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Getting ready for leaves


n8in8or

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This summer I picked up a really nice Trac Vac unit. I was excited to get this one because it wasn't the trailer type, it's the type that mounts on the tractor itself, so it's much more maneuverable. This was before I had Simplicities and of course this unit is setup for a right hand discharge deck. After I got my Simplicities I picked up a second Trac Vac of the same model for parts so I could cut up parts on this one to make it left hand discharge compatible. After looking at the frames the other day, I decided that it would be easier to just start making the frame from scratch and use the existing frames just as a pattern. These aren't the best pics, but I did snap a couple while I was doing the fabricating. I'm almost done now, I need to pick up a couple more pieces of steel from Alro today and then I can finish the welding hopefully tonight. After that I need to drill 7 holes and then it will be ready for paint. Hopefully by next week I'll be ready to suck up leaves! My walnut trees are already starting to drop some leaves so I guess it's getting to be that time....
This is one of the frames and the pile of steel I started with



This is the attachment frame that I modified to fit the tractor Sunday night



Here's the base frame



The base frame with the mounting bracket that hooks on the tractor's attachment frame



Here it is with the engine framework done


I will continue to update this as I get the project complete.
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Looks good so far. I have Alro close by here in Oshkosh Wisconsin also. Does yours have the minimum order size? Mine is $35, which makes it hard sometimes for smaller projects, but they are great otherwise. Look forward to seeing your project when it is done! Steve
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Great work Nate! I guess I didn't know a guy could pick up small stuff from Alro...I see their trucks every day, but have relied on scrap for projects. I like what you have going there!
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I'm lucky and have an Alro "Metals Plus" just a couple miles from my house and work. They sell drops by the pound. It's a pretty great setup and not too expensive. Plus I've gone in there before and if I've needed just a couple feet of something they'll usually just let me have it. It's handy to have for sure.
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My daughter had volleyball and her open house Tuesday night so I wasn't able to work on the Trac Vac anymore. I made some progress last night though. I finished welding the frame, I re-did the "hook" on the bracket because I wasn't happy with what I had done before. I also added a gusset to strengthen the frame and I drilled all of the mounting holes. After that I mounted the Trac Vac unit to the frame so I could see how much needed to be done still.....it wasn't a slam dunk unfortunately - the duct from the turbine to the bin wasn't a straight shot so I had to rework that. When I finished last night I had started to rework the duct piece that mounts to the top of the bin. I added new flanges to it at an angle that made the hose mount pretty straight. Next I need to finish the modifications to the duct piece, put the window back in the other hole and then finalize the hose attachments. I need to make an adapter piece for the chute on the deck because it's a larger OD than the hose. Once the odds and ends are done I'll try it out as-is. If it works correctly then I'll disassemble it and paint the pieces I made up. Some of the pics are a little fuzzy, I apologize.














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Thanks Josh. Sure thing, if you need some help contact me...you can come down and get some of that Bells Barley Pop that you enjoy while you're down here too! :D
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Depending on how much slope your place has you may want to think about front weights to counter balance the blower weight when full. My set-up:
[img]http://www.simpletractors.com/club2/attach/GregB/weights1.jpg[/img]
I had a blower set-up hanging off like that on a differnet tractor and when full of wet grass the front got very light.
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Yeah, I was concerned about that as well, so I was interested to see what it ends up acting like once it's running. I have my front tires loaded, but that's only about 25 pounds total. I'd love to find some of those little suitcase weights like you have that don't cost hundreds of dollars. I may just make a steel box and fill it with concrete, though of course that's not as easy to put on the tractor as individual weights. I love your front wheel weights, I'd like to get a pair of those too.
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I've seen bar bell weights at the local Goodwill (thrift) stores for very low prices. Adding a bar they could be slipped over could be quite doable. I like those smooth welds too.
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Ray had asked for some dimensions of the bracket, so I figured I would put them here in case anyone else was interested. I just drilled four 3/8 holes thru the bracket and front of my 917 frame to mount it. None of the holes on the ends are used, I think the tabs standing up are for a hold down rod. It uses the standard garden tractor suitcase weights. Deere, Mtd, Cub Cadet etc. As far as buying the weights, the Lowes around here sell them as an MTD part, cheaper when they are on "end of season" markdown :D
[img]/club2/attach/GregB/weightbracket.jpg[/img]

[img]/club2/attach/GregB/weightbracket2.jpg[/img]
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Hmmm, that's not a bad tip on using gym weights, maybe I'll see what's out there. I'll also keep my eyes open at Lowes, etc for the suitcase weights, I guess I've had blinders on because I didn't honestly know that you could buy them new still. I like that bracket you have and thank you for the dimensions....now you just need to do something about the color on it. sm03
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Ok, I got it running last night! By the time I got done it was dark out so I wasn't really able to test it, but I did a loop in the yard and ended up with some junk in the bin so I think all is well so far. I will run it some more to make sure that everything's working the way it should then I'll paint up the brackets and duct pieces. Regarding the duct piece, I was able to utilize a standard duct adapter to adapt the Simplicity deck chute that has a 7" OD to the Trac Vac hose that was 6" ID. It was a lot easier than making something and only cost $7. Slightly unrelated, when I was mowing Monday the tractor was sputtering quite a bit towards the end of the mowing... I suspected it was the condenser. I did some searching on here Tuesday just to find the part number of the condenser and stumbled on the electronic ignition module many people on here use. I went to my dealer and they ordered it...I put that in last night and engine fired right up and runs perfectly now! I was very pleased that for the cost of a new points set I was able to put electronic ignition in. The cost of membership was worth it for that alone!














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Yeas I know the colors do not match, but its not the only mismatch I have.
[img]http://www.simpletractors.com/club2/attach/GregB/loader4.jpg[/img]
Allis yellow, green over the original yellow on the loader. Blue Homie running boards, White FMC Bolens weights. A couple of green and black suitcase weights off the back. Some day I hope to have the time to detail, but in the mean time they are functional.
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I dont mind mismatched colors, as long as the other color isn't John Deere green :D. Maybe it's not as much of an issue with garden tractors, but we had a pretty fierce (well, maybe more friendly than fierce, but still very persistent) rivalry in my antique farm tractor clubs between the John Deere guys and the rest of us. I am all about using what works and making it look good later. Just having a little fun along the way. ;) BTW, that looks like a handy machine you have there. Nice.
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Yesterday we were doing some cleaning in our Engineering research and testing area at work and a weight from the testing rig was going to get scrapped....so I snatched it up! It's a steel billet that is 12" in diameter and 4" tall with a 5/8-11 threaded hole in the middle. That calculates out to about 125 pounds! So I made a bracket for it last night so I could mount it to the front of the tractor. The design is a bit unorthodox since I just used some steel I had lying around, but it is very solid and I think I can modify it in the future if I want to use suitcase weights instead. I've been using the tractor a little with the Trac Vac mounted and it definitely felt light in the front. Now it feels solid again, but I think it may be time to do the thrust bushing mod to the spindles now as it does turn a bit harder. As you can see, there was a little Karma involved because the weight was, of all colors, John Deere green. I'll have to take care of that ASAP :D








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Don't stumble on a piece like that every day! Can't pass that up. You'd have some $$ into 125# worth of mini suitcase weights so you're way ahead! Nice!
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That's not a 5 mph bumper for sure. Nice design and fab. I enjoy all of the "variation" for using / solving items and issues. Thanks for sharing! ;)
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That should help keep the front end planted. And yes the thrust washer and bearing set-up will help with the turning force. You may also want to consider the front axle pivot bolt upgrade. Either bushed with a grease zerk, or the rear support that was posted some time ago.
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Yeah, I couldn't really pass up a piece of weight like that. I'll make another bracket for it that hooks on the back of the tractor to use with my snowblower this winter. Thanks for looking and commenting! It is fun to solve a problem with what you have available.... the challenge is trying to make it look so it's not a complete hack-job. It can be a fine line for sure. Yeah, I'm definitely feeling the weight on the axle as I'm driving around so I'll be looking at axle upgrades to do in the near future.
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