Winter Project... Trash (Manure) Forks for the Loader

lastcowboy32 · Feb 19, 2020

The new tractor has a quick attach loader. Skid-steer style. It has a really nice bucket, but our manure pile is loaded with bedding. The bucket doesn't work worth beans on it. I borrowed a friend's quick attach manure bucket for a while. It worked OK, but it was more of a "spork" a shallow bucket with short/thick tines.

I'm trying to make something that is a pure fork with longer tines. It's 7' wide. It will have 8 tines (one foot spacing) when done. I have the middle two mounted straight and level so far.

I also need to build up the back with plate for reinforcing. I'm thinking that a solid plate from the top of the quick attach bracket down to the forks... which would hit them about 6" ahead of where they mount on the back bar... that would reinforce the back... level the tines even better and give them a longer depth of mounting to counteract the leverage at the tips.

The galvanized angle iron was all gathered from piles of torn down fence around the farm. Two owners ago, the owner had a chainlink fence business. He did all of his fence corners with 1/4" x 2" galvanized angle iron with 1/4" x 1-1/2" braces.

The last owner removed those fences and just threw the iron (well... actually steel) in piles...

The only thing I should have to buy is the plating for the back.

Determined · Feb 19, 2020

Hope it works for you, there is a lot of force to overcome breaking apart intertwined straw and poop.

Ever since we started using a bale shredder to put down bedding corral cleaning has become much easier.

300jk · Feb 19, 2020

Dad and I built one for the skid steer. Our spacing was closer like 8
inches. Tines were maybe 1.5 ' long. Tines were sharpened 1.25 "
diameter made of supposedly hardened round stock. Lasted one use before
dad had the tines so bent it was useless. Not frozen either. We now have
a Cat 307 excavator we use instead to load out manure like that. Just my
real life experience.

David Snipes · Feb 19, 2020

I built one with angle iron and they bent immediately. I then used used drill rod steel and they have lasted for years. The steel was so hard I
couldn't grind a point one them - they just ate up the grind stone. I sharpened them with a cutting torch.

lastcowboy32 · Feb 19, 2020

(quoted from post at 17:18:03 02/19/20) Dad and I built one for the skid steer. Our spacing was closer like 8
inches. Tines were maybe 1.5 ' long. Tines were sharpened 1.25 "
diameter made of supposedly hardened round stock. Lasted one use before
dad had the tines so bent it was useless. Not frozen either. We now have
a Cat 307 excavator we use instead to load out manure like that. Just my
real life experience.

I would love to use an excavator with a thumb. I'm also aware that the loader on my tractor can bend angle iron. I could have ruined the tines on the bucket that I borrowed, if I bullied it around with the tractor.

I'm hoping that longer tines will skim thin layers off of the pile, while still getting a worthwhile load.

I'm just about certain that burying this fork three feet deep in the pile and just letting the loader lift for all it's worth would result in pretzel tines.

I'm committed at this point, the proof in the pudding will be in the eating.

lastcowboy32 · Feb 20, 2020

I think about the analogy of a fork and a shovel. I can walk up to a haymow and try to stick a shovel into it. Won't even dig in, so there's no way I can break it or bend it. But, if I walk up to a haymow with a pitchfork, I can pick a point four bales deep and bury it to the hilt. If I lift up on it, I can either break the handle or bend the tines.

But you can move a lot of hay with a pitchfork, if you use it properly.

You can use a spade fork, with short, thick tines... you won't break it as easily, but you won't move more hay in a given amount of time either.

I'm building a tractor mounted pitch fork... or maybe a dun fork... to use a term that I've only heard my father use.

showcrop · Feb 20, 2020

When I started haying 33 years ago I was in a partnership with another fellow. He had tines made that bolted into the bucket. We both had sheep and the manure pack with hay mixed in is tough to dig out. These tines were 1 inch by 1.5 inch. we never bent one.

lastcowboy32 · Feb 20, 2020

(quoted from post at 06:00:18 02/20/20)
When I started haying 33 years ago I was in a partnership with another fellow. He had tines made that bolted into the bucket. We both had sheep and the manure pack with hay mixed in is tough to dig out. These tines were 1 inch by 1.5 inch. we never bent one.

Based on the feedback from yesterday, I'm thinking about doubling up the tines with back to back angle irons to make a "T"... although, looking from the front, the T's would be sideways. If I did that, I would be able to finish the center four tines right now. Then I would take it out this weekend for a trial run.

2 of these angle irons back to back would produce a T with about the same cross section as the rectangular stock that you are mentioning.

PJH · Feb 20, 2020

Manure is heavy. Wet manure is REAL heavy. Make it strong or you'll be disappointed.

I have a JD 45 loader with manure tines and a bale spear. I've never weighed a bucket load of manure, but from experience I can tell that a bucket load of manure is much heavier than one of my 600 lb round bales.

Chris in SK · Feb 20, 2020

Give it a go, but I think even doubled up, you'll bend those angle irons up in packed manure. I'd look for some old axle half shafts if you have a wrecker near by or maybe some heavy walled pipe in different diameters so you can sleeve each tine. A 7ft wide manure fork will need some serious horse power behind it.

Chris in SK · Feb 20, 2020

I'll make a couple of other suggestions.
If that really is Galvanized angle, be careful welding it. The fumes will make you sick.
If you already have a good loader bucket, you might be better off making a grapple for it. With a bucket and grapple you can ripe out manure just as good as a fork.
Chris

lastcowboy32 · Feb 20, 2020

Yeah... the fumes... I only work on warm days when I can leave the garage door up.

Fortunately, I'm digging a pile placed by wheelbarrows... not a "pack" that has been trampled into hay-reinforced manure-crete by cows.

The long bedding in the pile does require a fork-like tool to stab into it, but it doesn't have the packing like a bedded pack does. For instance, I can stab a pitch fork or dun fork into the pile right up to the hilt by hand.

It also doesn't have the wet density like a pile of pure manure...which I would just use the bucket on.

It's more like... somebody unrolled a bunch of baleage and put it into a pile using a fork and a wheelbarrow.

I need strong tines... but there is a good chance that the doubled-up angle iron will fit the bill.

Photos of the "test run" will be posted, for the sake of science.

ztrmowers · Feb 20, 2020

hope I am wrong but you will bend that setup,galvanize will also make you really sick

lastcowboy32 · Feb 24, 2020

(quoted from post at 06:00:18 02/20/20)
When I started haying 33 years ago I was in a partnership with another fellow. He had tines made that bolted into the bucket. We both had sheep and the manure pack with hay mixed in is tough to dig out. These tines were 1 inch by 1.5 inch. we never bent one.

Well, I have a lot of inch and a half and two inch pipe.

I calculated the cross sectional area of it, and it will be on par with doubled angle iron. Which... I'm just about tapped out for scrap angle iron anyway.

I'm in the middle of reinforcing the tines with the pipe. A couple of the two inch pieces will serve as skids.

In hindsight, I should have oriented the 45 degree cuts on the pipe differently to make it easier to block the ends... oh well... got too fancy for my own good.

I tested the strength by supporting it upside down by one reinforced tine, then stood on the end of the tine next to it.

No flex at all, with one tine supporting 200 lbs right at the end.

Hopeful. Should be able to finish up and test on the pile today.

lastcowboy32 · Feb 24, 2020

This thing has been a PROJECT... 8 more hours today and more welding rods than I can count.

In the end, though. I got it done to the point where it has six tines and a five foot bite.

If this all works well, I want to buy some plate and make thick, custom tines for the ends to make it a full seven feet wide and sort of "box" in the ends a little and make nice "skids"for the bottom.

Anyway... it was 8PM before I got to test it out. It worked just how I would like.

It takes a nice,big bite out of the pile and very little falls through the tines in transit.

lastcowboy32 · Feb 25, 2020

So, after further testing...

It works!

It's strong enough, now it's just a matter of whether my welds are durable enough to last a reasonable amount of stress cycles.

To get a full scoop, I can't baby it by skimming. The top of the pile just pushes back, and the tractor starts to climb the pile.

So... to the bottom of the pile I go. The tractor easily shoves it right to the hilt. At that point, if I just use common sense about tilting, lifting and pulling away, I can get full loads without bending. The tractor has 5000lbs of "breakout" on the bucket. I can't just lay on the hydraulics and expect this thing to last.

What it could use is maybe an expanded metal screen to keep trash from falling back onto the nice red parts of my new loader

So... 1-1/2 square inches of cross section per tine... 1 foot spacing... 38" tines with 8" captured for fastening and 30" protrusion seems to be a good design for what I want

SVcummins · Feb 26, 2020

That looks really nice glad it held together I?ve been
rootin for you always nice when something works
like you hope

lastcowboy32 · Feb 26, 2020

(quoted from post at 01:21:23 02/26/20) That looks really nice glad it held together I?ve been
rootin for you always nice when something works
like you hope

Thanks. Some comments here were helpful to avoid failure. When people tell you what works and doesn't work, based on experience, it prevents me from making the preventable mistakes.

If it works without problems, just for this initial pile removal, then I have time to make some modifications to make it stronger, if needed.

I'm working it pretty hard and getting more and more brave, even took a couple of bites into the pile this morning that started to lift the back of the tractor instead of the bucket. I'm not seeing any tine bending. I am seeing maybe a little warp across the top. I'm not sure... I may just be noticing something that was already there. That's the risk of working with scrap metal... it's not guaranteed to be straight.

Since the tine tips are staying level and straight, I'm not worrying about it. Just something to check with a square when I'm done with this round of pile removal.

The pile is blocking the only efficient spot on the barn to load a used spreader that I bought from Showcrop.

Once I get the pile removed.... we can stop piling and start spreading. At that point, we are handling manure once.. not twice... much more efficient.

ztrmowers · Feb 26, 2020

only if the spread area allows you to pull the spreader there will be times you will have to pile it

showcrop · Feb 26, 2020

(quoted from post at 07:14:17 02/26/20)

(quoted from post at 01:21:23 02/26/20) That looks really nice glad it held together I?ve been
rootin for you always nice when something works
like you hope

Click to expand...

Thanks. Some comments here were helpful to avoid failure. When people tell you what works and doesn't work, based on experience, it prevents me from making the preventable mistakes.

If it works without problems, just for this initial pile removal, then I have time to make some modifications to make it stronger, if needed.

I'm working it pretty hard and getting more and more brave, even took a couple of bites into the pile this morning that started to lift the back of the tractor instead of the bucket. I'm not seeing any tine bending. I am seeing maybe a little warp across the top. I'm not sure... I may just be noticing something that was already there. That's the risk of working with scrap metal... it's not guaranteed to be straight.

Since the tine tips are staying level and straight, I'm not worrying about it. Just something to check with a square when I'm done with this round of pile removal.

The pile is blocking the only efficient spot on the barn to load a used spreader that I bought from Showcrop.

Once I get the pile removed.... we can stop piling and start spreading. At that point, we are handling manure once.. not twice... much more efficient.

Speaking of that spreader I just came across the spare flingers that I had made for it. I will get them off to you.

SVcummins · Feb 27, 2020

It looks like a pretty handy manure fork . Time will
tell if it?s bending or If it was already bent it looks
pretty strong from the pictures. I?m in the market for
a manure speeder myself may end up just using the
two ton truck for this year funding is going to be
awfully tight around here for one more year at least

lastcowboy32 · Feb 27, 2020

(quoted from post at 14:49:56 02/26/20)

(quoted from post at 07:14:17 02/26/20)

(quoted from post at 01:21:23 02/26/20) That looks really nice glad it held together I?ve been
rootin for you always nice when something works
like you hope

Click to expand...

Thanks. Some comments here were helpful to avoid failure. When people tell you what works and doesn't work, based on experience, it prevents me from making the preventable mistakes.

If it works without problems, just for this initial pile removal, then I have time to make some modifications to make it stronger, if needed.

I'm working it pretty hard and getting more and more brave, even took a couple of bites into the pile this morning that started to lift the back of the tractor instead of the bucket. I'm not seeing any tine bending. I am seeing maybe a little warp across the top. I'm not sure... I may just be noticing something that was already there. That's the risk of working with scrap metal... it's not guaranteed to be straight.

Since the tine tips are staying level and straight, I'm not worrying about it. Just something to check with a square when I'm done with this round of pile removal.

The pile is blocking the only efficient spot on the barn to load a used spreader that I bought from Showcrop.

Once I get the pile removed.... we can stop piling and start spreading. At that point, we are handling manure once.. not twice... much more efficient.

Click to expand...

Speaking of that spreader I just came across the spare flingers that I had made for it. I will get them off to you.

Yes please, I have some chain and bolts ready to replace a couple of flingers... I was actually going to make a few as one of my next projects. It works OK as is... but it leaves a couple of ridges of material. I usually just knock it over with a fork and it gets flung out with the next load.

lastcowboy32 · Feb 27, 2020

Yes sir... but once I catch up with the pile, I can always just dump the wheelbarrows for a few days when I need to pile and just clean out the pit with the new loader attachment.

A pile that's a few days deep will be very, very easy on the forks, and the pit has a concrete floor, and a 5' wall in the back to keep the pile from pushing away... so I will be able to skid the loader right on the floor and clean it up nicely and just pile it outside, out of the way.... so I can then park the spreader in the pit when the weather breaks.

Winter Project... Trash (Manure) Forks for the Loader

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