[Michael]

Well last week 2 of the 3 pressurized water tanks went out in our small community well (4 homes). I ended up with the tanks. I'm thinking one of the tanks will make a fine lawn roller. The tanks each weigh about 300 pounds without water. Now I got to figure out how to mount a couple axles to them and I will be set to roll my yard and project areas (mainly the project areas. See attached picture

 

[Michael]

And another view.

 

[Michael]

And the final view

 

[Chipmaker]

Since you have two tanks why not cut the bottom off of one and the top out of the other and weld the top to the tank that you cut the bottom out of. I assume the bottom has a flange or skirt on them as most do. If the bottom has a skirt and has the dome end like the top, just remove the skirt. I did that with the two hot water heater tanks so it gave me two ends that were the same and the center opening in each end was perfect for centering up my axle. I used a through axle instead of stub ends as when filled with water there is a lot of weight being experted on the axle itself. I fashioned a wrap around box frame out of steel tubing and used a piece of 1 1/4" pipe for the tongue, which I bent in a long U shape in my bender. Mine is much smaller but does the job I need it for. I am looking for a decent larger sized tank, but in this area most are only 50 gal max. You definately want a radius end (like the dome provides) on the tank or it tears up the ground when you turn with it.

Yours appears to be in pretty decent shape overall.

 

[Michael]

Well, I am just figuring out how to do it and ways of doing it. The skirt is inset about 5 to 6 inches from the edge and the edge is curled. I am guessing the tanks to be about 150 to 200 gallon by the size of them. The other thing is they are dual bladder tanks but the bladder is destroyed and leaking internally (the reason they had to be pulled). I was thinking of just to cut the skirt off and then to figure out a thru axle arrangement and then to only fill it about half way which I figure would give a total weight of 500 top 600 pounds.

 

[Chipmaker]

I ran a piece of 1" pipe through the center of mine from one end to the other, and welded the ends of the pipe to ther tank ends. This gave me a water tight tank with a through hole in which to work out an axle. I used a piece of 1" round bar I had laying around to go through the pipe, and turned the ends down to fit some 15/16" bore pillow blocks for it to ride in which was mounted on the rectangular steel tube frame. Originally I had it running in a piece of square tube for a bearing just to get by until I scrounged up some pillow blocks, and it worked fine with that setup as well. I have a grease fitting installed so I can keep the 1" axle shaft free of rust if it ever has to be removed or replaced, and I greased it up well befroe sliding it into the 1" pipe. I guess I could have made it ride on the pipe as a bearing support also, and fixed the 1" shaft so it was mounted ridgid to the frame and it would have worked just as good...... A hole saw in a vari speed drill works great in enlarging the hole for the axle. Make a plug or use a pipe cap or plug and install it in the hole, and center punch it, and then drill it in place with the hole saw, as it will guide the center guide bit of the hole saw. Next to impossible to drill it without having the guide in place and expect it to be even close tocenter as the existing hole is just to large to guide the hole saw.

 

[Michael]

Thats a great way to make it work and it looks like I will have to do some scrounging around for some scrap steel (good luck). I will have to see what is lying around and then to build my frame around it. I figure that I have some plate steel that I used when I was doing another project and the welding is the only problem because my welder broke last month and it is terminal for the welder (30 years old and I cannot find a manufactors name on it, bought it 15 years ago at a auction for $25.00) but I will figure out something.

 

[Greg]

Michael,

Sounds like a cool project. How big an area are you going to roll? What's in store before and after the roll?

 

[Michael]

Greg, I plan after I"m finished to use the roller to roll the newly seeded area of where I tore down the old log cabin barn and the 2nd area which was a tractor and back killer for a total area of appoximately 3/4 of a acre. I want to compact the soil and I just do not really want to rent a compactor for such a small project and I also do not wnat to over compact the area. The soil is just a little to soft and needs a little help in compacting it slightly. I just like to tinker and build simple tools for my tractor and not paying (or should I say for the 4 home well I figure it cost me $200.00)encil sm