BCS power Barrow, engine weights and "kick stand"

Code54 · Jan 14, 2018

Thought this may interest some on the board.

I originally used the J hook to hold my weights on my BCS 853 but then built a 努heel barrow attachment for my wife and decided I wanted a simple tool free way to take the weight on and off quickly so I made this hanger. I built the barrow attachment as light as I could so it can hold more and be easier for my wife to maneuver. It is a modified Polar dump cart. Have about $175 in the whole thing including all the steel and caster wheels.

As for the weight hanger, I literally made from old scrap in the shop -it is a ｼ steel bent to hook on the top tube of the engine guard with a piece of threaded pipe welded to it. I then used a U bolt on the bottom rail of the engine guard to keep it in tight to the motor. There is a light foam pad between the hander and the engine guard to protect it some, as well as a foam circle between the weights and the hanger so it does not rattle. The screw on 田ap is a old threaded pipe reducer with a 4 or 5 piece of rebar welded on it so I can loosen or tighten it by hand easily. The weights are great to help balance out a heavy implement like the power harrow or even the flail mower, but is not needed with the sickle bar or dump cart so being able to easily remove them is helpful.

The thing to the left is a kickstand to hold the machine up when no implement is on the front - again just some scrap that was around the shop. (there is a small piece of steel the stand is sitting on in the photo as I was adjusting the pin holes to get perfectly level.)

milkman · Jan 16, 2018

WOW, I like it.

Peter 315 · Jan 16, 2018

Good job:thumbsup:

ottawarob · Jan 16, 2018

Super cool, this looks great! I have a John Deere dump cart I could see doing something similar with, though currently I pull it with an ATV which works very well.

I've always wondered - do you have to steer these things like a car trailer in reverse? If you want to go left, do you first have to go right to get the trailer going where you want it to go?

Code54 · Jan 16, 2018

THANKS everyone.
I used the caster style wheels on the trailer and with the solid attachment point if I turn the tractor right it just goes there. I used the steering brake in the garage (on cement) and it did a nice smooth 180. I was surprised at how easy it turns. The biggest problem I had to over come was weight. As in the lack of weight. I added a chunk of steel under the cart to protect the wheels and add a little extra front weight so it does not want to lift off the ground when empty.
Our main use for the cart is so my wife and use it down in the garden to collect weeds, bring in mulch, etc... Wanted it easy to maneuver, had to dump and small enough that it fits in the main walking area down the center of her wooden raised beds.

shallowwatersailor · Feb 2, 2018

Good work on adapting the cart. Not knocking it but two minor things I noticed: 1. Do you think the kickstand might "walk-up" the bar on the engine guard over time? If it was higher and met the crosspiece, it wouldn't move. But then it may interfere with the weight hanger and weights. 2. The way the caster wheels are mounted may be a problem. They may bind and drag after dumping the load while pulling away. If they remained level, they could then pivot right away. My Cyclone Rake has the caster wheels mounted level and they, at times, balk before spinning. But there is probably more empty weight with that than what you have.

Nice job!

Code54 · Feb 2, 2018

Shallowwatersailor - thanks for the ideas and thoughts! The design is not really tested yet so your points maybe dead on. Not really sure but I can explain a bit of it.

The way the kickstand mounts it sort of binds so I don't think it will slide any, plus honestly it is pretty darn tight. Without an implement I am guessing it hold 80lbs or so, not a whole heck of a lot. With the implement on (say the mower) it is pretty well balanced. If I do have slipping I could weld a small brace that would run up and catch that next bar and lock it in place and still be behind the weight plates.

As for dumping - not sure yet. I plan on emptying the wagon then only flipping it back up to the normal position before moving the machine. The cart won't have a lot of weight in it - thinking maybe 200lbs tops (normally). I wanted it for getting in tight spaces where my tractors won't fit and the regular dump is also too large (have one that is about 4x6' with an electric lift).
Funny you mention that Cyclone Rake - that is basically where I got the idea for the wheels. I use one on our little tractor and I been impressed with how well it has held up so far. We have the biggest one (forget the model) but when it is packed full that is a LOT of weight and I cant get over how well their wheels have held up. That is a nicely made product!!
If anything breaks on the cart/stand I will post it with any design changes - being it is version one it may need some changes but I do appreciate everyones thoughts, ideas and things to watch for!