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Power Cart Fitted With Portable PTO Air Compressor
"It's cheaper than using the 40 hp tractor I used before and it's a lot more maneuverable. If you have a flat tire out in the field, you can pull this rig right out to it," says B.L. "Butch" Uhnken who built a portable power cart fitted with a pto and an air compressor.
The Jacksonville, Ill., farmer primarily us
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Power Cart Fitted With Portable PTO Air Compressor FARM SHOP Tools 22-1-41 "It's cheaper than using the 40 hp tractor I used before and it's a lot more maneuverable. If you have a flat tire out in the field, you can pull this rig right out to it," says B.L. "Butch" Uhnken who built a portable power cart fitted with a pto and an air compressor.
The Jacksonville, Ill., farmer primarily uses the portable rig to power an 8-in. dia., 72-ft. long auger at bin sites.
Mounted on a four-wheel cart built out of 2-in. sq. steel tubing, the unit is powered by a 30 hp Mercedes diesel engine off a semi trailer refrigerator unit.
It's fitted with a pto and right angle gear box that came off an old Mayrath auger.
"The gearbox is at a right angle to the engine crankshaft instead of in-line so it doesn't take up as much room," Uhnken ex-plains. "It's pretty cramped quarters around some of the bins."
An oversized radiator out of a 3/4-ton 4-WD Ford pickup cools the engine.
Since the big radiator has a tendency to collect bees wings, the air compressor comes in handy for cleaning it off.
The air compressor is an upright air conditioning unit off an old Ford car. It's used to power a 1 1/2-in. dia. cylinder with 4-in. stroke which Uhnken uses to tighten the belts on the engine to activate the pto. The cylinder has a capacity of 125 psi's, but Uhnken used regulators to step down the compressor to 60 psi's, all that's needed to tighten the belts.
"I also put restrictors on the air line to keep from shearing auger pins when the pto starts up," he says.
The cart rides on four Deere riding mower wheels, with the front wheels set close together for easier maneuvering around bin sites.
Uhnken uses the tongue mounted on front of the cart to transport it from farm to farm behind his pickup. He positions it at sites by hand.
Out-of-pocket expense was about $400, including $200 for the Mercedes engine.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, B.L. Uhnken, 25 Westfair, Jacksonville, Ill. 62650 (ph 217 472-3851 or 245-4359).
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