Questions: Making Rear Blade into Power Angle Adjustable?

[SkunkWerX]

I'm getting ready to try to make my manual RGB into a power angle blade.

This is on a little BX2350, the blade is 60". It was a medium Duty 72" that I cut down to 60".
Here's the Blade on the machine

Here are the questions:

I have a cylinder in mind, because it's "on the shelf" in my workshop.
If my memory serves, it's about a 2.5" bore, with a 1.5" shaft. 8" or 10" of travel.

-Can I use this single cylinder, or do I really need 2 cylinders, one on each side? On Kennyd's FEL Snow blade, I saw he used 2 cylinders, that's why I'm asking about 1 vs. 2? On bigger beefy units I see one largish cylinder for the power angle.

-If I can use the single cylinder, I would weld mirror-image flanges/brackets in such a way that the blade could be flipped around, and the cylinder re-attached so that it would be able to power-angle whether the blade was facing forward or rear. Pushing in reverse would mainly be for Snow and loose material. I do very little cutting and grading in undisturbed hard soil with it. I could always detach the cylinder and use the steel pin if/when I wanted to really "dig" with it.

-Would I need to set-up the cylinder(s) with piloted check valves to hold it's given position, or, is that overkill?

-Shock Loads to hydraulic system? Considering I am using it mostly for snow and loose material, how concerned should I be to hydraulic shock loads?
Remember, this is on a smaller machine and I don't have concrete curbs, big rocks, or other hidden monsters , it's all lawn on either side of my driveway.

I don't have a Rear Remote, but my grapple hoses reach out back, so, I can always use them to get me started. I don't think I'll need grapple function simultaneous with snow plowing , unless I want to grapple a giant snow ball or run amuck through the neighborhood squishing snowmen.

Any and all comments and ideas are welcomed and appreciated. I'd rather hear it now, than 1/2 way into the project.

Am I missing anything substantial?

 

[radman1]

I have a landpride 8' blade with hydraulic angle. Blade is considerably heavier than yours and weighs about 850#. Has single, 16" stroke, 1.5" shaft, 3" diameter cylinder. Your cylinder diameter and shaft size is plenty. Stroke is a little short but probably ok. The shorter stroke will require the cylinder to be closer to the center of the blade but no a big issue for a smaller blade. One cylinder is plenty. That size of cylinder is more than the blade or tractor can handle.

Piloted check valves are way overkill IMHO. I would not worry about shock loaded to the hydraulic system.

Based on your picture, the easiest way to make this work is by adding a heavy metal flat iron, say 5/8 or 3/4" thick and 3" wide (my blade bracket is 3/4" thick), and weld it to the top of the plate than allows to blade to be angled. Run it all the way across the top so it extends to the right and left. This will let you spin the blade backwards if needed. Drill a hole in the metal to attach one end of the cylinder. The other end of the cylinder could attach to another piece of flat iron or angle iron welded across the top of the main support of the blade going from the blade to the 3 pt. This second flat iron may have to be elevated 1-1.5" so it is level with the bar on the rear of the blade and to allowe the cylinder to clear the support brackets on the blade.
Attach your cylinder to your hydraulic hoses. Extend and retract the cylinder and play around with the location of the brackets and where to drill the holes in the metal. You will want the blade to angle 30-45 degrees both ways. Also check it with the blade reversed before you weld. Have fun should be a good project. I use mine all the time pushing snow. I would just use the grapple hoses like you have planned.

 

[SkunkWerX]

Based on your picture, the easiest way to make this work is by adding a heavy metal flat iron, say 5/8 or 3/4" thick and 3" wide (my blade bracket is 3/4" thick), and weld it to the top of the plate than allows to blade to be angled. Run it all the way across the top so it extends to the right and left. This will let you spin the blade backwards if needed. Drill a hole in the metal to attach one end of the cylinder. The other end of the cylinder could attach to another piece of flat iron or angle iron welded across the top of the main support of the blade going from the blade to the 3 pt. This second flat iron may have to be elevated 1-1.5" so it is level with the bar on the rear of the blade and to allowe the cylinder to clear the support brackets on the blade.
Attach your cylinder to your hydraulic hoses. Extend and retract the cylinder and play around with the location of the brackets and where to drill the holes in the metal. You will want the blade to angle 30-45 degrees both ways. Also check it with the blade reversed before you weld. Have fun should be a good project. I use mine all the time pushing snow. I would just use the grapple hoses like you have planned.

Thnaks radman, your description is pretty much how I was going to design/fabricate it. I feel better aboutthe cylinder size, and using a single cylinder , really appreciate the comparison with your much larger blade, it speaks volumes and tells me I am in the correct ballpark and not out in left field.

 

[Brad_Blazer]

Here are some pics I took of a Woods blade with full hydraulics. Your blade is perfect for conversion in that the index plate is above the main beam - your shaft is already designed to handle the torque.

Brad

 

[SkunkWerX]

Here are some pics I took of a Woods blade with full hydraulics. Your blade is perfect for conversion in that the index plate is above the main beam - your shaft is already designed to handle the torque.

Brad

Thanks Brad, that is precisely how I was going to do it after looking at some pics from some of the manufacturers.
And yes, I had studied it for a bit, noticing it wouldn't be interfering with anything, nor overstressing it, since the tube ran from the top down to the blade brackets. It's about a 4-inch tube with fairly thick walls.

I think this is easily do-able. I have the cylinder, I have steel, looks like it may only be the cost of some hoses, a couple fittings and a set of QCs.

It will be a bit of a help since I use the rear blade for snow.
The odler I get, the more I dislike having to walk back there to change the angle.


thanks!

 

[svcguy]

You won't have any trouble with one cylinder.

I once saw a very interesting setup where a guy used a spring loaded pin for the blade angle. He had a long lever arrangement where he just reached back and pushed down which lifted the pin. Then by driving slowly in either direction, the blade moved and he let go of the pin and it locked again. He was surprisingly good at it and could predict how much to turn (or whatever) to swing the blade the direction he wanted it to. Not at all to discourage you from hydraulics, just thought I might mention it for other readers wishing for a cylinder and not currently having the resources to do it.

Good luck with your project.

 

[SkunkWerX]

Here is a picture showing the mock-up with some scrap wood for the flanges that will hold the cylinder. I drew an inch-scale on the flange piece and kept movin the C/L for the pin location until I came up with something that gave good side/side angle. Used the factory pin max. angle as a gauge for where I needed to get to, in terms of max angle.

Rear Grader Blade power angle

I have some 3/4" x 2" steel , that should be hefty enough to make some flanges.

Costs , So far:
Cylinder=free
3/4" x 2" steel = free

I may be able to pull this off for the cost of some hydraulic hoses, fittings, and QCs.

 

[SkunkWerX]

Progress so far:

Waiting on hoses & QDs.

Hooked up a pneumatic line to test the cylinder travel, works fine, good angle all 4 directions (Facing front Left and Right and facing rear, as pictured, Left and Right).

 

[kennyd]

Nice work! That should work out well for you

 

[denco]

Hello new to all this? looks good have had much use and did all work ok Snow, dirt, and gravel Thanks

Progress so far:

Waiting on hoses & QDs.

Hooked up a pneumatic line to test the cylinder travel, works fine, good angle all 4 directions (Facing front Left and Right and facing rear, as pictured, Left and Right).