The Strength of Steel

admin

Was movin' some hay this afternoon, and I got to thinkin' about the posts this week.  Cranes, hitches, jackstands, etc.  All sorts of stuff that's gonna hold a lot of weight.  Steel's amazin' stuff.You've all seen this hitch before, but ya ain't seen the particulars.  Thought I'd snap a few.1x1 11ga. tubing top link.  3/16 gussets under ball.  And the funny thing is that it's been in service for years, and I don't think a thing about usin' it.  But boy was I frettin' the first time  This is about as far as I'm willin' to push the limit on design.Gota nice toplink for the other tractor, but still use this crazy thing for this tractor.  Got another shorter one sittin' under the seat.  All that effort, and I just coulda bought one  On rough ground the "spare" slides, and beats crap outta yer ankle Attached Images"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:One of those things you don't think about all that much until you go to build something and try figurin what you need to get the job done... I usually tend to overbuild...On the other hand its amazing how twisted and mangled something can get when things go wrong.....I just added a hitch to my 3 pth bale mover this past summer, so I could move hay off the field without having to wait for someone to drive the truck. Drive to the field, drop the trailer, load it, back up and pick it up then haul it home... sure is slick. I have seen quite a few of them used and decided to just make my own.... A guy can get pretty creative when working by yourself most of the time... I will try to take some pics this week...JimLincoln Power Mig 255Hobart Stickmate AC/DCMiller AEAD 200LECutmaster 81
Reply:By the way good idea for the toplink...I know what you mean when you say fretting about the first time you use it...JimLincoln Power Mig 255Hobart Stickmate AC/DCMiller AEAD 200LECutmaster 81
Reply:When you work by yourself you get creative, or maybe crazy  I'm probably on the short side of crazy.Used to do the same as you, except I had to take the damn tractor up to the field, then get the truck/trailer and bring it up.  Then do it all over again at the end of the dayGreat way to walk off a turkey meal though"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:good stuff!!  Obviously sufficient for the job.  I am surprised that the 1x1 x11g top link takes the strain - but that is all tension strain on the top link.  Yes, it is amazing how much stress mild steel can take.  It is sometimes even more amazing when you see something mangled from over-stress.But why do I see all that surface rust?  Where's the AC orange paint???   -MondoMember, AWSLincoln ProMIG 140Lincoln AC TombstoneCraftsman Lathe 12 x 24 c1935Atlas MFC Horizontal MillCraftsman Commercial Lathe 12 x 36 c1970- - - I'll just keep on keepin' on.
Reply:Originally Posted by Mondogood stuff!!  Obviously sufficient for the job.  I am surprised that the 1x1 x11g top link takes the strain - but that is all tension strain on the top link.  Yes, it is amazing how much stress mild steel can take.  It is sometimes even more amazing when you see something mangled from over-stress.But why do I see all that surface rust?  Where's the AC orange paint???   -Mondo