Sod removal sled.

[machiningfool]

Well, I solved my problem of not having enough power to pull the sled. I found a Kubota tractor on Craigslist. It is a 4 wheel drive and has a granny gear that will pull my house off of its foundation. I got it for 900., and the only problem is that it doesn't have reverse gear, but I got on a tractor forum and found out that it is a simple fix, so I will get started on this job tomorrow. It is diesel and has a three point hitch. I am happier than heck with this tractor, so it will certainly do the job. Bob.

[machiningfool]

Well, I found a tractor. It is a Kubota l1501 4wd diesel, so this should do the job. I got it for a song, 900., but the only thing wrong is, no reverse. I knew that when I bought it. It would have been an easy fix, if it were only the reverse idler gear, but both that gear and the main shaft gear is wiped out, so that meant that I will have to split the case. I made an angle iron stand for the front part of the tractor, so it will make the parting easier. I will check out the clutch and pressure plate when the transmission is separated from the engine. In the one picture, you can see the two wiped out gears. After saying that, I took a closer look at the picture and found another gear that is trashed, so that makes three gears to replace. Here are some pictures of this endeavor. Bob.

[machiningfool]

Today I split the case and finished the engine stand and jack tool out of angle. The tractor came apart easily with no problems. Here is what it looks like, Bob.

[machiningfool]

Here is the continuing saga of my tractor repair. I am painting the whole tractor while waiting for parts. I found out that in order to replace the mainshaft, I had to separate the transmission from the rear end. I now have the gears out that I am replacing, in turns out to be two, the mainshaft and the reverse gear. While I have it apart, I think I will also replace the clutch and pressure plate and throw out bearing. Here are some pictures. You can see how the one gear on the mainshaft is wiped out on both sides. Bob.

[machiningfool]

OK, here is an update on where I am with the tractor repair. The gears are in the trans and most of the components are re-installed, so tomorrow I hope to have it running and finished. I added 3 gauges, two gears, clutch, pressure plate, throw out bearing, seals and paint. Here are some pictures to date. OK, evidently, the pictures that I tried to upload are too large, so I will try again tomorrow and try to downsize my pictures. Bob.

[machiningfool]

Well, this thread started out as a sod removal tool and morphed into rebuilding a Kubota tractor that I bought. As it turned out, this is part of my sod removal tool, because my garden tractor wouldn't pull it properly, so I found this Kubota tractor on Craigslist for 900 and so far, I have 1800 into it. If I had bought a sod cutter, the price would be about 2000 used, so, I am 200 ahead and will be able to use this for more than cutting sod. I tried it out and this thing pulls and cuts through the sod like it isn't there. I am very happy with it, so there you are, a Rube Goldberg sod cutter. Bob.

[machiningfool]

The last few days, I have been mounting the sod sled on a 3 point hitch on the Kubota. Tomorrow I will do some more adjusting on the angle of cut and I think it will cut better. I am using the weight of the 3 concrete blocks to keep the blade buried and by machining slots in the sled attach point the sled can ride up and down as the ground does. The hitch doesn't push the sled down, the weight of the blocks do the work, the only thing the tractor does is pull it. I will post some pictures when I figure out how to post some smaller pictures, can' t figure this camera out. Bob.

[machiningfool]

OK, finally like magic, a menu that I had never seen appeared on my camera menu. It allowed me to adjust the size of the pictures. Here is the revamped sled on the 3 point hitch. Bob.

[Paul Jones]

Bob,
Great photo. I had to review your earlier photos of this project because I remembered the sod sled seemed to be a little larger. The larger Kubota tractor makes your sod sled look like it shrank. Hopefully with this tractor you will be able to get back to building your outdoor railroad.
Good luck, Paul

[DIYer]

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

Sod Removal Sled by machiningfool

tags: tractor, farm tools, sled