3 pt. boom arm design

[treesawer]

Have any DIY welders out there designed a nice 3 pt. boom arm implement 8 -10' in length? I need some good photos for ideas or crude drawings maybe. What I see for sale at AG retailers isn't made that well & not the color of my machine so this leads me to welding/painting up my own implement. I am thinking 2 x 3 x 3/16 tube,1 x 1 tube for L & R bracing &
4 x 4 x 1/4 angle for lower attachment stock. Thanks for any ideas.

tree sawer /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[voodoo]

I haven't yet made one, but this design has appeared recently on some threads. Seems most versatile design I have seen.

Do a search for boom pole. There should be plenty of material on this forum.

Nigel

 

[voodoo]

Close up of hitch.
I am plagerising these pics from a fellow TBN'r
Sorry I did not keep details to give credit to the rightful owner

 

[tc35dforme]

Hmmmmmm..... ebay boom pole ???

 

[voodoo]

Yeah, thats the one.
Also explains why I had only saved pictures and not details of post.

Thanks for clarification

 

[knucklehead]

That Ebay unit is an interesting multi use idea. Do search on boom poles and you will find lots of interesting ideas - including safety.

Speaking of safety, this design has a couple things that stick out to me. The lower part seems rugged enough - a box section with nice thick plate for the pins. I have a problem with the stress that the angle iron experiences when a boom is used. I don't like the idea of putting both bending and twisting forces and on that vertical section. What is also not present here that you see on all other booms is any bracing that triangulates the structure. I would not count on the top link to add any rigidity other than simple tension, like you would get having a chain or cable in place of the link.

Maybe the pro weldors here will comment that I am overly cautious. It's a clean design, and that top plate adds some twisting resistance, but I'd think about adding at least a couple more pieces of angle to triangulate the vertical structure, and even some pin-on braces that could run from welded-on tabs out on the boom to the plates where the 3-pt pins attach.

Having said that, I still think it's a neat idea as far as versatility goes. Better yet to make the whole thing out of square tubing, along the lines of what Makers Mark did on his home made rake. Why not make this a 3-pt receiver hitch with the added provision for the boom - adding a lower reciever between the angles and on top of the square tubing to this would get you there, and those holes where the two lower balls mount could hold hooks, pins, or or clevis'.

 

[markct]

yea i gota get around to making a boom pole one of these days too, i need something heavier duty than the 65 dollar ones at TSC, i want something that will safely lift 2500-3500lbs. just for that heavy stuff that ya cant get the 3pt forks under, and is too heavy for the loader on our little ford. i have been thinkin of using some 2.5 inch square tubing with 1/4 inch wall, i got a long length of that laying around, or maybe just an i beam im not sure yet, but whatever i do it will need to be heavy duty

 

[BigEddy]

From an Ag Extension Website - lots of good plans here

http://www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/abeng/plans/6191.pdf

 

[tc35dforme]

That plan looks like the top link comes off and the boom pole pins directly to the top link mount. Would definetly help out on the leverage and strength points, but would it still go up with the lower links. Wouldn't you need a link there to allow for the lift ( kind of like a 3" long toplink ??? ).

 

[Anonymous Poster]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Why not make this a 3-pt receiver hitch with the added provision for the boom - adding a lower reciever between the angles and on top of the square tubing to this would get you there, and those holes where the two lower balls mount could hold hooks, pins, or or clevis'.)</font>

I have emailed the seller ( sridge@scrtc.com ) about making just such a design. He said that they have had a few requests along that line and would make one (painted, without the boom pole- add $25 if you want it) for $135.00 plus shipping.

Since I don't have a goose neck trailer, my thought was to construct the boom pole with a diagonal brace running from the end of the boom to the top of the hitch where the gooseneck ball mounts and bolting it there. A couple of short pieces would connect the brace to the boom along its length. This would greatly increase the strength of the boom, and would lock the boom in place while still allowing it to be easily removed.

 

[knucklehead]

Yeah, that would be just like the braces on top of the commercial tubular booms - and since it is in tension, you could use chain, too. It'd be even better if you could add a couple diagonal braces on the bottom, too. Did you ask the maker about side forces? I just emailed and asked what his opinion was, for the heck of it.

 

[knucklehead]

Those guys do answer their mail quickly. Used the Email address provided above. For what it's worth, here's what they said:

<font color="blue">"Haven't had any problem with angle twist. However, we have substituted 2x2 tubing upon request." </font>

I still like the clean, multipurpose design, even though I'd go with 2x2 square tubing, and a top chain for my stiffener.

 

[chim]

Here's my home made boom pole. The boom is a piece of 2" schedule 40 steel pipe. The bracing is of angle that was lying about, and the bottom bolts to a drawbar. The reinforcement on top is 1'2" square stock, and the attachment for the chain is a pair of Unsitrut "L" braces welded to the pipe. I can lift the front of the tractor if I'm lifting something too heavy.

The rig chained to the pole is a thing I made up to fix my stone driveway before it was blacktopped. Simple matter of bolting two pieces of 6" beam together. The two chains connecting to the 3PH get lengthened/shortened to cast material to the left, right or straight. They are off-center, and flipping the rig allows it to be more or less aggressive.................chim

 

[tc35dforme]

Chim....did you bend that sch. 40 pipe ??? If so...did you use a bender or do you have a trick to share.

 

[n6ckv]

2500 to 3500 lbs - make sure your tractor can handle the load. I have a L3450 with an SMC FEL. I used my boom pole to move a mill/drill (about 800 lbs) and had to put all my suitcase weights into the front bucket just to keep the front end down. I think that my 3 pt hitch is rated for 2500 lbs at the pins and then is de-rated as the load is further away from the pins.

carl

 

[markct]

i am pretty sure my tractor should handle that kinda weight at about 4ft out from the lift pins,i have lifted a nissan pickup with my 3pt pallet forks,with the extensions slid on them. im sure that truck had to weigh around 3500lbs and the front stayed on the ground fine. if i wanted to lift more than that i would probably need to get some weights for the front but for now its been fine, i am looking to add some weight to the front tho at some point, im sure the safety patrol will be on me for lifting heavy loads without counterweight but i think it was safe

 

[chim]

Yep, bent it at home. The trick was placing a $9.43 sealed bid on an old conduit bender at work years ago. It's a manual hydraulic bender that you need to pump with a "porta power" type hand pump. It'll bend up to 4" schedule 40 into a full 90°, although pipe larger than 2" needs to be bent in segments (or shots) of lesser degrees. I just placed the bid on a whim, thinking it would come in handy. To be honest, I can't remember how much I bid, but it was around $10, and I went with odd cents just to get a laugh from the guy opening the bids.

I rarely use the bender because I can tell a guy in the shop what I need. He can punch the info into a computer, and voila! it's done. It is handy to have for the occasional "need it now" or odd job. I bent a 1" shaft on the RFM a while back, and rigged the bender up like a press to straighten it.

Most electrical contracting firms have electric/hydraulic bending equipment that would do this in about 10 seconds..............chim