# dozer blade down pressure?



## Realist (Mar 18, 2004)

Anyone know how to put down pressure on the dozer blade? I just got one, and when trying to plow piles of dirt/manure/hay, the plow just rides up over the material instead of digging in and pushing. I noticed I can also physically pick up the front of the blade, there is no pressure or lock keeping the blade down. It feels like 50-75 or so pounds of weight on the blade.

I suppose I could just put some weight on top of it, but then I wouldn't be able to lift the blade with the hand lever.

I recall there were similar conversations about the Johnny Bucket. I wonder if I should use a winch or something to create down pressure? Or some sort of hydraulic piston?

Or maybe I should get a grader blade on the rear? Is there down pressure created by the sleeve hitch?

Ideas? Thanks!


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## Live Oak (Dec 22, 2003)

What brand and model dozer is it?


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## jodyand (Sep 16, 2003)

Realist Take a look at Willie post in the Craftsman's board he just put a actuator on a sleeve Hitch. He might have a idea on something for the dozer blade to. Here is a link to his Sleeve Hitch.
Jody

Sleeve Hitch


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## guest2 (Dec 27, 2003)

If you use the new sleeve hitch and electric actuator it will give you down pressure on the rear. Or you could just get the box scraper and add cement blocks to the tray.
There was a guy, I think horseman1 maybe here or on GW that had made some mods to the front blade on his gt5000, you may want to look him up.


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## Realist (Mar 18, 2004)

Oops. I meant to have posted this on the Craftsman forum. I have a Craftsman GT5000 with dozer blade from Sear's.

If you add cinder blocks to a rear implement (like a box grader), isn't it difficult to lift using the manual sleeve hitch?

Hmm... actuators. Will need to look into them. Have heard them mentioned, and I don't know a thing about them. Thanks for the links.


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## guest2 (Dec 27, 2003)

Realist
I have the box scraper and can lift it with 1 cinder block. But not sure if I'd want to do it all day long every day. I did get the electric lift kit, the older style that works with the main lift arm, just haven't installed it yet. Which sleeeve hitch do you have? The new independant one or the one that uses the deck lift arm? Mine is the older style that works off the deck lift arm.


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## ropari (Sep 17, 2003)

Not mocking or knocking, but this is another good reason to buy Case or Ingersoll... Hydraulics w/ down pressure. Then you don't have to mess around w/ kits. Also you don't need to buy a monster tractor to get it. Too bad you aren't closer, or I'd sell you a good tractor and blade for $650. I don't know anything about Craftsman or their kits, and I wish you the best of luck, but for future puchases I am hoping you will look around a bit. A lot of good deals on used, real GT's.


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## guest2 (Dec 27, 2003)

I have the add-on hydraulics for my bolens but haven't mounted it yet. This will give me down pressure also, enough to raise the tractor off the ground. Waiting on a replacement pulley from sonny's.


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## aegt5000 (Feb 22, 2004)

ropari..

Are you suggesting that people start buying different
garden tractors for every little different thing they need to do.
“That’s Ridiculous” (a direct quote from my wife when I told
her I was thinking of a 4th tractor)

GT5000…Snow Blowing and cutting lawn
JD 300 ….Snow Plow, Trailer towing
Bolens 1250 with FEL…General material moving duties.

While these 3 will do most of what’s needed around the yard
back-up is a key issue. You know in case something goes down
in a critical situation. Women just don’t understand this kind of stuff.


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## ropari (Sep 17, 2003)

aegt5000...

now that is an interesting idea! I prefer getting one tractor to do it all, but...

3014 Ingersoll for dozing, hauling, and mowing.
3016 Ingersoll w/ hydraulic 3 point for tilling,snowblowing, dozing, and mowing
White 1855 Gt w/ hydraulic 3 point and 8 HP tiller for tilling, snowblowing, and mowing.
446 Case w/ tiller, blower, deck, and blade... sold Saturday.

Guess I like that back-up idea of yours, too!


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## Live Oak (Dec 22, 2003)

Never mind! I wasn't paying attention to the section I was looking at when I asked that brilliant question. :nerd:


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## Willie Nunez (Feb 25, 2004)

Guys,
IMO downforce capability on a Johnny Bucket Jr would be simple to add.......if you're a fabricator and have access to a suitable shop.
There's 3 ways that it can be done, and the manufacturer is already doing one. He uses gas springs, and adds 60 lbs of downforce using 2 gas springs.
The other 2 methods is probably not practical for anyone but me. It would require replacing front hinge pins for the hood with quick-release pins, so that the hood can be removed straight up. the idea is to not allow it to swing forward because it would make contact with the vertical bracket that would be required to "hang" the electric linear actuator. 
The 3rd method would require a second cable on the spool of the lift winch. This cable would be wrapped in reverse of the primary cable, and it would be tied to a tower bracket at its highest point, such that as you let out line to lower the bucket, the second cable would pull down on the bucket frame.


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## Ingersoll444 (Sep 17, 2003)

> _Originally posted by ropari _
> *Not mocking or knocking, but this is another good reason to buy Case or Ingersoll... Hydraulics w/ down pressure. Then you don't have to mess around w/ kits. Also you don't need to buy a monster tractor to get it. Too bad you aren't closer, or I'd sell you a good tractor and blade for $650. I don't know anything about Craftsman or their kits, and I wish you the best of luck, but for future puchases I am hoping you will look around a bit. A lot of good deals on used, real GT's. *


You know? I was going to post the same thing   

With the Ingersoll's, and Case's you can lift the front of the tractor off the ground with the plow blade. [well realy all the pivit points in my rough, and dirty work blade are pretty sloppy, so pretty much just takes up the slack  ] Also they have a "float" setting, that comes in handy.


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## Willie Nunez (Feb 25, 2004)

Guys,
For many of us, buying a used tractor, that'll do every bit of work that we have for it, is simply NOT an option. First of all, there is NO such tractor available to me. Furthermore, this is my FIRST tractor, and I wanted brand-spanking new(in the crate), untouched by human hands. My Husqvarna GTH2548 was available at precisely the minute I needed it, and the minute I decided to buy it. Try doing THAT with a used unit. I insisted in a 725 cc V-twin, in a tractor the size of my Husqy. And, I insisted on a well-designed 48" deck with a 3-bin bagger, and a hydro transmission.
I've noticed that you guys who advocate buying used, already live on a farm, or big piece of ground, and already own(or have owned) other tractors.
IMO I will save money in the long run by buying the perfect tractor the first time, and NOT needing to buy another tractor.
Did I buy the perfect tractor? You guys with the experience will have to be the judge of that, because it'll take me many more years to decide. I can answer the question based on what I already know, and have experienced, but I still won't know about the durability. Has anyone owned a GTH2548 for 10 years? Perhaps I'll become the first.
I'm not admonishing anyone. I'm just pointing out that that some of us have certain requirements which need to be satisfied FIRST. Also, some of us enjoy, as a hobby, fabricating stuff. AND, I don't want to impose my ignorance, but some of us actually prefer a sleeve hitch actuator over a hydraulic 3-point. And, I prefer a Johnny Bucket Jr over a front-end-loader. I don't have the physical strength, nor inclination, to mess with installing and removing a FEL, nor messing with messy hydraulic fluid. Of course, I'm already vested in a small HD tilt trailer that I can load with 3,000 lbs of material, with my Johnny Bucket, by driving up on it.
Someday, I hope to buy a older GT with hydraulics, but I'll have to wait for the space, and it'll be for an entirely different reason than why I puchased the Husqy.


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## Ingersoll444 (Sep 17, 2003)

Hey no problem at all. I understand fully. There is no perfict tractor, all have there good points, bad points. Many time I wish I had a brand new tractor that I could jump on and mow.


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## ducati996 (Dec 27, 2003)

Willie,

Nothing wrong with improving things overall, and it appears you
have some skill with tinkering...

I guess my question or maybe if I was you would be where would the cost out weigh the benefit? 

The reason I say this is only to compliment you on the work so far.
But the big improvements have had some serious cost associated with it. Of course depending on your needs at the time I'm sure you are satisfying them. I wonder how close price wise you are now in comparison with finding something that wont leave you raising the question of durability down the road from now ??

Duc


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## Willie Nunez (Feb 25, 2004)

ducati,
As you know, the question of durability is difficult to answer simply because the lifespan depends on the type of utility as well as the initial quality of the equipment. I can't prove it, but I've bet my money on one thing: given the care that I give my equipment, and the type of work that I'll be doing with it, I can make my tractor last as long as I have useful years left(15 years give or take). 

Where will the cost outweigh the benefit?

Tractor cost $2,300
Oil pressure gauge and tachometer $90
Used Brinly mouldboard plow and cutivator $150
Agri-Fab de-thatcher $70
Manual sleeve hitch $90
Craftsman 3-bin bagger $295
All-electric Johnny Bucket Jr with power dump $913
Bearlinear actuator and switch $190
Material and hardware for adaptation $35

If I don't like the Johnny Bucket downforce device, the cost of converting to a linear actuator will be the same as on the hitch.

I can see that if I had bought a new tractor with hydraulics, and then bought the attachments and the implements; I would've ended up with a figure so high that this whole discussion would be moot, because I would not have been able to afford it.
And, that's the point that I've been trying to make to you. I've never questioned the higher quality of your equipment, I just can't afford it. Basically, that's all that keeps us from buying better stuff. But, at the same time, my equipment will do, and will keep on doing, all the work that I need it to do(I'll bet on it). So, that's why I say it's a good dollar value.


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## ducati996 (Dec 27, 2003)

I see your point and based on the amounts you gave, you are trying the most cost effective way....
It sounded like you were spending more with all the add on's...
You are correct in your thinking, thats for sure !!

Regards,

Duc


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