40-Ft. Long Land Leveler Made From Two Semi Tractor Frames

2000 - Volume #24, Issue #3, Page #13

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Robert Davis needed a big land leveler to work his fields. But he didn't want to spend the money on a commercial rig.
  So the Savannah, New York farmer built his own 40-ft. long pull-type land leveler by welding a pair of semi tractor frames together end to end. The two-wheeled rig is equipped with a pair of 20-ft. wide offset blades and rides on a pair of 18.4 by 26 combine tires positioned at the back. The tires mount on a steering axle (formerly a semi tractor's front axle) that uses a hydraulic cylinder that operates off tractor hydraulics.
  The 20-ft. wide blades are made from a pair of 12-in. sq. "H" beams welded together at one end so they form a sideways "V". A pair of chains connect the blades to both ends of a rockshaft (an axle off an old Deere disk) that mounts on top of the rails. A hydraulic cylinder is used to rotate the rockshaft forward or backward to adjust blade depth. The blade also pivots 90 degrees for road transport.
  The blade is further supported by a set of chains that extend from the front part of the blade up to the drawbar. A truss cable underneath provides added support.
  "It's the best lump buster I've ever used. It just grinds them up," says Davis. "I use my Deere 8440 4-WD tractor to pull the rig. I use it to fill in 6 to 8-in. deep dips and old ditches in our fields. Going at 8 to 10 mph I can cover 75 to 100 acres in about 10 hours. In many fields it has eliminated combine wheel tracks and dips, which has resulted in 4 to 5 bushels more per acre of dry beans. The steering axle still has the truck springs and shackles which helps cushion the shocks as the blade goes up and down.
  "I needed a steerable axle because all our fields are ditched and we have narrow driveways leading into them. To mount the 18.4 by 26 combine tires on the truck axle, I first welded combine wheel rims over the top of the truck rims."
  Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Robert Davis, 2030 Bixby-Wood Road, Savannah, N.Y. 13146 (ph 315 365-2266).

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40-Ft. Long Land Leveler Made From Two Semi Tractor Frames MISCELLANEOUS EQUIPMENT Earth Movers 24-3-13 Robert Davis needed a big land leveler to work his fields. But he didn't want to spend the money on a commercial rig. So the Savannah, New York farmer built his own 40-ft. long pull-type land leveler by welding a pair of semi tractor frames together end to end. The two-wheeled rig is equipped with a pair of 20-ft. wide offset blades and rides on a pair of 18.4 by 26 combine tires positioned at the back. The tires mount on a steering axle (formerly a semi tractor's front axle) that uses a hydraulic cylinder that operates off tractor hydraulics. The 20-ft. wide blades are made from a pair of 12-in. sq. "H" beams welded together at one end so they form a sideways "V". A pair of chains connect the blades to both ends of a rockshaft (an axle off an old Deere disk) that mounts on top of the rails. A hydraulic cylinder is used to rotate the rockshaft forward or backward to adjust blade depth. The blade also pivots 90 degrees for road transport. The blade is further supported by a set of chains that extend from the front part of the blade up to the drawbar. A truss cable underneath provides added support. "It's the best lump buster I've ever used. It just grinds them up," says Davis. "I use my Deere 8440 4-WD tractor to pull the rig. I use it to fill in 6 to 8-in. deep dips and old ditches in our fields. Going at 8 to 10 mph I can cover 75 to 100 acres in about 10 hours. In many fields it has eliminated combine wheel tracks and dips, which has resulted in 4 to 5 bushels more per acre of dry beans. The steering axle still has the truck springs and shackles which helps cushion the shocks as the blade goes up and down. "I needed a steerable axle because all our fields are ditched and we have narrow driveways leading into them. To mount the 18.4 by 26 combine tires on the truck axle, I first welded combine wheel rims over the top of the truck rims." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Robert Davis, 2030 Bixby-Wood Road, Savannah, N.Y. 13146 (ph 315 365-2266).

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