Tow behind padfoot/sheepsfoot compactor

[ippielb]

Im building a tow behind compactor out of a couple compactor wheels. And need to get some wheel inserts cut out. The inside diameter is 47” for the compactor wheels, so I’ll be getting 4 discs cut out but unsure of the thickness to use. 1/2” or 3/8”? It’ll be done on a plasma table so I can get the exact centre also marked out.

Compactor wheels are 63” tall, and 38” wide. Filled with oil. I’ve attached a picture of the wheels. I’ve taken the 3rd packer wheel off the tractor and make it into a towable unit as well with its own road tires on the back so it doesn’t need to be trailered. Put the tires back on the tractor and now am wanting to make the two wheels into a tow behind compactor as well.

 

[Welder Dave]

3/8" might be OK with a thicker disc around the middle for extra support. Are you putting an axle all the way through or just welding a stub axle on each side?

 

[ippielb]

3/8" might be OK with a thicker disc around the middle for extra support. Are you putting an axle all the way through or just welding a stub axle on each side?

Will just be a stub axle on each end. So was thinking 1/2” with some L bracket/ gussets. But the 3/8” route might be cheaper and more difficult to centre at the same time. Steel prices are high so I cut up an old rod weeder that my grandpa bought 30 years ago. It had 4”x4” 3/8” wall square tubing for the frame. I have my pieces cut to size ready to be welded together. The hitch is 4x8” and I’ll make it run all the way through so make it more rigid. I have attached an image of a design I am going off of. The hitch will run the entire length. With the packer supports being welded to the side of the hitch. And each wheel having its own frame to tilt.


i need to figure out my bearings and pivot points as well.

 

[ippielb]

Degelman makes land rollers for agricultural and they use a stub shaft on the ends. It’s supported with 4 gussets you can see in this picture. Was going to use a similar bearing and bearing bracket on my design as well. That way the bearings are replaceable.

 

[ippielb]

well, 1/2” plate and 2-7/16” to 2-15/16” shaft seems to be the ticket. Found two different companies that listed their specs. And they line up fairly well

 

[redneckracin]

make sure to take some pictures of the build. Someone may find it useful in the future.

 

[ippielb]

start off with the tractor. It has the tires back on it. The tires are filled with fluid, and the valve stems are toast. So it’s up on blocks till the tire guy can make his way back to the farm to replace them.

 

[ippielb]

Here’s the rear mount packer that was on the back of the tractor.

i cut up an old heavy cultivator to use the landing gear, and the hitch


the landing gear is solid steel. 1.5”x3”. I welded it directly to the back of the frame of the sheepsfoot. Added a 3” gusset to help support it. I will add more support on it later if I feel it needs it.

 

[ippielb]

i did it a little bit different to raise the machine. With the rear landing gear fixed permanently mounted on the rear of the packer. I needed to push the hitch downwards to lift it. So instead of mounting the cylinder up high and pushing down. I would’ve needed to build a support over top of the roller. I decided to have it push up off the front frame. Onto another heavy bar.

the added supports are 3x3” steel welded to the hitch and the lift bar.

the lift bar is 5”x3” heavy wall square tubing. It probably weighs 100 pounds by itself at least. Had to use a tractor to get it up there.

 

[ippielb]

i left the hitch of the cultivator alone. It worked as a cultivator, so it should work as a packer as well. Its adjustable, and the tongue can tilt up and down. Which I have noticed in the 5 minutes I used it. Is a good idea, the hitch can move up and down and tilt on the tongue and doesn’t transfer it to the tractor.

 

[ippielb]

This is where I’m at tearing apart the heavy rod weeder. It’s been sitting in one of the other yards for my entire life.

pieces I have cut ready to get ground down cleaned up and put into a square in the shop.

all the little cultivator shanks that came off of it. Unsure what I’m going to do with them. Scrap them or try sell them on classifieds. Oh and my helper in the back.

that’s the keep pile. Lots of good heavy steel, pry bars from the rod, and there’s 6 idler shanks. Later I’m going to make a 3 point hitch ripper to put on the back of the tractor. Driving through the field to the combines with the tractor and grain cart with 500 bushels of canola in it for 4 days straight made quite a hard pack area. Hopefully the ripper I plan on making can break the hard pan and compaction.

 

[ippielb]

solid steel bar that runs for the width of the main implement minus the wings.

the hitch itself is adjustable. And it’s quite thick for a rod weeder. This thing was built to last.

the drawbar main centre hitch, that runs from the tractor all the way to the back of the rod weeder. 6”x4” and at least 1/4” thick wall.

 

[ippielb]

the 4x4” square tubing that made up the main frame of the rod weeder is 1/4” thick. Plasma cutter has made these two builds a heck of a lot easier.

the first frame for the first wheel in the shop laid out and set up square. The floors not perfectly flat but it’ll be a lot closer then out in the gravel.

the wings were mounted with these hinges. And a 1” pin going through, I was debating on instead of having the packer wheels pivot from the front on a pin. If I made them tilt on a hinge instead.

 

[ippielb]

they’re built quite heavy. But still unsure how I want to make them tilt/hinge.

 

[ippielb]

heres the two packer wheels out in the pasture letting the cows scratch on them. No they won’t tip over. They’re so heavy they squished into the ground when I put them down with my excavator.

the inside diameter of the pipe is 47”. 1/2” wall pipe. So they must’ve used a normal 48” pipeline pipe to construct them.

they measure 63” across from tip to tip of the knobs. But it’s sunk into the ground 3”.

 

[ippielb]

got the weeder torn down even more.



i got a couple nice 2-3/8” solid steel bars out of the floating hitch set up. 66” long a piece. Long enough to run straight through the wheels completely. And mount the bearings to.

 

[ippielb]

still have two long pieces of 4x4” tubing from the frame left. Going to be using it for the cross pieces that will have the pivot pins. If I do decide to go that route.

my terrible little drawing. Making sure I double check my dimensions and make sure I give myself enough room, and have enough tubing.

 

[Welder Dave]

Your 3pt. ripper will likely need a lot of weight if it doesn't have down pressure.

 

[redneckracin]

Looking good!

 

[ippielb]

Your 3pt. ripper will likely need a lot of weight if it doesn't have down pressure.

Tractor has down pressure 3 point hitch. Also going to run a cylinder for the top link so I can tilt the shanks.

Looking good!

We’ll see how it turns out. The end plates on the packers are going to be pricy. Probably in the neighbourhood of $1,500 just for the steel let alone cutting.