Utility Tractor Tilt Blade

Utility Tractor Tilt Blade TRACTORS Loaders 19-6-8 Using grader blades on utility tractors for odd jobs around the farm can be frustrating. It's usually not possible to adjust them for uneven terrain or other various unusual applications. That's why Richard Jackson built his own three-way adjustable blade to mount on front of his 1979 Kubota 185 4-WD tractor. It tilts end-for-end and can be raised and lowered hydraulically. "It's excellent for grading driveways and snow removal," says the Circleville, Ohio, farmer. "We also used it to level ground for a 120 by 80-ft. barn, using a laser level we got from a contractor. We were able to get the ground perfectly level for the concrete floor" Jackson made the blade from 5/16-in. thick plate steel. It's 6 ft. long by 20 in. high and has a bar of 3/8 in. thick plate steel on the bottom cutting edge. He made a heavy-duty mounting bracket for the blade out of 5-in. dia. pipe and 7-in. channel iron. It attaches with two pins and a bolt to the tractor's front weight bracket. A piece of 4 by 2 in. steel tubing runs from the front mounting bracket to the tractor's rear drawbar for added stability. Jackson can attach the blade to the tractor in just a few minutes. Four hydraulic cylinders control the blade. A 4 by 12-in. cylinder on top of the blade tilts it end-for-end. Two 2 by 10-in. cylinders mounted behind either side of the blade angle it back and forth. And a 3 by 12-in. cylinder raises and lowers the blade. To operate the blade, Jackson had to add an extra block of hydraulic valves to his tractor. Total out-of-pocket cost was $500. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Richard Jackson, 9440 Ringgold Fairfield Rd., Circleville, Ohio 43113 (ph 614-474-8167).

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