PTO powered equipment safety advice needed

[skyhuck]

Thats a great mog at a very good price!!being disc brakes and the big gear box

 

If I were you I'd get the cab off and get it totally sorted, I think the panels are all still available.

 

I've got mine booked in for new wings and some bits of wielding on the cab and a proper spray job. Mines not to bad but they really are worth keeping on top of, the last cab Merc had in for my mog was £23K:001_huh:

[njc110381]

It seems on mine that the cab is the only bit that needs any attention. It's been done once by the look of things as it now has a coat of bright yellow rather than it's original orange. There are signs of rust here and there but generally it's very fixable. Perhaps I'll have the cab off in the summer and spend some time stripping and repairing it. As you say, it's worth keeping in check.

 

Skyhuck - if you manage to get any pictures of the process would you mind looking up the Unimog Club UK and perhaps posting some on there? I voted your rig as the best tree surgery setup I've seen a few weeks ago. It really is nice!

[Ashes_Firewood]

Is the saw bench really likely to spin if it gets jammed? The old one we have never gets put on the tractor aside from to move it and it's never budged once when connected only by the PTO shaft. Although it is a very heavy beast.

[bobh]

Is the saw bench really likely to spin if it gets jammed? The old one we have never gets put on the tractor aside from to move it and it's never budged once when connected only by the PTO shaft. Although it is a very heavy beast.

 

Personally I wouldn't want to not connect it and then find out it does spin

[openspaceman]

Is the saw bench really likely to spin if it gets jammed? The old one we have never gets put on the tractor aside from to move it and it's never budged once when connected only by the PTO shaft. Although it is a very heavy beast.

 

Same is true for other stuff, we had a standby generator that was bolted to concrete and I think the slurry stirrer was free standing, just connected the pto when needed.

 

We also had a cast iron sawbench that was run by flat belt off the MF35 and that never moved.

 

Hycrak I would always mount.

[JimE]

DO NOT run the sawbench without connecting it to the tractor (or mog) linkage.

I have seen what happens if you dont!

[njc110381]

If it was a big cast iron bench I think it may be trustworthy, especially if bolted down. The one I have though is very light. I can wriggle it around the workshop on my own fairly easily so I think the power of a pto could throw it around like a rag doll if I did manage to jam it! I can't see how it would jam, but I'd rather not take the chance.

 

I had been thinking of fixing it to a concrete pad somehow, but the more thought I give it the more I think I'd be better off just saving up for a linkage and doing it properly.

[Stephen Blair]

Think of the power in a cordless drill, then times it by a Unimog!

It's not worth the risk IMO.

[njc110381]

Ok, I've given this some thought and have come up with a basic plan. For the splitter at least. I'll run it past you and hopefully being practical folk, you'll be able to picture in your head what I mean...

 

I had a rummage around the shed and found myself a 600mm length of very heavy duty angle iron. It's 100mm wide by 10mm thick. I've now drilled it so that it can bolt on underneath the back of the mog through the towing eye holes in the bottom of the rear crossmember. I plan to also weld a tab on it to fit to the 3 point linkage mount on the drivers side dumb iron to give it support there. It's made to mount off centre, so the splitter will line up with the current pto output (I don't have a centraliser box yet). I'm now going to use heavy duty box section to make two fixed link arms that will bolt to the angle iron. They won't offer any movement but I will be able to unbolt them to fit the studs on the splitter into holes in the arms, the same as you would with a standard linkage.

 

What I'm questioning is how much pressure will be on these box section arms? The main pressure from the splitter working is put on the splitter itself rather then the mountings, so as long as the whole thing can't twist I think it will be fine.

 

I have used the box section to make a little crane that lifts ton sacks. 6 feet of unsupported box section can hold a ton sack horizontally without springing. I think 2x two foot lengths should be more than strong enough to hold the splitter in place?

[njc110381]

Well after a long and drawn out battle with a grinder, drill press and cheap arc welder that overheats and cuts out virtually every time you need a new electrode, I've made my DIY splitter mount. I changed my mind and made the chassis mount from 100mmx10mm angle iron and the arms from similar spec C channel - much heavier than I had originally planned. Then I decided it needed a triangular brace to be more sturdy so added a piece of box section above the rear cross member and brought down two steel bars to support the arms too. It's rock solid.

 

I mounted the splitter and at 540rpm on tickover it completely destroyed the logs that were stalling my little Kubota, and the engine tone barely changed even on the most knotty piece I tried. It was painfully slow, but I wanted it that way to start with in case anything gave way. Now it's tested I can run it with a few more revs and perhaps on the 1000rpm setting too. Whilst testing I had my other half on the throttle string so she could kill it if anything gave way, but it didn't flex at all. I think the mount is plenty strong enough to get me by until I can afford the hitch and drop box and I can still use my Kubota to run the saw as it manages fine with the extra flywheel effect of the big blade to keep it going through the heavier logs.

 

Here's a picture of the mount

 

And with the splitter fitted

 

I need to fit some clamps on the end of the arms to hold the pins in place but I was getting fed up with it today so lashed the splitter on with a chain which was plenty secure enough.

 

Edit... The upturned bin isn't supporting anything. I was using it to hold the drill press steady when mounting the braces and hadn't got around to moving it again.

Edited January 3, 2014 by njc110381