Grader Blade

I've been wanting a way to move dirt with my tractors since I got them.  Building a loader isn't in the cards...yet.  Simplicity however made a grader blade for their tractors that by all accounts works pretty well.  I've been meaning to build something for a while anyway and since grader blades are pretty spendy for what they are (300 bucks or so), I decided to build my own!

I had an old plow blade laying around the garage that I decided to cut in half for the grader blade.

I also wanted to add some ripping capability with this thing, so I bought a swisher scarifier from Wal-mart for about 80 bucks.

Here is the frame I built...



And the plow mount...



There are three positions the grader blade can be in, centered, Right and left.
Here it is with the teeth on one side.

And finally, all together, and ready to mount to a tractor.

I used it on a test run over memorial day weekend.  I had a nasty patch of my backyard left over from my barn construction project that was starting to be taken over by weeds.  I tilled it in, then used the grader blade to level the ground back out.  It worked BEAUTIFULLY...



I will get it painted some day...

Broadmoor - More Progress

I think I have all the modifications complete to get my new motor in.  After moving the engine around a bit to make the gas tank fit, I realized that the hood was contacting the front shroud of the engine (evidenced by scratches in the paint 😡)

Anyway, After looking at the hood a bit, I realized that the front piece (that has the logo) can move a bit forward, and still look "correct."  So, off come the spot welds.

Next, I lined the hood back up on the tractor and clamped it in a position that looked "original" but that also cleared the engine.

Really, it didn't move much.  It was more of an "angle correction."  In stock form, the front of the hood is angled back toward the tractor.  I've realigned it to move of a perpendicular relationship with the hood.  Welded it back on and it fits nicely now.  Obviously, I'll need to paint it, but that was in the plan anyway.  I also need to add a couple pieces of sheet metal to clean up the edges a bit.  

SnowCab Update

After a couple of storms now, all I can say is the cab is Awesome!  I love being able to be moving snow and pointing the chute any way I need to.  I used to only be able to move the snow in certain directions aligning with the prevailing wind that day.  To do otherwise meant a face full of cold, wet snow.  Think back to your days growing up and getting a whitewash from the neighborhood bully.  Yeah, it was that bad.

Anyway, its all installed and working well.  Also, a neat little video of the tractor in action!

More "Stuff"

Or Junk, as my wife likes to call it.  I've been looking, off and on, for a snow cab for my Sovereign.  My driveway isn't that long, but it faces East/West.  When the wind is blowing, its nearly impossible to keep the snow out of my face.  Its annoying and I'm getting to the point in life where I don't like being cold...In fact I HATE being cold.  

Couple of days ago, my Craigslist alert went off, and Viola!  There was a snow cab about an hour away from me.  It looked pretty clean, and the price wasn't too bad.  I got on the phone as soon as I could.   After I talked to the man (Clark), I made "the Call" to my CFO (aka, my pragmatic wife).  I showed her the listing and asked if:

A) we had anything going on that night and 

B) Could I spend a couple hundred MORE dollars on my tractor addiction.  (I bought some tires recently too, more on that in a bit)

She said, "Yes, if I needed it I could get it."  We all know I needed it. 😀 Wahoo! 

I arrived in Lansing and Clark was actually talking to someone else who wanted it (or so he says...maybe a sales tactic?).   It didn't really matter...The cab was super nice, I was there, and it was coming home with me.  There were only a couple of rusty spots on the metal frame.  The rest was just dirty.  I asked if he would take less...he said no...but his price wasn't too bad, so I agreed to take it.  We were shooting the breeze a little, just talking about Guy stuff...Cars, Tractors, guns, snowmobiles, etc. 

 I was eyeing up his garden tractor.  Its a year newer than mine, but all the same options, with one caveat...His had the infamous Triad engine (Mine is the far more durable Command).  He thought it was a Command and was quite disappointed to find out it was a Triad, which have a tendency to overheat, drop a cylinder liner, then self-destruct (in that order).  I talked about some of the modifications I had heard about for the Triad, and gave him some links to check out.  He also didn't pay that much for it (stole it from an Auction) so he still got a good deal.  

Then he started complaining about the belt for his snowblower vibrating all over.  I looked at his set-up and noticed that his PTO idler pulley was in the wrong spot.  I also noticed his blower was from an older tractor and the drive pulley was flipped the wrong way.  

In the end, he knocked 25 bucks off the price of the cab, for my help!  He was a super nice guy.  I really enjoyed talking with him.  I think that is my favorite part of this hobby is meeting like minded people.  The chase is fun too!  I will literally spend hours looking through craigslist and ebay postings, looking for a deal.   

Here it is, as I bought it:

Its currently disassembled.  I washed all the vinyl (in the bathtub) and am cleaning up and repainting the couple of frame members that were rusty.  

This cab will need a couple of very minor modifications to work on my Tractor.  Its actually designed for older style tractor (7100 series).  The instructions tell me to drill holes in the fenders for the back mounting bracket, but that just isn't going to work for me.  I'm going to copy the design from the later models and weld on a new bracket that utilizes existing holes.  The front mounting points are also a tiny, little bit different.  I believe I'll need a couple of spacers for that, but its no biggie.  

Oh yeah,...The tires.  My blowing tractor got new Shoes!  Put some ags on the back and tri-ribs on the front.  She looks like a mini farm tractor now!  The tri-ribs I got used, and they weren't too bad, price-wise.  The rear tires made up for it!  They were 85 bucks a piece!  But, I have a lot of real landscaping to do next year, with my ground engaging attachments (grader blade and rototiller) so In the end, the more aggressive tires will be worth it.  Even with what I've spent on the tractor and all my attachments, hiring a contractor to do my yardwork would be more expensive. 

Here is the Sovereign, all ready for snow (minus the cab)

Broadmoor Update...

IT FITS!!!

I haven't had much time to work on my Broadmoor project of late.  I kicked finishing the barn into High Gear, so Insulation, walls, and storage have taken priority.

Thanksgiving Day, I had a few extra minutes, so I thought I'd try to get the gas tank and engine to fit in the Broadmoor.  When I mocked it up, I didn't have the engine shrouds on.  After the shrouds were installed on the engine, there was 4 inches of space behind the engine (where the gas tank goes) and a gas tank that is about 4 and one 1/8" wide!

I thought about how to solve this problem for a while...and figured that since this machine is all belt drive, I can fudge the engine mounting point a bit, and still get the belts to tighten up.  I also could have moved the bulkhead/firewall back a touch, but then I would have had a lot of holes to fill in the bodywork...Not fun.  

I slotted my engine mounting holes to scooch the motor forward about a quarter of an inch.  I'm concerned about that hole in the upper right.  Looks really close to the "edge"  We'll see how a nut and washer fit up there.  I may be cutting and welding a little patch there.  

With the additional clearance of the slots, the tank fits!

I did have a minor clearance issue with the grill though...scratched my paint!  The hood covers that up, so a quick trim will fix that right up.  

I'm starting to get unburied from my Honey-Do, so hopefully this project can pick up some more steam.  I'd like to get it set up to plow this winter, to augment my snowblowing ability!

Next on the list is to fab up a battery tray, install the necessary switches and relays, and design a wire harness (since this was a pull start tractor before).  

Bringing an old tractor back to New, Part Two

Most of the paint is shiny now, and I've been using her mostly to mow.  The way the weather has been, that's twice a week right now!  Anyway, one night after work, I thought I should mow the grass.  Rain was coming that weekend, and I didn't want to get stuck doing it wet.

Went to the barn, hopped on the tractor, and gave it the key a turn.  The engine gave half a revolution, and then nothing.  Any other key manipulations just gave me a click.  That's when I noticed smoke coming from under the dash!  After a quick check to make sure nothing was on fire,  I left it be for the evening.  Next day, I decided to tear into the wire harness and make it "right"

Pulled the whole thing out.  I found three or four wires that had the insulation abraded off them.  I cut the bad sections out, and replaced it.  I also found lots of dirt and grass in the connector bodies.  Those were disassembled, cleaned, and reassembled with lots of Di-Electric Grease.  My solenoid needed replacement and the whole harness was just a mess in general.  A lot of the tape sheathing was worn, so I replaced that as well.  All in All, I spent about 5 hours on that harness.  Everything works as it should again...except the seat switch.  That bugger got bypassed!  

What else needs to be done?  Well, the running boards need a new coat of paint and the deck is definitely going to need some attention this winter.  The arbors are in good shape, but the paint is really bad.  Its starting to rust, so I'm going to strip that down, and see if I can have it powdercoated.  If not, it will get the POR-15 treatment like the last one I did.   

Bringing an old tractor back up to new

I recently purchased a new tractor.  Its a "late model" Simplicity Sovereign 18.  Late model is in quotes, because the darn thing is still 20 years old!  Anyway, its pretty much the ultimate Sovereign Simplicity made...Best engine, most features, etc.  Best thing is that its the power steering model, which is what elevates it to "ultimate" status.

Garden tractors changed a bit around the time this machine was produced...They became glorified lawn mowers.  No-one gardens anymore, and for those who want ground engaging capabilities, they  need to purchase sub-compact utility tractors (like a Kubota BX, John Deere 1025, or Simplicity Legacy XL)  However, the price tag on said machines is WAY more than I wanna spend, and I don't need a 60 inch mower deck!   Even used, they are up around $5000 for a nice one.  They have nice capabilities (I'd LOVE to have a front Loader) but I just can't justify it.

Here I am, wanting a heavy duty tractor, but not wanting to spend an arm and leg on a SCUT, and wanting to do more than just mow.  My old Simplicities fit the bill nicely.  I have a tiller, aerator, Mower, snowblower, weedcuter, etc.  and there are MORE things out there. If I really got crazy, I could get a disc, cultivator, sickle bar mower, front end loader, chipper/shreader, chemical sprayer,  ground trencher...the list goes on.  Some of this stuff is rare, but its available if you start asking the right people, and waving some Benjamins around.   Since you can't really replace them anymore, except with other old, used equipment and they obviously have quite a bit of utility, I want my toys to last!

When I picked up the Sovereign 18, I noticed that it was pretty clean, in that it hadn't been abused too badly, and probably hadn't seen much use.  The paint was faded, and as I looked it over and learned the nuances of the ol' girl, I noticed quite a few issues that needed to be addressed.  The first one I tackled was pure vanity...The faded paint.

I went a little crazy, and wetsanded the rear fender pan, and the hood.  Then I polished it back to a real nice shine.  Yes there are still some scratches, but that's OK.  Its a worker, not a trailer princess.  Chicks dig scars!

The hood came back nicely.  The rear fender pan and dash needed some more work.  The paint had started to bubble under the seat mounting bracket, and someone had drilled a hole through the dash.   I sanded the flaking paint off, primed, and painted what was necessary  The paint I bought (Simplicity factory touch up paint, mind you) doesn't quite match the original color though. 

Fender Pan Flaking Paint

Dash Paint issues

This tractor is looking good, but it still needs work.  The running boards will need a coat of paint, the dash tower needs buffing, and the frame needs paint.   Simplicity did something wrong when they powdercoated the chassis black.  Something in the prep went wrong, and there are giant sheets of paint coming off the frame.  I will have to address this in the off season (if there is such a thing for a year round worker).  Good thing I have multiple tractors, so I can set another one up to blow snow, cuz this one isn't going to see the wet until I get the metal covered!