Ian

Thanks mate, I'm quite liking them too
 
While busy welding the mesh on the left side I thought I could feel my right leg getting warm!
For some reason I forgot to tuck my jeans over my boots this morning, the foam in the tongue had caught alight and was taking my jeans with it!! Oops!




Fire put out and the mesh welded on..




With MadTrax on axle stands it was time to start making something heavy..




A engine/sump guard made from some rather thick and heavy diamond plate..
The diamonds are on the other side.
A big thank you to Nigel for offering me the plate to use.




A test fit after cutting it to shape.




The front of the guard needed to be bent up a bit, after cutting it part way through and beating it with a big hammer it was time for some heavy duty welding..
Me like my Murex TradesMig.






Another test fit to test the... er.. fit..




I needed something nice and strong to mount the heavy sump/engine guard to the frame...
So I started slicing up some nice thick angle iron.




Sliced, cleaned up, drilled for a bolt, and a captive nut welded on..






Welded on.




Although my welding is getting much better, I just can't get the knack of welding upside down for some reason!!
Which is why the mounts will be fully welded on when I can turn MadTrax on her side..




One of the mounts had to go on the side rather than under the frame tube... Nice welding eh




I think the engine/sump guard is strong enough


You may of noticed a gap between the top of the leg guard thingys and the frame..
Which is why I made a couple of these..




They slot in here..




Welded in.. That looks a lot better now.




I had to find some storage space for a lot of parts, so the "rack sort of thing" under the bench was turned into a big shelf using er.. metal shelves..






So why do I need parts storage space?
Well....
This started happening.




Followed by even more of the same.






Until finally I had reach this stage by the end of play yesterday.




On Monday that last parts will be stripped off, then some serious welding can begin
Thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings, comments and questions are always welcome..

To finish up this update, here's the latest video fresh off of MooTube where you can see MadTrax being stripped down and even two of me at the same time...
What more could you want eh
 
 

Mid 50's here at the mo, it's certainly cooled down a bit.. No idea what this winter will bring, hopefully another mild one like last year.. No snow would be helpful.

You can't beat the smell of new rubber
Nice tires there Alain, bigger always looks better

Thanks Richard, having a "proper" Mig welder certainly has helped with the welds. My old "hobby" Mig just didn't have the oompphh behind it.
 
Not much to report, both er... foot/leg guards have had an extra bit of tube welded in making sure the shape matched the outer tube.
And one side has been treated to a coating of steel mesh...   That should do the trick.
 

 

Thanks Richard, having a "proper" Mig welder certainly has helped with the welds. My old "hobby" Mig just didn't have the oompphh behind it.
 
Not much to report, both er... foot/leg guards have had an extra bit of tube welded in making sure the shape matched the outer tube.
And one side has been treated to a coating of steel mesh...   That should do the trick.
 

 

The original Goodyears on the rear and the the lowest priced Carlisle replacements on the front said good bye today in favor of Kenda K500 Super Turfs. I bought the 24 x 9.50-12's instead of the 23 x 10.50-12's because I like the taller tire and the rim size only accounts of a 1/2 wider tire in the the 10.50 width, with a substantially better price, 150.00 delivered on the rears and 62.00 delivered on the front tires 16 x 6.50-8's. I took a comparison with the Bolens H16 rear tires and I think it is very hard to tell the difference in width. However, if I would not have been able to get the taller tires I might have been more hesitant about the 9.50's unless they were a lot less

here's a few photo's from my ploughing practice
 

 

 

 

 

 
 

Great to see it close up the other day Ian. Your welds are looking real good too.  Your gonna need a set of Oil Skins n Wellies to ride that in the wet/mud 

The foot peg mounts needed some strengthening.. They won't move now but I will add a bit more strength underneath.
 

 
 
Due to the engine being offset to the left, the frame rails are not the same which meant the left side foot peg stuck out a bit more than the other side..

Chopped..
 

 
 
Push the ends together..
 

 
 
And weld it up.. I have welded the joins inside as well.
 

 

 
 
With the foot pegs now sticking out the same amount both sides I needed to think about something to stop me running over my own legs with the rear wheels...
So more recycling, some steel mesh and a mower handle.. The section of small louvers I will use later..
 

 
 
I needed to bend a couple of slight but long bends in the tube (mower handle now swapped out for a better one which also turned out to be Honda.. In keeping eh ).
Running it over with the quad and even my Gt-14 didn't work, so something heavier was needed..
Please note Nigel busy eating to add to the weight
 

 
 
I'm sure there was a length of tube there a second ago
 

 
 
I think Nigel's truck did the bending trick
 

 
 
As it turned out we decided not to use the long bends in the end and went for something shorter.
 

 
 
Mostly welded on each side. The photo's do make the angles look a bit strange.. The tube heads towards the wheel before bending up..
 

 

 
 
It's hard to tell but I think they both look the same each side..
Once some steel mesh is welded in the feet shouldn't go through.
 

 
 
And that's this thread up to date again..

On your next trip over there could you please bring me back John's barn?   It's a fantastic building..
Nice video Chris, looks like you have a racing circuit all worked out through the long stuff

The foot peg mounts needed some strengthening.. They won't move now but I will add a bit more strength underneath.
 

 
 
Due to the engine being offset to the left, the frame rails are not the same which meant the left side foot peg stuck out a bit more than the other side..

Chopped..
 

 
 
Push the ends together..
 

 
 
And weld it up.. I have welded the joins inside as well.
 

 

 
 
With the foot pegs now sticking out the same amount both sides I needed to think about something to stop me running over my own legs with the rear wheels...
So more recycling, some steel mesh and a mower handle.. The section of small louvers I will use later..
 

 
 
I needed to bend a couple of slight but long bends in the tube (mower handle now swapped out for a better one which also turned out to be Honda.. In keeping eh ).
Running it over with the quad and even my Gt-14 didn't work, so something heavier was needed..
Please note Nigel busy eating to add to the weight
 

 
 
I'm sure there was a length of tube there a second ago
 

 
 
I think Nigel's truck did the bending trick
 

 
 
As it turned out we decided not to use the long bends in the end and went for something shorter.
 

 
 
Mostly welded on each side. The photo's do make the angles look a bit strange.. The tube heads towards the wheel before bending up..
 

 

 
 
It's hard to tell but I think they both look the same each side..
Once some steel mesh is welded in the feet shouldn't go through.
 

 
 
And that's this thread up to date again..

Monday MadTrax went back up on the bench to do all those little jobs that I couldn't do on the ground.
Thank you Rob and Nigel for your help.
 

 
 
The exhaust system gained a guard to stop any legs from getting burnt..
The system will be heat wrapped also.
 

 
 
Recycling time.. This was part of a Wheel Horse cutting deck..
 

 
 
Lot's of chopping and welding later a battery box bracket was born.
 

 
 
A couple of captive nuts were welded to the bracket so the battery box can be welded on.
 

 

 
 
To hold the battery in the box I welded a couple of bike straps together.
 

 

 
 
Finally fitted...
Yes the battery does come in and out easy, and no the swing arm does not hit the battery on full compression despite how it looks in the photo  
 

 
 
 
 

The foot peg mounts needed some strengthening.. They won't move now but I will add a bit more strength underneath.
 

 
 
Due to the engine being offset to the left, the frame rails are not the same which meant the left side foot peg stuck out a bit more than the other side..

Chopped..
 

 
 
Push the ends together..
 

 
 
And weld it up.. I have welded the joins inside as well.
 

 

 
 
With the foot pegs now sticking out the same amount both sides I needed to think about something to stop me running over my own legs with the rear wheels...
So more recycling, some steel mesh and a mower handle.. The section of small louvers I will use later..
 

 
 
I needed to bend a couple of slight but long bends in the tube (mower handle now swapped out for a better one which also turned out to be Honda.. In keeping eh ).
Running it over with the quad and even my Gt-14 didn't work, so something heavier was needed..
Please note Nigel busy eating to add to the weight
 

 
 
I'm sure there was a length of tube there a second ago
 

 
 
I think Nigel's truck did the bending trick
 

 
 
As it turned out we decided not to use the long bends in the end and went for something shorter.
 

 
 
Mostly welded on each side. The photo's do make the angles look a bit strange.. The tube heads towards the wheel before bending up..
 

 

 
 
It's hard to tell but I think they both look the same each side..
Once some steel mesh is welded in the feet shouldn't go through.
 

 
 
And that's this thread up to date again..

Evening all progress on MadTrax's gauges continues..
 
The temp gauge face plate had all the cut/other marks welded up..
To stop me blowing any holes through with the welder the face plate was clamped to a lump of brass.
 

 
 
The rear side, you can see where the weld has filled the gap without sticking to the brass plate.
 

 
 
Once the welds were smoothed a couple of small brackets were welded on which bolt to the temp gauge backing plate.. Quick, easy and does the job a treat.
 

 
 
It all started with a cardboard template.
 

 
 
The steel version with 4 captive nuts and two bit's of threaded stud welded on.
 

 
 
The threaded rod is for bolting the ignition barrel on.
 

 
 
The gauge pods/bowls gained a flange thingy, only tacked on at this point..
 

 
 
To bolt the pods on I needed a M8 thread but with a bolt head smaller than 10mm, so I dug out a few allen key bolts..
 

 
 
Clamped one in a drill chuck then put the drill in the vice..
 

 
 
With the drill tuned on I fired up the grinder and totally failed to get a good photo of the allen bolt head being ground down to size!
 

 
 
A quick test fit, me likes..
 

 
 
Working out how to mount the bracket that the gauge pods bolt onto has been fun!
In the end I made a couple of brackets that use the same bolts as the headlamp.
 

 

 
 
Other than cleaning up a few welds and adding a couple of captive nuts to stop the pod tops from opening, and adding a couple of warning lights the gauges are done.
 

 

 
 
A view from the seat..
 

 
 
You may of noticed in the above photo that the front brakes have gained a bigger master cylinder.. An upgrade that's needed me thinks..
 

 
 
And to finish off, the latest MT video... Enjoy
 
 

The foot peg mounts needed some strengthening.. They won't move now but I will add a bit more strength underneath.
 

 
 
Due to the engine being offset to the left, the frame rails are not the same which meant the left side foot peg stuck out a bit more than the other side..

Chopped..
 

 
 
Push the ends together..
 

 
 
And weld it up.. I have welded the joins inside as well.
 

 

 
 
With the foot pegs now sticking out the same amount both sides I needed to think about something to stop me running over my own legs with the rear wheels...
So more recycling, some steel mesh and a mower handle.. The section of small louvers I will use later..
 

 
 
I needed to bend a couple of slight but long bends in the tube (mower handle now swapped out for a better one which also turned out to be Honda.. In keeping eh ).
Running it over with the quad and even my Gt-14 didn't work, so something heavier was needed..
Please note Nigel busy eating to add to the weight
 

 
 
I'm sure there was a length of tube there a second ago
 

 
 
I think Nigel's truck did the bending trick
 

 
 
As it turned out we decided not to use the long bends in the end and went for something shorter.
 

 
 
Mostly welded on each side. The photo's do make the angles look a bit strange.. The tube heads towards the wheel before bending up..
 

 

 
 
It's hard to tell but I think they both look the same each side..
Once some steel mesh is welded in the feet shouldn't go through.
 

 
 
And that's this thread up to date again..

Hi all
This is my challenge for the coming year hope you like the merry tiller is a work horse and much better than a spade

The foot peg mounts needed some strengthening.. They won't move now but I will add a bit more strength underneath.
 

 
 
Due to the engine being offset to the left, the frame rails are not the same which meant the left side foot peg stuck out a bit more than the other side..

Chopped..
 

 
 
Push the ends together..
 

 
 
And weld it up.. I have welded the joins inside as well.
 

 

 
 
With the foot pegs now sticking out the same amount both sides I needed to think about something to stop me running over my own legs with the rear wheels...
So more recycling, some steel mesh and a mower handle.. The section of small louvers I will use later..
 

 
 
I needed to bend a couple of slight but long bends in the tube (mower handle now swapped out for a better one which also turned out to be Honda.. In keeping eh ).
Running it over with the quad and even my Gt-14 didn't work, so something heavier was needed..
Please note Nigel busy eating to add to the weight
 

 
 
I'm sure there was a length of tube there a second ago
 

 
 
I think Nigel's truck did the bending trick
 

 
 
As it turned out we decided not to use the long bends in the end and went for something shorter.
 

 
 
Mostly welded on each side. The photo's do make the angles look a bit strange.. The tube heads towards the wheel before bending up..
 

 

 
 
It's hard to tell but I think they both look the same each side..
Once some steel mesh is welded in the feet shouldn't go through.
 

 
 
And that's this thread up to date again..

Monday MadTrax went back up on the bench to do all those little jobs that I couldn't do on the ground.
Thank you Rob and Nigel for your help.
 

 
 
The exhaust system gained a guard to stop any legs from getting burnt..
The system will be heat wrapped also.
 

 
 
Recycling time.. This was part of a Wheel Horse cutting deck..
 

 
 
Lot's of chopping and welding later a battery box bracket was born.
 

 
 
A couple of captive nuts were welded to the bracket so the battery box can be welded on.
 

 

 
 
To hold the battery in the box I welded a couple of bike straps together.
 

 

 
 
Finally fitted...
Yes the battery does come in and out easy, and no the swing arm does not hit the battery on full compression despite how it looks in the photo  
 

 
 
 
 

Here's a little film for Norm
 

This was spotted in Cranbrook last night parked outside the curry house..
Not sure what it is other than the mudflaps are Land Rover..
 

 

 

This was spotted in Cranbrook last night parked outside the curry house..
Not sure what it is other than the mudflaps are Land Rover..
 

 

 

This was spotted in Cranbrook last night parked outside the curry house..
Not sure what it is other than the mudflaps are Land Rover..
 

 

 

Evening all progress on MadTrax's gauges continues..
 
The temp gauge face plate had all the cut/other marks welded up..
To stop me blowing any holes through with the welder the face plate was clamped to a lump of brass.
 

 
 
The rear side, you can see where the weld has filled the gap without sticking to the brass plate.
 

 
 
Once the welds were smoothed a couple of small brackets were welded on which bolt to the temp gauge backing plate.. Quick, easy and does the job a treat.
 

 
 
It all started with a cardboard template.
 

 
 
The steel version with 4 captive nuts and two bit's of threaded stud welded on.
 

 
 
The threaded rod is for bolting the ignition barrel on.
 

 
 
The gauge pods/bowls gained a flange thingy, only tacked on at this point..
 

 
 
To bolt the pods on I needed a M8 thread but with a bolt head smaller than 10mm, so I dug out a few allen key bolts..
 

 
 
Clamped one in a drill chuck then put the drill in the vice..
 

 
 
With the drill tuned on I fired up the grinder and totally failed to get a good photo of the allen bolt head being ground down to size!
 

 
 
A quick test fit, me likes..
 

 
 
Working out how to mount the bracket that the gauge pods bolt onto has been fun!
In the end I made a couple of brackets that use the same bolts as the headlamp.
 

 

 
 
Other than cleaning up a few welds and adding a couple of captive nuts to stop the pod tops from opening, and adding a couple of warning lights the gauges are done.
 

 

 
 
A view from the seat..
 

 
 
You may of noticed in the above photo that the front brakes have gained a bigger master cylinder.. An upgrade that's needed me thinks..
 

 
 
And to finish off, the latest MT video... Enjoy
 
 

This was spotted in Cranbrook last night parked outside the curry house..
Not sure what it is other than the mudflaps are Land Rover..
 

 

 

Evening all progress on MadTrax's gauges continues..
 
The temp gauge face plate had all the cut/other marks welded up..
To stop me blowing any holes through with the welder the face plate was clamped to a lump of brass.
 

 
 
The rear side, you can see where the weld has filled the gap without sticking to the brass plate.
 

 
 
Once the welds were smoothed a couple of small brackets were welded on which bolt to the temp gauge backing plate.. Quick, easy and does the job a treat.
 

 
 
It all started with a cardboard template.
 

 
 
The steel version with 4 captive nuts and two bit's of threaded stud welded on.
 

 
 
The threaded rod is for bolting the ignition barrel on.
 

 
 
The gauge pods/bowls gained a flange thingy, only tacked on at this point..
 

 
 
To bolt the pods on I needed a M8 thread but with a bolt head smaller than 10mm, so I dug out a few allen key bolts..
 

 
 
Clamped one in a drill chuck then put the drill in the vice..
 

 
 
With the drill tuned on I fired up the grinder and totally failed to get a good photo of the allen bolt head being ground down to size!
 

 
 
A quick test fit, me likes..
 

 
 
Working out how to mount the bracket that the gauge pods bolt onto has been fun!
In the end I made a couple of brackets that use the same bolts as the headlamp.
 

 

 
 
Other than cleaning up a few welds and adding a couple of captive nuts to stop the pod tops from opening, and adding a couple of warning lights the gauges are done.
 

 

 
 
A view from the seat..
 

 
 
You may of noticed in the above photo that the front brakes have gained a bigger master cylinder.. An upgrade that's needed me thinks..
 

 
 
And to finish off, the latest MT video... Enjoy