Something...'different'.

[farmer 1,075]

@Lee1977 funny you say that, because when I stripped it back down, I thought I should cap those ends off. I have capped everything else and it looked unfinished.

I don't really think putting gussets in place as well is necessary, however, as l'm building an 'industrial loader' and it won't take long you will get your upgrade. 

In reality I think the rear will be in the air or the tyres will fail long before that 5mm plate bends. After all the transmission is still bolted to the tractor frame in the normal way.  

Ok so it's 'seat box' time...

 

 

first, two pieces of angle for the battery tray, done. 

 

 

I got a little carried away and forgot the pic's but none of this was rocket science, there are a few things to point out however. The seat hinging plate didn't come with  the tractor when I bought it, I won it on upay. It was perfect for this application as I had to be able to fuel the loader/access/charge/change the battery. Not a lot of room but the battery will pass up through. 

The hight of the seat was important, l mounted it approximately 80mm higher than either of my other tractors, at the same time l planned on the foot rests to be much lower than a standard tractor. This was to provide legroom without adding length. 

The seatbox also had to be wide enough to allow the main drive belt to pass through inside it on the left side. 

 

 

It also had to be demountable for painting,  l had made the subframe a bolt up item so  the seat box was going to be the same. 

 

 

This is how I achieved it. I cut four pieces of angle and four small plates, drilled through them, bolted them up, placed them under the legs then welded the angles to the subframe on the inside. 

 

 

 

With that done, just weld the legs to the plates. Undo four bolts and the seatbox can be removed.  

 

 

Last picture tonight, showing the 19mm hinge bar and the cut away to allow the seat to fold up to the steering wheel without fouling. 

So there you go Dennis, hope your happy. 

[953 nut 56,165]

On 4/12/2017 at 2:28 AM, farmer said:

I mentioned the cat, l guess it lurks around the workshop and sometimes helps me out with stuff. It makes a couple of appearances later on,

No cat sightings yet, are you sure you have a cat?

 

Here are a few to hold me over until yours makes an appearance.

[DennisThornton 4,769]

Ahhhh...  That's the ticket!

Quite the process but worth every minute!

Thank you!

[roadapples 6,983]

I`d tack the nuts to the brackets while you`re at it. then you`ll only need one wrench...

[farmer 1,075]

Morning roadapples, I hear what your saying and that would make mounting easier, however we're talking eight fasteners which (hopefully) will only have to be tightened once. Plus I plan to use lock nuts & washers so nothing shakes loose. 

If it was on/off all the time, I'd do exactly as you say.   

Thoughts on motion control tonight!

[farmer 1,075]

Around about this time l started thinking motion control, the automatic/hydro transmission made this loader do able but a method of control needed to be worked out. 

I reasoned that the normal hydro control, where you could set a speed and it would be maintained wouldn't really be the ideal for a loading machine. Better in my opinion would be a control that was variable and when released would return to neutral. Loaders are all about smooth 'shuttling and accurate control.

Along side this, foot control would be the way to go, left hand steering, right hand operating the loader controls, no need to juggle hands if you've got feet helping out.

 

So on to the footrests, why reinvent the wheel with new ones when the old could be adapted. 

 

 

By dropping them to this level, 170mm from their original  370mm and raising the seat 80mm, the driving position is comfortable. I'm six foot and half an inch (don't forget the half inch) so as long as I don't start growing again it'll be fine. 

 

 

Of course the footrests needed some trimming and reshaping One is narrower than the other to allow for the belt guard. 

So cut down the wide one to match, and try to copy the angle at the rear. 

 

 

 

With the rests done, time to implement my  incredibly clever motion control mechanism.......tomorrow.  

["D"- Man 827]

So were these footrests from an 18 Automatic, or original to this tractor?

[farmer 1,075]

Don't give up looking for the cat everyone, l promise you'll see it if you keep your eyes peeled, no clues as to when though.

@D man, the footrests are off the original tractor, l tried to reuse as much as possible of it to keep the machine   

Maybe the 12 and 18 automatics shared  some common parts?

Later I'll try to explain my ILS motion control (might draw a schetch to help).  Later.....

[farmer 1,075]

I did a sketch but couldn't make head nor tail of it,  so motion control described in word and picture. 

I have used a 'heal toe' rocker type system before but didn't find it very instinctive, so as I have two feet I thought I'd use them both. Right foot for me (and imagine most) means forward, and the harder you press the faster you go. So this means left foot backwards and harder again means faster. 

The important thing is to be able to release the pedals and be in 'neutral'. 

So....

 

 

this is what I came up with at the pedal end. The pedal pivots in two 'bushes' under the footrest and comes through the hole, at the other end of the pedal bar, a clamping rod connects to two springs with adjusters that in turn go through the two little receivers on the loaders frame.

When this is set up the springs neutralise each other holding the pedal in the middle of its travel. On the clamping rod, at the end nearest the transmission l made a  receiver for a front bike brake cable (in the top right of the picture) this takes the pedal movement to the transmission. 

Using cables obviously does away with the need for complex linkages which would possibly bind or be jerky. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This last picture shows the new cross bar welded up to the subframe to bear the weight of the operator, four tabs welded up and the footrests bolted down to them. 

 Please ecuse the crude 'bushes'  I don't have a lathe, so I just drilled out nuts to do the job. 

The system of springs works very well countering each other to return the pedals  and the transmission to 'neutral'. 

Hope that's clear'ish, tomorrow I'll show the cable clamps and what goes on at the transmission end of the control.... till then loader fans.  

 

 

Edited April 16, 2017 by farmer

[farmer 1,075]

Motion control part 2

cable ends to transmission plus mistakes. 

 

My first attempt to make the link between cable and transmission worked out but was stiff and jerky,

 

 

 

I used the 'gate' arrangment   had designed for their lever control and made a 'see saw' bridge to convert the movement to the cable, you may spot this in some of the pictures, mark 1 quickly got scrapped.

 

Mark 2 solution needed some surgery to be carried out on the 'gate' 

 

 

Now I had a nice smooth rotary motion to work from.  

 

 

using a couple of roll pins I cut and squeezed them so the cable sheaths couldn't pass through them, then welded these to a small bar. (I used this roll pin idea at the other end of the cable off the subframe). 

 

 

Then weld this to the frame as the picture shows. The 'rocker' above is simply two roll pins with small bolts welded by their heads and grooved clamps to squeeze the cables in. This arrangement is nice and smooth. 

 

 

I included this picture to show I cut out two 50x50x5 box pieces from the base of the towers on the subframe and at the top of the towers. After I had welded the main cross members in the subframe the lower piece became unnecessary and in the way. The upper one was a pain as well and I realised when the booms were eventually linked, it too would be unnecessary. 

So there you go motion control sorted,

tomorrow....A very fortunate upay purchase.  

 

[HorseFixer 2,012]

Boy I turn my back looking at BIG BEAUTIFUL WHEEL HORSE TRACTORS and your going Hell Bent For Election! No SNOWFLAKES in this election I might Add!     You are doing a mighty fine job with or without CATS!    SALUTE!

[farmer 1,075]

    Thanks Horsefixer, err, not sure exactly what you mean but thanks, maybe lay off the chocolate eggs for a while?  

[farmer 1,075]

Forgot to put up this picture showing the roll pin 'retainers' on the subframe. 

 

 

 

[AMC RULES 37,141]

 Still waiting...

[HorseFixer 2,012]

I think I'm getting the Cat Scatch Fever!   

[farmer 1,075]

I'm beginning to regret mentioning the friggin cat now, still I suppose some are actually following along for the project,  

while most are now scanning the pictures for 'walley' ((not its real name)  ... pigging thing. More later. 

[19richie66 17,531]

I don't care about the cat but I am lovin' the "horse"....... carry on 

[farmer 1,075]

FLASHBACK 

 

 

 

 

I remember posting a topic in the garden section around a year ago, so I thought I'd show a couple of pictures from it. 

Essentially these are to show my need for a loader, when you've got this much material to move by hand.... it.... it...kinda focuses the  mind.   

So onto my upay purchase, from the conception of this project I knew I would need a hydraulic tank, so I put a search up on that site for a 'small hydraulic tank'. Nothing turned up that was suitable, (either to big or the wrong shape) then this little beauty appeared. 

 

 

 

It came off a BMC Nuffield horticulture tractor,  with 9 litre capacity, an internal filter, it seemed just what I was looking for. 

I contacted the vendor and he kindly took some measurements, and I  couldn't hardly believe it. This tank could almost have been made by  for this application, it fits into the bonnet behind the grill like a glove  (almost freakishly). Pictures tomorrow.  

 

It had a BIN so I did,  £25.00, bargain!

Now I had a tank, time to make somewhere for it to go, only one logical place, right at the back behind the steering axle. The tank plus oil would weigh around 10 kilos, so really useful weight smack in the right place. 

 

 

 

To accommodate the tank (and later another vital component) the frame was lengthened another 230mm, this was ok because it didn't effect the wheelbase, it just stuck the tail out a bit beyond the steering axle. 

Tomorrow: mounting the tank and cosmetic protection!!... till then loader fans.  

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 18, 2017 by farmer

[farmer 1,075]

Gone a bit picture mad tonight, strange, sometimes I would forget to take hardly any, then get carried away completely..

 

mounting the tank up proved fairly straightforward a piece of angle at the bottom, two holes drilled through and bolted up. 

 

 

This picture shows what a good fit this tank is, no room to put your fingers between it and the bonnet. It also illustrates the reason for the 230mm frame extension, room for the tank plus just enough space to remove the air cleaner for servicing. 

 

 

The mount shaped to match the bottom of the tank and the centre cut out to allow room for pipe work. (gotta get a new rule too) 

 

 

make sure the bonnet can fold properly, clamp and tack weld the bracket to the frame. 

 

 

The top support took a little more thinking about, so this is what I came up with. I made a eye at the other end of this bar which bolts to a tab off the head. 

 

 

The view of the back looked 'empty' and unfinished with the overhang and the bonnet looked a bit vulnerable to damage, so I set about making something to help protect it. 

Several loading shovels I've seen have heavy cast blocks at the rear for counter weight and protection so....

 

 

starting with some 4x2 I came up with this design, (reminded me of those collars used after whiplash) anyway here's the pictures. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 'bumper' swings down to allow the bonnet to open. 

I was pleased with the result, gives the back end to the loader some protection and adds a little more 'weight' to the build.

 

Mmm gotta start thinking pumps..

[Texas Todd 1,025]

Very impressive build sir!  Just need more pictures! 

[HorseFixer 2,012]

Nice fabrication on the bumper, and finishing it off  and grinding and smoothing the welds make it look factory!   

[JPWH 6,147]

Very nice work you are doing. Your bumper gives me an idea for my build if you don't mind me using part of your design.

 

Jay

[farmer 1,075]

Thank you for those kind words gentlemen, and Jay, they say that 'imitation is the sincerest form of flattery' so go ahead, 'make my day'.   ( l'd be interested to see how you adopt it)

Got a few pictures took this afternoon, after a couple of hours spent in the workshop. 

 

 

 

@Lee1977 Hope this meets with your approval sir. 

You got me thinking about potential weak points so...

 

 

I think I've gone a bit nuts, but hey, I did say this was an industrial loader. Not a huge amount of extra weight (50x50x5mm) box , but let's see that 12 horse Kohler bend that!   

 

 

 

 

[Lee1977 6,866]

I found out a long time ago it's better to build it heaver then to go back and fix something later. Yes I approve, it looks a lot stronger.

[JPWH 6,147]

3 hours ago, farmer said:

l'd be interested to see how you adopt it)

Thanks. I will post it when I get it built. It's for my raider build.