Baltic Ply Application... Tractor Loader Templates

A while back, the topic of using baltic birch ply for templates and jigs came up. Well, here is one small application for baltic birch templates. I am cloning the Henry TS-1000 loader for a 1959 Allis Chalmers D-17 tractor. This is one massive loader and can lift as much as 3500 pounds to 9 feet. Unfortunately, its also a long term project.

I found a manual for the TS-1000 loader on ebay and this is the starting point. The problem is that the tractor is nothing but curves under its belly and this makes fitting struture very difficult. The TS-1000 loader is also an industrial loader meaning that it has backhoe ears and no three point swing arm ears. So I will need to change that aspect of the design.

So I re-engineered the back support backet based on the orig. Henry photos and now I need to fit the two support uprights. Big problem! First of all, the bracket has to slide under the differential as close as possible but not so close as to prevent changing the oil back there. I also need to add some base support structure to hold the upright structure for the top link. Second, the axle tubes are tapered and are not a perfect circular cross section. This is esp. true around the cord line where the fender ears are located.

So I had to do some trial and error. I cut some circular cutouts into some baltic birch and cleaned them up on the kindt collins spindle sander. Then I located these and checked the fit. Then back to the sander. Then back to the tractor to test the fit. In doing this, I found out that I am not dealing with a perfect circle here! I started out by taking a girth measurement and calculating the diameter from the circumference of a circle. I then dropped the drill press to 460 RPM and setup a trepanning head to cut the intial circular cutout in baltic birch. The first photo shows the result of this fitting process. The two top items are the ones that actually fit. The bottom one is one that was to small.

I then transfered these contours to actual size upright blanks made from baltic birch. Again, back to the bandsaw and the spindle sander to fine tune these shapes. They are identical to the ones intially hand fit. Its nice to have these shapes now as now I know what fits and what does not fit.

The second photo shows an intial fit. The cross member is a 60 pound section of 4x6x1/2 inch steel angle. It is now vital to fit the vertical dimension of the inner upright. The two inner uprights determine how much space there will be between the tractor belly and the angle bracket. Once this dimension is set, then the outer two uprights need to be fit as well. This fitting process is needed to compensate for the tapers involved. Notice that the arcs are different and so are the locations of these items relative to each other. The outer upright sits higher than the inner upright.

The third photo shows the two templates relative to one another.

All this trial and error fitting must first be done with painstaking woodwork in the construction of these templates. The first template was a bust because I did not compensate for some geometry issues with the inner arc. Fitting a template out of baltic birch is easy and quick compared to working 1/2 in steel plate. Once the project is done, I will be able to clone as many of these loaders as needed. The templates are varnished and put away in storage. All the fine tuning and fitting work remains with the templates. Also bear in mind that this type of woodworking allows you to work around the various issues that the tractor has. This is not very possible with modern CAD methods in this application, thus making the woodworking aspect of this project not only reasonable but pragmatic as well.

Very interesting. That old AC looks like it is in pretty good shape!
Corey

Hi Dev,

Would a profile guage like this have helped in creating the templates for the different curves?

http://www.vitrex.co.uk/index.cfm?fu...&sku=10103000V

Regards,
Bill

Interesting project, Dev. I guess that these older tractor frames are much different than modern units; hence, the need for the sub-frame for a loader like you're building. (Subs are used for many of the backhoe units, however) I hope you'll continue to post on this project over time!

A very interesting project and one I have been involved in before.

My dad converted a Massey (44 )correction that one was a 55 ,to accomodate a heavy loader(arms were 1" thick plate, from Parsons salvage) and 17` backhoe.
It was a true junkyard Gennie, with adapted parts from Parsons Koering, cat pumps and masses of steel to reinforce and add weight to counterbalance the backhoe. Probably the ugliest beast I ever saw, but that thing would do some work. I once ran my 74 Matador in a ditch in a snowstorm and he literally lifted it straight up out of the ditch.
His sons were cheap labor:D
Yes the heavy subframe is essential. most of those old tractors had totally cast iron frames and would bust clean in two under a heavy load. I have seen that happen many times.
Looks as if you are doing it very well, much easier than the cut and try method we used.

Bill....
As for your profile guage.... I have this to say.

WOW, I COULD HAVE HAD A V-8 COCKTAIL DRINK!

Yes, that actually could have been very helpful. But you still have the vertical distances to work out. These establish the horizontal plane in which the structure resides.

Lastly, the templates need to be tuff. There is a possibility that I can actually use these templates to guide a an old milling machine. Something like a thompson template table can be attached to the milling machine and the template used to guide the table in cutting out an exact replica from solid 1/2 inch steel.

Again, the value of having these baltic birch templates cannot be under estimated.