Grassroots car pusher

irish44j (Forum Supporter) said:

I mean if the car will go 15 mph in gear idling, couldnt you just drag the brakes to get it closer to 10? And the upside is it would warm your brakes up for that first turn...

If it could run slower than that, that would be its idle speed, I'd think.

Speaking as someone with an engine with a light rotating assembly that is happiest idling at 1500, and by "happiest" I mean "Tyler Durden after not being allowed to have cigarettes or coffee for 24 hours".  Lower than that is doable but there is a lot of clutch negotiation involved because it is really unhappy cruising there and starts doing really bad things to the transmission and driveshaft unless you do a lot of catch and release.

And this is a lot of why I don't drive it much anymore...

In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :

That pretty well sums up my conundrum. Thank you. 

In reply to lotusseven7 (Forum Supporter) :

Damn, that is nice!
 

I've been thinking about a trailer dolly for years, as my lawn gets wrecked when it's wet and I try to retrieve my car trailer with the truck. What you built would be perfect. And, unfortunately, I sold the perfect donor last winter for $100. It was the back half of a  Briggs and Stratton 11.5 hp snowblower that had a bad auger gearbox. I had already scrapped the front half and then sold the rest to a guy who needed an engine. It was all ready to add a hitch ball! Now I'm bummed and can't wait for the locals to start breaking their snowblowers. 

Tom1200 said:

So this is a really silly question; is it possible to install a more user friendly clutch? 

It seems like a lot of work to save the clutch.  I routinely see people driving 600hp cars to grid without issue.

My other thought is simply drive to grid really early so perhaps you don't have to stop as much.

Dog ring gearboxes do not like low speed. Especially if there is a serious camshaft involved.  
     A lot of people need the crutch of syncro's.  They have always used them when shifting and simply cannot get used to shifting without the clutch. 
( it's how I got mine). 
       So 600 horsepower will work fine behind a street transmission. Even with a big 12" clutch. 
 But a dog ring won't like a big clutch, or slow speed.   The trade off is out on the track. That small flywheel and tiny clutch will rev really quick.  Sifting is lightening fast.  If both are side by side the dog ring will pick up many feet over a syncro box  every shift. 

Here’s your candidate. Or what would work to build one like I did.

I had a snow blower frame and engine (no auger) for moving stuff around the airport, problem is weight balance.  Put weight on it and if not centered well you mash the frame nose onto the ground and no one moves.  You need to MacGuyver an outrigger nose wheel caster set up.

These things are pretty neat but like six times your budget. Seems like something could be rigged up with some parts from those hobby-class RC cars. 

I am going to pick this up tomorrow. Checked it out today. In my town and looks like new. Thanks to you all for the guidance.  Especially you lotusseven7   

frenchyd said:

Tom1200 said:

So this is a really silly question; is it possible to install a more user friendly clutch? 

It seems like a lot of work to save the clutch.  I routinely see people driving 600hp cars to grid without issue.

My other thought is simply drive to grid really early so perhaps you don't have to stop as much.

Dog ring gearboxes do not like low speed. Especially if there is a serious camshaft involved.  
     A lot of people need the crutch of syncro's.  They have always used them when shifting and simply cannot get used to shifting without the clutch. 
( it's how I got mine). 
       So 600 horsepower will work fine behind a street transmission. Even with a big 12" clutch. 
 But a dog ring won't like a big clutch, or slow speed.   The trade off is out on the track. That small flywheel and tiny clutch will rev really quick.  Sifting is lightening fast.  If both are side by side the dog ring will pick up many feet over a syncro box  every shift. 

My limited experience tells me Frenchy is spot on. It isn't the hp so much as the lack of rotating mass.  Which is spectacular on track. I could get a larger flywheel and clutch for driving in the paddock but that would have a performance impact. 
 Now that I have a brand new 5.5" clutch, I want to spare it the abuse as much as possible. It takes a lot of clutch to keep the speed down. 

It isn't the Gravely I had in my head, but this JD 928e is going to work great. I plan to put a third wheel on the front and work on some ideas to leverage down the drive wheels for traction. I'm mulling over an electric motor driving a rotating  screw drive of some sort. Once I get it home and  apart I'm sure the ideas will flow. 

In reply to jh36 :

Is it new? It sure looks clean if it isn't. 

In reply to Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter) :

It is used and was super reasonably priced. I don't know if it has an hour meter on it but it hasn't been used much at all. I paid a little more than I wanted, but 1/3 what the three wheeler was going for. 
My house sits back about 1/4 mile from the road. When it snows we either go 4wd or I use my bucket when it's heavy. Using this for lighter snowfall will save my gravel. 

Gravely actually made a car pusher attachment fir car dealerships.

"YOU'RE GOING TO CUT UP A PERFECTLY GOOD JOHN DEERE SNOWBLOWER?!?!"  shouts the man in Michigan who has to go out and clear the driveway this morning......

If you have a local scrapyard/pick & pull that might have a junk zero-turn mower, one of the front wheels would make a nice bogey wheel. Cut enough to be able to weld it to your unit and Mount either your ball or attachment point above and behind it. If I didn't move to a smaller building and have a forklift, I'd build another one for moving "stuff" around. I used mine quite a bit shuffling trailers inside our old warehouse. You'll enjoy having it once done.
 

DeadSkunk (Warren) said:

"YOU'RE GOING TO CUT UP A PERFECTLY GOOD JOHN DEERE SNOWBLOWER?!?!"  shouts the man in Michigan who has to go out and clear the driveway this morning......

Ha ha!  No cutting required!  It's going to be a Swiss Army knife I hope!  

lotusseven7 (Forum Supporter) said:

If you have a local scrapyard/pick & pull that might have a junk zero-turn mower, one of the front wheels would make a nice bogey wheel. Cut enough to be able to weld it to your unit and Mount either your ball or attachment point above and behind it. If I didn't move to a smaller building and have a forklift, I'd build another one for moving "stuff" around. I used mine quite a bit shuffling trailers inside our old warehouse. You'll enjoy having it once done.
 

That's a great idea!  Lawnmower repair shop is 00 yards from my office. Score. 

jh36 said:

In reply to Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter) :

 Using this for lighter snowfall will save my gravel. 

Yes it will save your gravel and deposit it for you in the bank, well not the bank, the lawn! Snowblowers on gravel can move a surprising amount of rocks.

That is a pretty sweet snowblower though.

I know you have a path but I found these if you are considering Gravely still.

Part of me thinks an electric motor attached to a pulley on the rear input shaft with a removable battery pack would be a little more elegant and easier to handle if you're short on crew.

If you find the right type of motor, it could potentially double as an alternator.

Just a thought.

jh36 said:

lotusseven7 (Forum Supporter) said:

If you have a local scrapyard/pick & pull that might have a junk zero-turn mower, one of the front wheels would make a nice bogey wheel. Cut enough to be able to weld it to your unit and Mount either your ball or attachment point above and behind it. If I didn't move to a smaller building and have a forklift, I'd build another one for moving "stuff" around. I used mine quite a bit shuffling trailers inside our old warehouse. You'll enjoy having it once done.
 

That's a great idea!  Lawnmower repair shop is 00 yards from my office. Score. 

There are also mountains of lawn mowers at the junkyard in Chestertown.

Assuming that John Deere does things the same way everyone else does t, a 928E should be 9hp and  28 inches wide, with electric start. 
 

That's a nice machine. 

jh36 said:

frenchyd said:

Tom1200 said:

So this is a really silly question; is it possible to install a more user friendly clutch? 

It seems like a lot of work to save the clutch.  I routinely see people driving 600hp cars to grid without issue.

My other thought is simply drive to grid really early so perhaps you don't have to stop as much.

Dog ring gearboxes do not like low speed. Especially if there is a serious camshaft involved.  
     A lot of people need the crutch of syncro's.  They have always used them when shifting and simply cannot get used to shifting without the clutch. 
( it's how I got mine). 
       So 600 horsepower will work fine behind a street transmission. Even with a big 12" clutch. 
 But a dog ring won't like a big clutch, or slow speed.   The trade off is out on the track. That small flywheel and tiny clutch will rev really quick.  Sifting is lightening fast.  If both are side by side the dog ring will pick up many feet over a syncro box  every shift. 

My limited experience tells me Frenchy is spot on. It isn't the hp so much as the lack of rotating mass.  Which is spectacular on track. I could get a larger flywheel and clutch for driving in the paddock but that would have a performance impact. 
 Now that I have a brand new 5.5" clutch, I want to spare it the abuse as much as possible. It takes a lot of clutch to keep the speed down. 

I'm aware of this; every Formula Ford in the paddock has the issue of tall first gear and a dog ring box. Older Formula Atlantics & Super Vees have the same issue as well, and those have very peaky motors. I've chugged a Super Vee through the paddock and it's not pleasant..............which is why the pro teams would tow them to grid.

The 5.5" Clutch explains everything................I made the assumption it was a 7.25" clutch.

The only non push/tow option I could see would be going to grid 15 minutes early avoid the traffic...................still not a 100% solution.

I knew I had seen something that may really suit this application. We use the pallet jack version of these at work. They are used on pretty decent concrete floors but they occasionally hit the parking lot too. This may be able to do what you need with very little hassle and be a slick package.

Cart Mover

In reply to New York Nick :

That's a great idea...I actually looked for one.  We have one at work also and it's pretty slick.  I could not find a used one anywhere near me but honestly jumped down the Gravely/Snowblower rabbit hole so far i didn't look for too long.  One thing for sure...they are awesome in the warehouse, once you get the hang of it.  

New York Nick said:

jh36 said:

In reply to Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter) :

 Using this for lighter snowfall will save my gravel. 

Yes it will save your gravel and deposit it for you in the bank, well not the bank, the lawn! Snowblowers on gravel can move a surprising amount of rocks.

That is a pretty sweet snowblower though.

I know you have a path but I found these if you are considering Gravely still.

My heart still wants a Gravely...maybe somebody at the track will see this and make me a crazy offer and i'll make another.  Regarding the rocks, my lane is actually reconsituted asphalt so it is pretty hard packed.  I have ZERO snowblower experience, but it looks like you can adjust the bottom of the scoop (or whatever the real word for that is) so it can be a touch off the surface...I"m hoping all that's real.  Regardless, what I really wanted was the ability to move the car, and i think this is going to work well.  I'm excited to get started but I am also trying to stay focused on getting the prep work on #36 done as quickly as possible.  When I get working on the "mover", i will post progress and results.  Once again, thank you all (what an amazing community) for guidance and suggestions.  This feels like a group project.  And I didn't break any bones on a three wheeler.