Rebuilding harragator "spike harrow" project

[sixdogs]

Primed both sides today. Rustoleum Rusty Metal primer is great stuff and I thin it maybe 30% with acetone. Dries quick and after an hour at 79 (!) degrees here I flipped and did the other side. It doesn't have to be a 100% pefect prime since the paint will cover. Notice the wheel photo that shows I missed a spot. Heck, it was windy but it will be OK.
Rain tomorrow so paint half maybe Sat and other half next day. Really rewarding and easy project.

 

[Johndeere3720]

Looking good! :thumbsup:

 

[sixdogs]

Painted the flip side today.
Rain maybe tomorrow but paint right side up on Monday.
Night and day different from the junk I started with.
So easy and anyone can do this.

 

[sixdogs]

Getting close. Need to finish assy and touch-up spray paint.

 

[sixdogs]

Finiti---all done. Remember, I have the wrong tires and wheels on since I wasn't sure of the tire size. The correct wheels will be white and tires bigger. Wings don't go on till I see how it pulls with the L4300Kubota. Hard to believe how it looked when I started.

Looking back, it was easy except for a couple of uh-oh moments and momentary second thoughts but that happens in anything. Bottom line, I saved this harrogator from the grim reaper and now have a fine piece of equipment others will say I am "lucky" to own. Got some great isometric exercise too and I guess that can't hurt.

PS--forgot the decals but will do in a few days when paint fully dry.

 

[Johndeere3720]

Very nice job! :thumbsup:

 

[hizoot]

That is excellent! Thanks for posting pics and all!
You said that the wheels will be white? Is that the original factory color? If not, personally I think the wheels would look better matching the color of the decals...which look to be red.
What is the main benefit of a harrow such as this?
Thanks again
Randy

 

[sixdogs]

That is excellent! Thanks for posting pics and all!
You said that the wheels will be white? Is that the original factory color? If not, personally I think the wheels would look better matching the color of the decals...which look to be red.
What is the main benefit of a harrow such as this?
Thanks again
Randy

Good eye. The decals I got are all that is available from the company and the white with green edging of the 1980's is no more. I can't even find one to dublicate Yes, the wheels are supposed to be white---IH White in fact.
This type of harrow was used before no-till took off. After light chisel plowing in the spring, this was either pulled behind the chisel or used in a separate pass on it's own to smooth things out prior to planting. No-till made these steps obsolete since herbicide saves all these trips--and fuel--through the field.
Today they still get used by some farmers for smoothing pre-plant or for grasses and such. My use is as a leveling tool and light tillage tool for construction use in geeting lawns ready for seeding with a Brillion seeder. You need a good soft seedbed and this tool gives it.

 

[yelbike]

What a great project. Looks awesome!:licking:
Want to sell it?:drool:

 

[Ford tractor]

Why couldn't you buy the better paint? No local paint & body supply stores? I've bought several times online. No problems.


The effort to paint is the same with high quality materials as with low...

 

[bcp]

I don't see the frog anywhere in the "finished" photos. I wanted to see where it fit on the harrow.

Frog

Bruce

 

[sixdogs]

Why couldn't you buy the better paint? No local paint & body supply stores? I've bought several times online. No problems.


The effort to paint is the same with high quality materials as with low...

Well, yes, absolutely if it were a better piece of equipment with a better intended purpose. You are very right and guys should not scrimp on cheap paint for good implements. I usually buy the best but price was the issue with me on this. It just didn't seem prudent to have a paint shop mix acrylic enamel at $60 a quart when I bought a gallon of alkyd enamel for $23 and used 3 quarts. Remember this is a farm item that gets dragged through the dirt, was pretty rusty and may likely be sold in a while. I'll only buy acrylic enamel for farm stuff if it's price subsidized by the factory. They price the good stuff cheap to encourage people to take better care of their equipment which gives pride of ownership, encourages brand loyalty and keeps equipment values higher than otherwise. That's an upside of playing with farm equipment is good paint for low $$.

My wheels, for example, were IH white from the factory and I can get a quart of that IH acrylic enamel from the dealer for only $17. A paint shop would want $65 and I'd have to drive 25 miles one way to deal with guys with an attitude. Plus I'd have to buy their high $$ thinner (reducer) rather than $16 a gallon acetone.
I have other equipment that came with IH white wheels so I can paint those too plus some IH cultivator shanks shown in one of the photos and have enough for my wife's wicker planter.

 

[sixdogs]

I don't see the frog anywhere in the "finished" photos. I wanted to see where it fit on the harrow.

Frog

Bruce

It's the hood ornament )wink) and actually there were two frogs. Photo later.
Wow you guys are sharp.

 

[sixdogs]

Frogs--Oliver Green.

 

[sixdogs]

Added Unverferth decals.

 

[sixdogs]

Correctly painted wheels and shown in up (transport) position and down position.
Works great and is dirty already.
Hope all this helped someone.

Oh, the side wings are all finished and in the barn for some future project.

 

[North West Farmer]

Sixdogs,
I was scanning your harrow rebuild project and just, a thought. When I need to heat a very large area and only have one acetylene. big bud torch, I use inexpensive propane torches to heat the overall area and keep the temperature of the project even and cover a larger area. The propane torches I am speaking of are sometimes referred to a weed burners with a three or four inch diameter burner head. They don't get as hot as an acetylene. torch, but they will turn the metal a bright orange. eventually. The main advantage is having the ability to apply a lot of heat over a large area and then heat specific areas with the acetylene. bud torch to fine tune your bends.

I have all kinds of heavy duty farm equipment that I never would have bent in my shop, by myself without the propane torches providing overall heat back up. With the wand handle on the propane torch it is easy to clamp them to a fixed object or stand to free your hands to do other things.

This may by something you have already done and are well aware of the assistance the propane torches can be and best of all, they are very inexpensive and only need a hose connection to a standard propane bottle.

Good job on the harrow, I am impressed. With handy people like you around there would be a significantly reduced market for new machinery.

Keep up the good work,

Nick,
North West Farmer

 

[sixdogs]

NorthWestFarmer-A big thank you on that. Wow, despite being involved with this stuff for decades, it never occurred to me to use that as a backup heat source. Duh--I feel dumb as a box of rocks because I use that propane wand for everything else. Almost feel like I want to go out and bend something now so I can straighten it with the new method.

Yeah, that harrow came out great and I didn't look it over very well before I bought it. It was used on a dairy farm to bust cow pies with a 100 HP tractor and a teenager looking to go fast. Looks like new now.

Thanks again.

 

[jenkinsph]

Correctly painted wheels and shown in up (transport) position and down position.
Works great and is dirty already.
Hope all this helped someone.

Oh, the side wings are all finished and in the barn for some future project.

Looks really good:thumbsup:
I'm sure your dogs will be real impressed with you.

 

[sixdogs]

Yeah, right. Dogs watched the entire project laying flat on the ground with their eyes closed and making some kind of "zzzz" sound.

:dog: