Self built Mulcher .

[Eagleview]

Over the years , I have accumulated a few bits and pieces that I have decided to glue together and end up with a tracked Mulcher .

The object of the plan is to use what I have at home and only buy in parts like hydraulic pumps , valve bodies , hoses etc .

I have a new cabin off of an articulated road roller that I picked up for near nothing that was still in the factory crate . While I was picking it up from the business that sold it to me , I noticed a new articulated front end loader bonnet in a crate . I made them a silly offer and they helped me load it up . :thumbsup:

I ended up with 4 new track frames and tracks from a rock crusher/screen supplier that have been sitting around for years at home .

Then I bought a 4 cylinder Diesel 175hp Nissan UD truck engine with only 90,000k's on the clock for a job but never happened .

The other day , I am looking at all this stuff and thought, bugger it , i'll build a mulcher ! (as you do)

Hope you get a kick out of the build , but please dont think it will take a week to do it . You could be in for a wait but these few picks will wet your appetite .


Day 1 .

Looking, Looking .







Day 2/3/4/5

Cut the centers out of two of the track frames to use as cross members to join the remaining two . I didn't want to use box section as it is too torsionally stiff . These sections are "U" shaped with internal gussets etc and they can flex without cracking welds etc . Also built the Channel section intermediate chassis which will carry the cabin , bonnet , engine etc . Turned it all over in the dirt so I could fit the belly plate to the bottom .



Day 6

Fitted the rollers, idlers, track motors and tracks and turned it back over . It was then cleaned and scull dragged into the shed .



Day 7 (today 25/3/16)

Cabin and bonnet lifted on to the upper chassis . The cabin will be 8 inches higher when the cross members are welded in and the rubber mounts are in place .

 

[RDrancher]

All I have to say is WOW! This will be interesting.

175 hp should provide plenty of power for the beast. What kind of flow numbers are you looking at for the head?

 

[farm boy00]

How much did you pay for all of this so far??

 

[CDN Farm Boy]

Got to admire the "Screw it, just because I can!" attitiude. :thumbsup:

 

[Eagleview]

RDrancher , The head will be PTO driven , straight off the engine flywheel . I am keeping the truck clutch and bellhousing and will be making a splined shaft to come out of the clutch and hook up to a series 8 tractor PTO shaft . In an emergency , I will be able to push the clutch pedal in the cab and disengage the rotor .

The pumps I mentioned are to drive the track motors and lift the mulcher etc .

 

[Eagleview]

How much did you pay for all of this so far??

Sorry , did that with another machine once . When I went to sell it the buyers would Google the make and model to check them out and they would find my posts with how much I paid for it .

 

[Eagleview]

Got to admire the "Screw it, just because I can!" attitiude. :thumbsup:

The screw it attitude does make for a lot of work sometimes LOL .

 

[Eagleview]

Next week I will be mounting the engine and fuel tank .

I also want to mount a 100 litre water tank and electric pump somewhere . It will have a hose and wand so I can put out any small spot fires , minor engine fires and also be able to clean the windscreens . I hate looking through mesh so 12mm tinted Swimming Pool fence glass panels will be mounted in front of the windscreen . They will take a fair bit of punishment and if they do break , it's only $100 to replace them .

 

[Eagleview]

This is the 3 Point Linkage that will be going on the front of the machine . It will not only allow me to run a Tractor type mulcher , but also any other Tractor mounted implement I want , Stump Grinder , Wood Chipper , Asphalt Grinder etc .

 

[farm boy00]

Next week I will be mounting the engine and fuel tank .

I also want to mount a 100 litre water tank and electric pump somewhere . It will have a hose and wand so I can put out any small spot fires , minor engine fires and also be able to clean the windscreens . I hate looking through mesh so 12mm tinted Swimming Pool fence glass panels will be mounted in front of the windscreen . They will take a fair bit of punishment and if they do break , it's only $100 to replace them .

I'm not 100% sure that you meant by the screen but do you mean expanded metal? ?

 

[tonyoz]

Onya Mate, you may end up putting the so called "pros " to shame:laughing:

 

[Eagleview]

I'm not 100% sure that you meant by the screen but do you mean expanded metal? ?

Any mesh , expanded metal , woven , punched etc , that is why I will be using toughened 12mm pool glass .

 

[Mysfyt]

I'm envious of the fun you're having and will be having during this build! I've always wanted to build a track vehicle for some reason.
Great job so far!

 

[Eagleview]

Onya Mate, you may end up putting the so called "pros " to shame:laughing:

I dont know about that Tony , but I do think it will punch above it's weight with 175 PTO horsepower and be around the same size as a Positrac with mulcher .

 

[Eagleview]

I'm envious of the fun you're having and will be having during this build! I've always wanted to build a track vehicle for some reason.
Great job so far!

Thank you , I have had other people say they would have fun doing this type of thing . It is something I need to try and do as it is just more work for me to do at the present . I really should try and look at these projects as a fun hobby type thing .

 

[Eagleview]

This is what I did on Easter Monday .

Removed the grille panel and side doors , but left the bonnet frame to give me an idea of what the confines were I had to work with and sat the engine into position . I just need to fab up some mounts for it now .

It sits nice and low , keeping the weight all down low on the machine . It will easily cross hillsides sideways without trying to tip over . I may need to weld grouser lugs on the track plates for traction though .

Having the engine low mounted also gives me plenty of room above it for an air cleaner etc .

 

[TSO]

Cool project!

Do you feel that the engine will do ok handling the shock of running a PTO Shaft directly off it? A PTO on a tractor has numerous connection points that can fail (as a buffer) before damaging the engine, and a mulcher can really "shock" the driveline.

 

[pmsmechanic]

Subscribed. I like builds like this.

 

[Eagleview]

Cool project!

Do you feel that the engine will do ok handling the shock of running a PTO Shaft directly off it? A PTO on a tractor has numerous connection points that can fail (as a buffer) before damaging the engine, and a mulcher can really "shock" the driveline.

It will still be protected in several places . The first line of defense are the belts on the mulcher itself , they can slip if the mulcher swallows an engine block in the grass . Second line of defense is the standard clutch on the series 8 PTO shaft . 3rd is the standard truck clutch , 4th is the inertia the flywheel and pressure plate has that protects the crank from twisting and 5th is the clutch pedal that I will be stomping on within a second in an emergency .

YES , if it was running the PTO shaft on the FRONT of the engine , as many tractors do and all that inertia was going through the crankshaft , then yes the crank is the weak link .

This is not a first , there are many PTO driven tracked mulchers on the market , as well as Wood Chippers etc that are driven straight off the flywheel .

 

[TSO]

We have a PTO driven mulcher, so I am familiar... I don't mean to refer to the actually "rotation" force of the unit on the PTO, I just mean the actual shock and vibration of the unit. I wasn't sure how you planned to attach and secure the output shaft.


Ours is like this one...