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PhilipDavis

Active member
Joined
Oct 9, 2021
Messages
26
Location
TN
I bought my 129 specifically for ground engagement, but I jumped on one with only a mower deck. I was just a little bit too excited about it when I saw it(im still happy with the purchase, I just need to make up for it). So I started working on a grader-like blade to swap out the deck, and since 3-points are so expensive, I decided to make that as well.
 

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The lift needs to be finished, I will tap the holes on the ends, and run a shouldered grade 8 bolt. Also need to make the lift link. I left the lift long enough to modify later when I figure out the geometry for class 0.
I need to alter the blade some, I didn't add enough angle to it, so it doesn't bite in much, but essentially it works. I also should fab some non floating links to help keep it engaged. Maybe make it narrower as well...
 
That look like it will do the job.
It scrapes the top a little, but does not really dig in/through the dirt. I've changed the angle, and made some non floating links, but need to finish the rear support that needed to be cut off to change the angle.
 
I think there's some clever handiwork there. I'd change the blade so you're not trying to push the wide part into the ground. And while I have a 147 I've not even been under it so I don't know how strong the deck hanger is. I do have several Wheel Horses and their grader blades go right to the frame using their robust Attach Matic mounts.

Or course it depends on what your expectations are. Leveling loose dirt and sand it different than cutting into hardpack.
 
Thanks cdthornton, correct, it turned out more level than I anticipated. I attempted to give it about a 25degree angle on the bottom flat side, but I guesstimated while it was an inch above the ground, with room to move down. In the full down position it swings forward a little, and takes up the rest of the angle...

Now I made solid links to negate float, and increased the angle to 45, so it should be better. I plan on pushing it as far as I can, loose dirt is easy enough to move, and it's already done that, but here in TN we have clay, and I will be moving it around, whether or not from the grader alone. Also I should mention that it is slightly curved, the middle bites more than the outsides by about 1/2in.

Just started the next attachment which should resemble a moldboard plow. I started with a semi brake drum and cut it out. Frame should be easy enough, I just need to get more metal for it. Pics to come soon.
 
More work today, I created the lower links for the 3-point. I don't know how long most are, but mine came out to 21" center to center. Lots of free movement from the links.
I also attached and tested the grader blade. It has more solid engagement, now for more traction(clay and turf tires don't provide much).
 

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And a transfer bar:
 

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By "transfer bar" I assume you mean the bar that goes between the hand lift lever and the 3-point rockshaft; if so, that looks a bit undersized to me. Original one would have been 1/2" x 1 1/2" or something like that.
 
Ahh, pictures online are the only thing I had to go from. Makes sense that it's thicker, I'll just weld some more on, thanks for the catch.
 
It's been a busy week and I haven't been able to make much progress on my attachments. But, I did purchase an older IH Super A plow that I will adapt to the 129. It's big and heavy, but I will slim it down so it should be manageable.
I believe it has a 13" cut and is longer than the 129. I plan on cutting about 1.5' off the frame to put the attachment bracket at the same place as the coulter. Also the plow will be shortened to around 9-10in.
I also picked up a tiller with the intention of making it attach to the 129, but it turned out to be a tractor itself, with other implements already to be used.
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To give you a feel of how much draft a moldboard plow takes here is the formula from the IH plow How booklet. Soil pressure is measured in lbs per square inch and nominally sandy loam soil is 8 psi and heavy clay is 12 psi. Draft load is soil psi x width of cut x depth of cut. If you have a 12" bottom and go t6" deep you have 12" wide, 6" deep, 12 PSI clay you are looking at 864# of draft.

A tractor will normally pull 1/2 its driving wheel weight in normal soil conditions so if you have 700# of tractor, ballast, weight transfer and operator on the rear tires you can expect to pull about 350# of draft load. You get more traction in harder conditions, less in sandy and wet conditions.

If I recall correctly the plow for a Cadet is an 8" bottom so 5" deep in 8 PSI sandy loam soil is 320# of draft load.
 
That's exactly what I needed to know, thank you. I was going to attempt to leave the plow alone, but it really does look like I need to fix it or find a smaller one. Looks like I had a bit too much ambition for the Cub.
I will make up some concrete wheel weights and add fluid to the tires soon. Also I have more welding to do to brace and add weight, and finish my lift. It was put on the back burner with the wet weather we had for a bit.
 
I did not take this aerator build too seriously, found used rotary hoe wheels in the barn and thought it might work
If it turns out to be worthwhile I will make improvements
 

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It's been forever since I have put any work into the 129, but I have finally finished the first draft of the 3 point hitch. I think I might have to make the bottom links adjustable, but I will cross that bridge later. I just need to see where this road goes. Paint added after the photos.
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I've done my share of plowing with my Cub Cadets and full size farm tractors. I've never seen plow bottom draft broke down like Rick's post shows, but I think his numbers are really REALLY close. Rear wheel weight and rear tire tread design makes a huge difference. Some sort of lugged tire really improves a Cubby's ability to pull a plow. Turf tires really don't get a grip. I fall plowed my Sister-in-law's two BIG gardens with my 10" Ohio Steel Fabricator's plow and running over a wayward tomato would cause me to spin-out with turf tires. With lugged tires I never slowed down.
I also welded up a center mounted blade for my older gear drive Cub Cadets, the 70 & 72, the blade itself is a section of a replaceable cutting edge for a full size road grader, about 6 inches tall, 1/2" thk hardened steel, and 40 inches wide. I made a lazy susan from 1/4" thk steel that bolts on my mule drive frames with 1/2" diameter bolts. I've used it to grade loose dirt, packed crushed rock, even peal 1/2" of hard clay off a surface. Only thing that stops me is grass or weeds, the roots stop me instantly. I've always used turf tires, have used tire chains where I needed more Traction. I've even pealed up to an inch of ice off concrete once it started getting warmer and the ice wasn't frozen to the concrete. I'm a little hesitant to use the blade on my Cubbies with my Firestone lugged tires, the bolt that angles the blade could break, it gets lots of stress, and the back corner of the blade could pivot back and gouge a big hole in my expensive tires. To make the blade cut better, I stand on the ends of the actual blade while the tractor pulls itself forward rolling a good sized windrow of dirt off the most rearward end of the blade. I've never had a single problem with the mule drive not being strong enough. I can shift my weight from side to side on the blade and force the ends of the blade to cut much deeper. Just idling along with a 7 or 8 hp engine, now a nice running 10 hp in 1st gear. Blades don't really "push" well, they "pull" much better.
One of the bigger projects I did with it was the landscaping around my Father-in-law's in ground swimming pool. He'd get 3-4 single axle dumptruck loads of good black fill dirt, some was kinda wet I remember, I had my Cub Cadet & dump cart, and we had 1 or 2 wheelbarrows, we'd move all the new fill around the pool in big windows, shoveling everything by hand, no skid steer loaders in the family at the time. Once the dirt was all moved I'd unhook the cart and level the windows with the belly blade around the pool. Never took long, everybody else went in and cleaned up for lunch and I'd get done grading, park my tractor, come in, clean up and sit down with everybody else. Think we did this 5 or 6 Saturday's before we got the grade where my Father-in-law wanted it. The Cubbie did a good job of packing the dirt, there was no low spots, nothing anywhere sunk. We laid the sod a week after the last loads of dirt, think it was Memorial Day, think my Father-in-law expected to lay sod on Labor Day! But the dirt moving and grading took a small fraction of the time he expected. The pool has been filled in, no longer used in the 40 years since, but the grading around the pool is just like I left it back then.
I remember the loading & unloading the Cubbie into my pickup was my biggest concern, I left it in his garage for a month, I really gotta get me a trailer! Something big enough to move my Super H or M.
But these little tractors are capable of WAY more hard work than people think. Just takes the right attachments.
 
The metal looks pretty thin on the top piece. At the very least you need to box in that whole upper pivoting piece to make it a closed section. C-channels are not very stiff in torsion, so that is going to twist quite a bit and crack at all of those sharp corners over repeated use. Also, the square tubing for the top link will likely bend too under any real use. That small corner radius indicates the wall thickness is pretty small.

Unrelated to this, that roll pin on the transmission input shaft needs to be replaced with a coiled pin, or it will probably break the first time you put much of a ground-engaging load on the tractor, and that flex coupling needs to be replaced too. If it breaks, a lot of stuff is going to get torn up.
 
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