Skid plate for GC series tractors

[Imold]

Started the skid plate project today but got sidetracked almost right away being it was my 59th b-day, (side note we never thought I would make it past 51 due to my heart disease) but anyway the wife kinda surprised me this evening when she said she had noticed the little harbor freight add I had ripped out and stuck on my security monitor, it is a very small sales add for the portable backhoe that I have been thinking about long before I bought my Massey 1705 but anyway she said I could go ahead and get one if I wanted to and I just basically said ok..Was kinda shocked she even knew it was there plus she caught me off guard, so anyway I will wait till it shows up on sale again for about 200 off or at least until after the new year to order after all I do not need it in the winter.

Will post some pics on the skid plate as I go and if it works, but if it does not work I never tried building it hahaha.

 

[shovelmike]

Happy 59th birthday! I also consider myself blessed with each year I get to spend above ground, my father (who was a remarkable man) only made it to 50.

 

[GeneV]

Started the skid plate project today but got sidetracked almost right away being it was my 59th b-day, (side note we never thought I would make it past 51 due to my heart disease) but anyway the wife kinda surprised me this evening when she said she had noticed the little harbor freight add I had ripped out and stuck on my security monitor, it is a very small sales add for the portable backhoe that I have been thinking about long before I bought my Massey 1705 but anyway she said I could go ahead and get one if I wanted to and I just basically said ok..Was kinda shocked she even knew it was there plus she caught me off guard, so anyway I will wait till it shows up on sale again for about 200 off or at least until after the new year to order after all I do not need it in the winter.

Will post some pics on the skid plate as I go and if it works, but if it does not work I never tried building it hahaha.

Happy birthday Jim, I thought u were an older oldey times old guy haha. I know about the harbor freight towable backhoe, it has pretty good reviews. The one thing kinda irritating about it is the setup for it once you tow it to location, you gotta swap wheels from back to front.

 

[Imold]

Happy 59th birthday! I also consider myself blessed with each year I get to spend above ground, my father (who was a remarkable man) only made it to 50.

Famous last words..It will never happen to me..
My dad Was 59 when he had his big stroke RIP.

 

[Imold]

Happy birthday Jim, I thought u were an older oldey times old guy haha. I know about the harbor freight towable backhoe, it has pretty good reviews. The one thing kinda irritating about it is the setup for it once you tow it to location, you gotta swap wheels from back to front.

Think the swapping tires around is the biggest deterrent next to the speed but speed has already been addressed with a bigger pump and as far as the tires and stabilizers go, I have plenty of time to switch them but I am sure they have been altered somewhere along the way. Heck just a better spindle, bearing and better wheel would probably fix the towing issue being I think it’s a pretty loose wheel and spindle assembly that is on it from factory, if I remember it was talked about on one of the HFBH videos I watched.

 

[Imold]

I am going to try and get out to the shop and work on the skid plate today if I feel better, kinda of bugging me that it’s not done yet but can only go as fast as the body lets me hahaha.

 

[Imold]

Some of us know what it’s like to have teenagers or young adults living at home so I go downstairs to my basement shop to weld the tabs on the front of my soon to be skid plate and I get everything set up and go to my drawer to get my helmet ive had for 15 years or so and it’s missing! Hmmmm I ask one son and he says nope no idea then I text my other son the older one and his reply is, ya I used it and left it at my friends place which is 74 miles from here so now I am just shy of being really you know what so I get in my truck and go to town and buy a new one with my last name on it and told my son he will never touch it unless it is at home and I am standing right there, so now I will weld the tabs on tomorrow, grrrrrrrrr. Guess a new helmet is not all that bad, called it my b-day present to myself.
I will take and cut the corners round with my touch and then grind the corners smooth when I am done.

 

[coldsteelva]

Some of us know what it’s like to have teenagers or young adults living at home so I go downstairs to my basement shop to weld the tabs on the front of my soon to be skid plate and I get everything set up and go to my drawer to get my helmet ive had for 15 years or so and it’s missing! Hmmmm I ask one son and he says nope no idea then I text my other son the older one and his reply is, ya I used it and left it at my friends place which is 74 miles from here so now I am just shy of being really you know what so I get in my truck and go to town and buy a new one with my last name on it and told my son he will never touch it unless it is at home and I am standing right there, so now I will weld the tabs on tomorrow, grrrrrrrrr. Guess a new helmet is not all that bad, called it my b-day present to myself.
I will take and cut the corners round with my touch and then grind the corners smooth when I am done.
View attachment 626579

AWW **** NO! #1 son would be dropping whatever he was doing that was 'so important' to go and retrieve MY property for which permission was neither asked nor granted.

 

[Imold]

AWW **** NO! #1 son would be dropping whatever he was doing that was 'so important' to go and retrieve MY property for which permission was neither asked nor granted.

He bought himself a welding helmet this morning when he woke up, made him pay me 40 bucks for it and he also got a talking to but then I do take it somewhat easy on him being he is bi-polar, I’m sure next time he is in Fargo he will retrieve his property.

 

[Imold]

Well I braved it and ran two 2 inch beads with the 110 welder with good penetration and did not feel anything going goofy with my pacemaker, now I am measuring out for the two rear tabs and I have them just about ready to be spot welded on after I drill the two 3/4 inch holes in them, I did use my touch for the 1st time in a very long time and talk about shaky it must be the meds but I got the two front corners cut and have the back two to do, this is the most metal work I have done since my heart attack and pacemaker implant and major neck surgery.

Anyway I am slowly getting there, it is a simple easy build for a healthy person but with me it takes time to do plus I was kinda hesitant about running a bead with the welder. Cleaned up and painted it probably will not look bad.