Need 'Break-Away Kickstand' ideas for landscape rake

[Luke'sScreenName]

Wow Bukit! Thanks for going through all that trouble (I love TBN).

If I understand it correctly, I think I need more stability out of the stand when deployed that your design will provide.

I'm often setting it down on uneven ground. So it needs to hold up to lateral stress loads in all directions. It really only needs to "breakaway" swinging to the back (from driving forward).

 

[Wagtail]

I know that you're looking to build one but don't 'they' make a swing-up contraption for the front of trailers/floats?

Buggered if I can remember the proper name for it...

 

[BukitCase]

There's these

1 lb. Capacity Swing-Back Trailer Jack

But you STILL need to remember to pull the pin and swing 'em up...

Luke, I haven't seen how uneven your ground is, but my thoughts at the time were that between the rake tines and the gauge wheels and gravity ensuring that the drop leg would hang straight down, it should work - but if all you need is "auto-swing-BACK", just simplify my drawing by leaving out the side swing... Steve

(One reason I did both axes was the possibility that you might do some fairly agressive TURNS while forgetting you hadn't raised the kickstand - and that PROBABLY would put enough side stress to mess up a "rearward only" kickstand...

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

I know that you're looking to build one but don't 'they' make a swing-up contraption for the front of trailers/floats?

Buggered if I can remember the proper name for it...

I'm all ears. Obviously there are fold-up trailer jacks but every one I've seen has been locked in position with a spring-loaded pin.

 

[kthompson]

What you have describe is out there. It is the break away sprayer boom arms. Do not use near 50% of the cut pipe, will not need near that much and will need long bolt and spring if you use that much pipe depth.

 

[texasranger556]

A simple idea is cut your pipe down so it reaches an inch or so out the top of the larger pipe on your frame. Weld a washer or collar onto the pipe about 3-4" down to hold the weight while it's sitting on the kickstand. Don't use a pin, so then when you pick the rake up next time the pipe falls out without getting bent (this is assuming you don't forget to raise it up before driving away!). If you worry about losing it, add a piece of chain between the pipe and your frame long enough that you can flip the pipe upside down and drop it into the holder from the top.

The annoying part would be getting the kickstand back in as you're disconnecting the rake. For that I'd drill a 3/8" or larger hole right at the top of the kickstand, then use a short 1/4" bolt welded to some chain so that with the rake raised on the 3 point, insert the kickstand from below, put the small bolt in the hole to hold it in there, then when you drop the rake onto the ground, the pipe slides up 1/2" or so and the bolt falls back out so you are safe from forgetting to remove it the next time you use the rake. Having said all that, not sure it's any simpler than your idea!

A quick sketchup:

 

[pmsmechanic]

Could you just make it swing? You could add a spring on it that snaps over center...just like a motorcycle kickstand.

This is the best idea I've seen so far. Easy to use and if you forget to fold it up it does it by itself!

 

[Wagtail]

I'm all ears. Obviously there are fold-up trailer jacks but every one I've seen has been locked in position with a spring-loaded pin.

Nope, that was what I was thinking of, I just couldn't get my noggin to put a name to it.

Brain fart. :duh:

Mind you, I really like the MC kickstand idea.

 

[coldsteelva]

Could you fabricate a slip-clutch mount for the kickstand? Weld in some round stock in place of a drive shaft, welded to the kickstand. If the kickstand is down and hits something with force, the clutch slips.

 

[N2DFire]

I'm guessing we're far beyond the simplicity of just parking it in the same place and set it on a couple cinder blocks. No stand to forget - hook up, lift up, drive off.

Otherwise I would weld tabs to the rake & mounting tube then bolt them together with cheap bolts (so the tube is bolted to the rake instead of welded) then if you forget to take the stand out of the tube the bolts just break and you put in new ones - kind of like a shear pin setup.