Slot hitch

[Stormin 4,458]

  What do you think without giving anything away. Got to keep 'em guessing.

 

 

 

  Ignore the crap welding. I was trying a gasless mig welder for the first time.

[nigel 1,876]

Looks good to me Norm 

[the showman 4,074]

Brilliant Norm, at least the 4 will be all the same. 

[HeadExam 1,783]

8 hours ago, Stormin said:

  What do you think without giving anything away. Got to keep 'em guessing.

 

 

 

  Ignore the crap welding. I was trying a gasless mig welder for the first time.

I smear some flux on the area where I am going to "weld" with my flux core wire welder and it seems to help a lot.

 

[Stormin 4,458]

Well no-one had a guess so I suppose I'd better show what it's for.

 

Slot hitches are pretty thin on the ground in this country, so The Showman and I thought we'd have a go at making some when I'm staying with him. That above is a jig for welding them up.

 

Trying the original one for fit. I did have to cut a bit from out of the locating tubes to get the hitch on and off.

 

  I got some steel yesterday morning and the fun started in the afternoon. I thought I'd make a prototype to work out how to go about the job.

 

  First things to make were the lugs, for want of a better name. Some 40mm black bar was turned down to 35mm, as 40mm was all I had. Then drilled out to take a hitch pin.

 

  Next it was the turn of the arms. These would be the hard bits and caused quite a bit of head scratching. Several cardboard cut outs were made, then a couple of arms made using grinder and cutting discs. First off I bent a cardboard cut out and bent it to the shape of the original arms. Trying it out on the jig with lugs in place. A big bolt was cut down to make a locating pin. I then bent a welding rod to suit.

 

  How to bend the arms was the next problem, as I don't posses a hydraulic press. But I do have a pipe bender.  I scribe a line on the arms where I wanted to bend them. A 3/4" former was marked on each side and fitted in the bender vertically instead of horizontal. Fitting an arm vertically across the benders top and bottom plates, lining up the scribe marks and using the bent welding rod as a gauge, I successfully bent the arms.

 

 I really should have taken photo's as I went along, but as usual I didn't think about doing so. I will when making the next one/ones.

 

 Now to weld things up. The arms were clamp to the jig sides, with a used slitting disc each side as packers. This was to provide clearance in the hitches slot. The arms were tacked to the lugs, then plates cut for top and bottom of the slot. Next the top plate was tack welded in. Removing the hitch from jig, it was replaced up side down and the same done with the bottom plate. A large washer, 1/8" thick was used as a packer to get the right depth of the slot.

 

  The whole assembly was then removed and tried on, along with the tool bar off the Black Horse. Satisfied with how everything fitted, it was all welded up.

 

 

  Gave it a clean up then primed it.

 

 

  It was then I remembered, or should I say I'd forgotten something.   Can you see what?

 

 

[Anglo Traction 1,016]

Yeah, a Lift arm would be really helpful ! . Good job Norm. Welds are tidy . Are you going to do a destruction test?.

 

[Stormin 4,458]

Destruction testing will be done at RPT and Sedlescombe. 

[the showman 4,074]

34 minutes ago, Stormin said:

Destruction testing will be done at RPT and Sedlescombe. 

Get a fat bloke to stand on it

 

[Stormin 4,458]

  Got a bit more done today. Making enough bits for three more.

 

  Top and bottom plates cut and drilled. Arms cut out.

 

End of arms roughed out with slitting disc to fit bosses.

 

Finished off with grinding disc.

 

Bosses ready to cut in half.

 

 

[Stormin 4,458]

 Finished off the bosses this morning.

 

Skimming the bores.

 

and finished.

 

Next my attention went on the side plates.

 

Using the pipe bender to shape them.

 

Nicely bent.

 

In the jig ready to tack side plates to bosses.

 

 After tack welding as seen, the sides were removed and turned over and tacked t'other side, then fully welded up.

 

 From this point, taking photo's went out the window. Two more hitches are now tacked up ready to fully weld.

[the showman 4,074]

Looking good Norm, we'll have to find something else to do while your down. 

[Stormin 4,458]

 To be honest, Chris, with the amount of work in these things, I think we would have been pushing things to do them in a couple of days. I've had 2-1/2 days on them already. Tomorrow may see them finished.

 If, and I say IF, I make any more, at least I have a better idea how to go about things.

[Stormin 4,458]

28 minutes ago, the showman said:

Looking good Norm, we'll have to find something else to do while your down. 

 

  Maaaybe mod a certain Cambridge roller.

[Stormin 4,458]

  Well this is as much as I can do for now, until I get some 1/2" x 1" flat bar for the lifting arms.

 

 

  I've had to do a bit of fettling with a file, as two were a bit of a tight fit on the back of the trans. 

 

  I've only done three, as when making and working out the first one, the first arm I made turned out a bit short when bent. Unfortunately I'd not enough material to make another. I may make one with shorter arms sometime.

 

 

 

[Cub Cadet 613]

Fantastic job Norm, I happened to make one the other day for my RJ using measurements from Chris' at Newby. 

 

[the showman 4,074]

Well done both of you, they look good

[Stormin 4,458]

Nice work, Ewan.  Hope mine look as good when painted.

[Cub Cadet 613]

I was lucky because the RJ one was built out of steel bar etc. I think yours will work and look awesome when finished! 

[Stormin 4,458]

Well that's it folks. Fini!

 

 

 Primed and undercoated. Top coat colour to be decided.

[Cub Cadet 613]

Fantastic Norm, if I had a use I would be commissioning one 

[Stormin 4,458]

Don't you be giving people ideas, Ewan.

[the showman 4,074]

There's only 3 there, 

 

[Stormin 4,458]

 I have already explained why, but don't fret. Two are for you.

[Stormin 4,458]

  Top colour has been decided.

 

 

 That should make The Showman a happy chappie.

[the showman 4,074]

3 minutes ago, Stormin said:

  Top colour has been decided.

 

 

 That should make The Showman a happy chappie.

Extra coffee and donuts for you next week.