jon f mn
Well-known Member
Started the weekend by getting my 77 combine home. I'm going to run my oats seed through it to clean it some. Will be nice to get it inside.
Then it was on to the palnter project. That has been a big project. Started with all new bearings in the opener and fertilizer discs. They are a special bearing and very expensive locally, but John Saeli was able to get the right from case very reasonably. Thanks John!
Next was the drive gears, this old planter was only capable of planting up to 21,000 population, which is not enough for todays hybrids. So I had to decide where to gear it up. Could have done each row, but that would mean several gears so I could change population. So I decided to do it at the main drive off the wheels. It was at a 2to1 ratio, itso I went to as close to 3to1 as I could get. Found 2-57 tooth drive gears at the salvage yard and got 2 weld on sprockets for the top. The driven is also the drive clutch so that required some modification.
I took them to a machinist to have the gear teeth turned down and the weld sprocket turned out, but I left them there 2 weeks and he didn't do it so I brought them home and did it myself. Started be grinding the teeth off the cast gear.
Then I took the plasma and cut the gear out. I needed a guide so I found a socket the fit the gear and it made the perfect guide.
A little cleaning with the die grinder and it fit right on.
Then just weld it on. The weld isn't much as I was trying to be conservative since there is not much extra room, I should have turned up the heat a little.
Looks like it's going to work fine. Next was the packer wheels. They are cast hubs that turn on a steel shaft. The hubs had worn a lot and we're sloppy. So I drilled them out from 7/8 to 1" and made new shafts. The machinist was supposed to make them too as they needed to be drilled and tapped. But I was able to do it myself ok.
Once that was done it was just assembling the units. Ha
D to take one unit completely apart to change the casting since I broke it chopping the tree out. I could have just used a complete unit from one of the parts planters, but they were more worn and the shaft bushing we're loose. Was also some work freeing up the seed box parts. They weren't so much rusted as just stuck from gunk in them. So a thorough cleaning and they work good. After the weekends work I got all 4 row units on and working. That is a big relief. I was getting worried that I wouldn't get it done on time. But it could go plant right now.
This week it will be the fertilizer system. That also need a lot of work. The augers are junk and I can't find any, so I'll have to adapt some. The boxes need work and the castings in the boxes need to be replaced, so I'll have to fabricate those too. But I'm pleased with how it's going so far.
Then it was on to the palnter project. That has been a big project. Started with all new bearings in the opener and fertilizer discs. They are a special bearing and very expensive locally, but John Saeli was able to get the right from case very reasonably. Thanks John!
Next was the drive gears, this old planter was only capable of planting up to 21,000 population, which is not enough for todays hybrids. So I had to decide where to gear it up. Could have done each row, but that would mean several gears so I could change population. So I decided to do it at the main drive off the wheels. It was at a 2to1 ratio, itso I went to as close to 3to1 as I could get. Found 2-57 tooth drive gears at the salvage yard and got 2 weld on sprockets for the top. The driven is also the drive clutch so that required some modification.
I took them to a machinist to have the gear teeth turned down and the weld sprocket turned out, but I left them there 2 weeks and he didn't do it so I brought them home and did it myself. Started be grinding the teeth off the cast gear.
Then I took the plasma and cut the gear out. I needed a guide so I found a socket the fit the gear and it made the perfect guide.
A little cleaning with the die grinder and it fit right on.
Then just weld it on. The weld isn't much as I was trying to be conservative since there is not much extra room, I should have turned up the heat a little.
Looks like it's going to work fine. Next was the packer wheels. They are cast hubs that turn on a steel shaft. The hubs had worn a lot and we're sloppy. So I drilled them out from 7/8 to 1" and made new shafts. The machinist was supposed to make them too as they needed to be drilled and tapped. But I was able to do it myself ok.
Once that was done it was just assembling the units. Ha
D to take one unit completely apart to change the casting since I broke it chopping the tree out. I could have just used a complete unit from one of the parts planters, but they were more worn and the shaft bushing we're loose. Was also some work freeing up the seed box parts. They weren't so much rusted as just stuck from gunk in them. So a thorough cleaning and they work good. After the weekends work I got all 4 row units on and working. That is a big relief. I was getting worried that I wouldn't get it done on time. But it could go plant right now.
This week it will be the fertilizer system. That also need a lot of work. The augers are junk and I can't find any, so I'll have to adapt some. The boxes need work and the castings in the boxes need to be replaced, so I'll have to fabricate those too. But I'm pleased with how it's going so far.
