CASE 448 Garden Tractor - Continued - Page 6!
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On some of the milder winter days, I have been working on hydraulic turn for the front blade. An hour or two of gettting on and off to rotate the blade manually, and you FIND time to make this happen ! I will be using the very same type of cylinder I used for my front lift system. It is one of the most compact cylinders I can find at 12" extended and 8" collapsed. My first goal was to rough out a hole in the top of the angled portion of the snow blades lift plate.
Above: I simply cut a hole large enough to see how things would fit, and located a temporary hole as far back as I could, dead center of the bracket. I could have located this hole farther to the opposite side (down in the photo), but I have a plan to be able to use this same cylinder on this plate for a different purpose down the road, and I need that space on the right side (from seat position) for another bracket.
Below, You can see that I dropped a bolt thru the hole and slipped in the cylinder, then marked a spot with a magic marker on the blades rotating plate with the cylinder retracted, then with it extended to see exactly where the moving cylinder end would have to end up to give me the full blade turning capability. Everything looked like it was going to fit and work without any problems whatsoever.
Next, I took a good look at how it looked from the backside, and how low I could get it, parallel with the rotating swing plate.
Below: The next day it snowed out and I had to plow. Things got a little rusty, but you can still see what I did next. Because the cylinders ports are on the side when it is pinned in place, I had to modify the overall hole shape a little so the hydraulic lines will have room to connect to the cylinder and not hit anything when rotating. I will still spend some time to clean up all the corners and edges so it all looks good and smooth. Also take note, that I opened up the angled portion farther back, and then created a section of "C" channel to fit across the entire back. I did not want to push solely on the existing pivot tube, and this channel will add some reinforcement in this area, and add the lower pin hole for the fixed cylinder end.
With the cylinder pinned tight in the back, I was able to locate an exact position for the other swinging end pin hole. I used some tubing cut open for this end, tacked it into place and made sure I got full rotation each way, then welded it tight.
Below: You can see that I will still be able to use the original pin system for the blade rotation, just in case I need the removeable cylinder to work on a different function (like the blade/bucket concept).
I think I might bore a 3/4" hole thru the front plate, right in front of the cylinder bracket on the swing plate, then plug weld in a 3/4" solid shaft. That will help keep that end from ever bending up. Easier to make it solid now than straightening it out later !
All that is left is to pick an organized path for the hydraulic lines, pick up some new 1/2" pins, grind the plate up to get the rust off and prime it and the cylinder. The turn function will plug into the hydraulic disconnects I located under the frame on the right side. I hope to find room for quick disconnects right up front at some point, but this will work for now. I will probably use this cylinder to mock up hydraulic rotation for my center grader blade as well, and I also plan to also use this same type of cylinder on the 3 point hitch I am going to build.
Still PLENTY of things to build for this thing !
For those interested in how I put together a simple "Foot Control", I threw a few photos up on this page:
Update: Summer of 2008 went by and I have been quite busy. I did get a 3 point hith mounted on this tractor, as well as the third travel valve under the seat. The 3rd valve gives me two PTO ports out back and the lift side controls the rear 3 point hitch. I need to find time to take additonal photos, then rebuild this whole website/presentation so it looks better. I fell in love with this tractor so much, I had to keep it company with a 446 I found, then a 222, and a 444 for good measure. Then I stumbled into the motherload and picked up TWENTY Case garden tractors ! Myself and a friend have been going thru many of them to see what we have. Most will be parted out over time. So, if you need parts, send me an email !
............... more to come ..........
I am way behind in photos and story line ! I have been using the tractor a lot. But, other tractors seem to jump in the way. I bought a 644 loader tractor that has earned its keep around here, and I made a cab for my "blower tractor" last fall. Never again will I be without a Cab ! Toasty warm, Radio and Wiper!
And now, I am finally going to buckle down and finish another 448 I have been saving. I picked up a brand new leftover B48G from a fellow Case Yahoo group member, and I plan to get this one restored to look new. This one will be next years blower tractor. I hope to get back at posting photos and telling Case adventures.