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Building a lawn roller

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BillMullens
Join Date: Jun 2000
Posts: 649 Central West Virginia
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2003-04-27          53885

All,
Any good ideas for making a roller? I have an excellent plastic 55 gallon barrel ,would like to fill it with water for weight. I don't have a convenient way to attach an axle to it; do you think I could run an axle all the way through and seal it well enough that it wouldn't leak much?
Thanks for ideas,
Bill


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Southerner
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 11 laurens,SC
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2003-04-27          53886

Bill
I have had the same thought recently while doing some spring lawn planting. I have access to both steel and plastic drums. I don't think the plastic ones could be of any use other than using them as ballast or weight adders on top of plow units. The idea I had was to take a used 55 gal antifreeze drum. These can be picked up anywhere for a few dollars. Most diesel truck shops are glad to get rid of them. Weld a piece of flat bar or channel on each end. Come up with some type of bearing assy. for each side. using a pair of old bed frame rails make a hitch. It's cheap!
The bed rails probably could be bent by hand and if you don't weld a local shop could do it reasonably cheap
One note of caution: know what was in the drum. I won't weld or cut drums that have had fuel or additives in them. Windshield washer fluid either. It's just not worth it. ....

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TomG
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 5406 Upper Ottawa Valley
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2003-04-28          53899

In a now ancient discussion in the archives, Roger Loving mentioned making a roller from an old gas hot-water tank. These tanks have a center hole for the burner chimney that he used for an axle. He filled his with concrete, but one might hold water as well. I imagine he removed the tank cover and insulation. I don't know if bearings, bushings or what was used between the tank and axle. ....

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slowrev
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 231 Winchester , KY
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2003-04-28          53908

Pillow block bearings work fine for the roller axles. You can get them many places, Tractor supply, Graingers, etc...

I don't think a plastic barrel would hold up too well. I used an old piece of 18 inch diameter steel pipe, welded plates on both ends with solid axle stubs sticking out, and a 1 inch pipe collar into one end next to the edge to fill and drain. I have mine filled with used oil, it seemed to be a good use for it. Just have to watch going downhill, the beast is heavy and will push you if you let it.
You might also want to put a drum scraper on it, they can just keep getting taller with the dirt sticking to it sometimes.
....

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marklugo
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 281 Tifton, GA
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2003-04-28          53934

Someone please explain to me why anyone wants to resurrect this ancient and completely fruitless Saturday activity. If you cut your grass correctly, you can achieve the same result. ....

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cutter
Join Date: Feb 2000
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2003-04-28          53942

I'm puzzled by that statement. I just finished rolling the rest of my yard, including the new restoration from the water main installation on the highway shoulder. I don't know how mowing "correctly" can press the humps and small stones back into the earth.

My 4' roller has about had it, eight or nine seasons old and it is more flat than round, not to mention a larger one would do a better job on the open flat areas. I was toying with the water heater idea myself. ....

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slowrev
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 231 Winchester , KY
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2003-04-28          53951

Cutter, Mark if from Tifton, GA. No freezing ground down there and better soil. I guess that explains his statement. I used to live in FL. A roller would just sink up in the wet dirty sand :) Rollers are not needed everywhere.
....

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BillMullens
Join Date: Jun 2000
Posts: 649 Central West Virginia
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2003-04-29          53965

Actually, I'd be using it to smooth and compact freshly landscaped areas and to roll in grass and wildflower seed. Maybe "lawn roller" isn't the right term.
Bill ....

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slowrev
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2003-04-29          53970

Bill,
I think lawn roller is the correct term. There are different sizes, and different uses. I use mine primarially to roll down fill dirt in newly landscaped areas, and in the spring to roll down a couple of rutted up roads. Also good to roll in gravel when the ground is soft. A smaller/lighter roller should work fine for your purpose. ....

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WillieH
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 543 New England
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2003-04-29          53973

Bill -

I made several 55 gallon plastic barrel lawn rollers, and much prefer them to any other. a) they are easy to come by, b) they are light weight, so if your relative wants to borrow it, he can merely drain it and literally pick it up and set it in the truck or even trunk for transport, c) if you want to drain it, simple, merely remove a plastic bung cap.

I used 1 inch square steel tubing, cut it welded it with corner reinforcing, for the frame, with two pipe couplings for "axle " bushings. I used two galvanized pipe flanges, as they come with 4 holes, 90 degrees apart from one another, I drilled four more in each. I then used a high grade constuction adhesive on the two mating surfaces, flange back and drum, along with eight 1 1/2 x 3/8 inch hex head wood screws to secure each side. Once secured, I assembled the frame to the drum assembly, using a six inch pipe nipple as an axle for each side. Just place the pipe nipple through the welded on larger pipe coupling at end of frame, screw into mounted pipe flange...voila! Now you have a plastic 55 gallon drum lawn roller.

I have been making these for people for about ten years now, and never had a problem. I placed zerk fittings in the couplings for occasional lube, and water in the barrel.

The neat thing about the plastic...it ain't gonna rust out!
You can put all the calcium in for added weight as you desire. (FYI, with water alone, it will weigh about 500 lbs.)

The desire to roll is quite great, with a lot of rain and snow cover up here in the Northeast, one ends up with considerable mounds from earthworms, moles in the summer, shrews, etc. not to mention the rolling action allows a "setting" of the grass roots brought up from the frost the winter season before. Certainly advantageous up here.

Willie H. ....

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BillMullens
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Posts: 649 Central West Virginia
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2003-04-29          53977

Willie,
That is exactly the kind of thing I had in mind, the adhesive is a good idea. Much appreciated.
Thanks to all for the posts.
Bill ....

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DRankin
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 5116 Northern Nevada
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2003-04-29          53978

Willie, I am trying to visualize,the axle assembly but it is a little hard to do. Do you have a photo? ....

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cutter
Join Date: Feb 2000
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2003-04-29          54006

I see slowrev, it would make about as much sense as him owning a snowplow. I have to think out of the box more (I hate that phrase). ....

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marklugo
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 281 Tifton, GA
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2003-04-29          54009

Down here we hire a day laborer to pick up rocks or do it ourselves. People used to use rollers to "stripe" their lawns. I thought this was a practice long abandoned due to the recommendations against it by the state extension services due to soil compaction. Correct mowing will stripe lawns too. ....

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cutter
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2003-04-29          54010

Marklugo,
People still do the stripe thing with roller and mower, designer lawn mowing they call it I guess. I use mine for flattening out the soil after the winter frost as well as for compacting the stone in my driveway. Works pretty well for smoothing out the ruts in my barn road which is still a grass path, if I catch it before it dries. Some around here make them out of cement with a pipe core, and then insert an axle through the core.

Welfare is too good in this state, nobody wants to do grunt work when they can stay home for the same money. I have a hard enough time finding someone that is willing to do spring raking/cleanup, let alone pick rocks. ....

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marklugo
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2003-04-29          54023

Here's a picture that might help you visualize. Although we sell them, they are fairly simple to build. We call them soil compactors. Most use them for seed bed prep and rolling gravel flat in walks and drives. ....


Link:   link

 
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BillMullens
Join Date: Jun 2000
Posts: 649 Central West Virginia
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2003-04-30          54040

I built one yesterday evening using WillieH's axle design. I built a rectangular frame that goes all the way around the barrel; I think Willie's is "U" shaped. I haven't filled it yet, but will today. I'll post pics as soon as I can.
Bill ....

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BillMullens
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Posts: 649 Central West Virginia
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2003-04-30          54079

Roller pictures; axle made like WillieH suggested.
Bill ....


Link:   Roller

 
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DRankin
Join Date: Jan 2000
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2003-05-01          54102

Ok, that is what I thought.... so I don't want to sound dense but, how do you tighten the bolts from inside the drum? ....

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BillMullens
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Posts: 649 Central West Virginia
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2003-05-01          54107

Actually, they are not bolts but hex-headed screws or lag screws. The plastic will hold a lot more torque than I figured. Eight screws on each side, plus construction adhesive, works pretty good. I drove around the yard a couple of times with the barrel filled with water and nothing leaks, seems plenty strong.
Bill ....

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TomG
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 5406 Upper Ottawa Valley
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2003-05-02          54151

Bill: That looks like a clever solution. It'll be interesting to see how long it holds up.

I don't know if there'll a tendency for the plastic to fatigue and break after some use. Even if it does, just replacing the barrel doesn't seem like too bad a solution. If I had a choice, I probably would have used something with a wider flange so the lag-screws would be further apart.
....

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WillieH
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 543 New England
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2003-05-02          54180

Bill -
So you like my design? It has been working very well for me for, somewhere around ten years now. Very simple, and very affordable. The pics that you posted are similar, however, as you mentioned, I do make my roller's in a "U" shape frame design. This allows you to merely flip the tow bar up over the top and rehitch, if so desired when filled. The other point that I want to make, I welded on corner brace supports,( the same one inch tubing ), from the tow bar to each side of the cross bar at 45 deg. angles. I also welded on the inside of the frame, 45 degree corner brace supports at the corners in front of the drum corners. These braces will strengthen the frame considerably for those sharp weighty turns.

Your roller came out very nice...I'm glad that I could assist.

Good Luck with it !

Willie H.

P.S. - Yes, there is a patent pending ....

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WillieH
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Posts: 543 New England
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2003-05-02          54181

Mark -
Bill got the target pretty close to what I was describing for the axle set-up. Unfortunately, I'm still trying to egt a scanner to function to get the pics in myself...once I do - look out!

These rollers realy do last a long time, and, take quit a bit of abuse. (They realy roll the dog poop well too)

Willie H. ....

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WillieH
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 543 New England
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2003-05-02          54182

Tom -
Actually, I have been using a 4 inch flange right along. It seems to hold up very well, even long term. One thing that Bill put on his that I neglected to mention, though I have them on mine, is the caps on the pipe nipples. This way, you won't scratch your leg or anything else should you come too close.

Willie H. ....

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