Introducing the Stig Special

[bowtiebutler956 649]

Looking good Ian! Now I know why the price of steel is getting so high. Were're having a shortage, because your using it all! How much do you think that beast is going to weigh? 2,000-2500lbs? Love It.

Matt :flags-texas:

[chesbaycruiser 82]

How much do you think that beast is going to weigh?

Matt

I was just wondering the exact same thing!?

[COMMANDO6 20]

I'd estimate between 1 and 1.5 tons.

[Stigian 1,234]

Looking good there Mate! Nothing like Fireing up Ole Smokey and layin down some wire on a Sunday Mornin. She's comming along quite nicely.

Cheers ~Duke

Thanks Duke, yep you can't beat the sell of molten metal on a Sunday morning

Quite the awesome little fabricator you are Ian...can't wait to see the "hill video" too.

Hope it gets shot in the snow.

Hey Craig, you might have to wait a little while for the snow shots.. according to Metcheck it's not going to snow here until Dec 24th.. around about 6 in the morning!!!.. Quite how they can "see" that far ahead I don't know

Three point setup looks strong w/ two lift rams! Looks like it will be a real "work horse"!!!!

Thank you Sir, if I remember correctly between the two rams they should be able to lift a tad under 3 tonnes..... If my welding holds that is..

[Stigian 1,234]

Looking good Ian! Now I know why the price of steel is getting so high. Were're having a shortage, because your using it all! How much do you think that beast is going to weigh? 2,000-2500lbs? Love It.

Matt

How much do you think that beast is going to weigh?

Matt

I was just wondering the exact same thing!?

I'd estimate between 1 and 1.5 tons.

This is quite a hard question to answer at the mo guy's, it all depends on "how" I build the dozer blade, and I can't make up my mind at the mo!!

Plan A...

Build a "proper" Cat type blade that pivot's on the Raiders outriggers with a ram each side to lift it.. The down sides are cost of hydraulic pipes and weight... It would however look the bees knees

Plan B..

Build the "Cat style" blade as per plan one, but have the hydraulic rams doing their thing at the front.. It would still be as heavy as Plan A, but it would still look good and would need much shorter (cheaper) hydraulic pipes..

Placing the rams up front then got me thinking.... so have...

Plan C...

Fit a three point at the front and make a blade to fit it..

A quick bit of measuring and placing the three point lower arms in the right places would make for a blade a looong way forward of the front wheels.... Eeekkk.. Not to good for strength

But if I move the lower mounts a lot closer to the front of the chassis and chop about 4 inches from the length of the lower arms it could be made to work..

Plan C would cost just as much to build as A and b, but it would be lighter than both... a front mounted 3 point could be used for much more than just a dozer blade... But.... It wouldn't look as good and would never be as strong as a "Cat" blade!!!!

Sooooo... Which plan should I go with Guy's??? I just can't make up my mind on this :scratchead: :confusion-shrug:

[COMMANDO6 20]

Personally, I would go with plan B.

[bowtiebutler956 649]

I personally like plan A, but if B would save some cash, I would probabally go that route.

Matt :flags-texas:

[Bobie01 22]

Plan A

you coud use it also as FEL http://zizengineering.com/machineinfo/zettelmeyer/-l_501-1960-construction_machine-wheeled_loader.html

[dsholler 54]

I think you should go with the beefiest thing you can afford. Someday, you will be out using that thing, and a passer-by will say "Whoa! That thing looks like it could knock down trees!".. which when combined with the thoughts you had about expanding the vegetable garden, and the excess coffee you drank that morning, will result in the further deforestation of southeast England.

Seriously though, think tough. You have put 3 years of work and at least 1500lbs of steel into this thing, you want something that will crush whatever you drive it at.

[Staub'sLawnmower 6]

Really looking good!!! Making the dozer blade mounting outside the "track" frames would be the strongest. You'll find you will be using the outside corners to do most of your pushing. If you make the mounting inside the frame you can put braces on the corners to support the corners.

You'll be 'dozing in no time!!!

[neil 2,398]

I just noticed Ian that this thread has had over fifty two thousand views , that deserves a big :greetings-clappingorange:

[HorseFixer 2,012]

Lookin good there Mate! Plan "A" I want to see someone else spend more money than me on a project!

~Duke

[Jake Kuhn 1,547]

I think plan b would be the best in my opinion but any way it turns out will be fantastic! Its looking very good! ~Jake

[Anglo Traction 759]

:text-yeahthat: .........'B' is for Blade and Ballast. Add more Steel! . Will you want to angle the Blade? . 'A' and possibly 'C' may not allow it to . Either way Ian, I reckon your Shack may sink another inch or so when your done.

[neil 2,398]

Do you plan to have the dozer blade as a permanant fixture or would it be removable ?

I actually think plan c would be a good idea cos it does allow you to put other implements on . although like you say it wouldnt be as strong.

Each plan has its own merits so i guess it depends on what you want to use the blade for .

Its just a thought , could you build it on the principle of a bobcat loader . this would allow you to load things on to a trailer scoop sand onto a trailer aswell as act as a dozer blade, i guess this would mean that it pivoted from the back of the machine ike in plan A but with longer lifting arms . just a thought .

Bt the way Ian dont forget to get a good picture in for this years calendar

[Stigian 1,234]

Morning Guy's, an update and replies will come later, just a quick question for now as I need to work out a steel order...

For the dozer blade arms, should I go for a big bit of box like this..

Or should I make an "A frame" sort of thing out of smaller box?

(The above quick cobble ups are just to get a vague idea and may or may not represent the finished article)

The A frame idea is a lot more work but should be stronger and maybe heavier..

The "big bit of box" way of doing it would be much easier... But I'm not sure on how it would look!!

Any suggestions Guy's?

[Save Old Iron 1,563]

Ian,

have you performed any experiments to estimate how much of a load the tractor ?? will actually push or pull on dry / wet grass?

You may want to size the blade and then the blade arms to the actual amount of load the tractor will be capable of pushing. Yes, it weighs over 1500 lbs, but that weight will be divided over 6 contact patch surfaces which are still just turf tires. As the turf tires age, they become a bit hardened and the rubber becomes slicker, decreasing your traction. Just a thought.

[dsholler 54]

SOI,

You know full well that if Ian feels like he is not getting enough traction, he will just whip up some tracks to put on it... :)

[HorseFixer 2,012]

The "A" Frame Idea would be the way I would go. Stronger and has more of a look I think your after. Besides it costs more.. $$$ And like I said I enjoy seeing others spend money on their projects! And by the way, that may help you quit smoking and drinking so much durring these builds. Seeeeee Im looking out for your health Ian like a good BLOKE would do.

~Dukester

[Stigian 1,234]

Personally, I would go with plan B.

I personally like plan A, but if B would save some cash, I would probabally go that route.

Matt

Good call chap's, plan B it will be.

Plan A

you coud use it also as FEL http://zizengineerin...led_loader.html

Hi Bobie, that FEL in your link looks a fun machine.. Needs a cab though, just in case you manage to launch the load backwards

I think you should go with the beefiest thing you can afford. Someday, you will be out using that thing, and a passer-by will say "Whoa! That thing looks like it could knock down trees!".. which when combined with the thoughts you had about expanding the vegetable garden, and the excess coffee you drank that morning, will result in the further deforestation of southeast England.

Seriously though, think tough. You have put 3 years of work and at least 1500lbs of steel into this thing, you want something that will crush whatever you drive it at.

Wow dude, have you been drinking that strong cider again?? Don't worry, what I have planned will be able to cause a huge amount of damage to anything that gets in the way.

Really looking good!!! Making the dozer blade mounting outside the "track" frames would be the strongest. You'll find you will be using the outside corners to do most of your pushing. If you make the mounting inside the frame you can put braces on the corners to support the corners.

You'll be 'dozing in no time!!!

Thank you Sir. Yep the dozer arms will be mounted to the outriggers inline with the..er... Outrigger mounts, a very strong place.

I just noticed Ian that this thread has had over fifty two thousand views , that deserves a big

Thanks Neil and thanks everyone for checking in on my build so much, it means a great deal to me knowing your all digging this build

Lookin good there Mate! Plan "A" I want to see someone else spend more money than me on a project!

~Duke

Thanks Duke, sorry you've been out voted, plan B it is..

Lol, I dread to think how much it has cost me so far!1 I'd guess at £1 per every 1lbs it is in weight.

I think plan b would be the best in my opinion but any way it turns out will be fantastic! Its looking very good! ~Jake

Ta muchly Jake.

.........'B' is for Blade and Ballast. Add more Steel! . Will you want to angle the Blade? . 'A' and possibly 'C' may not allow it to . Either way Ian, I reckon your Shack may sink another inch or so when your done.

Howdo Richard, yep I will make it so the blade can have the angle changed. I've not worked out the details yet but I guess it might be done by the good old fashioned way of pulling a couple of big pins out, giving the blade a shove or a tug then putting then pins back in different holes..

Or something like that

Do you plan to have the dozer blade as a permanant fixture or would it be removable ?

I actually think plan c would be a good idea cos it does allow you to put other implements on . although like you say it wouldnt be as strong.

Each plan has its own merits so i guess it depends on what you want to use the blade for .

Its just a thought , could you build it on the principle of a bobcat loader . this would allow you to load things on to a trailer scoop sand onto a trailer aswell as act as a dozer blade, i guess this would mean that it pivoted from the back of the machine ike in plan A but with longer lifting arms . just a thought .

Bt the way Ian dont forget to get a good picture in for this years calendar

Howdo Neil, the blade will be removable using a "Quick hitch" thingy. If goes to plan it should only take a min to take the blade off and 10 mins (at my slow speed) to dismantle the blade for easy storage.

I can see the benefits of plan C, but I just can't shake the image of a "full on" dozer blade hanging off it.

Good point about the calender, I'd better hurry up and get the 3 point finished so I can bolt the beast back together and take her out for a photo session/run.

[Stigian 1,234]

Ian,

have you performed any experiments to estimate how much of a load the tractor ?? will actually push or pull on dry / wet grass?

You may want to size the blade and then the blade arms to the actual amount of load the tractor will be capable of pushing. Yes, it weighs over 1500 lbs, but that weight will be divided over 6 contact patch surfaces which are still just turf tires. As the turf tires age, they become a bit hardened and the rubber becomes slicker, decreasing your traction. Just a thought.

Er... Nope. No tests have been performed.... Yet..

I know the grass tires are not the ideal thing for this machine, but it's all my budget will allow at the mo. The correct size AG's come in at just over £100 each!

SOI,

You know full well that if Ian feels like he is not getting enough traction, he will just whip up some tracks to put on it...

You know it makes sense

The "A" Frame Idea would be the way I would go. Stronger and has more of a look I think your after. Besides it costs more.. $$$ And like I said I enjoy seeing others spend money on their projects! And by the way, that may help you quit smoking and drinking so much durring these builds. Seeeeee Im looking out for your health Ian like a good BLOKE would do.

~Dukester

You wind-up merchant

No chance of me giving up smoking and drinking..

The final blade arm plan is to build somewhere between the two ideas, and the steel has been ordered so no turning back now..

[Bobie01 22]

I have draw a bit on paint here s my solution for the frame.

cut the box diagonal turn it an weld it .It s strong and looks good (for me)

[Stigian 1,234]

But before I start on the blade I'd better get the 3 point finished.

Due to a slight mis-measure when cutting the pivot bar bearing mounts (I think that's what their called!) I was left with a bit of a gap when there should of been none..

This bit of brass plate came in handy for filling the gap. As the weld won't stick to it I could fill the gap with weld, remove the brass and hey presto no more gap..

Sorry for the naff phone photo.

A quick clean-up and the bar fits a treat.

Now the fun part of working out how to make the top arms.. (Is that the right name for them?)

A bit of wood was ideal for "working things out".

A couple more naff photo's.. It was quite hard to take a photo using my phone with only one hand!

Fully down..

And probably high enough!

Before turning the wood into steel, I got all dynamic and gave the shack a bit of a tidy up..

I'd almost forgotten what the floor looked like!!

Right, let's make it dirty again

Four bit's of flat bar tacked together..

Some drilling and chain drilling later..

We have this..

With a few of the tack welds removed, we now have two arms..

A rear view from the rear.. Not sure a few tack welds will hold them together though..

No chance of them parting company now

To finish off the day, the hydraulic ram lower mounts got a trim and tidy up.

[kpinnc 10,981]

Looks really nice Ian. That's gonna be one super-sturdy hitch setup!

[Stigian 1,234]

I have draw a bit on paint here s my solution for the frame.

cut the box diagonal turn it an weld it .It s strong and looks good (for me)

Thanks for that Bobie, I have more of a Cat D9g blade look in mind.. Strong but not too much weight.

Looks really nice Ian. That's gonna be one super-sturdy hitch setup!

Thank you Sir, yep it should be nice and strong when it's done.

Greetings Guy's, welcome to the "extreme photo" edition of the three point story.. I might of got a tad carried away taking snaps .

The welded up top arms got a tickle with the grinder to tidy them up a bit..

I needed to find some steel bar to make a couple of pins out of... An old brake steering lever was just right for the job.

But not the best of fits here..

But this bit of bar was a good fit after a bit of rust cleaning.

The bar was bored out to the right size and welded in.

Once it had cooled the bar was cut off inside, moved to the right place on the other hole and once again welded and trimmed.

You can just about see the welded in spacer here, around the pin.

I had a quick look at how the top arms would mount and found that if I followed the three point kit instructions (well not so much instructions as it's the only place the drop link could fit), the top arms would try and twist as the 3 point was raised!!

However I found that if I remount the drop links further back then everything would line up and nothing would try and twist as the lower arms raise..

Were getting a bit ahead here though, as the pivoting bar still needed finishing.

To stop any sideways movement a washer was tucked in the end, it will be greased.

And a plate tacked over the end. The idea is should any wear happen on the end of the bar it will be easy enough to fit slightly wider washers to take up any slack.

Both sides done and the bar cleaned up. The only way to get the bar out is to unbolt both bearing blocks.

To make my idea work the "fixed size" drop link needed cutting and turning to get the holes at the right angles..

For some reason I was expecting it to be solid bar!

A dig in the "Bucket O bit's"..

And just the right size bit of bar was found to but some strength back in the drop link. A nice tight fit inside.

Clamped up for welding.

That should be nice and strong now

Before I had a chance to test fit it a delivery truck turned up. I didn't fancy carrying it all across the garden to the shack so my 312 came out to join in the fun.

Yep, a load of steel.

The "build it yourself" dozer blade kit stashed away until it's needed.... Instructions not included

By the time I had finished stacking the steel yesterday, I was feeling tired and had had enough for the day. But I thought I quickly plonk the cut and shut drop link on to have a look..

Ah!! I may of welded it up at the wrong angle!

Oh well, there's always tomorrow.. Which happens to be today..

But your going to have to wait a little while to read about today as my spag bol cooking skills are needed..