Roll yer own - field packer.

[AKfish]

Gettin' ready for Spring!!

Just finished building a 24" diameter by 86" long roller-packer for the upcomin' plantin' season!

I was able to sweet talk the construction foreman on a local bridge job outta a 8' 1/2' chunk of bridge piling that they were gonna scrap.

Used the axle from an old utility trailer I had layin' around (rustin' away for the last 20 years) and my buddy (with all the metal fabricating tools that you could ever hope for...) put this roller-packer together.

I'll try to post some pics of it when I get it painted, too.

I can hardly wait to see some real DIRT!!

AKfish

 

[dirt ditch]

Good job on the fabrication. Did you fill it with anything or are you just going to use the weight of the steel?

 

[AKfish]

Thanks, dirt ditch. There's plugs in each end of the roller to add water (and drain it..) if I think I need it.

It's really, heavy stout; right now! The roller is 1/2" thick and the frame is all (except for the 8" channel that is bolted to the axle) schedule 80, 2"1/2" square tubing.

Gonna guess that it weighs somethin' in the neighborhood of 1,200-1,400lbs right now; empty.
Just the roller and axle was enough to make a 753 Bobcat real light on the @ss end when we picked it up with the forks!

Figurin' 6lbs./gallon of water -- estimated that filled with water would add around 1,500lbs additional weight.

Don't know if I really need to drag that much around the fields to get a good seed bed or not. Time will tell.

AKfish

 

[Blagadan]

That is a nice looking job. Strong.

I'm making a new roller at the moment. A lot smaller than yours I know.
I'm using concrete.
I found my old packer was tearing up the place when I turned at the headland. My new roller has 6 seperate rollers in a line on the axle, each about 12in long, 16in diameter. so when I make a tight turn, each roller can rotate at different rates as the roller swings around.

 

[TwinWillows]

Nice score on materials & fabrication.

You might want to recheck you calculations - At 50 F water is 8.34 lbs/gal.

 

[MJPetersen]

Looks great! Nice job on the fab and gathering the materials. What are the pins in the front yoke for? is that so that you can pull the hitch off if you need to work on an axle? Curious!! You might want to consider adding a piece of angle iron against the drum to act as a scraper.

Mike

 

[wushaw]

Excellent manufacturing job!!!

Now ya just need to add some wheels on hydraulic actuators and you could pull it down the road if necessary.

 

[AKfish]

Thanks for the "math adjustment"! I was flip/flopped on water-heavier than gas and sinking to the bottom of the tank... etc.

Nonetheless, it would be pretty heavy with or without the water.

That's exactly what the pins are for. We started to weld things together as one piece and then wondered about replacing the bearing's or even being able to repack 'em.

So, now I can just pull the hitch off and access the bearings and spindles. It would also make it a much easier process to replace the entire axle assembly if I bend or bust things up...

That's a good point about tearing up things at the turning locations in the fields. Short turns - tight areas could be a problem and if it's real bad; I'll unhook and flip the hitch 180 degrees and turn the roller around that way.

AKfish

 

[jimmer2880]

Personally, I dont' think it's heavy enough. I like my dirt to be hard enough to bounce a basket ball off of.

Ohh wait - that's exactly what you made

I'm envious. Wish I had access to such a roller for my bumpy yard

 

[Shmudda]

I'd call that one heck of a ground mole squisher!!!

I really hate those little critters........

Nice piece, just be sure you have a good tractor if you are heading down a steep hill with it behind you!

Craig

 

[flusher]

That is a nice looking job. Strong.

I'm making a new roller at the moment. A lot smaller than yours I know.
I'm using concrete.
I found my old packer was tearing up the place when I turned at the headland. My new roller has 6 seperate rollers in a line on the axle, each about 12in long, 16in diameter. so when I make a tight turn, each roller can rotate at different rates as the roller swings around.

I'm thinking about building a packer like yours. Can you post photos of your new roller? Thanks.

 

[SkunkWerX]

Beautiful job!

Once again we see a "better than factory" implement.

I'd guess that roller will take 100 gallons, maybe more?
At 100 gallons you'll have 800 lbs. added. That should squish some bugs!

Nice work!


Wait, a cylinder of 24" diameter x 86" = volume of 38,900 cubic inches.
1 gallon fills 230 cubic inches.
So, it should hold approx. 169 gallons!

169 x 8.34 lbs = Total water weight of over #1400.

Impressive!!

 

[AKfish]

Thanks all for the comments. Beginning to really enjoy workin' with the welder and torches, etc.

And this forum is "fertile ground" for new ideas and approaches for improving just about everything around your place!

AKfish

 

[sixdogs]

That is a fine looking packer! I have built a few over the years but none as nice as that. You have the diameter just right since too much larger would not pack as well. I'll bet you don't need to add water if the ground is soft enough.
I made one that was ten ft wide and three ft diameter that weighed maybe 2500 lbs. Used to call it the "chopstixx special" because I could push rocks in soft ground back level to the surface.
Good luck with such a fine job.

 

[mainefarme47]

Super looking roller. This is exactly what I have been looking for. The 1/2 inch steel will keep it from denting. The weight is about right for rolling in seed such as clover etc.. Its small enough to put on a trailer for transporting to other locations. A weight box could be added for extra ballast. Great looking roller.
Boxcall2

 

[Wagtail]

I like it!

I've been shopping around for a Ballast Roller myself (no skills to build one) so, as soon as I saw your thread, I knew I was in for a treat.

 

[mainefarme47]

This roller could be smaller for small applications and larger for big farm jobs.I will be looking around for the material during the winter. Having the ground rolled makes the final job look great. Thanks Mainefarme47