Gas bottle garden roller

[Steved53]

for my first post I'll start simple...

I had 2 problems 1- the dog had chewed up my lawn and 2- I had an old LPG gas bottle getting in the way ( You can't just throw those away).

So I cut bits off both ends, then welded on 2 bolts. Then made up a frame pivoting on the 2 bolts and added a removable handle.

To add weight, I welded on a 3/4" socket and bung where I can fill it with water. though I may opt for vegetable oil because it's heavier and won't rust the roller.



PLEASE BE AWARE OF SAFETY BEFORE CUTTING OR WELDING GAS BOTTLES OR TANKS... MAKE SURE IT'S EMPTY AND FLUSHED

thankyou to Frank S for pointing this out.. (see post below)

[Frank S]

These types of lawn rollers are very handy, however I want to congratulate you for staying alive. LPG tanks are bombs waiting to happen when welding or cutting on them
I am not sure why you felt the need to add a bung as in the center of the top of LPG tanks of that size and larger the valves are threaded into a 3/4" pipe socket anyway. You should have had the tank filled with water before even attempting to weld on it and even then since LP permeates into the pores of the metal they can still be flammable if any air cavity remains. you could have simply have welded one of the bolts you used as your axle to a bung that would have screwed into the valve socket.
Water is heavier than vegetable oil though by the way. pour some into a clear beaker then add ant amount of water you like and the water will flow straight through the iol to the bottom. Water is heavier than most other liquids but the amount of weight in the size tank you have will not be signifiacant enough that you will notice a lot of difference when rolling it across your lawn. Good luck and be safe

[Steved53]

Hi Frank

I take your point about LPG tanks, I'm so used to them I didn't think to add a warning to my post. The tank was empty then the brass valve broken off , then left with the hole down to drain. That was about 10 years ago, so I knew it was OK. I spent years cutting them in half at a scrapyard, OK if you know how.

It didn't occur to me to do as you said with the bung. I also wanted to have the fill/drain hole where I could reach it, so I could drain it to save weight at times.
I must have a bit of brain fade... of course water is heavier, any idiot knows oil floats!. I'll try to get better at explaining things in any posts.

Steve

[Frank S]

Steve I wasn't ragging on you. Since the tank didn't explode when you welded on it I knew it had either been long dead open to the atmosphere or you had filled it with an inert substance. I have done a lot of LP tanks as well as gasoline tanks over the years even purposely exploded them doing safety demonstrations to show how violently dangerous they can be.
We have 1000's of viewers here who may see these posts who also do not have experience in working with potentially dangerous materials. I am not a safety police by any stretch of the imagination. But I do often try to stress a few of the more potentially dangerous aspects of mine and others builds from time to time. There are already far too many tide poders and condom snorters in this world.
Another point about having the ability to drain the tank lighten it when needed would have been to thread a pipe nipple in the center hole which could have been used as 1 of the axles as well as be capped that way filling or emptying cold have been done through that.

[Ed Weldon]

Filll the roller with dry sand. Makes it 3x heavier and it'll never rust through. This won't work well if you like to store it hanging from a wall.. Ed Weldon

[Steved53]

It's OK Frank. I took it as constructive criticism. Thiugh a lot of people these days can't manage that.

A screw in bung would have been better because doing it quick and dirty means I fabricated the frame in situ... it won't come apart.

I fully agree with the safety for others advice and I'll include it where needed in future, I'd hate to have a death or injury on my conscience.

[Steved53]

Hi Ed

It had occured to me to use sand but I was concerned it may get damp and not come out if I needed to lighten the thing. I'll see how it rolls the lawn with water.

Steve

[DIYer]

Thanks Steved53! We've added your Garden Roller to our Farm and Garden category,
as well as to your builder page: Steved53's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

Garden Roller by Steved53

tags: roller