Making or improving your own equipment

[whweldit]

How many buy something and then “improve” it before using it?   We bought a new 3 pt/2 row potato digger one year and did not get it until we had started digging.  It stayed in the shop for nearly 2 weeks and we would work on it at night after we finished for the day.  Rearranging the bracing to shed dirt, changed front chain guides to a different style, added rear rubber fins to roll the dug potatoes closer together, and added a hydraulic cylinder to tractor lower arms to be able to hold digger on the rows better on our sloped  ground.  Just one of several we items we improved. Picture is of a fertilizer shank for the FARMALL letter series.  Factory made with a sheet metal side to guide the fertilizer into the ground.  They rusted out regularly no mater how clean you kept them.  Finally took 1 1/2 inch galvanized pipe and shaped it and welded to back of shank for hose to attach to. Welding small hooks on each side to secure hole to with wire.  Then took an old worn sweep and fashioned a point out of it and welded to end of shank.   Worked great.   This one is ready for a new point again.  

[FoxrunFarms02]

Before my antique tractor, and then Kubota I did all my garden and food plot work with an atv. I bought a used king kutter disc.....painted it.......WI themed and built a weight bracket to hold 2 tractor weights on it........most guys just ratchet strapped cinder blocks to them for extra down pressure but I wanted something nice looking.

I also built a mini kicker wagon out of a gorilla cart.

 

 

[Big Bud guy]

I took the bottom step off of each cab ladder on our X9 combines before they went to the field for the first time.   Bottom step was like 6” off the ground and you are suppose to lift the ladder up like on a Flexi Coil air drill cart every time you climb up to the cab.  Told my salesman I wasn’t doing that every time I got into the cab.  I did some measuring and the 2nd step is still the same distance off the ground as the ladders on our sprayers so it’s not a big deal and I’m in/out of those things 100 times a day 

[vtfireman85]

Factory new only for me, why waste time building when you can buy? 

[Alan Dinan]

I’ve built my own manure bucket, a bale sweep for small square bales, bale fork frame for my loader, and have most of the parts to build a pulverizer for the 3pt on the 284. I’m sure I’m forgetting other things I’ve built.

[Sledgehammer]

I've built several small implements. 2 row 3pt AC planter, 2 row IH planter, rolling basket for a small tractor or ATV, 6' field cultivator, drawbar for the 140 3pt, 3pt trailer mover/bail spear.  

[BrunsFarms]

Dad built our pallet forks, 2 bale spears and welded the beater back on our manure spreader using stainless steel to minimize rust. 

[cjf711]

My dad can build and improve things and does an excellent/incredible job,  but, it takes so much time to get to the finish line that the undertaking of the project creates alot of stress and suffering.   No doubt its great when done, but, loads of pain.  Sort of turned me off of getting into fabricating and building projects from a younger age.  I do enjoy buying tractors or equipment and getting them back to where they were originally.   But for projects I need built like a new bucket, or welding the disc frame, or things like that I vote to always take them to a specialist who does that work for a living and figure out how to get them the money they need to do the work they do.

[yellowrosefarm]

1 hour ago, cjf711 said:

My dad can build and improve things and does an excellent/incredible job,  but, it takes so much time to get to the finish line that the undertaking of the project creates alot of stress and suffering.   No doubt its great when done, but, loads of pain.  Sort of turned me off of getting into fabricating and building projects from a younger age.  I do enjoy buying tractors or equipment and getting them back to where they were originally.   But for projects I need built like a new bucket, or welding the disc frame, or things like that I vote to always take them to a specialist who does that work for a living and figure out how to get them the money they need to do the work they do.

You're not wrong, but in some cases having the money and/or finding someone capable is nigh impossible. I figure that if I'm going to have to do it over after paying to have it done once, I might as well endure the process of doing it myself the first time. Most everything equipment wise I've ever bought got repaired and modified before I could use it.

[stronger800]

Old double rake hitch, built 30 years ago from about $500 worth of metal and another few hundred  for a cylinder, hoses, new hubs and used tires raking 30 years later, in a field beside a rake that cost more -Itself- than what the double hitch, both bar rakes new, and the tractor pulling them cost total back then 

I really need to repaint that hitch. It was about 100 degrees and it needed to be in the field after lunch, the morning  that I painted it from raw steel 

[Cattech]

Not farm related & no pictures, but for a company/customer of mine about a 1/4 of their equipment fleet is customized as you describe.

Brand new skid steers go into the shop, they weld reinforcement plates around all the pin bores and hang an extra 1000 lbs to the back. A custom mount plate is made for a hyd hammer 2x the size of a normal SSL hammer and is bolted to the skid steer coupler plate, hyd pressures are cranked way up.... these are dedicated bridge deck removal machines. They used to buy Ford utility tractors, made a huge side boom, then mounted drill rigs on the booms for doweling concrete slabs for joint repair... they now buy tractors with the Diamond boom mower like counties use on ditches- remove the mower for the drill rig. Boom trucks would get the reinforcement around the pins and the tower, pressures would get turned up so they could handle concrete barriers. Their fab shop actually spawned off into its own business. 

[nepoweshiekfarmalls]

We built our own 3 point nitrogen sidedress applicator from an inline toolbar ripper, Ausherman coulter/ applicator units, ground drive unit off a Buffalo cultivator,  John Blue squeeze pump and IH weight bracket and 100# weights for down pressure.  

[whweldit]

In thinking back we modified or changed several pieces of equipment.   From building up landslides on plows to reshaping scrapers on the disc to better clean the blades.  Even on the row maker for the sweet potatoes.  It used 3 20 inch sweeps to help form the beds along with some disc hillers. We welded new plow points on the sweeps to make them throw dirt higher.  The point of the sweep would wear back much quicker than rest of sweeps. Would take an old sweep and cut a new point out of it and weld it on top of worn sweep to get a double life out of it. 

[IH Forever]

I’ve made and modified a few things. This is a lawn dethatcher I made from an old New Idea side rake. This is the only thing I have a picture of. I would say my abilities are average at best. When at an auction it’s interesting to see all the modifications people have done over the years. Some people are really good…and others should never touch a welder.

[yellowrosefarm]

29 minutes ago, IH Forever said:

I’ve made and modified a few things. This is a lawn dethatcher I made from an old New Idea side rake. This is the only thing I have a picture of. I would say my abilities are average at best. When at an auction it’s interesting to see all the modifications people have done over the years. Some people are really good…and others should never touch a welder.

Nothing to be ashamed of there.

[bitty]

I've built and modified many things. One of the bigger things was I took three 10'6" front mount disk mowers and removed the roller conditioners and made them mount together for a 30' mower . This was started devising a plan just before the pottinger mowers started to come out . Originally I used a 1480 for the power unit. Repowered the engine compartment with a 237 Mack not long after the first time mowing. When the hydro became weak I made it 3 point hitch mount and folded the two wing mowers straight back. We had it on our 8950 and added a front 3 point hitch and 4600 lb weight and loaded the front tires with beet juice. Mowed with that setup for probably 10 years or more before going to a 16' windrower. Windrower wasn't quite as fast but was more comfortable running especially around rough ground. 8950 mowed 8 1/2 mph,  Massey I go about 12. 

Also bought a JD 8960 with 30.5r32 duals and a year old Houle 6300 tanker . Tractor had a grouser blade mount under the radiator. Since the tractor was 15'6" wide I built a 16' blade . It weighed around 8,000 itself. Eventually sold the tractor and it went to Michigan. It was wearing 18r46 triples on the front and duals on the back before we sold it. 

I probably won't be able to find any pictures of stuff from back then 

[MT Matt]

Made some things around here because I have more time than money and seemingly lots of parts to work from. Made a fertilizer blower from a forage chopper. A spray rig for my Super C with fast hitch points. Drug a packer home from Alan Dinan’s farm and put it back together with modern bearings and hitch from a disk I cut up.  Just finished up putting dolly wheels under a rake. Made an extension dolly to pull two rakes and flip the windrow the same direction. Air ride bus seat in my bale wagon for comfort. Put an 06 seat on my SMTA for comfort.  Seems like I have some project to work on everyday.

Will be working on a swather dolly tomorrow. Making it wider to fit under my 1495. My stuff may not be pretty but I like it to be functional. 

[TN Hillbilly]

1 hour ago, MT Matt said:

Made some things around here because I have more time than money and seemingly lots of parts to work from. Made a fertilizer blower from a forage chopper. A spray rig for my Super C with fast hitch points. Drug a packer home from Alan Dinan’s farm and put it back together with modern bearings and hitch from a disk I cut up.  Just finished up putting dolly wheels under a rake. Made an extension dolly to pull two rakes and flip the windrow the same direction. Air ride bus seat in my bale wagon for comfort. Put an 06 seat on my SMTA for comfort.  Seems like I have some project to work on everyday.

Will be working on a swather dolly tomorrow. Making it wider to fit under my 1495. My stuff may not be pretty but I like it to be functional. 

Would like to see your rake dolly wheel setup,Matt. I keep putting off making one... Our rake hitch is about worn through, I really ought to put dolly wheels on it this time instead of another straight hitch.

[MT Matt]

17 minutes ago, TN Hillbilly said:

Would like to see your rake dolly wheel setup,Matt. I keep putting off making one... Our rake hitch is about worn through, I really ought to put dolly wheels on it this time instead of another straight hitch.

I found a New Holland dolly and modified the hitch to make it work. It’s tight but just enough room. 

[IH Forever]

1 time years ago I saw the front dolly wheels off of an IH 35 rake for sale on Craigslist.  I didn't have a 35 rake at the time but wish I had bought them.  I'd love to convert my #35 rake over to dolly wheels, without them I can't turn very short at all.

[Alan Dinan]

Sprayer boom for my Ranger and several toolbox steps for neighbors and a friend. The grey one was for a MF 135 high utility.

I don’t have any pictures of the other things that I have built. Too long ago.

[yellowrosefarm]

5 minutes ago, Alan Dinan said:

Sprayer boom for my Ranger and several toolbox steps for neighbors and a friend. The grey one was for a MF 135 high utility.

I don’t have any pictures of the other things that I have built. Too long ago.

 

 

 

 

 

I've been wanting to mount a boom I bought a while ago to my Gator. I may have to borrow your design 🙂

[Alan Dinan]

2 minutes ago, yellowrosefarm said:

I've been wanting to mount a boom I bought a while ago to my Gator. I may have to borrow your design 🙂

Just bought tubing to fit the receiver hitch and a small piece that fit over it so it can be raised and lowered. I drilled a hole through the short piece of tube and welded a nut to it. It has worked fine so far. I bent some big flat washers to make the break away at the hinges and put bolts with springs through the hinges to hold them in place. It works if you hit something with the boom, but I have to stop and swing it straight again.

[yellowrosefarm]

18 minutes ago, Alan Dinan said:

Just bought tubing to fit the receiver hitch and a small piece that fit over it so it can be raised and lowered. I drilled a hole through the short piece of tube and welded a nut to it. It has worked fine so far. I bent some big flat washers to make the break away at the hinges and put bolts with springs through the hinges to hold them in place. It works if you hit something with the boom, but I have to stop and swing it straight again.

The boom already has trip built in, but I had never considered mounting to the receiver hitch. That's a great idea with the ability to slide up and down.

[Little Red]

Built this back when I had a little more free time and no wife and kids