Screw drive garden tractor

[Rednic79]

yeah it will be hauling my ice shack nehow...even though it sinks ;0

Yeah your right zero turns are expensive, if it floated I bet it would work well to haul ice fishing gear out on the lake.

 

[aczlan]

Yeah your right zero turns are expensive, if it floated I bet it would work well to haul ice fishing gear out on the lake.

Looks like Surplus Center sells the ZTR transaxles for $460-600 per pair (Surplus Center)

Aaron Z

 

[GolfAddict]

Hey Rednic79, will video 4 be coming anytime soon? I enjoyed the heck out of the first 3 so far!

 

[CNC Dan]

Looks like Surplus Center sells the ZTR transaxles for $460-600 per pair (Surplus Center)

Aaron Z

Don't need a pair. Left and right drives are independant.

 

[Xfaxman]

Looks like Surplus Center sells the ZTR transaxles for $460-600 per pair (Surplus Center)

Aaron Z

Don't need a pair. Left and right drives are independant.

That sounds like a pair to me. A pair of shoes is one right and one left.

Here is a pair of ZTR transaxles.

 

[xzcVAbc5]

For pontoons I wonder if you could just take some culvert (the stuff that looks like a screw) and weld some ends on it to make it float.

 

[mikehaugen]

For pontoons I wonder if you could just take some culvert (the stuff that looks like a screw) and weld some ends on it to make it float.

I don't think culverts are actually "screws." I believe they are just convoluted, so they would just spin with no forward propulsion.

 

[CNC Dan]

That sounds like a pair to me. A pair of shoes is one right and one left.

Here is a pair of ZTR transaxles.

<img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=410360"/>

All the ones I had seen 'till now were one housing. The two separate housings would be better, as you could turn them to have the output shafts inline with the screws. Then just a few sprockets to couple the output to the screws.

 

[aczlan]

All the ones I had seen 'till now were one housing. The two separate housings would be better, as you could turn them to have the output shafts inline with the screws. Then just a few sprockets to couple the output to the screws.

There are three levels of those transaxles (from lowest to highest quality):
1. One housing for both sides
2. Separate housings
3. Separate pumps and wheel motors

Aaron Z

 

[xzcVAbc5]

I don't think culverts are actually "screws." I believe they are just convoluted, so they would just spin with no forward propulsion.

Not all culverts have a screw pattern, but I've seen some that do.

Example:

 

[Xfaxman]

I don't think culverts are actually "screws." I believe they are just convoluted, so they would just spin with no forward propulsion.

Some are made this way.

Too slow again, jjsjeff posted while I was looking at google images.

 

[mikehaugen]

Not all culverts have a screw pattern, but I've seen some that do.

Example:
<img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=410380"/>

Some are made this way.

<img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=410383"/>

<img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=410384"/>

Too slow again, jjsjeff posted while I was looking at google images.

Well I stand corrected... in that case, those look like they would work nicely.

 

[Rednic79]

well I started on the screws, what a nightmare...check it out

http://youtu.be/0E7m3U3kuy0

 

[GolfAddict]

Awesome!! :thumbsup:

This project is soooo fun to watch!

 

[Rednic79]

hehe...glad you like it!

 

[GolfAddict]

It sure looks like that sucked. Would it work to slice the ring in multiple pieces, tacking them on in that spiral shape?

 

[Rednic79]

well...the only thing is that they need to be 'twisted' not just angled, so without the leverage of the larger piece it's hard to twist. when I get to the end of one ring, I can barley twist it right until I weld the next ring to it for leverage.

It sure looks like that sucked. Would it work to slice the ring in multiple pieces, tacking them on in that spiral shape?

 

[GolfAddict]

OK, gotcha. So, another question - could you weld the rings together first, or would it just take way too much to stretch it all apart in one piece?

 

[mikehaugen]

Nice job!

A thought on the calculation for the ring... I think you would want to use the circumference of the tube as a starting point. Then add the spacing that you want, which gives you your new circumference. That would come out to about 11.3" I.d.

I'm not sure if that's right either, but it's the formula I came up with a couple days ago when I was thinking about this.

 

[chim]

Well I stand corrected... in that case, those look like they would work nicely.

I'm guessing they wouldn't work very well for more than one reason. The most serious is ou'd need to find righ and left hand culverts. To travel, the pontoons need to rotate in opposite directions. Otherwise, the tractor will travel sideways.