Making a do-all implement, questions...

[BullDAWG]

Hi I'm planning on making a pull type implement for my cub, Super A. I'm making it out of 2" square tubing and 2" angle iron. I'm planning on putting on 4 trailer lift jacks with 10" caster wheels to lift it off ground when not used. I'll have either 3 or 4 toolbars on it. I plan on putting hillers, adjustable disk hillers, a home made rolling basket (round roller with small bars across it to break up clods after disking), 2 to 4 C-shanks, and a bed shaper (think of a funnel cut in half to shape raised beds 48" wide by 4" tall, large end (front) is 72" wide by 16" tall. I'm also putting a 40 gallon sprayer on top that can be moved from front to back to adjust weight on tools and to spray organic fert. and sumagrow (humic acid with multiple soil improving microbes and fungi in it).

After finding this made by buckey tractor company I wanted one and according to them all the tools listed (except c-shanks) the cub could pull, no problem, I think even the c-shanks would be fine depending on depth and soil conditions. I've seen on the cub-6 toolbar and the fast hitch the cub pulling 3 shanks that looked to be about 10-12" deep. I just decided to build it as they BTC want over $12,000 for this set up and I think I can make it for WAY LESS (like 1/4-1/3 less)...

My questions are....

1) what minimum thickness of 2" square tubing would I use, the toolbars will be 7' in length but most tools will be in the 4-6' range, only hillers and caster wheels will be on outside. ( I'm actually getting the thickest I can as long as price doesn't jump way up from thinner to thicker)(get best deal on thickness in otherwords) but what would you think is safe minimum...

2) I found 2" square u-bolts that are 3/8 thick, is this enough for hillers, caster wheels lift system etc. I can't seem to find big 2" square u-bolts. I'd prefer using 1/2" or 9/16" diameter but can't find a supplier anywhere, even online. (need 2" wide by 3+" long to fit 2" bar.

3) do ya'll think my idea of getting 1 ton trailer jacks and installing 10" swivel caters on them would work as lifts for this set-up? any other cheap alternatives ?

4) I need a way to hook this up to swinging (horizontally) drawbar. but it would also need a hinge like up-n-down where bolted/welded to the toolbar frame. my idea is to use same material as the shaft going from toolbar and making a short "U" shape with a slot cut out for the actual drawbar to go into. Then a pin goes through the "U" and a drilled hole in the drawbar itself. Simple swivel. but would this be ok?

 

[Waif]

Whoo-boy!
Ambitious project.

I don't care for trailer jacks after bumping a stump with one.
Castor swivels are feeble too. Not only gaining slop with wear but when dirt is added ,not swiveling well.
Any way to use one each end to raise the frame enough to swing down and lock in place an axle/ axles with bigger tire(s) and bearings?
From what I can only guess from your description , the unit can't be flipped over to transport if an axel was rigged on top ;due to multi tool set ups riding on it...(?)

Threaded all-rod can be used to make custom u-bolts. Crude surface/finish though.

I'm no engineer so tend to over build , but I'd not object to 1/4" tubing. Thin stuff is a pain to straighten. I can recall a former co-worker working bigger dimensions with a torch to warp them straight. A patient art , but worth avoiding after assuring original build is straight.

For your frame to drawbar , the plotmasters (?) ect. run a straight shank/square tube with a trailer hitch coupler. A ball in the end of your drawbar would suffice if kept greased? Acting like a mild u-joint should result.

 

[Don McCombs]

Before I started down that path, I would figure out how much the thing is going to weigh, including the 40 gallons of water.

 

[Eugene]

Before I started down that path, I would figure out how much the thing is going to weigh, including the 40 gallons of water.

40 gallons of water weighs a bit over 320 lbs.

Do you have a link showing the implement you whan to build or the company building the implement?

Most manufacturers recommend the minimum tractor horsepower for their implements.

I came up with Buckeye Tractor Company. All the tractor drawn implements shown are pulled by something much larger than a Super C.

Edited for spelling.

 

[Jim Becker]

. . . I don't care for trailer jacks after bumping a stump with one.
Castor swivels are feeble too. Not only gaining slop with wear but when dirt is added ,not swiveling well. . . .

And 3 would be better than 4.

 

[Waif]

. . . I don't care for trailer jacks after bumping a stump with one.
Castor swivels are feeble too. Not only gaining slop with wear but when dirt is added ,not swiveling well. . . .

And 3 would be better than 4.

I can imagine that when draggin.

Just had one fold on me pushing the boat around by hand. (Stock configuration , spring loaded pin to hold it upright) Yep. The previously stump knocker one..l.o.l..
Bent the caster forks back best I could crudely before , but lots of areas are out of whack.

 

[BullDAWG]

Before I started down that path, I would figure out how much the thing is going to weigh, including the 40 gallons of water.

40 gallons of water weighs a bit over 320 lbs.

Do you have a link showing the implement you whan to build or the company building the implement?

Most manufacturers recommend the minimum tractor horsepower for their implements.

I came up with Buckeye Tractor Company. All the tractor drawn implements shown are pulled by something much larger than a Super C.

Edited for spelling.

I got the idea from Buckeye Tractor Company, and they have 3 levels of implements, a sub-compact 15-25 hp (even though thats more than the cub the cub actually has more usable torque and traction than most of these new sub compacts. They then have a 25-45 HP class, I would say the same as the SA may have only 20 HP but weighs more than most of these new ones in same class. and finally they had a 45-85 and up class II hitch tractors. That is probably the pictures you were looking at. But even still, according to Buckeye the ONLY 2 implements I have to even worry about HP is the chisel plow (10-15hp per shank) and even thats wrong as depending on depth and soil type it can be lower or higher. I planned on only using 1 on cub and 2 on SA. My soil is sandy clay loam, I only want to go 8-12" deep and will go over it multiple times increasing depth if needed. But after my neighbor used his chisel plow @ 18" depth my land now is way softer. My disk used to only go 6" deep now the axles are buried (18" disks). Also with 4" of raised beds even going 12" deep chiseled will actually only be 8" of hard ground. The other HP requirement is on the bed shaper. Here is what BTC says about them.

^^^NOTE^^^ what they say about 4" bed shapers. Now my SA may or may not be able to do 6" but I'm going to build it 4" as I want to also try the cub on it too, but if its too much for cub I can still use it to spray fertilizer and suma-grow. Also I will NOT be using all equipment on every job as I will only use disk hillers and disk hippers with the bed shaper.

I think I found how to lift it and also be able to put extra down force on front or rear (besides moving the 40 gal. water tank as ballast) this lift and hitch system on an ATV disk would work in my opinion on my do-all... (what do ya'll think?)

Looks like its a trailer jack connected to an axle and has a pipe inside a pipe as guides. I'd upgrade it to a trailer axle thats 60" wide and use trailer tires as that should be able to lift and hold up well. I'd also use the simple draw type hitch they used on that disk and that would allow me to let implements float (remove toplink) or adjust it to put more pressure on front or rear implements.

 

[BullDAWG]

I've changed plans, still going to make this BUT instead of just 1 piece of equipment I'll make it 3 as it would weigh over 450-750 lbs (depending if water was in the 40 gal sprayer) and be almost 10' long, that much weight, that far out would even make my SA front end lift up with front weights on it. So I changed plans and am making a simple toolbar to put 2 chisel plow shanks on it and use the SA for that, the rest can go on either the cub OR Super A. I'll make a simple trailer to carry the 40 gallon sprayer and have it a High-clearance @ 4' wide so I can spray the liquid fertilizer and the suma-grow on crops at post emerge and 1-2 months after that just before flowering for most of my crops. Also the bed shaper will be a simple 1 toolbar with the bedder behind that and I can add disk hillers to the toolbar. My plan is to grow cover crops, such as clover over the winter, bush-hog then disk and chisel the fields, then use the bed shaper to form raised beds 4' wide and plant intensive farming technique on them for cash crops from spring till fall.

 

[Waif]

Happy mule(s), happy farmer...

No till , and the buffalo system have been catching my eye for deer plots...
Building a drill or a crimper are both out of my wheelhouse at the time.
So , I keep scratchin the dirt.

 

[BullDAWG]

Eventually I plan on going no-till or low till, but that's after installing a well, irrigation and using plastic mulch (which will go behind bed shaper)

 

[Waif]

Ambitious planning!

I been using cereal rye . It's nursing some clover seed while it gets established. (We'll see what deer leave).
Clover wants a p.h. I'm not really at yet. But fertilizer requirements will be different if the clover takes.
They're deer plots ,so too much nitrogen won't mess it up as bad as if my well being depended on it...
IF I can get the p.h. up enough over time , some brassica's might get rotated with rye and wheat.

A drain/swamp offers water. And debate about dropping a trash pump in it with a filter/screen ahead of the intake and run it off a generator when dry periods hit.
Been a great year for rain again ,so got away without irrigation.
Rye will be ready with good tillers for approaching winter. Again depending on deer browsing. Usually makes it through good.

 

[BullDAWG]

Ambitious planning!

I been using cereal rye . It's nursing some clover seed while it gets established. (We'll see what deer leave).
Clover wants a p.h. I'm not really at yet. But fertilizer requirements will be different if the clover takes.
They're deer plots ,so too much nitrogen won't mess it up as bad as if my well being depended on it...
IF I can get the p.h. up enough over time , some brassica's might get rotated with rye and wheat.

A drain/swamp offers water. And debate about dropping a trash pump in it with a filter/screen ahead of the intake and run it off a generator when dry periods hit.
Been a great year for rain again ,so got away without irrigation.
Rye will be ready with good tillers for approaching winter. Again depending on deer browsing. Usually makes it through good.

My use of breeder house chicken manure helps with the pH. Most manures are acidic BUT not breeder houses, besides adding tons of oyster shell for the egg production, they add limestone to feed for the grit so it has a double dose of Ca and lime in it. Make sure you get a soil sample at least every other year and something I needed to add to my soil which most soil tests DON'T TEST FOR is Boron. I add 2 cups of Borax to an acre (borax is made from boron) BUT also be careful with boron as brassicas need it but only tiny amounts, too much will KILL plants as it is toxic at even a few pounds to the acre. I like your idea of drain the swamp (pun intended) DRAIN THE SWAMP!!! Ok I'll get off soap box now LOL but I have a branch that had a beaver dam and it held water most of the year. I may try building a dam with drains built in it and try something similar. I plan on getting the semi-trash pump from harbor freight for $200. Even if it doesn't hold water in July and Aug. I can use the trash pump in my home made drilling of a water well so it would do double duty there. Not sure about deer where you are but here deer are not that interested in rye grass, they will steep over that and eat weeds or clover in it first and then finally eat the rye. Here wheat or oats are far more attractive to the deer. This past spring-summer I had Iron clay peas for a cover/green manure crop and had over 20 deer out there I counted eating it. I had 3 acres in it so they didn't destroy it, as a matter of fact they made it better as when they ate tops off it would split and had many runners per plant so it actually increased my total tonnage of dry matter to incorporate into the soil.

Now, back to topic, I have drawn plans for the 3 implements and think I have on hand 80% of the metal and needed things to build em so I just need a few more things and will be starting a new post on building them and how things are going...

 

[Waif]

Will be interesting to follow your builds.
And eventual use...
I miss the shop and tools to build with.
Plenty to do before returning to a simple seeder /drill drawing board. But the urge to tinker dies hard.
Doing so vicariously sucks , but hey ;it keeps the gears turning.


Rye is well accepted here. Winter wheat has been too.
It's kept browsed , and last weeks observations of deer browsing while hunting confirmed it. I do not want deer on site as a destination. Rather , passing through or snacking on the way to/from destination plots/ag fields . But due to cover , including the drain/swamp , they tend to hang out too long sometimes.
More so as hunting pressure increases.
Despite low area deer numbers , more tonnage needs to be considered.
Brassies would have something in volume to offer after frosts.
A small burnet or similar would offer a back up contingency.

I hear ya on drainin the swamp.
Like belling the cat ,only rats fighting the one that actually is willing to hang the bell....
Glad my tractor seat time is out of range. Elsewise my swamp might have a couple drowned rats in it.