Soil Mixer - Overall Machine - Build Instructions

cut the shaft from stock

• Cut the shaft from the 1 7/8" stock, 81.5".

Preparing the Bucket

• Take P3 (Part 3) Bottom Sheet for bucket and lay flat.

• Mount bearings and p23 with 1" bolts loosely on the side plates P5 and P4.

• Tack weld backplate (P1) using a set square at a 90 degree angle on top of

P3, don't finish the weld. Tack sidewall P4 into place at 90 degrees.

• Hold sidewall (P5) into place, and then stick Shaft 21 through the bearings

to ensure proper alignment of side walls. Tack sidewall (P4). Now tighten

the bolts.

• Finish welding the seams for the back plate, bottom sheet and sidewalls (P1,

P3, P4, P5). Using some bolts or the threaded rods and p23 to ensure

alignment of the nuts, weld in the 1" nuts on the inside side of the

sidewalls, on p4. These are used with some threaded rods and tubes to hold

p24 on, see Drive section.

• Tack P7 into place with a gap of 1" on both ends from the bottom sheet and

back plate. This distance is important for the two P6 parts to be welded in

next. There should also be a 1" depth in from the top edge of the sidewall.

Put in both 6's and tack. Tack in the second 7.

• Check for fit with the lid plate p2

1. finish the welds on the seal.

• Grind out the extra material around the welds on seams P6-P7 on the seal so

the lid will sit flush on top.

Tine Fabrication Process

Note: the tine modules explosion is not shown in the overall diagram yet.

1. Cut the 3" pipe sections with a cold cut saw

1. Cut the tines from the 1/4x2" stock, 4" each, using the ironworker. 72 of

them.

1. Lay the tines out on the ground with the corners touching, and tack weld

them together.

1. Put the 3" pipe section in a vice and place the tines in position around

it, then tack them together.

1. cut the hole in the side of the pipe for the bolt to pass through with an

oxy acetylene torch.

1. Thread the bolt onto the nut such that the bolt extents 1/4" or so past the

end of the nut

1. Complete all welds while the tine module is in the vice.

1. Remember there are 2 different tine module varieties, 9 of each type, the

only difference being the radial position of the nut and associated hole in

the side of the pipe. The bolt ends all tighten against the same flat

surface, so to prevent all 18 from being in a line, they are not all

identical. This is shown in the diagram. 9 are rotated 45 degrees relative

to the other 9.

1. Cut a slit 1.5 inches down the center of each tine.

1. Bend the tips of the tines with a monkey wrench by hand to produce the

curved tips.

1. Repeat for all 9 tine modules of one type, then the other 9. Process

cutting and welding of some parts in batches where suitable. I recommend

going through the process of 1 module first, before doing batches, though.

Main rotor shaft

Bug note: There is no key used on the shaft in this design. Only the 1/2" by

4" bolt passed through the coupler and shaft.

1. Remove the shaft from the bucket bearings.

• Grind out a flat 1/4" deep on the shaft P21 in the section for the bolts in

the tine modules to tighten against, from the stock cut previously.

• Place the 6 spline coupler on the shaft, and use it as a guide to guide your

drill bit. Start drilling the hole radially through the shaft for the bolt,

starting from the flattened side of the shaft. After the hole is started,

remove the coupler and continue, to avoid damaging the coupler.

• Pass the shaft P21 through one bearing, with the drilled bolt hole on the

right end. Place the tine modules onto the shaft as it is being passed

through.

• The bolts on the tine modules can be tightened at the very end of the whole

module fabrication. I suggest not doing it now as the shaft may need to be

removed for some reason later.

Motor quick attach plate

• Place the 2x1/2" threaded rods into the holes of P30. Tack in place. Check

for fit with the motor, optionally. Finish the weld.

• Grind the flat side, the far side from where the motor is placed, flat, so

the assembly can fit flush against a flat plate.

• Bolt P30 onto P24, and the motor onto this quick attach plate.

Drive

Bug note: The tubes that go around the threaded rods are not shown in the

diagram.

• Attach the coupler on the motor to the drive shaft with the 1/2" x 4"bolt.

• Fit the motor and coupler to the main rotor shaft, P21. Pass the 12" long,

1" threaded rods through p24 then through the tubes (not shown), through p23

and thread them through the nuts welded to the far side of p4.

• Attach the 4 further nuts to clamp the motor to the tubes, and the tubes

against p23, in a sandwich.

• Tighten the screws in the collars of the bearings to the shaft.

Quality control checklist

1. Ensure the system rotates freely 360 degrees. If the coupler, motor and

shaft are not on the same axis, it may lock up.

1. Check that when torque is applied to the motor, in either direction, there

is no excessive twisting.

Teeth

Procedure

1. Take p18
2. Lay p19 flat
3. Weld p18 with 1" overlap onto center of 19
4. Weld p20 to make about 3/4" of 19 exposed at the cutting edge
5. Repeat for the total 12 teeth
6. Weld 4 teeth at the proper spacing (6" on center and 3" on center from the

edge) to part 15 (tooth bar bolt bar), with 4 inches overlap between 18 and

15, protruding from the side of the plate that is farthest from the holes.

Make sure the tooth bar bolt bar is oriented correctly relative to where the

teeth are placed. The teeth go on the side farthest from the bolt holes.

1. Repeat for the 2 other p15 shaped parts
2. Grind teeth at 45 degree angle with tooth bar weldment in a vice
3. Water harden or air harden the teeth by heating to red hot with acetylene

torch and then dunking in water

Quality control Checklist

1. Make sure that 18 and 19 overlap by 1"
2. Make sure that 18 and 19 are centered with respect to one another
3. Make sure that at least 1/2" on the cutting edge is exposed after grinding
4. Make sure that 15 is oriented with the side closest to the holes on the far

side from the teeth

1. Make sure that the angle between 15 and 18 is 90 degrees

Quick Attach Finger

1. Tack 2x P34 ends onto the outside of P1, using p10 as a guide.
2. Tack p10 in place
3. finish the welds along all seams on the inside and outside for these parts.
4. Move the quick attach plate into position on the finger.
5. Bolt p13, the side tabs, in place on the Quick Attach unit.
6. tack the P13 parts to P1.
7. Unbolt and remove the QA plate.
8. finish welding p13 to p1

Lid, stage 1

1. Tack P25 at a 90 degree angle along the length of the bottom of the lid.
2. Tack 2x P26 Lid Struts onto the ends of the Lid at a 90 degree angle.

Ensure a 1/4" space at the top for 2x P29 to fit later (after the hinge and

hydraulics are added)

1. Place the lid into the seal, so that it rests with equal clearance on the

left and right side (should be 1/4" each side), and equal on the top and

bottom. The perimeter of the lid should be congruent with the perimeter of

the lid seal ledges/lips.

1. Tack 2x P31 hinge pieces in position. Note that p31 is not right up

against p33. There is a washer in between them.

1. Also ensure the outside faces of the hinges are flush with lid struts P26 on

the ends.

1. Check for fit by passing the hinge rod through the holes in the pieces.
2. Finish the welds.

Hinge

Passing the rod back into the hinge, ensure the following list of parts are

threaded onto the rod in order-

• P33
• a washer
• P31
• P11
• a washer
• Cylinder base
• a washer
• P11
• P31
• a washer
• P33

This is a temporary arrangement to get the hinge in place and centred. Later

we will remove the cylinder, washers, and P11 parts.

• Measure to centre the 2x P11 and 2x P31-shaped parts in the middle (there

are 4 total) along the QA Lip. the 2x P31 centre hinge pieces should be

aligned with the 2x P31 outer hinge pieces along the QA Lip P10 with the

4.625" between them, and 31.1875" between the p31 inner and outer pieces,

face to face. The p11 parts are just being used as temporary spacers of

suitable thickness with a convenient sized hole here.

• Tack (dont finish weld yet) the outer seams only of the P31 piece onto the

QA lip.

• Carefully take out the shaft and remove the cylinder, P11 supports, and the

2 on the Cylinder. Place the shaft back in with the other parts listed above

still loose as they were before.

• Get someone to hold the cylinder base so the the very bottom edges of the

P11 supports are aligned with the bottom edges of the center P31 hinges and

clamp them together with G-clamps. Leave enough clearance with the clamp to

later weld on the seams. You might want to use the bolt intended for the

rear cylinder pivot to attach the p11 parts to the cylinder temporarily.

• Using a set square to ensure P11 and P31 are perpendicular to P10, Tack all

seams between P11, P10, and the p31 parts.

• Finish the welding the seams on these parts and remove the clamps.

Left Lid Hydraulic Attachment to Hinge

• Lightly clamp P33 onto P31 maintaining the 90 degree angle in the joint as

in the diagram. Since there is a washer in between on the shaft, 2 clamps

may be required to keep everything flat.

• Take one of the middle p33 and clamp to the middle p26 shaped piece. Place

p26 against the lid, align things, and weld in place.

• Ensuring the Hydraulic cylinder is about 1/4" back from full extension (to

ensure the lid can fully close, but we don't want it to continue to extend

much after full closure), bolt 2x P14 cylinder struts on to the cylinder,

along with the spacers and washers. There are washers on both sides of P14

Parts (4 washers, 2 spacers total). dev: what spacers? They are not

mentioned anywhere else at all, not in the design, bom, anywhere. You can

use washer here maybe, but the spacing won't be perfect. This is not a good

way to get the p14 pieces to have the right spacing unless we have passably

accurately cut spacers. On one side a nut can be used, but on the other,

there are no threads there.

• Rotate the cylinder about the base etc to get the first P14 strut in

position. it should be flat against the inside of P33. tack in place,

ensure it is perpendicular to the lid with a set square and finish welding

the seams.

• Repeat this process with the right side

• Weld the 2x P27 Gussets in place against P14 and the P2 Lid.

Top Lid Struts

• The 2x P29 pieces can now be tacked and welded onto the lid between the P26

Lid struts and P33 Hinges.

Shaft

• Take out the shaft enough to give some clearance on the left end (End

nearest to motor). Weld one of the end washers on, staying clear of the

second washer.

• Put the shaft back and measure and mark a distance on the other side of the

shaft to put a cotter pin through.

• Carefully take out the shaft all the way and drill the hole for the cotter

pin.

• Fit the shaft back with all washers and lid in places.

Hydraulics

?

Digging teeth

open the lid after testing hydraulics, place a support underneath the lid for

safety, and lift the bucket off the ground using the Lifetrac arms.

Fit the 3x p15 plates with digging teeth and 1" bolts.

Fabricate, in order: Note: There is a lot of steel in this thing, and some of the parts are quite

heavy. Where suitable, be generous with your tack welding accordingly, to

ensure adequate

strength. 1. The tine modules, which together with the rotor shaft and coupler, forms

the rotor module Soil_Mixer_-_Rotor_Module_-_Build_Instructions

+ I recommend making a singe tine module first, to see the process working,

before cutting and welding in batches. This ensures that all equipment is

working etc. - cut the 3" pipe sections with a cold cut saw - Cut the tines from the 1/4x2" stock, 4" each, using the ironworker. 72 of

them. -lay the tines out on the ground with the corners touching, and tack weld

them together. -put the 3" pipe section in a vice and place the tines in position around it,

then tack them together. -cut the hole in the side of the pipe for the bolt to pass through with an

oxy acetylene torch. - tack weld the nut on. - Complete all welds while the tine module is in the vice. - Remember there are 2 different tine module varieties, 9 of each type, the

only difference being the radial position of the nut and associated hole in

the side of the

pipe is different by 45 degrees. This ensures that only half of the tines

hit the surface of the soil at any given time.

2. Then the rotor shaft Soil_Mixer_-_Rotor_Module_-_Build_Instructions - Cut the rod to length. - using an angle grinder, grind 1/4 inches down one side of the shaft. For

the bolt ends to lock against. - drill the hole along the diameter at the end of the shaft for the 1/2"

coupler bolt/shear pin. You may be able to get away with putting the 6 spline

coupler on the

end of the shaft and using the existing holes in it as a guide for a mag

drill to drill the hole. Start the drill hole perpendicular to the flat

ground side of the

shaft. - the key for the shaft-coupler connection is not yet addressed in this draft

of the instructions.

3. The lid, with integral hinges.

4. The tooth bar -Cut the rebar and stock to size. -tack weld the 5. The bucket, which includes the means to connect it to the tractor arm and

hinges for the lid.

-Tack weld the side triangular pieces to the bottom. -add the back after -add the back finger and the small triangular cross bracing piece. -add the side tabs - add the two side hinge pieces - using the hinge rod if you prefer to aid alignment, add the 2 center hinge

pieces. - add the piston support pieces.

The other parts are off the shelf, including the motor coupler, motor, and

hydraulic piston used to lift and close the lid.

This document needs to be expanded into more detail, and will be later, as it

must before the fabrication actually starts.Assemble, at this point the

welding is all

done:

1. The bucket and rotor module:

a) Insert the rotor shaft through one bearing, might as well be on the side

which does not have the motor mount. Remember to orient the shaft so that

the hole for the

coupler is on the right side.

b) Get those tine modules onto the rotor shaft. Don't tighten the bolts yet.

c) Fully insert the shaft through the bearing on the other side. Tighten the

bolts on the bearings to attach the inner collar of the bearing to the shaft.

d) Attach the motor coupler

e) Attach the motor. Ensure the hydraulic couplers are pointing towards the

tractor.

f) Tighten all bolts to final tightness, including all bolts on the tine

modules

2. Attach the tooth bar.

3. Attach the lid.

4. Attach the hydraulic piston.

Ensure all bolts are tight, everything moves as hoped, and you are ready to

attach it to the tractor.