Shop-Built Boring Bar Re-Cuts Worn Hitch Pin Holes

Shop-Built Boring Bar Re-Cuts Worn Hitch Pin Holes FARM SHOP Tools 22-6-38 Don McColl, Neidpath, Sask.: "I use my shop-built boring bar to re-cut worn hitch pin holes and make them round again. For ex-ample, I've used it to bore out a V-ripper hitch that hooks up to my Caterpillar tractor. The 2-in. dia. holes were worn out oblong to al-most 2 7/16 in. diameter so I cut them perfectly round to a 2 1/2 in. diameter. The system uses an old blacksmith shop drill, electric motor, and lathe cutting tool. The bar is a 1 1/2-in. dia. steel shaft with a regular car-bide lathe tool (5/16 in. sq., about 1 1/4 in. long) driven by the drill. The drill is belted down to run at 30 revolutions per minute. In one photo you can see my left hand feeding the cutting tool into the bore. The other photo shows the hinge ripper with the two 3-in. wide pin bosses. You can see the two self-aligning bearings and 3-hole pillow blocks. They have a slip fit over the bar allowing it to move freely. The two bottom pillow block holes are bolted to an angle iron which is welded to the ripper hitch. The top hole takes a bolt with head welded to the hitch. The bolt allows for some adjustment for the bearing. "The drill is bolted to two angle irons which in turn are bolted to the ripper hitch. Everything is bolted to my homemade engine stand. "Machine shops wanted $600 to do this job but I thought if I could find a way to hold and adjust the cutting tool in the bar the rest would be easy."

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