Hey I am looking to kill 2 birds with one stone. I am trying to visualize a design where I could build a pin on brush/root rake that would fit both my dozer (JD 650G) and my skidder (TJ 450c). Both blades are 10 feet wide but the dozer blade is a fair bit higher then the skidders. I am just looking for the lighter duty pin on style where most everything is built right around the cutting edges and there are just 2 vertical frames members up to the brackets. I am going to need to figure out a way to pin it on in 2 different places on the rake for the height of the blade on each machine. My biggest design issue is getting it to sit on the cutting edges of both machines correctly. Additionally my brackets that will be welded on the blades can not stick out in front of the blade as I deck logs with both blades and they would catch on those brackets.
Any thought, photos, etc. Even if it is just a single purpose rake shoot me some design ideas. Do you think I need T! or AR400 for something that would not even get 40 hours of use per year.
Regards
you could build the supports up on the back of the skidder blade, that way it matches the dozer blade. Purpose build it for the dozer, then adapt it to the skidder. That way the teeth ride in more or less the same location compared to the bottom of the blade. Could even go so far as to have your skidder adaptors, pin to the blade support, log unsticker things (big metal things that look like shark fins).
Just be careful of your clearances... don't want to stuff something into the radiator protector...
As far as steel goes... I would think mild steel would do OK for the frame, and you can get digger teeth to bolt on to the bottom, I believe they are hardened tool steel.
I have a 7 and 1/2 footer that is mild steel with some hard facing on the teeth. The flat hanger arm reinforcement plates have a few dents from big rocks but other than that is has held up fine in front of my little dozer. But it is only 70 hp and 14,500 lbs.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/21065/Rake1.JPG)
It is a copy of USA Attachments design shown here:
http://www.excavatorthumb.com/mojo/mojo.php?attachment=dr+92+8+5x5+5&model=dr_92_8_5x5&gallery=usaa
The rake hanger arms are long so the hanger brackets on the blade don't stick forward to much. The brackets were scribed in and welded in this position
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/21065/RakeHanger.JPG)
gg
Looks the same as mine
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/28468/rake.jpg)
WAY too heavy for a skidder tho. Your skidder would move brush and tops faster than your dozer but would come to a stop quick if you caught a tooth. I think after you used a rake on both machines for a while you would leave the rake on the dozer, unless you are just planning on piling tops. Depending on what you are planning on using it for would change how heavy it needs to be built. Mild steel with hard facing on the edges would work. But the skidder was designed for pulling and not pushing, blade arms are too steep.
We have a home made brush blade in the old equipment pile that was made for a international t-5 dozer. The teeth are made from the front axles off heavy trucks cut in half. Some of the " teeth " are bent but never broke.
Just to clarify I will be using it to tidy up delimber piles with the skidder and with the dozer I would do more heavy duty applications beyond brush piling, like land clearing etc
Additionally I can't have the brackets stick forward past the face of the blade as they will always be in the way while decking logs with the blade.
Thanks for the ideas!
As far as decking goes, the cats that I have skidded with, decking was easier with the brush rake on than with it off.