Hey Joe. Really great idea! I always enjoy watching you create things from scratch. You are really talented and you make such practical things. What a great way to make the Bolens even more useful around the yard. Amelie must be pretty happy you added the 3 pt to her tractor. LOL. I also see over the last several videos you are making good use of the new metal saw you bought - it is really coming in handy. However I notice you are not using the socks anymore.:)) LOL. Great job again and I see your subscribers are growing great!! Thanks again for sharing another great innovation. Cheers and enjoy the week!!
Thanks for the nice compliment! This metal saw is very handy and so much better than the abrasive wheels. I am very behind with video editing, I have at least 3 videos not edited yet... One including socks... They are back! Cheers!
Before I looked for a lawn or garden tractor, I watched "iSaveTractors" channel. I quickly understood the value of the older garden tractors (70's-80's), with massive use of cast iron for axles, engine & transmission. They were built to last and accomplish ground engagement tasks. I think they were the ancestors of the now very known sub-compact tractor category where the BX is the king. I remember looking at the ads on internet and one description I saw was: think of Bolens as a tank... Thanks for watching!
Thanks! I have 2 more implements in mind. One is going to help me remove some smaller rocks. I am currently busy on a major maintenance job on the Case 430. As soon as I finish it, I will return with fabrication! Thanks again!
Joe, I could sit and watch you fabricate... all...day...long. I just love the thought process. At first, it takes me a while to see how you're configuring something, but the minute you show it, I've got it. It all falls together and right into place. Do your kids follow you in these skills? I hope they do, if they do not, they know not what they're missing. Thanks for the lessons of fabricating and for allowing the viewers to just sit there, watch, and learn. Big thumbs up.
Houndsman One, this is a very kind comment! Editing the video is such a task... as you know! I had the whole process in video, so to say 7.5 hours of video. The process to compress it down to 0.5 hour is annoying! There was so much more I would like to show and explain in the process. It could have been a 3 parts video. My kids are not following this much. So I make a point, each time I have to fix stuff, to underline the money saved in the process. Thanks for your support!
Very nice job Joe. You are very well equipped in your shop for any welding project. I like the generous work/fixturing table with thread grid. On a side note, once you get past the 1000 sub mark that music in the background may become a problem. But i enjoyed this video. Thanks for sharing!
That is a terrific build Joe!! Well designed and well made. But to me the most impressive part of the whole project -- you didn't get any paint on you when you painted the pieces!!! No matter what I do, I can't paint something without getting a pretty good amount of the paint on me!!LOL!! I really like how you jig up everything with clamps to make sure it is exactly the way you want it.
Thanks Grampie! Believe me, I get some paint on my pants. Some of them are pretty much covered, especially if I do indoor paint! As for the garage's floor, it is pretty much full of drips. Green, white, orange, beige, grey, black, .... One amazing fact about my garage's floor, the original coat of paint is flaking, but any drip falling on the dirty concrete sticks forever!!! Murphy's law I guess. One day, I'll get a randomized colored coat of paint!
I saw it yesterday and honestly, it's a great system! It does lock in upper position. You might not lift heavy stuff with that, but the plow is surely easy to maneuver.
Thanks! I went through a lot of pictures from the web, as well as some documentation about the original Bolens 3 pt hitch. Most of them hooked to the mid mower deck cylinder. This cylinder is not that strong and I wish I could use the 3 pt without lowering the mower deck. One other point is that most of the design had a free lift design, which was not good to hitch trailer with zero weight tongue. I was inspired by the Case Eagle Hitch system which does not use sway bars/chains and I honestly prefer that. The only down side to this design is that I use the auxiliary hydraulic ports and I have no more hydraulic spare. Unless I use a diverter valve... Thanks for watching!
Joe Lesage That mower deck lift cylinder is stronger than you think. The plow blade hooks onto that cylinder as well, and it will lift the front tires off the ground without issue, but not being able to use the mower and the hitch at the same time would be a big issue.
Gearheadtom, it should be as strong, because is has a 2 inches bore, so the same. But I think the problem is the working angle that might not be optimal. Especially when lifting the mower deck. It raises correctly, but seems reach it's maximum capacity at the end. So adding the weight of the 3 pt to lift at the same time might have been too much. I can tell you I already tried to lift the rear wheels and it does without effort!
Hey Joe. Really great idea! I always enjoy watching you create things from scratch. You are really talented and you make such practical things. What a great way to make the Bolens even more useful around the yard. Amelie must be pretty happy you added the 3 pt to her tractor. LOL. I also see over the last several videos you are making good use of the new metal saw you bought - it is really coming in handy. However I notice you are not using the socks anymore.:)) LOL. Great job again and I see your subscribers are growing great!! Thanks again for sharing another great innovation. Cheers and enjoy the week!!
Thanks for the nice compliment! This metal saw is very handy and so much better than the abrasive wheels. I am very behind with video editing, I have at least 3 videos not edited yet... One including socks... They are back! Cheers!
That Bolens looks like a well built machine. 3 point hitch will make it so much more useful. You opened up all kinds of possibilities..
Before I looked for a lawn or garden tractor, I watched "iSaveTractors" channel. I quickly understood the value of the older garden tractors (70's-80's), with massive use of cast iron for axles, engine & transmission. They were built to last and accomplish ground engagement tasks. I think they were the ancestors of the now very known sub-compact tractor category where the BX is the king. I remember looking at the ads on internet and one description I saw was: think of Bolens as a tank... Thanks for watching!
Outstanding ingenuity! Patent worthy.....
All the best from Holland.
Thanks!
Really nice build. It work very fast. Thanks for the video.
Thanks! I have 2 more implements in mind. One is going to help me remove some smaller rocks. I am currently busy on a major maintenance job on the Case 430. As soon as I finish it, I will return with fabrication! Thanks again!
Wow - this video is amazing! I just bought an HT23 and im looking at doing something similar!
I really like it for moving stuff around, like the trailers (I have way too much!!!)
Joe, I could sit and watch you fabricate... all...day...long. I just love the thought process. At first, it takes me a while to see how you're configuring something, but the minute you show it, I've got it. It all falls together and right into place. Do your kids follow you in these skills? I hope they do, if they do not, they know not what they're missing. Thanks for the lessons of fabricating and for allowing the viewers to just sit there, watch, and learn. Big thumbs up.
Houndsman One, this is a very kind comment! Editing the video is such a task... as you know! I had the whole process in video, so to say 7.5 hours of video. The process to compress it down to 0.5 hour is annoying! There was so much more I would like to show and explain in the process. It could have been a 3 parts video. My kids are not following this much. So I make a point, each time I have to fix stuff, to underline the money saved in the process. Thanks for your support!
Yep, you're right. Thanks for walking us through it with you.
Joe, Its amazing that the tractor has hydraulics on it. Bolens really made a great little tractor. Using the binder for the toplink was brilliant!
Thanks!
You put a lot of work in your projects Joe....well done...CHEERS
This 3pt hitch has been very useful so far. I am glad I did it.
I am impressed Joe, I was also surprised at how well the cylinder operated at that engine idling .
That is a nice hitch assembly. Well done!
Thanks Reg! I am also suprised of that hydraulic flow! I'll put that hitch assembly to work soon! Thanks for your support!
Very nice job Joe. You are very well equipped in your shop for any welding project. I like the generous work/fixturing table with thread grid. On a side note, once you get past the 1000 sub mark that music in the background may become a problem. But i enjoyed this video. Thanks for sharing!
Excellent, works great!
Many thanks!
Nice work, Joe. Moving on to Part 4. Thumbs up.
Thanks! Nice hearing from your. How things are going down south? How is going the plot area?
Joe Wow a lot of fab and engineering get this and working
God Bless
PaK
So far this 3 pt has been very useful! Thanks!
I like the way you think. You have a very creative mine. Later
Thank you very much Mech Uno!
That is a terrific build Joe!! Well designed and well made. But to me the most impressive part of the whole project -- you didn't get any paint on you when you painted the pieces!!! No matter what I do, I can't paint something without getting a pretty good amount of the paint on me!!LOL!! I really like how you jig up everything with clamps to make sure it is exactly the way you want it.
Thanks Grampie! Believe me, I get some paint on my pants. Some of them are pretty much covered, especially if I do indoor paint! As for the garage's floor, it is pretty much full of drips. Green, white, orange, beige, grey, black, .... One amazing fact about my garage's floor, the original coat of paint is flaking, but any drip falling on the dirty concrete sticks forever!!! Murphy's law I guess. One day, I'll get a randomized colored coat of paint!
Bel Job Joe' très interressant!
Merci! Très pratique aussi!
Love the 3 point hitch but I'm not going to change the 3 point on mine I will keep it that way for now.
I saw it yesterday and honestly, it's a great system! It does lock in upper position. You might not lift heavy stuff with that, but the plow is surely easy to maneuver.
Joe can you tell me where you got your parts for your bolens plz I have a bolens 1658 h16xl and can't seem to find much parts
Nice work! Did you ever look to see how the 3 point hitch Bolens offered was designed?
Thanks! I went through a lot of pictures from the web, as well as some documentation about the original Bolens 3 pt hitch. Most of them hooked to the mid mower deck cylinder. This cylinder is not that strong and I wish I could use the 3 pt without lowering the mower deck. One other point is that most of the design had a free lift design, which was not good to hitch trailer with zero weight tongue. I was inspired by the Case Eagle Hitch system which does not use sway bars/chains and I honestly prefer that. The only down side to this design is that I use the auxiliary hydraulic ports and I have no more hydraulic spare. Unless I use a diverter valve... Thanks for watching!
Joe Lesage That mower deck lift cylinder is stronger than you think. The plow blade hooks onto that cylinder as well, and it will lift the front tires off the ground without issue, but not being able to use the mower and the hitch at the same time would be a big issue.
Gearheadtom, it should be as strong, because is has a 2 inches bore, so the same. But I think the problem is the working angle that might not be optimal. Especially when lifting the mower deck. It raises correctly, but seems reach it's maximum capacity at the end. So adding the weight of the 3 pt to lift at the same time might have been too much. I can tell you I already tried to lift the rear wheels and it does without effort!
Id say his tractor is big enough for a cat1.
MY WIFE THINKS YOU ARE ONLY GOOD LOOKING I THINK YOU ARE SMART
Lol! Thanks!