PowerWagon* Easy to Make?

[andyfletcher]

(*TM Dr. Powerwagon, DR Lawn Equipment)

http://www.ruralcompanion.com/powerwagon.html

Looking at this handy little worker, it would be great to have
around. I use a wheelbarrow a lot and occasionally need to move leaves and dirt around the garden.

I was thinking around a square frame made of angle that is boxed and welded together. A wooden box would fit on that hinged and backward balanced so that it dumps on gravity alone. Angle should be light enough as it's 3/32 steel. I'd put 20" turf tires with deep lugs on it on 1in axles. My Craftsman snow blower conked out yesterday from a busted axle after 25 years of service and several repairs, but the 8HP engine is in top shape.

The drive axle I'd make in split fashion, one side driving each wheel, and supported by pillow block bearings, 2 per axle.
On each axle I'll put a large 12in pulley and that would be belted down to a 2inch or so pulley for each axle. Size depends on RPM. I'd be striving for the equivalent 1,2 and 3rd drive RPM's on my blower which has 6 forward speeds. I'd leave out the 4,5,6 speeds which will make the machine slow with fewer speed options, but will save me on drive pulleys, as I will need to gang them on a seperate clutch shaft from the motor. Engagement is the usual idler pulley that slides along a square shaft.

The power concept would work like an armored personell carrier, if any of you guys remember them. Pulling both sticks engages both drive axles evenly. Pulling one, drives one more than the other making it steer, so there's alot of friction involved and means more belt replacements. Pulling the stick pressess an idler wheel against the belt of that particular wheel making friction contact in the V pulley. I'm goint to try to find the wider belts and pulleys of 3/4in for the drive mechanism.

I was figuring a rear 2 wheel idler axle with a seat, but then with a 600lb payload and a person added, the 8HP will have a really heavy job of it unless I would really need to gear the drive setup down, so I guess it will be the tricycle with swivel bogey wheel and walk behind type arrangement like the Dr. But I think stability will suffer and side hills will be nerve wracking. with this arrangement. A larger engine would be better, but I'll need to use what I got, sides, the Dr. uses a 6.5.

Whadya think?

Fletch

 

[JPinnell]

I've been toying with making one too. I planned to scrap out a riding mower to do it. We're coming up to the season where they will be sprouting up on the curbs because someone forgot to drain the gas or the mice chewed up the wiring. Pull the rear axle and rotate it 180 so forward is now reverse. Strip the body and such off of it. Pull the steering and rig it so the wheel is almost verticle. Make a platform to stand/sit over what used to be the front wheels staddling the engine. Then make the gravity tilt dumpbed like you mentioned. Move a few linkages and controls around and you'd be done.

- JP

 

[andyfletcher]

I thought of using the standard transmission too, (not powershift), but was afraid it wouldn't take the punishment. Some worm gears in these transmissions are bronze, and the axles are 3/4in, with housing made of thin aluminum. But for sure you'd have all the shift ranges, and the drive pulley is sitting right on top very handy, and you would get the differential effect on turns which is neat, but I don't think it can handle the 600 lbs. Another thing I wanted was a wider wheel base to take care of the instability with the single idler on the rear.

I don't see why you would need to turn it 180 though.

But anyway it would be a quicker job for sure.

One feature they have is the power lift. I was thinking how that could be done without hydraulics or manual jacking. With the use of a 1in threaded shaft and gear that is tapped off the drive shaft, the engine can turn a nut on the threaded shaft. (Really low RPM of course!!) The nut is welded in the center of a toothed gear that is stationary inside an enclosed sleeve. Has it turns, it moves the shaft up or down, pushing the load as required.

Fletch

 

[Taylortractornut]

Andy I made a few back a few years ago in college. Id take transaxles and build a 1 1/4 tube fram to bolt the transaxle to and weld on some caster mounts. Thin Id mount the motor. Alot of the the time a 3.5 horse did the trick some time a 5 or 6. Just ran a belt and idler clutch out that and a gear shift handle. Turning them is easy because of the differential and the casters. I tried using band brakes on each side but it wasnt needed. THe bed was also balanced to dump. A few of them are still around from time to time I see them. A few of them got wheel barrow beds on them to make them easy to make and sell.

 

[Bentworker]

I built one for my BCS. Seems like you could buld one easily out of a junker rototiller.

 

[srjones]

Assuming you decide to use a junked riding lawnmowever....

I thought of using the standard transmission too, (not powershift), but was afraid it wouldn't take the punishment. Some worm gears in these transmissions are bronze, and the axles are 3/4in, with housing made of thin aluminum. But for sure you'd have all the shift ranges, and the drive pulley is sitting right on top very handy, and you would get the differential effect on turns which is neat, but I don't think it can handle the 600 lbs. Another thing I wanted was a wider wheel base to take care of the instability with the single idler on the rear.

I think you could you used a standard transmission by using a spring loaded hand control to engage the clutch. Very similar to most modern rototillers, so if you let go of the handle, it will go into neutral.

I don't see why you would need to turn it 180 though.

If you didn't turn it 180, you'd have 5 reverse gears, and 1 forward gear.

One feature they have is the power lift. I was thinking how that could be done without hydraulics or manual jacking. With the use of a 1in threaded shaft and gear that is tapped off the drive shaft, the engine can turn a nut on the threaded shaft. (Really low RPM of course!!) The nut is welded in the center of a toothed gear that is stationary inside an enclosed sleeve. Has it turns, it moves the shaft up or down, pushing the load as required.

Fletch

As Tractornut mentioned, if you put the pivot point in the middle of the load, it will be easy to dump by hand. But if you design doesn't accomodate that, you might consider using a pair of 12V linear actuators to raise and lower it. However, I really don't know how much load they can handle.

Good luck on your project, and post pictures!

-srj

 

[Tractors4u]

"you might consider using a pair of 12V linear actuators to raise and lower it. "

My 6X4 Gator had a linear actuator and so does my Polaris Ranger. While I haven't used the dump on the Ranger much yet, the one on my Gator held up well under some very heavy loads. The Gators here in Iraq that we are using have the dump feature. If they can withstand the abuse a soldier can give one, they can probably withstand your use.

 

[srjones]

I just saw something in the latest HF flyer that seems quite appropriate for raising and lowering a loaded dump box:

Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

And for $50 the price seems right too.

 

[Defective]

I see a slight issue with that jack as a dump hoist.

If I'm reading their odd terminology right, it seems the lifting capacity of the jack increases as the jack gets higher. at 6-3/4" it only has 1400 pounds capacity. It seems to gain about 600 pounds every 3 inches. So...from lowest height, it will have less than 1000 pounds of lift.

Add this to the fact that with the fairly short lift capability it would have to be fairly near the hinge of the dump box (think of the weight hanging out past the jack...) and I suspect it would have a hard time moving the box empty.

It did indeed look like a great idea at first glance tho...

 

[Tom_Veatch]

...
it seems the lifting capacity of the jack increases as the jack gets higher. at 6-3/4" it only has 1400 pounds capacity. It seems to gain about 600 pounds every 3 inches.
...

True for any scissors mechanism producing vertical movement from a constant horizontal input. The vertical force varies with the angle between the scissor arms and the horizontal. Vertical movement rate varies inversely. Smallest force, greatest movement rate with the scissor arms near horizontal. Greatest force, smallest movement rate with the arms near vertical.