Pictures of home-made front-hoe

davesisk · May 7, 2004

As promised (although 2 weeks late! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif).

Here's 3 pics of the front hoe I built. (I didn't build the bucket, of course...I bought it last year.) The mounting plate is cut from 1/2" thick steel plate with a plasma cutter, the boom is 1/4" walled 4" square tubing, and I just replaced the 8" cylinder with a 12" cylinder (which required me to cut the tab that the end of the cylinder mounts to off and weld it back 4"). I welded the tabs onto the attachment plate using TIG, and most of the other welding was stick (nice that a TIG machine will also stick weld!) I get quite a bit more open/close travel with the longer stroke cylinder..I'm very pleased with it, and I think I can call it finished!

The thumb was made from the corners of the 1/2" plate that I cut off...good use of the scrap! I'll eventually have to replace the 1/4" plate that I welded the thumb to with something thicker...you can probably see from the photos that I've already bent it by picking up tree trunks.

Note that not only is the thumb really useful for picking up things like tree limbs and trunks, it also helps quite a bit with digging. The force of curling the bucket has the tendency to pull the tractor forward (even if the wheels are spinning against the pull)...jamming the thumb into the ground helps give it something to curl the bucket against, plus it helps break up the ground.

I am very, VERY pleased with this attachment. It was remarkable effective with the 8" cylinder...it should be even more so with the 12" cylinder on it.

Anyway, here's the first pic...full view of tractor with the front hoe.

davesisk · May 7, 2004

Here's a close-up of the front hoe open...

davesisk · May 7, 2004

And here's a close-up of the hoe closed. I'd actually wouldn't mind a little more travel, but a longer-stroke cylinder would be too long for the boom...I'd have to attach the cylinder to the top of the mounting plate rather than the boom, and that likely wouldn't be nearly as strong (the force would try to tear the boom off of the mounting plate!).

smartguyz · May 7, 2004

Dave -

That is just awesome!

I was wondering, especially with those who have the Lackender hoes, whether they have also noted any of the 'pivot pin' bending/breaking issues. I have the PT mini-hoe, and this weekend (barring inclement weather), we'll give it a good workout in the orchard.

Great job!

-Rob /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

davesisk · May 7, 2004

I've updated my web-site with these photos. Also, you can see from the new picture of me on the left side of this post that I forgot to shave this morning... /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Dave

ernemats · May 7, 2004

Boy that sure is some mean looking hoe. If it works as good as it looks it will do the job easily. Are there no teeth on the bucket ?

davesisk · May 7, 2004

So far, so good. Nope, no teeth...but it's an 8" inch bucket, so I doubt I really need teeth. I dug two ditches in the neighborhood with it so far...we'll see if I run into anything that it has difficulty with. So far, the toughest thing was a big root...the back end of the tractor popped up in the air while trying to rip it out. Took a few tries, but finally got it.

Btw, I also updated my web-site with pictures of the Selector Valve that I installed last year, plus the hydraulic schematic for it...

Dave

davesisk · May 7, 2004

Oh, btw...I bought the 8" bucket from Northern Tool a couple of years ago...turns out it's manufactured by Lackender...go figure, right? /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Dave

davesisk · May 7, 2004

You might notice one other oddity in the first picture...the solar panel on the hood. It's a 5 watt solar battery trickle charger (on sale at Harbor Freight for $39...I couldn't resist). Since several weeks can go by without running the tractor sometimes, the battery goes dead. So far, this solar panel has kept it charged. The hood is steel, so I've attached 4 small round welding magnets to the solar panel, and this holds it securely on the hood, even with vibration from the engine and bouncing around digging... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I love gadgets...er...uh...I mean...tools...as if you can't tell...

Dave

jol1269 · May 8, 2004

i like the design ..........i may have to build me on like that looks like it may be a wee bit more stout than the pt version

davesisk · May 8, 2004

It should be...the square tubing is 1/4" wall 4" wide, compared to the 1/8" wall 3" wide that PT uses for the mini-hoe. I have been guilty of under-building earlier attachments...I tried to over-build this one, and I think it probably came out just right!

Dave

jol1269 · May 8, 2004

well it definatley looks like it will hold up long term ......cant wait to build mine now ......by the way the attachments have really started to climb for the pt 425 due to the price of steel . i may have to make a run to tazewell to get the mower / bushhog before they cost more than my 425 did /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif .....by the way has anyone got anyideas for a hybrid gas/electric idea for the 425 as gas is close to 2.00 a gal. here now hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm just wondering

pajoube · May 9, 2004

Dave,
Great job, whats the next project?
PJ

davesisk · May 11, 2004

Thanks, PJ. Well, I have to balance working ON the tractor vs. actually working WITH it /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif , but I sure would find some sort of leaf cleanup attachment helpful (I'm thinking a big sheetmetal bucket with a hydraulic-powered rotary sweeper deal attached to the front and hydraulic cylinder to raise and lower the sweeper part...kind of like PT's VERY expensive power dethatcher).

Probably next would be a simple aerator that I can roll around. I'm thinking one of the spike types (like you typically pull with a lawn tractor) with attachment tabs welded to it so I can pick it up with the PT.

I'd love to build something like the Forkster (www.forkster.com) mentioned in another post, but I've only got two pallets sitting around (and hopefully for not too much longer) so that one would be hard to justify....sure would be a fun one though!

Dave

MossRoad · May 11, 2004

Leaf removal seems to be a common thread around here. Someone come up with a low profile box that uses a hydraulically powered sucker that can be mounted out front like the mower deck. Then it can either be dumped hydraulically or reverse the blower to power unload it. Common you guys, you can do it! /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

I'm pretty happy with using my hand blower to windrow everything and then using the snowplow to push it across the yard to our pile. I would think you could get a leaf blower, remove the gas engine and replace it with a hydraulic motor powered by the main PTO. Mount it on a plate and use the quick attach circuit for power angling left and right. Up and down would be from the dump/curl circuit. Then you would have a four wheel drive leaf blower. I'm going to experiment with my hand held leaf blower bungee corded to a milk crate that is bolted to my spare attachment plate next fall. I intend to make it low to the ground. I won't have power angle, but I won't be carrying it and I will be getting seat time! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

davesisk · May 11, 2004

( I'm going to experiment with my hand held leaf blower bungee corded to a milk crate that is bolted to my spare attachment plate next fall. I intend to make it low to the ground. I won't have power angle, but I won't be carrying it and I will be getting seat time! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif )

MR, you are one twisted fellow! Great idea...necessity is the mother of invention... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

smartguyz · May 12, 2004

( Leaf removal seems to be a common thread around here. Someone come up with a low profile box that uses a hydraulically powered sucker that can be mounted out front like the mower deck. Then it can either be dumped hydraulically or reverse the blower to power unload it. Common you guys, you can do it! /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

I'm pretty happy with using my hand blower to windrow everything and then using the snowplow to push it across the yard to our pile. I would think you could get a leaf blower, remove the gas engine and replace it with a hydraulic motor powered by the main PTO. Mount it on a plate and use the quick attach circuit for power angling left and right. Up and down would be from the dump/curl circuit. Then you would have a four wheel drive leaf blower. I'm going to experiment with my hand held leaf blower bungee corded to a milk crate that is bolted to my spare attachment plate next fall. I intend to make it low to the ground. I won't have power angle, but I won't be carrying it and I will be getting seat time! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif )

David,

I had to do a bunch of leaf removal and cleanup last year - I put the portable generator in the back of the yard cart, and simply held the blower while I tooled around the property - I would hop off, and then blow things around, and then get back on. It worked well.

I still have the JD318 around for it's bagger ability, but it seems awfully expensive to just do that. I did purchase an el-cheapo Snapper mower (had a broken tranny) which I intend to fix up and use for leaf pickup and general vacuuming work.

This year will tell if I need to keep the JD around for anything. If not, I will give it a little farewell party and sell it to the 1st available buyer.

Sincerely,

Rob /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif