Detachable cutting edge for JD 430 FEL

[PerryWhite]

My wife got me the detachable cutting edge for my JD 430 FEL for Christmas. It has 10 holes in it. What is the
quickest way to put 10 holes (0.5 inch dia. each) into the
welded on cutting edge on the 430 FEL? I was thinking of
using the weight of the bucket to push against my 1/2 inch
Milwaukee drill. Any other suggestions?

 

[ronjhall]

Perry

I think that you would break a few drills. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Set the cutting edge in place. Use the 1/2" (I would use a 17/32" drill) to mark all the holes.
Drill all the holes with a 3/16" drill.
Then use a 3/8" drill.
Then finish with the final drill size.
It may not be faster, but it will be a lot easier.
If you have access to a magnetic-base drill motor it will make the job even easier. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif Click Here

 

[Egon]

You will have lots of fun and spend much time on the drilling.

Progressive bits as has been mentioned, cutting oil and patience as well as very high quality drill bits and taking time to keep them cool will work. Will you need all the holes?

A hot drill will be the quickest but leave a messy looking job.

Egon

 

[MadReferee]

Try a bi-metal hole saw (they are usually white). One worked well for me when I was drilling thru the bucket.

 

[varmint]

Perry- Ronjhall's sequence of drill sizes is the ticket: when I just drilled the four 1/2" holes to mount my toothbar, I discovered that the cobalt 1/2" bit I was using got dull after 1 hole, but when I sharpened it, the next three holes went easily, and that's thru 1 1/4" of steel. 10 bolts sounds like overkill, but then I haven't seen the edge you have to mount.

 

[keeney]

Assuming the existing bucket edge that you are drilling through is not serious hard steel, you should be able to drill it by hand with a good sharp 1/2" bit.

I agree with the progressive drill bit sizes, but you will only need two sizes - one maybe 3/16" to 1/4" and one the finished size. The reason to use two sizes of bits its that the large bit needs to spin a lot slower to maintain the same edge speed as a small one. However, the center of the large bit will then not be spinning fast enough to drill out the material at the center of the hole. Pre-drilling the center with a small bit (at higher speed) makes things a lot easier.

To avoid issues with accuracy of drilling, I would mark and drill the first hole. Then I would mount the part, put a bolt in it and tighten it finger tight. Then I would use the part itself as a giude and drill the hole on the other end and put a bolt in it too. Then the remainder of the holes can be drilled using the part as a giude.

The cutting edge goes on the under-side of the bucket? Drilling from the top will be a lot easier since you can put you weight into it. You can take the bucket off the tractor and turn it upside-down,

Or if the cutting edge can fit on the inside in a matching position, you could drill the holes from the top instead of the bottom and then bolt it on the bottom after.

When drilling, is is very important to keep enough pressure on the bit so it is always cutting and never slips. Once it starts slipping vs. cutting, it will get dull and hot in a big hurry. For a 1/2" hole through steel, you will want your full leaning weight on the drill. Getting enough pressure by drilling up from the bottom will be very difficult.

Contrary to inutition, some oil on the end of the bit will help the cutting process by lubricating the chips to curl off easier. There are "cutting" oils designed exactly for this, but unless you plan to do a lot of drilling or machining, you needn't bother going out and finding/buying anything special. Any oil will work - even already used oil (it may make some smoke that you shouldn't breath). A heavier weight oil or gear lube will not get thrown off the bit as much. An oil can is helpful for this, or you can just dip the bit into the oil bottle before you start each hole. Again, drilling downwards will be helpful in keeping the oil in the right place.

Maybe you can position a bench drill-press on the garage floor to drill through the bucket positioned 6 or 8 inches off the floor (resting on something). A drill-press helps a lot because it makes it easy to keep the required pressure on the bit as well as position the hole accurately.

- Rick

 

[PerryWhite]

Thanks guys for all of your suggestions. I really appreciate the advice. All of you seem
to recognize what a job this will be. I have already picked
up a couple of 1/2 inch titanium bits and a couple of
1/4 inch titanium bits as well. The JD cutting edge
has ten holes in it so I assumed that I should use them all.
Every cutting edge I have seen on large equipment
has all of the bolts attached. Using all of them might
keep small rocks etc from getting wedged between the
bottom of the bucket and the cutting edge.
I don't have access to a magnetic base drill and I can't
justify one in my mind just for this job even though I am sure that it would really help. I thought of trying to use
my drill press but it is a full size floor model and manhandling the bucket seems like quite a chore.
I didn't think of using a bench drill press. I've have been thinking about getting one of those for a long time. Maybe I will pick one up for this job. The cutting edge is a little longer than the bucket is wide so I will have to drill and mark from the bottom. The hot drill, a.k.a a blue wrench
would help but I don't think I could control it well enough
to keep from messing up the bucket.
Thanks again everyone.

Here's a picture of the cutting edge attached. It's on
the 460 FEL not the 430 but it gets the idea across.

http://tractorbynet.com/images/4000armor_500.jpg

 

[Egon]

Perry:

There may be a possibility of using your drill press. Lift the bucket and see if it will lie flat on the drill press table and still have enough clearance for the top part of the bucket. Also remember that a small hole can be made by the hot drill and then finished with a drill bit.

Egon

 

[PerryWhite]

Egon,

If I turn the bucket upside down, the cutting edge would easily
fit over the drill press table. Handling it will be a challenge
as it is pretty heavy and cumbersome. It will also be
a challenge to support it although a couple of saw horses
might do. I will probably be working alone cause
my wife doesn't like to help me for very long as she
has her own agenda/hobbies such as running and music.
She also has herniated disk probs and doesn't like
to do any heavy lifting.
Maybe one of those cheap benchtop drill presses from
harbor freight would do. Either way, it will have to wait
until Saturday as we are at the in-laws for Christmas.
I am afraid that the torch will leave very irregular holes
which will be difficult to use drill bits to clean up
without catching them and snapping off the bits.

 

[chim]

I made a new bolt-on edge for my Kubota 302 bucket. It was not all that difficult to drill. Years ago I had an instructor who told us to use a pilot drill bit that was approx. 1/3 the diameter of the finished hole size for things like this. It has worked for me.

Hold the new cutting edge in place with a bunch of clamps so it doesn't shift, and mark the holes like ronjhall suggested ..................chim