Tractor shovel

[WVHillbilly520H 10,373]

IDK if this helps, no video action because of the 1 man camera crew/tractor operator.

[Handy Don 12,170]

Great picture, @WVHillbilly520H. Is the pipe branching off the undercarriage (arrow) holding the chute crank?

I never really grasped how substantial the partial subframe is! I can see now how it got to well over 300lbs--the frame must be close to 70-80 by itself.

Edited March 6, 2021 by Handy Don

[WVHillbilly520H 10,373]

17 minutes ago, Handy Don said:

Great picture, @WVHillbilly520H. Is the pipe branching off the undercarriage (arrow) holding the chute crank?

I never really grasped how substantial the partial subframe is!

Yes it is... Also notice which hole i have the lift rod in, it doesn't "grunt" any worse than it did with the single stage when lifting or any other weird noises for that matter, I believe who ever mentioned above about breaking the rockshaft was most likely on an older tractor, the 2stage I have was originally designed for the 520s so I would "assume" (take this lightly as I cannot say for certain) the rockshaft/tractor were designed for the blower in return.

Edited March 6, 2021 by WVHillbilly520H

[Handy Don 12,170]

1 hour ago, WVHillbilly520H said:

notice which hole i have the lift rod in, it doesn't "grunt" any worse than it did with the single stage

I did notice and was going to ignore it 

 

But now that you've opened Pandora's box....

 

@wallfish's comment related to an impact load discussion, not basic lifting. The two-stage is mounted so that nearly 100% of impact force would go to the mid-hitch and tractor frame and NOT to the lifting mechanism.  (In other words, an impact will not try to forcibly raise or lower the blower. The angle of the 1-stage mount does transfer impact force to the lift linkage.)

 

The 2-stage lift uses a bell crank with arms of roughly equal length to convert the fore-aft lift rod motion to vertical motion. Using the 2nd blower arm hole on the rockshaft (~3.5" out from the shaft axis) gives you about 4" of throw. That converts to 4" of lift at the point where the lift link from the bell crank hits the frame about 18" from the mid-hitch (the fulcrum). The blower bottom edge is about 9" forward of the lift link. The math: 4" lift at 18" from the fulcrum = 6" of lift at 27" from the fulcrum.

 

Going back to my earlier post, the hydro cylinder can lift 700 lbs over 3" and 350 lbs over 6". I'm guessing the "lifted" parts of the blower are 200-240 lbs. So you are within spec. You could fiddle with the linkage and probable get that blower up to 8" lift.

 

But circling back to the topic of this thread--a tractor shovel/scoop. Lifting 200-240 lbs of soil plus 100 lbs of scoop/bucket structure up 6" is not stellar performance. That's 2 cubic feet of wet soil. Not even a full small wheelbarrow.

Edited March 6, 2021 by Handy Don

[ebinmaine 67,317]

@WVHillbilly520H

Excellent. Thanks for the pics. 

 

 

@Handy Don

Thanks for the explanation of the explanation. I knew what you meant in the earlier post but fully grasped it with Jeff's pics and your further drawing out the points. 

 

8 hours ago, Handy Don said:

But circling back to the topic of this thread--a tractor shovel/scoop. Lifting 200-240 lbs of soil plus 100 lbs of scoop/bucket structure up 6" is not stellar performance. That's 2 cubic feet of wet soil. Not even a full small wheelbarrow

 

While I do agree that isn't a lot of weight, remember that even with small loads it still isn't being moved by people power. Added bonus is that the plow clamshell shelf can be raised during and just after releasing materials to spread it right then and there. 

 

[Handy Don 12,170]

3 hours ago, ebinmaine said:

While I do agree that isn't a lot of weight, remember that even with small loads it still isn't being moved by people power. Added bonus is that the plow clamshell shelf can be raised during and just after releasing materials to spread it right then and there

I am completely with you on this point!

While not stellar, it may well be perfectly adequate, especially if used on comparatively level terrain with a well-sized bucket and an operator attuned to it limits. 

A pound less of lifted bucket structure is a pound more of capacity--an important design consideration!

[ebinmaine 67,317]

@Zant2540

Did you process this idea any further?

 

[Zant2540 20]

I haven't given up on it.  It's just on the back burner.   Between work, my house and my very active 3 boys I have not had the time to dedicate to the project.  I'm hoping I can start work on it soon.

[WheelHorse_of_course 99]

There was a discussion about this many years ago. Not sure if there was anyone that actually built one. For the non metal worker you could make something pretty nice with 3/4" marine plywood. As long as it had a metal lip it would last for quite some time.