NEW DUAL AXIS SLOPE INDICATOR

[Anonymous Poster]

Rick,
Mercury switches are used in float switches used in water and waste water applications, but some companies are marketing a "green" float switch that uses no mercury. It is a ball switch and may(?) meet your spec (don't know for sure but may be something to chase down???).I don't have specific design information, but one of the companies is US Filter/ Consolidated Electric out of the twin cities area. If you are interested I have some contact with them and may (may??) be able to get some info (Idon't know if the mechanism is proprietary).
Get back to me if you are interested.
DaveL

 

[RBManufacturing]

DaveL,
Thanks Guy, Sure, if not to much trouble. I appreciate it.
Rick /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Bob999]

There is a very active movement to get mercury out of the environment. This link will take you to a source that discusses several alternative technologies to using mercury in a switch.

Interestingly, none of them discuss acid as an alternative.

Here is another link2 that discusses alternatives and suppliers.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Rick........thanks for what you are doing......got mine today.....visually impressive on what it must have taken you to make just the dies to produce your total unit....When you test guys get yours, you will
probably think " wow, pretty simple and easy to do."....first impression out of the box.....totallllllly functional design......was impressed with just the tilt meter that I already have on all the ways one can mount it......and this goes right along with that........mine is just above the top of the steering wheel above the dash, almost on the hood......easy to see and use..........
What I see immediatelywhen mowing my 15-25 slope is, as I go up a hill I will be able to tell what angle I am at and as I make the turn KNOW.......and the important part is KNOW what I am going to be at as I am making my turn to go back down hill............I dont dare go across this 5 acre hill so this device totally allows me to be informed as I go up and down.......
One quick question that I need to figure.........is the inclination meter marked out in degree of angle and the tilt meter in degrees of slope?......perhaps a table here and an explanation could help.........its easy to figure out in ones head and so much better than the seat of your pants......THANKS TO YOU........Dennis

 

[Anonymous Poster]

oooooooops just played it with it some more as I sat here wondering if what I said makes sense........and it doesnt.......the scales and measuring systems are the same......would anyone really go up a 50 degree slope??????........and I get all puckered up on my little 20-25.......
as I sit here lookin at this I am just totally amazed at the functionality of the mounting system, the care taken in the selection of the fasteners, countersinking, etc.......gotta mount it tomorrow and go for an angled excursion......

 

[RBManufacturing]

Dennis,
Hey Dude, Thank You!!!!! A lot of tinkering and thought goes
into each design. Takes one mold for the mounting bracket.
One mold for back plate. One mold for meter. Now another
mold for dual axis add on. I designed the new dual axis part
so I could use it on all my other meters as well. Can't afford
mold for each style. I will not be color coding fore to aft
axis, due to numerous attachments that are used that can
drastically change center of gravity. (fel raised etc). As I have
always said, the meter is like a speedometer. It gives you a
good idea of parameters of operation. The final safe
operation is up to the operator using good common sense.
(I hope.) Glad your initial opinion is good. Thanks Guy. Rick

 

[markie61]

Got mine late yesterday. Looks like a real good quality piece. Are you sure it is only a prototype? Fit and finish are excellent.

In reading the installation instructions, it looks like the dual-axis will be easier to install than a single-axis tiltmeter. The single's instructions are VERY specific to make sure it is straight up-and-down on both axis. The dual should be easy because one axis checks the other.

I hope to get is on over the next couple of days. More info to follow.... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Mark

 

[GregJ]

Rick,
I got my test unit today. Thank you. I am looking forward to using it. I can't believe I was one of the chosen 8. I think I'll go out and buy a lotto ticket this afternoon. I have attached a photo of a trail that goes down to our beach. It has to be maintained yearly, and until I got my tractor, we had always hired it done. I have been down it a few times with my B7500 and yes.... it does stimulate a significant pucker factor. When I go up the hill with the BH on, I am wondering if I shouldn't have a load in my bucket, etc. What I am looking forward to is some discussion from the group about safety observations with regard to specific equipment and loads at different grades. I have seen several posts where people talk about 20 degree slopes, etc., but I wonder how they arrive at those numbers without getting out a transit and surveying. With this new tool, it will make it easy to read the slope. Actually, I do have a transit and I have never shot this trail, so maybe I should shoot it and see how close the new meter comes to my specs. I'll give you feedback as soon as I get a chance to use it a bit. Anyway, I am looking forward to this and also looking forward to the discussions that will follow.

Thanks,
Greg

 

[RBManufacturing]

Hi Greg,
Picture looks like you have a beautiful location.
I have one customer that says he has used the meter
mounted on a 2x4 to check his slopes before he mounted it
on his tractor. Should work, but this would only measure
small spots, not an overall slope. I agree, the fel on front
when using bh is probably a good idea. Been there. Done
that. Rick /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[dourobob]

Good Morning Rick
The unit arrived yesterday so the customs forms you filled out for shipping "all the way to Canada" must have been perfect. Thanks for sticking with it.

It is a slick unit - and I mean that in the most complimentary way.

I showed it to a friend of mine who is a consumate "gadget guy" and he was really impressed with the complexity of the design and the simplicity of the application. With any luck I shall have it installed this weekend and will be able to take some pictures. Two of my neighbours (full-time farmers) are also really interested in checking it out - they have more serious hills on their farms than I do. They are also curious about the cost. Have you finalized the price yet?

Full report to follow.

Thanks again.

BTW - my CFO, the one with the logical mind who doesn't drive the tractors, says this concept makes absolute sense and why wouldn't it just be standard equipment on all tractors?? Hmmmm.

Bob

 

[RBManufacturing]

HI BOB,
GLAD IT ARRIVED O.K. AND YOUR FIRST IMPRESSIONS ARE
FAVORABLE. COST WILL BE $49.00 FOR COMPLETE UNIT.
OR I WILL AD ON THE DUAL AXIS PART FOR $15.00 AND
PAY RETURN SHIPPING IF CUSTOMERS WANT TO SEND IN
THEIR OLD SINGLE AXIS MODELS. MUHAMMAD WILL BE
WORKING ON AN ON-LINE ORDERING DEAL SOON. WILL
PROBABLY DO AN INTRODUCTORY PRICE OF $40.00 FOR
THIRTY DAYS OR SOMETHING SIMILAR. THERE WILL BE
LIMITED QUANTITIES AVAILABLE FOR THE INTRODUCTORY
DEAL. KEEP ME POSTED ON YOUR TESTING. THANKS, RICK

 

[hazmat]

Rick,

Put me on the waiting list - especially for the intro price. My email's in my profile or PM me. Don't know if you are taking orders yet.

Steve

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Put me down for one also!

 

[JerryG]

Rick
How do you attach the new part onto the larger meter?

 

[MikePA]

I'm not Rick, but I can show you how... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[markie61]

Got mine installed yesterday.

INSTALLATION
The hardest part was finding a place to mount it where I could adjust it to level AND see the indicators. While I decided on the top of the dashboard as close to the instruments as possible, this was made difficult by the NH design's lack of flat spaces (very swoopy...) I found a place where I can see 100% of the horizontal reading and 85% of the vertical. Going downhill, I can only see to about 25-30 degrees, but can see the entire 50 degree scale when going uphill. One other installation note: the horizontal guage had a big piece of two-sided tape (covering the greenish plastic on JMIII's picture) that caused the mounting bracket to warp. I just removed it and everything fit flat. I put that down to it being a prototype, since it seemed like it didn't belong.

USE
Anyone can see the usefulness of a horizontal tilt meter when crabbing along a hillside. Also, most of us know that a tractor can go up and down steeper hills than we can drive alongside of. The vertical axis indicator portion allows you to anticipate whether or not you can turn while going up or down a hill.

Yesterday I was mowing and travelling down a hill. I could look at the vertical meter a know how many degrees "sideways" I would be after turning. I felt comfortable turning on 7-10 degree slopes, but would back up to flatter spot on those 15-18 degree slopes. Information = safer tractor operation.

CONSTRUCTION/FUNCTION
Minor issue: on moderately bumpy ground, the vertical indicator bounced much more than the horizontal indicator. After a couple of bounces, however, and you got a good read on your angle.
Weird issue: the horizontal meter seemed to stick somewhat. I would be on a hillside and KNOW I was at an angle and it would still say "0". I took it off and wiggled it, put it back on, and now it works. Dunno.... It almost seemed like the bearing had a flat spot, but now it is fine.

CONCLUSION
Overall, I would say this is an EXCELLENT product with tremendous safety information. The construction is logical, solid, and precise. All the fasteners appear to be stainless steel. As someone already said, this should be standard on all tractors. $49 is cheap insurance for safer operation.

I hope to post pictures of the installation and use as soon as it is dry enough to take my camera outside.

Mark

 

[RBManufacturing]

MikePA,
Thanks for posting the pics. As you can see in the pics, the
little back brace is a proto-type piece of abs, used the
stiffen the mount of the dual axis part. Finished product
will be a finished piece. Very similar to proto-type, just better
looking. Most bolts are s.s. The intent of the fore aft indicator
is to give operator an idea of degree of slope, so side to side
operation can be determined BEFORE getting on the slope
for sideways operation. As I stated in earlier post, acceleration
can cause the pendulum to swing freely. I was aware of this
before I ever made the indicator. The dual axis part is not
designed for use as a continuous reading device. Too many
variables, such as fel, height of fel, brushhog use, and
whether brushhog is raised or lowered, backhoe position, if
one is attached, etc. Lets face it guys, if you have the fel
raised, and stomp on the gas pedal, when you start up a hill,
you might as well have a box of Jello instant pudding on
the dash. Both will do you as much good.
BUT, if you want to check a slope before attacking it for
side to side mowing, then use the dual axis indicator to give
you an idea whether you should mow side to side, or up and down. If you operate at a constant speed, and the terrain is
not very rough, you can probably get a fairly accurate
constant reading for up and down operation. The test models
I have on construction equip. (dozers) have worked well for
constant readings. However, the dozers are operated slowly,
and are heavier, so the terrain does not effect reading too
much. I feel, (and I hope you all do also) that as a combined
two part indicator, the device is useful. Fore and aft part is
not designed for use as constant reading as the side to side
part is. It is for use to determine if side to side operation
is safe, and to determine actual degree of slope. I appreciate
all testers effort. I hope to offer the dual axis model in a week
or two, on a limited basis at first. Thanks to you all. Rick /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[GregJ]

Rick,
I just installed my test unit and took it for a test drive. First I want to thank you again for allowing us to test these units. You are doing some great work and I am sure your efforts will be responsible for saving some lives in the future. As a testor, I am assuming you are most interested in the negative feedback at this point, so here goes. The installation on my B7500 was a little difficult and I finally realized that there is a bit of a design issue that can be addressed. I have attached a photo you can refer to. I will also attach a photo of the original installation. My original tilt meter I attached to the top of my dashboard, which is angled, but it provided me with the best visibility. I was unable to attach it in the same location, because the fore and aft adjustment would not allow me to level it at that angle. Another issue is because the bottom mounting plate is so shallow, when going downhill it is very difficult to read the gauge because the needle moves to the diminishing area between the hood and the gauge. Perhaps a deeper mounting plate for this unit would allow for attachment on angled pieces and it would improve the visibility as well. Another thought, and I am sure this is cost prohibitive, would be to have the scale tied to the pointer, like a compass, and have the reference point be fixed on the housing. This would definitely eliminate the visiblity issue, however I am sure that would dramatically increase design and production costs. Just a thought though. I will continue to give feedback whenever I have any new observations.

Thanks again,
Greg

 

[GregJ]

Here is my original installation.

 

[RBManufacturing]

Hi Greg,
Thanks for the feed back. If this is a problem to most others,
I will change it. Probably will anyway. ( I have been working
on a fix most of day.) Will slightly change mount if required,
and change label for easier viewing. What if dual axis part was
mounted on top with a brace? Would this help? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif Thanks for
your effort. Rick /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif