Hydraulic gauge wheels for a box blade

[SLM1294]

I added gauge wheels to my box blade to make smouthing my driveway a lot easier. They are controlled by a hydraulic cylinder and in combination with the top and tilt cylinders give a lot of adjustment and flexibility. They can also be raised up out of the way.

This was designed using SketchUp and built mostly from scrap angle steel.

The entire assembly can be easily removed from the box blade with 4 pins and I also made a stand out of wood to hold the wheels when not mounted to the box blade.

I hope this helps give others some ideas.

 

[ovrszd]

That is very impressive!!! Not to mention the fact that you also have built hydraulic lift scarifier teeth. Hydraulic top tilt, hydraulic side tilt, hydraulic teeth lift, hydraulic gauge wheels!!! Very impressive indeed!!! :thumbsup:

 

[hr3]

That is very impressive!!! Not to mention the fact that you also have built hydraulic lift scarifier teeth. Hydraulic top tilt, hydraulic side tilt, hydraulic teeth lift, hydraulic gauge wheels!!! Very impressive indeed!!!

Yes but can it make a martini :laughing:.. Kidding aside very nice job and very versatile ... :thumbsup:

 

[beenthere]

Super nice fab job. A completely different and most flexible tool now. Thanks for posting, but having some envy now.

 

[nuffer460]

SLM1294, Nice unit. I really like the scarffer adjustability. I played with a similar idea about a year ago. It worked well. It worked even better with a hydrualic toplink. It basically needed a triple spool for the back to control everything. Made crowning a road much easier. A contractor saw it and bought it for his driveway business. So, I need to build another one.

I design mine off of a Alibre 3D CAD program.

 

[powerstroke444e]

:thumbsup:Scarifier theeth option is my favorite part of it I had never seen it done like that. That I am thinking something like that on my landpride grading scrapper would be very handy????
I guess I will be spending some time in the shop drinkin and think this weekend.

 

[boggen]

looks awesome!

first thing i thought of though. was poor box blade. ya most likely getting abused and used.

though the hyd scraficers. was the cake for me!

 

[SLM1294]

Thanks for all of the comments. I posted some pictures of the scarifier control in the following link a few years ago. The system works well except when one of the teeth gets jammed and then the frame can bend if it is forced. Even if the frame was built stronger I am not sure it would help. The problem is that the teeth were not made for this but if I keep a little grease on them it does help and it doesnt happen very often.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/customization/124951-adding-hydraulic-scarifier-control-my.html

The scarifier control is mostly a convience but the gauge wheels give me capabilities that I didn't have before.

 

[beppington]

Wow! You have so many adjustment options, my head would spin!

That is great, though, good work. I'm sure you're going to have a much smoother grading result with those gauge wheels.

 

[Ductape]

Fantastic ideas. I'm wondering if a simple link between the lift frame for the scarifiers and the scarifiers would solve the potential bending problem.

With all that hardware you are using, might be time to buy a welder though?

 

[teg]

...when one of the teeth gets jammed and then the frame can bend if it is forced...

I've bent my teeth too many times to be able to do this but love the gauge wheels. :thumbsup: ...and you bolted everything, good job...

How many hydraulic spools do you have on your tractor? (and let me guess... you need a couple more? )

 

[JoeL4330]

I have a roadrunner grader/BB with the hydraulic roller attachment, which might inspire some of you builders... see Roller Option
There is a small pic there and, if need be, I can take some detailed pix of mine

 

[davygp38]

Nice build. I would like to see it in action sometime.

 

[nickel plate]

WOW! All I can say is BOXBLADEZILLA! Very good job.

 

[DDT]

here is mine I made a few years ago

 

[ovrszd]

here is mine I made a few years ago

A friend of mine built one like that last year to pull behind his H Farmall. Works very well for smoothing a large parking lot he uses to park his trucks.

 

[Kevin M]

Nice job ! Lots of good ideas ,Thanks for sharing !

 

[Piston]

Nice Job and thanks for posting some pics! I like the way you used the 4 attachment points to keep everything in line whether its up or down. :thumbsup:

I have a question, and keep in mind I have never once used a box blade, and only used a rear blade a few times with two gauge wheels.....

I have seen a single guage wheel as an option on some rear blades. It is a single wheel on a sort of 'triangular' frame that is operated by a hydraulic cylinder. I can see this being very handy when using the "tilt" cylinder in TnT.
Would this work good for a similar application like your gauge wheels? In other words when your gauge wheels are down, and you use your 'tilt' function, only one wheel would be on the ground, so I assume if your tilting, you pick the gauge wheels up?

But this way, you lose the advantage of the gauge wheel if you can't use it when in the tilt position. So would a single rear gauge wheel similar to the style shown in this link, work better on a box blade? Woods Equipment Company - 84'', 96'', 108'' & 120'' Heavy-Duty Rear Blades - RB Series

Or do you just not need the gauge wheels when tilting?
All that being said, I admire the work you did to your box blade and I bet it is a million times easier to get a good, level, finished product.
Great job! :thumbsup:

Again, remember that I know nothing about box blades and just trying to educate myself.

 

[mjncad]

Very nice, and the added weight probably makes the BB more efficient.

 

[JoeL4330]

Nice Job and thanks for posting some pics! I like the way you used the 4 attachment points to keep everything in line whether its up or down. :thumbsup:

I have a question, and keep in mind I have never once used a box blade, and only used a rear blade a few times with two gauge wheels.....

I have seen a single guage wheel as an option on some rear blades. It is a single wheel on a sort of 'triangular' frame that is operated by a hydraulic cylinder. I can see this being very handy when using the "tilt" cylinder in TnT.
Would this work good for a similar application like your gauge wheels? In other words when your gauge wheels are down, and you use your 'tilt' function, only one wheel would be on the ground, so I assume if your tilting, you pick the gauge wheels up?

But this way, you lose the advantage of the gauge wheel if you can't use it when in the tilt position. So would a single rear gauge wheel similar to the style shown in this link, work better on a box blade? Woods Equipment Company - 84'', 96'', 108'' & 120'' Heavy-Duty Rear Blades - RB Series

Or do you just not need the gauge wheels when tilting?
All that being said, I admire the work you did to your box blade and I bet it is a million times easier to get a good, level, finished product.
Great job! :thumbsup:

Again, remember that I know nothing about box blades and just trying to educate myself.

I have a Landpride RBT3596 W. hydraulic single tail wheel which, as you say, allows it to work in tilt mode (blade tilts and/or TNT) I wouldn't be happy with dual gauge wheels. See pic below ...