry has shipped the plasma cut parts already, I though about getting busy with some steel preparation on my end.

I told you about trying to use what material I had on hand and that I had to be frugal about it. I thought I'd share how I'm doing it. I had some 1/4" wall rectangular tubing that was 2" x 5" which was way to big and heavy to use for any of these pieces. My plan was to saw them in half to get "U" shaped pieces that would end up 2" wide and 2-1/2" tall. That gives me twice as much material then to use for this project.

I don't have a vertical band saw so I made a mandrel for some small tooling slitting blades I had in my tool box. I bolted the tubing on the milling table and cut them in half. Didn't take very long at all.



And the cut came out as though it was milled finished, so I didn't even have to mill them afterwards at all. Here is the sawed finish and this is what they look like next to a whole bar of it.



These "U" shaped pieces will become part of the tail wheel assembly that moves up and down. I will make some more for the hydraulic pivot frame that is welded to the rotary cutter. And also some for the reinforcement of the cutter body instead of the usual angle iron. There will be different lengths, of course, for the different uses. These "U" shapes will be very strong when welded to each other but not nearly as bulky and heavy as a whole bar of it.

 

[GuglioLS]

Rob,

Those saw cuts sure did come out nice, pretty amazing to me the little saw sliced through all that 1/4" wall tube. What is the saw material?, Diameter?, TPI & what RPM did you use? It also looks like you might have used some sort of cutting fluid? How do you apply the cutting fluid? When I need some sort of cutting fluid, I just use a small plastic eye dropper to squirt it where needed. Is that what you do? I learned from you that most of the time you use compressed air to clear the chips & cool the cutting tool, after I saw you doing that, thats what I do 90% of the time, it sure works great and avoids allot of mess, so thanks for sharing that tip.

I know it's a bunch of questions but I always like to learn something new from the master of machining.

OK one more question, which way is the blade spinning? CW or CCW.

Thanks,

Larry

 

[3RRL]

Rob,

Those saw cuts sure did come out nice, pretty amazing to me the little saw sliced through all that 1/4" wall tube. What is the saw material?, Diameter?, TPI & what RPM did you use? It also looks like you might have used some sort of cutting fluid? How do you apply the cutting fluid? When I need some sort of cutting fluid, I just use a small plastic eye dropper to squirt it where needed. Is that what you do? I learned from you that most of the time you use compressed air to clear the chips & cool the cutting tool, after I saw you doing that, thats what I do 90% of the time, it sure works great and avoids allot of mess, so thanks for sharing that tip.

I know it's a bunch of questions but I always like to learn something new from the master of machining.

OK one more question, which way is the blade spinning? CW or CCW.

Thanks,

Larry

Hi Larry,
The tubing is probably just CRS or HRS standard stuff. I put the blade on the shaft so the teeth are facing the same direction as when you tighten the screw that holds the cap on. Like when you put a wire wheel on an angle grinder. When it is running, it is tightening the screw. These blades are for cutting exact slot width so the teeth are not off sett at all. This one happens to be only .016" thick but they come in different thickness.

I use regular dark cutting oil in this case because the teeth for this slitting saw are very fine. The saw blade is 3" in diameter this one has ??? 100 teeth?...very fine. I apply the oil with an acid brush to keep it lubricated and clean the teeth. I have air on it as well. I have a little oil holder for that with a heavy bottom so it doesn't get tipped over too easy. A dropper is fine too, but with the brush I can clean the teeth as I lubricate. Rpms are very slow at around 60 to 80 rpm and feed is about 1"/min. approx. You can depth mic down to the blade if you want an exact measurement for the cut.

 

[patrick_g]

Seems to me to be a self defeating effort. You mow the same places time after time. My Brush Hog is pretty heavy duty and will scalp right down to the dirt really well and become a dirt forming tool. After a while the repetitive scalping tends to level the rough spouts out. Your work will help preserve your rough spots.

The only time I have ever put a wrench on my tail wheel assembly is when a bolt was loose or broken. I never felt the need to adjust the tail wheel up and down.

Maybe a push rod running to your parallelogram tail wheel mount and attached to the 3ph for actuating power would do automatically what you intend to do manually. I have TNT. If I used the angle between my top lift and the deck or even between the deck and the lower arms to act as a bell crank to actuate the push rod, I'd get automatic tail wheel adjusting. Changing the length of the control horn at the tail wheel end would adjust the amplitude/proportionality between the tail wheel adjustments and the change in angle at the front end of the assy. Changing the attachment points at the 3ph end would change the amount of movement of the push rod. If I missed something and the adjustment is backwards, just mount a bell crank midway to reverse the direction of the push rod's activation. Changing the effective radius of a connection at this direction changing bell crank would change the front to back movement ratios as well.

Simple, mechanical, no need for dynamic user intervention. Once provided with your input through static adjustment it will make all the dynamic adjustments automatically as you mow and operate the 3PH and or top link if you have a hydraulic one which makes for VERY HANDY implement adjustments.

Pat

 

[3RRL]

All good advice especially the bell and horn part.
That is ... all except the part about having your Brush Hog become a dirt forming tool and the suggestion of leveling via repetitive scalping. LOL ... I would advise against doing that myself. It's no wonder when these guys ask about how to level their fields, you recommend the brush hog...I could never figure that out.
(Just messin' with ya a little Pat)

Did I mention I don't mind a little user intervention? Man, I love doing that. To me, that's what makes all this stuff so fun. And that's one reason I'm doing this mod.
Like it says in your signature "Never be afraid to try something new", right?

 

[GuglioLS]

"Seems to me to be a self defeating effort". Sort of just like your comments, geeze Louise Pat.


Maybe a push rod running to your parallelogram tail wheel mount and attached to the 3ph for actuating power would do automatically what you intend to do manually.

Sounds like an interesting idea, I suggest starting your own thread to impress us. You could draw it up and post a picture or two of how it's all going to work. Please show your construction efforts with exact details and video animation.

I think there are at least a few of us who are really looking forward to seeing Rob's project completed and working to his satisfaction.

Don't be a spoil sport, Now hush up and let Rob proceed.
_______________________________________________________________


Rob, hey Bro, - thanks for the machining tips and answering my questions about those cool saws you use to cut metal.

Your plasma cut parts should be there tomorrow. I used good boxes to ship them and a whole roll of packing tape to make sure they get to you safe & sound. I'll be on the road most all this week. After you get your parts and check them over, give me a call and let me know if they meet your specifications, I will be in cell phone range.


Larry

 

[3RRL]

Hey Larry,
Thanks for watching over me man, you're the greatest!
I will give you a call for sure. I'm really looking forward to your surprise package too. Good luck on your road trip and be careful.

 

[DRL]

Larry,
Great video's. That CNC plasma table is too cool. If I were rich I would have to have one of those. I know that you get special deals, barter or what ever, but what do they normally charge for that service. It is so fast that if it is an hourly rate it must be pretty high.
Great work, keep it coming. There are a lot of us out here who like to read and not say much. We appreciate the effort.
Thanks
Doug

 

[patrick_g]

It's no wonder when these guys ask about how to level their fields, you recommend the brush hog...I could never figure that out.
(Just messin' with ya a little Pat)

I guess some folks just didn't understand that my post was tongue in cheek humor! I was laughing out loud while reading your post. Hey everybody lighten up. I have a reminder announcement for everyone: We are all under a death sentence which can be carried out at any time but in the meantime don't be tooooooo serious.

GuglioLS, I'm sorry but like the pregnant lady you took seriously what was poked at you in fun.

My lack of skill with a brush hog does get me into dirt shaping and I suppose if I stayed with it long enough in a couple decades of concentrated effort I would get the desired results provided the rain didn't erode the bare dirt!

Of course I don't recommend or expect anyone to build what I described. Sure it would probably work but so what.

If I had thought about it I may have started a separate thread for my "BRAINFART" including such brush hog improvement suggestions as digger teeth to loosen the soil for the rotary dirt leveler blades. We could have discussed the pros and cons of hydraulic raise and lower for the scarifier teeth and whether teeth in front, in back, or both would be better.

Regarding the consumables comment as applied to plasma cutting. I was concerned about that situation when I bought my second (larger, 40 amp) plasma cutter with drag-while-in-contact style torch. I get amazing long life with the consumables. Maybe I'm just lucky or has the torch designs improved. Of course I'm free hand and template based not with x-y table (covet covet!)

Pat

 

[3RRL]

Hey Larry,
I got the FedEx packages today and I'm super excited. Man, you must have spent hours wrapping each piece individually like it was a wine glass! They look great too. Here is a picture of the pieces he sent.



Not only that, but Larry sent me a surprise also. Here are 4 cartons of my favorite Pall Malls and a giant Zippo lighter and flints!!! Hooo eeee! Geez Larry, you must have spent a fortune on that stuff.



What can I say ... thank you sooo much for the freebie plasma cutting and all that steel and the super nice gifts too. I will owe you for life, I'm sure.
thanks thanks thanks thanks....

 

[GuglioLS]

Larry,
Great video's. That CNC plasma table is too cool. If I were rich I would have to have one of those. I know that you get special deals, barter or what ever, but what do they normally charge for that service. It is so fast that if it is an hourly rate it must be pretty high.
Great work, keep it coming. There are a lot of us out here who like to read and not say much. We appreciate the effort.
Thanks
Doug

Doug,

I see this is your very first post! Welcome to TBN, thanks for your positive comments on Robs project and your interest in asking about plasma cutting.

"what do they normally charge for that service. It is so fast that if it is an hourly rate it must be pretty high."

Surprisingly it's not as much as you might think. The key to saving $ on plasma cutting is having the drawing ready to import directly into their software. Since Rob did all his own design work and supplied the file, it was easy as pie, so that saved a bundle. They would normally charge 60.00 / hour for design services and the same rate to get the drawings into the software and ready to cut. The sequence of cuts are set manually by selecting the order of what gets cut and when. As an example - you set the starting point (on each part) for the initial plasma burn through, then cut all the internal holes or slots, then cut the outline of the part.

On this project, the 3/8" steel cost $60. Getting Robs file into the software and setting the cut sequence took another 30 minutes (which they did not charge me for) labor (watching it cut) was 1/2 hour @ 60 / hour. After the parts were cut, the slag on the bottom side needed to be chipped away, which I did myself to save a little more, that took another 30 minutes.

So total actual cost for material, labor & taxes for all those parts was a mere 99.99

To make money on their 10K machine, they pretty much run it all day every day. So their profit is in volume. You would be surprised how many average "Jane's" & "Joe's" (like me) walk in to get parts cut. Along with artists wanting Geckos & Kokopelli's, those things were laying all over the place.


Larry

 

[GuglioLS]

Rob,
I'm glad all the parts arrived in one piece.

That lighter is not giant, in Robs hands it looks normal. Enjoy your "trick" lighter, maybe use it as a camp lighter? or mount in on your tractor in a handy spot.

"I will owe you for life, I'm sure"

Well just don't smoke em all at once so you will owe me for a long, long time.
I'm pleased you find the parts acceptable. I hope to see you machining and assembling ever thing soon.

Larry

 

[AMP762]

Not only that, but Larry sent me a surprise also. Here are 4 cartons of my favorite Pall Malls and a giant Zippo lighter and flints!!!

Oh I can't believe you posted that. The smoking Nazis will get you.

 

[john_bud]

I'm sure they were the (wink) candy cigarettes we all used to get at Halloween ! (wink wink)

jb

 

[3RRL]

Now that I got my sugar fix, I got some more work done on my project.
Not as much as I wanted to get done by now, but I've made some progress. Most of it is pretty boring though. Larry had warned me that the plasma cuts would have taper on them and they sure do. It is perfectly acceptable for the perimeter shapes, in fact they are great. But the holes need to be bored out to fit the pins and bushings.
Like boring out the 1" diameter holes for the pins and the 1.375 diameter holes for the bushings.



I ran out of scrap leader pins and bushings and found another set a little larger. So I decided to make the top pivots using the larger pins and bushings. Here is how the 1.250 diameter pins and also the 1.625 diameter bushings fit the bores. I only have one more set of holes to bore out now. That one where the bushing is sitting on the plates.



One last little video of how the bores are about a half thou over for a really good perfect slip fit. It is probably way to close once I start welding. But I wanted a kind of tight pivot with no slop, since that will be the weak link in the assembly. You can see how good the fit is... if this pin is not lined up, it's not gonna go in.

 

[3RRL]

I also have a little more steel slitting to do to make enough pieces from the scrap tubes I had. I've most of it slitted in half and also milled to length. Man, there are a lot of pieces after all. I better get busy with the rest of the machining. I have to cut and grind the hardened bushings and leader pins to length yet. I will do that on my surface grinder with a thin cut off wheel.
Look at all this steel now.



I also got the other wheel in from Howse yesterday. I will have to make tubular sleeve and a frame for it so it's like the one I got. Howse lost my order the first time and so I emailed them. They said they didn't get the order? Then they said they did but no one took care of it. So I called them and talked to a guy who said he would personally ship the wheel. He also said he would send it next day air and not charge me anything for shipping because I had been waiting 2 weeks for it. Ground alone was about $30!! So air was probably a lot more. I thought it was swell of them to send it like that without charging me.

The last thing I'm waiting for is the 3/8 BSP fitting I need for the DPOCV. I will make up that hard line like I did for my backhoe cylinders and then take all this stuff up to camp. I'm not sure I will have everything ready before I leave for the 1 week vacation? Hope those fittings get here tomorrow.

 

[GuglioLS]

I've made some progress. Most of it is pretty boring though. LOL

Rob,
You have made good progress, the machining looks great too. Installing the hardened bushings is a change of plans? No doubt it will last much longer that way.
Two days after you posted this update, I'm surprised no one else has made any comments Did slicing all those tubes in half take quite a while? Did those fittings you ordered show up?

If we don't speak before you leave for camp, You & Loretta have a great time on vacation up at your 3R property. I would imagine your both pretty psyched getting ready to watch the logs being placed for your log cabin home.

Have a great weekend and vacation,

Larry

 

[john_bud]

Two days after you posted this update, I'm surprised no one else has made any comments Did slicing all those tubes in half take quite a while? Did those fittings you ordered show up?

LOL

Larry

Well, I'm a bit let down, so didn't post. Was expecting a full independently reactive, electro-hydraulic, 4 point mounted, laser interferometry based system able to maintain an exact cutting height (+/- 1 micron) no matter what the tractor did, ran over or how fast it was traveling --> with bluetooth GPS feedback to a heads up display driver information system that displays a calculated optimum path for minimum deck disturbance with maximum mowing productivity.

This is just the normal stunning stellar dead on perfect machining of an amazing modification that we have all come to expect from you two.

Yawn!



just kidding.

jb

 

[Grrrr]

Well, I'm a bit let down, so didn't post. Was expecting a full independently reactive, electro-hydraulic, 4 point mounted, laser interferometry based system able to maintain an exact cutting height (+/- 1 micron) no matter what the tractor did, ran over or how fast it was traveling --> with bluetooth GPS feedback to a heads up display driver information system that displays a calculated optimum path for minimum deck disturbance with maximum mowing productivity.

LOL

You should write sales literature jb

Looks like a great project Rob. I wish I had the skill that you have