New Bucket Pins

It was too hard to position the bolt holes in the original pins.  I made a new set that extend an inch on each side instead of being flush.

The pins are tapered to make insertion easier and I plan to weld a lever to the other end so the pin can be more easily turned to line up the hole.

UPDATE: After three years the pins have settled down and stay in place nicely without a bolt through the diameter on the long side.   A great improvement.

Breaking the Bead on a Lawn Tractor Tire

This is another "not for intended use" application.

Breaking a tire bead on a 1981 Murray lawn tractor. My normal bead breaker would not work on the inside beads because these wheels are rusted to the axle.  Easier to just change the tire then try to get the rusted on wheels off.

To get the most force on the tire I had the arm nearly fully retracted.  The bucket was too close to the ground so I used the stabilizer on this side to raise the entire backhoe.

The first one came on the first try.  The 2nd 3.