DM
09-07-2007, 04:45 AM
Many years ago i had an old Ford back blade... It was a good blade but it was never ment to be on a modern 4x4 tractor, and i kept breaking it. Finally i fixed it up and sold it, and off i went to buy a HD back blade, that would take what a bigger tractor would give it!
I settled on a new Bush Hog 90-08 because it was "very" heavy built, was greasable, and articulated in every direction i'd ever want a blade to move! Bush Hog is a big name in tractor tools and makes many different products...
Here it is....
http://www.fototime.com/0E47301276A13AB/standard.jpg
Well, the other day i was using it on a job and i broke it!! I haven't ever abused this blade, and it's never had a tractor in front of it anyway near as big and heavy as it's rated for!! In fact, even though i've had this blade for a long time, it's hardly been used at all, as i bought a dozer not long after i bought the blade! Anyway, lucky for me i was near the end of this job, and i finished it using the bucket on my tractor...
http://www.fototime.com/7ED5C4272F7DD95/standard.jpg
First thing i noticed is the lack of penetration on the factory welds. Those welds just weren't all that well done!! After looking the blade over better, it because obvoius why the 3 point tower broke off!!! The strength of this design comes from a very HD Hindge pin/shaft the goes verticle through the 3 point tower and down through the frame of the blade holding everything into place! The problem is, the shaft was held from dropping out with a 5/16" scroll pin, and the pin had broken, allowing the shaft to drop. So it no longer was supporting the tower!
It took some doing to get that broken scrool pin out as it was rusted in, but heating it red and pounding on it with a punch did the trick! I then chased the hole out with a 5/16" drill bit, and put a bolt through the hole with a lock nut on it!! This is how it should have been in the first place!!
http://www.fototime.com/43BFD3F3D639EEB/standard.jpg
Here you can see how the shaft sticks up for the 3 point tower to sit over it.... This is where the tower gets it's strength!!
http://www.fototime.com/45B31EE0289054D/standard.jpg
http://www.fototime.com/5E69D08D4DC277F/standard.jpg
As you can see, i have everything beat into place, and held there with a couple clamps!!
http://www.fototime.com/6F9B55E283A225A/standard.jpg
Now it's time to lay in the welds!! So i turned up the welder, so i know these beads have excelent penetration!!
http://www.fototime.com/F052D911ABA8786/standard.jpg
http://www.fototime.com/1AD23227AB5ADE4/standard.jpg
All that was left to do is wire brush everything and rattle can some paint on the welds. With that done i now have my back blade ready to use once again!!
I hope you liked the picts... 8)
DM
I settled on a new Bush Hog 90-08 because it was "very" heavy built, was greasable, and articulated in every direction i'd ever want a blade to move! Bush Hog is a big name in tractor tools and makes many different products...
Here it is....
http://www.fototime.com/0E47301276A13AB/standard.jpg
Well, the other day i was using it on a job and i broke it!! I haven't ever abused this blade, and it's never had a tractor in front of it anyway near as big and heavy as it's rated for!! In fact, even though i've had this blade for a long time, it's hardly been used at all, as i bought a dozer not long after i bought the blade! Anyway, lucky for me i was near the end of this job, and i finished it using the bucket on my tractor...
http://www.fototime.com/7ED5C4272F7DD95/standard.jpg
First thing i noticed is the lack of penetration on the factory welds. Those welds just weren't all that well done!! After looking the blade over better, it because obvoius why the 3 point tower broke off!!! The strength of this design comes from a very HD Hindge pin/shaft the goes verticle through the 3 point tower and down through the frame of the blade holding everything into place! The problem is, the shaft was held from dropping out with a 5/16" scroll pin, and the pin had broken, allowing the shaft to drop. So it no longer was supporting the tower!
It took some doing to get that broken scrool pin out as it was rusted in, but heating it red and pounding on it with a punch did the trick! I then chased the hole out with a 5/16" drill bit, and put a bolt through the hole with a lock nut on it!! This is how it should have been in the first place!!
http://www.fototime.com/43BFD3F3D639EEB/standard.jpg
Here you can see how the shaft sticks up for the 3 point tower to sit over it.... This is where the tower gets it's strength!!
http://www.fototime.com/45B31EE0289054D/standard.jpg
http://www.fototime.com/5E69D08D4DC277F/standard.jpg
As you can see, i have everything beat into place, and held there with a couple clamps!!
http://www.fototime.com/6F9B55E283A225A/standard.jpg
Now it's time to lay in the welds!! So i turned up the welder, so i know these beads have excelent penetration!!
http://www.fototime.com/F052D911ABA8786/standard.jpg
http://www.fototime.com/1AD23227AB5ADE4/standard.jpg
All that was left to do is wire brush everything and rattle can some paint on the welds. With that done i now have my back blade ready to use once again!!
I hope you liked the picts... 8)
DM