Small shop projects.

[Old Iron]

Throw caution and failure into the wind and letter rip

 

[MercuryMac]

After finding a wiring 'snafu', I corrected it and got the tractor running. The hydraulics were tested and there was a loose connection, so a messy leak.
Not much forward progress, [more like sideways].

 

[MercuryMac]

After much avoidance and some sideways 'progress', I got back at the little tractor and finished up the wiring. It now starts and runs, with no safety switches holding me back.

 

[smallfoot]

[cl[cl[cl[cl[cl

 

[MercuryMac]

I tidied up a few little things, hooked up my lawn sweep and hydraulics, bled the system and drove it down to the machine shed for the winter.

 

[smallfoot]

Neat little rig Mac!

 

[kenny c]

Nice set up.

 

[dutch]

will the little tractor carry the mower deck at the same time? looks good from here

 

[BillM]

Well done MM!

 

[MercuryMac]

Thank you guys.
Dutch, I put the hydraulic tank under the tractor where the mower deck should be, so I can't have it 'under-belly'. I was hoping to make a tow-behind mower unit, hydraulically driven, and movable side to side, so I can mow under my big spruce trees on the lawn. Their branches are seven feet long and almost touching the ground. Also it would be easier to mow the county ditch with a side mower. ---- All dreams, though.

 

[dutch]

I`m sure you will come up with some kind of geniusness... is that a word..?

 

[soltz]

It is now [cl

 

[MercuryMac]

What Soltz said.

 

[MercuryMac]

Little tractor and lawn Sweep update; I plumbed a flow control valve in the sweeper brush hydraulic circuit so I could change speeds. Cool. The valve can slow the brush down to a stop. If only the brush turned too fast, I would have no problems. But, the brush turns too slow at its fastest. I had to speed it up. Here's a picture of the 5" drive pulley on the hydraulic motor that replaces the three inch one.

 

[MercuryMac]

My lawn sweep was not working properly. Its brush speed would fluctuate wildly, continually. The brush shaft had bushings on it and they got gunked up with old grass so I put a sealed bearing on the drive end. Then I realized that the raising and lowering mechanism [the round tin thing lying on the ground in the middle picture], was binding on the brush shaft when I was working it.
I made a new wheel axle and mounted it solidly and left the raising mechanism out of the machine. The last picture is just before I took it on its test-drive. After a couple of minor adjustments, I claim success.