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First views of new "Johnny Box"


Kent

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I received my long-awaited "Johnny Box" this week. This is a clever combination weight box and rear counterweight, complete with scarifiers to loosen packed soil. It's another innovative product from one of our member sponsors -- John Scheele and his Johnny Products...
Here's a link to more pictures and a detailed description: http://www.simpletractors.com/operation/johnny_box.htm I haven't had a chance to put it through its paces, yet. Two days of thunderstorms left the dirt too wet to play... The foot-draggin' Clubhouse Custodian...
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For the clay I get to play with, the box scraper might work better when the ground is wet. How do you like the bucket? Steve
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Steve, I really like my Johnny Bucket -- I have the second one made for the Simplicity/Allis lineup -- and I've used the heck out of it... It stays mounted on my Big Ten most of the time now. I wrote a complete review of using mine when I first got it... Here's a link, if you haven't seen/read it: http://www.simpletractors.com/operation/johnny_bucket_jr_.htm Kent The foot-draggin' Clubhouse Custodian...
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Kent, If its too wet at your place, can I borrow your rig tomorrow? Got several yards of dirt to break loose and move here in TX. I'm in the process of mounting a large ripper tooth to my B-110 similar to the one in your pic. Except mine is extremely heavy duty. Going to a friends tomorrow to get some milling done on the hitch components. Then the rest of the day welding and putting it together. Looks like a really good setup your have there, lots of good digging ahead, I can see. If you run into gold or something, what would you do? DaveG
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Hey boss,, VERY NICE looking rig you have there,,is that the SAME mowchine that was in my woods a few yrs ago?Show the folks the ''before'' pics if it is!,,I see you've since added 4WD to it!,,Good job sir!,,lol,,
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Yes, Dave, it's the same tractor that I got from you... Here's the picture you had posted in the classifieds: It's now my "workhorse" doing the tilling, plowing, dirt moving, etc., while the HB-216 mows the lawn... Too bad this one isn't really 4WD, since I hope to put a loader on it this winter.... The foot-draggin' Clubhouse Custodian...
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I have a very dumb question. How do you raise and lower the box? Is the lift on it the same mechanism as the front?
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Yes, to function as a counterweight, it has to connect to the opposite end of the lift mechanism... think seesaw! When the bucket goes down, the box goes up ... when the bucket goes up the weighted box goes down to help lift the weight in the bucket... In my case, I have hydraulic lift on my tractors, so it's easy to push the empty bucket down (weight box up)... The foot-draggin' Clubhouse Custodian...
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Kent How about steering? Does the loaded (or unloaded) bucket affect the steering? I notice you got ags, does it help with maneuvering in softer soils? Mine's been alot better since I fixed the yoke on the steering column, but I haven't challenged anything soft yet, like sand. And, I'm not carrying any extra weight on the front. When I did the garden last, I had a heck of a problem turning in the soft dirt. With the steering out of adjustment, the wheels would pop hard to one side or the other and then the rear tires would dig themselves in trying to push the tractor. I'm just wondering if a loader or johnny bucket would cause the front end to sink faster. Steve
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Steve, Yes, the additional weight makes the steering more difficult in really loose soil. But, I don't frequently find myself in deep, loose soil using the bucket -- only with the tiller or moldboard plow... The ag tires noticeably help the "initial bite" to help steer in loose stuff. I put them on initially for snowplowing, where the hydraulic lift made it "too easy" to lift too much weight off the front tires and it would suddenly lose traction on the front and the whole front end of the tractor would slip sideways if the blade was angled.... Even with the ag tires you still have to make sure that you don't let the front tires get turned too far to either side or it will just push dirt -- you have to make more gradual turns. Adding weight to the rear out behind the axles (not on the rear wheels) the way counterweights hang also helps balance this load on the front tires. I haven't tried the new box when in really loose stuff, but I've noticed the effect using the factory counterweight or one I initially poured out of concrete... Kent The foot-draggin' Clubhouse Custodian...
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I tried the link, couldn't find the box on the Johny site. How much is the going price, in orange of course?
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I'm not sure -- I got a special deal on mine since I suggested that he modify the box he makes for other tractors to make it function as a counterweight... I suggest you email him... I don't want to venture a guess and give wrong impressions should I be wrong... The foot-draggin' Clubhouse Custodian...
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Kent, I was woundering if you could show me a picture of what u mean when you say that the counter weight acts like a see-saw. I need to see a picture on how the counterweight actually hooks up to the lift mechanism so that it works with ur bucket.
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Kent The ags work good in snow? How about on ice? I've heard they can get a little skiddish. Thanks for the tip on the rear weight. For the most part I'm not in soft dirt either. Hopefully, with the steering corrected, I won't have the problem anymore since I'll actually be able to steer. lol Steve
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UH -- The box fits into the rear hitch/lift the same as any other rear implement. If you'll look closely at the up/down pictures in the "story" I linked in above, you can see the lift "tube" and the box's hitch in different positions. You can also see where the box is when the bucket is down, and when full up, as shown above. Here's a closeup picture of the hitch with the box full up (bucket down).... For it to work on a later model tractor with a rear lift cable, instead of the solid rod like these oldies use, you'd need to move the front connection of the lift cable to the short arm on the opposite side of the cross-shaft from where it normally goes. On the older tractors, you had to push forward on the manual lift handle to lift a rear implement, instead of pulling back, like you do on the 7000 and later tractors. If you swap the rear lift cable over and connect it to the other side of the cross-shaft, and relocate any guide pulleys needed, it should have effect -- though I've never tried it. (The only "running-board" tractor I've owned I chopped up to get the hydro for my B-210... )Someone mentioned in an earlier discussion on this topic that they were going to try it.... Steve, I haven't had much of a chance to use the ags on ice. We had a very mild winter last year, and I was either pushing snow or slush... I know that ags on the rear don't give much traction on ice, but I haven't really seen what they do when they're on the front. The foot-draggin' Clubhouse Custodian...
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