Hydraulic scarifiers: various designs

[MinnesotaEric]

Travis, I thought you and Ted may be interested in this variant design by Modern Ag Products. Instead of rotating the scarifiers, Modern pulls them straight up. The scarifiers are pulled straight up. In the following two photos you can see how each scarifier is held in a captured slot.

BTW, don't make your scarifiers too strong as you want them to break before bending or breaking anything else in order to be a sacrificial part in order to save the box scraper frame as well as the three point on the tractor itself.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Land Pride has the same setup with a manual lever.

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

One thing I don't like about that design is that when the rippers are down, the hydraulic cylinder is extended. That means the forces that the ground is placing on the rippers (constantly trying to push them up) is being exerted on the fully extended cylinder.

The Gannon/Woods design, on the other hand, has the cylinder fully closed when the rippers are down. I don't have any data (or even the technical knowledge) to prove it, but the Gannon/Woods design just seems to be less stressful on the hydraulic cylinder than the Modern Ag design.

 

[xring100]

Gannon also utilizes a 4 bar linkage to its advantage once its down and locked in place its not going anywhere and puts very little load into the cylinder.

Although looking at how this design operates there should not be substantial vertical load going onto the cylinder if anything i would suspect the cylinder would be in tension under when the scarfiers are down as the they are angled to pull into the dirt rather than push up and float.

I wonder with this design when your not using them they are they prone to clogging or getting in the way? On my gannon they are completely out if the way when retracted. This is a question as ive never used this style?

 

[roadhunter]

I'm not sure about that long piece of flat strap holding the end of the cylinder. Seems like there would be a better and more secure way of mounting the cylinder. I'm sure it works just fine but it could be improved upon IMO.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

There is a reason that the Gannon's have not really changed for decades and are used on about every commercial machine that makes use of a box blade. There are some copycats, but at the end of the day, Gannon is still the unit to have.

Just my :2cents:, well and a few thousand others as well, well more than that, but you get my point.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

Gannon also utilizes a 4 bar linkage to its advantage once its down and locked in place its not going anywhere and puts very little load into the cylinder.

Although looking at how this design operates there should not be substantial vertical load going onto the cylinder if anything i would suspect the cylinder would be in tension under when the scarfiers are down as the they are angled to pull into the dirt rather than push up and float.

I wonder with this design when your not using them they are they prone to clogging or getting in the way? On my gannon they are completely out if the way when retracted. This is a question as ive never used this style?


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I'm told that Ted likes the FFC design, but I've never seen an FFC industrial box scrapper with hydraulic scarifiers. To my eye, the Gannon design is the best as it leaves the box wide open. EA extended the box fore and aft length on their newest design to help keep from clogging.

 

[xring100]

Eric the FFC design looks pretty similar to gannon just beefed up with extra gussets and reinforcements on the tower. I'm pretty sure I'd either rip the 3pt off my M8540 or fold up a stabalizer before i bent my 88HSD. Gannon is suitable on a 20,000 lb skip loaders. The FFC 240 is about 1550 lbs or 250lbs heavier than the 88" gannon

 

[MinnesotaEric]

Eric the FFC design looks pretty similar to gannon just beefed up with extra gussets and reinforcements on the tower. I'm pretty sure I'd either rip the 3pt off my M8540 or fold up a stabalizer before i bent my 88HSD. Gannon is suitable on a 20,000 lb skip loaders. The FFC 240 is about 1550 lbs or 250lbs heavier than the 88" gannon

That starts to sound like it is too heavy for my wee, little tractor.

Anybody know how Cammond works their hydraulic scarifiers?

Cammond Blades-Scrapers | Edney Dealers

Tuffline looks like a Gannon knockoff for less money.

Tufline TB40 Tractor Hydraulic Box Blade - McGee Farm Equipment, Inc.

But I do like how Gannon has replaceable corners on some of their box blades. In fact, the clapped out Gannons I've found used are all because they wore the side plates down to the point where the box became nearly useless.

 

[jenkinsph]

That starts to sound like it is too heavy for my wee, little tractor.

Anybody know how Cammond works their hydraulic scarifiers?

Cammond Blades-Scrapers | Edney Dealers

Tuffline looks like a Gannon knockoff for less money.

Tufline TB40 Tractor Hydraulic Box Blade - McGee Farm Equipment, Inc.

But I do like how Gannon has replaceable corners on some of their box blades. In fact, the clapped out Gannons I've found used are all because they wore the side plates down to the point where the box became nearly useless.

Eric,
If you can find a good Gannon with the side plates worn down it would be easy to build them up. Don't need much more than a torch and cracker box welder to make this repair. It helps to splice the new metal on in a curved line as it will help with keeping the plate straight. Grind and smooth, repaint and you have a new box blade for cheap.

 

[Xfaxman]

Several years ago I had a BB with rotating scarifiers, tried to use it in wet clay and when full, the dirt would stick to the raised scarifiers when you lifted the BB. Had to bounce it to get the dirt to fall out.

I have a Cammond 6' with manual straight up and down scarifiers. Their hydraulic version is the same layout.

Dozer mode.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

Eric,
If you can find a good Gannon with the side plates worn down it would be easy to build them up. Don't need much more than a torch and cracker box welder to make this repair. It helps to splice the new metal on in a curved line as it will help with keeping the plate straight. Grind and smooth, repaint and you have a new box blade for cheap.

The two that I've seen were so worn that even the rear blades had been worn down. To retrofit as you suggest would require me getting a 4x8 sheet of 1/2 plate, firing up the Powermax 65 and plasma cutting out the sides, getting new front and rear blades, and welding it all in with the Millermatic 200. Too much horsing around, for me.

 

[xring100]

The bigger cammond units use the same style 4 bar linkage as gannon. I considered this line also but didn't find amy dealers locally . Tuffline doesn't appear to be mucheaper. I paid under $3200 for my gannon 88hsd at it has the added bonus of replaceable side plates

Cammond 4c5

 

[MinnesotaEric]

The bigger cammond units use the same style 4 bar linkage as gannon. I considered this line also but didn't find amy dealers locally . Tuffline doesn't appear to be mucheaper. I paid under $3200 for my gannon 88hsd at it has the added bonus of replaceable side plates

Cammond 4c5

Wow, that is a good price on the Gannon. FWIW, and I'm cheap and have shopped it, a Gannon high back HD80 (no tailgate) is coming in at $3200 from a little dealer 60 miles to my north. A 7' wide Cammond 4C5 (their heavy one with a tailgate) is at $3600 from my Massey dealer in Bemidji. One thing that hasn't been made clear to me is if either the Commond or Gannon tailgates can be locked down.

I've also been holding out for EA to offer something (as Travis and Ted have been super!), but I need the box blade before I can take delivery of a container this spring.

 

[Xfaxman]

--- One thing that hasn't been made clear to me is if either the Cammond or Gannon tailgates can be locked down.

I've also been holding out for EA to offer something (as Travis and Ted have been super!), but I need the box blade before I can take delivery of a container this spring.

My Cammond can be locked just like the new one from EA, but only with two pins, one at each end.

Insert pin or bolt through the holes at both ends, to lock the tailgate. :thumbsup:

 

[xring100]

Wow, that is a good price on the Gannon. FWIW, and I'm cheap and have shopped it, a Gannon high back HD80 (no tailgate) is coming in at $3200 from a little dealer 60 miles to my north. A 7' wide Cammond 4C5 (their heavy one with a tailgate) is at $3600 from my Massey dealer in Bemidji. One thing that hasn't been made clear to me is if either the Commond or Gannon tailgates can be locked down.

I've also been holding out for EA to offer something (as Travis and Ted have been super!), but I need the box blade before I can take delivery of a container this spring.

Eric I misspoke i have a sticky note with $3195 on my wall that said woods i thought that was the box scrapper it was obviously for something different possibly a brush bull . I looked at my receipt it was $3550 total for the hoses and fittings i was billed $3365 for the box scrapper alone.
So the tuffline is about 10% cheaper. I also liked the Cammond but the dealers were limited. I found the distributor in Michigan for tuffline and called them looking for a dealer they had tractor supply listed as the only one close. So i headed up there and immediately found they were not at all interested in ordering one of these for me. They had a couple decently built Tuffline 3pt disk at the store and i was impressed at how much better they appeared to be built than the County line or whatever their cheap line is.

 

[xring100]

Several years ago I had a BB with rotating scarifiers, tried to use it in wet clay and when full, the dirt would stick to the raised scarifiers when you lifted the BB. Had to bounce it to get the dirt to fall out.

I have a Cammond 6' with manual straight up and down scarifiers. Their hydraulic version is the same layout.


Dozer mode.

I can see now in the last picture that the lower retainer will actually strip the clay off the shanks as its raised.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

My Cammond can be locked just like the new one from EA.

Good to know. Seems to me the owner of Command told me that too, I simply forgot to write it in my notes.

 

[jenkinsph]

The two that I've seen were so worn that even the rear blades had been worn down. To retrofit as you suggest would require me getting a 4x8 sheet of 1/2 plate, firing up the Powermax 65 and plasma cutting out the sides, getting new front and rear blades, and welding it all in with the Millermatic 200. Too much horsing around, for me.

I may not have been clear enough about the repair. A piece of flat bar 1/2" x 6" x 6' would be plenty of steel to make the repair. I would lay the flat bar against the lower worn edge and trace the curve on the flat bar. Cut the flat bar to match and weld the addition on the side plate. I would not change out the entire side plate as there is no need for that. Grind the weld smooth and paint.
New bolt on blades for a Gannon cost about $25/foot, with bolts, flat bar for above total cost would be less than $450. If the Gannon used is cheap enough this might save you about 1/2 the cost of a new one.

 

[Xfaxman]

Several years ago I had a BB with rotating scarifiers, tried to use it in wet clay and when full, the dirt would stick to the raised scarifiers when you lifted the BB. Had to bounce it to get the dirt to fall out.

I can see now in the last picture that the lower retainer will actually strip the clay off the shanks as its raised.

Just to clarify my previous post, when the rippers were rotated up, they were still below the top of the box. So when filled, the wet clay would pack around and over the rippers. When you lifted the BB all of the clay would stay in the BB. Even what was under the rippers!

This is a better design, for the rotating style, the rippers come up higher, out of the box.