Making a garden roller (metal project)

Ivan Vegvary fired this volley in news:d000a1a5- snipped-for-privacy@googlegroups.com:

No. Electrical cords don't make good candidates, especially when filled with water.

Now... the CORE might. A lot of them have been made from older-style non-bladder well pressure tanks, too.

Lloyd

behind my small tractor. Is a used water heater cord a good candidate for this project? Anybody done that?

my small tractor. Is a used water heater cord a good candidate for this project? Anybody done that?

What guage is the cord, Ivan? Even 6/0 is a pretty small roller!!!! Friend is currently building a 14 foot packer - 30 inch diameter, 5/8" thick steel - total weight including frame and carriage just over 2 tons, to drag behind his seed drill.

A water heater TANK might work - but you need to get an axle into it to roll it - and not let the water out. A gas water heater with bearing plates in the flue might work OK. I know a lot were made out of both 15 and 45 gallon oil drums over the years - often filled with concrete - when the steel rusted off you still had a roller.

behind my small tractor. Is a used water heater cord a good candidate for this project? Anybody done that?

Okay, you all caught my stupid typo (cord instead of core). How embarrassing!! It's amazing how much money the local rental yard wants for non-moving-parts items. Always surprised that a $20 shovel rents for $6/day while a $300 pressure washer can be had for a mere $30/day. Tired of renting, wanting to see if I can cobble a roller together.

The concrete route sounds interesting since I could simply pass a pipe through the core, let the concrete set and thereby obviate the difficulty of attaching the axle to the ends.

Thanks group! Ivan Vegvary

Not w/ water heater, no, but did w/ old pressure tank last year when regraded around house to fix drainage problems.

Somebody mentioned needs to be non-bladder type--I solved that by simply drilling access hole at other end to fill it. Didn't even bother to drill/tap/weld on nut for plug, just used a properly sized hole for an on-hand plastic plug. Worked quite well...

The entry pipe was in center of bottom so just made a wood bearing block around a piece of pipe for that end; used existing welded-on 5/8 nut at top there for a lifting hook to fasten an axle for the other.

Luckily had an old drawbar from ancient small farm implement out in the equipment bone yard of stuff that didn't sell in the auction so didn't even have to fabricate that...

Sure could do quite similar w/ the water heater tank alto will need more hand work 'cuz won't have the convenient parts already in right places as will the pressure tank...

behind my small tractor.  Is a used water heater cord a good candidate fo r this project?  Anybody done that?

Here are some pictures of one:

behind my small tractor.  Is a used water heater cord a good candidate fo r this project?  Anybody done that?

My granddad did that, but used some pipe fittings and pipe for a handle. We kids got to push it all over the lawn. Don't know if it was new or used, was galvanized and HEAVY, at least for kid-power. He didn't have a lathe, so I don't know how he got the threads out of the floor flanges that he used for handle pivots. He had a lot of spare time, maybe he just used a rat tail file and filed them out. He was a plumber at one time, so probably the whole thing cost him nothing but his time. Really not sure if it an actual heater tank or a header tank for a boiler, he did stoker and boiler service, too. Had a riveted overlapped seam. A defunct 100 lb propane cylinder might work as well, maybe better, no seam. Probably a few of those that flunked or need hydro at the local propane service for free. Stan

On 4/2/2013 3:17 PM, Ivan Vegvary wrote: ...

A big advantage of water-filled is that you can vary the weight. Half-full of water works, half-full of concrete not so well . Bob

The advantage of concrete is if you start full it stays full. With water, after a few years you start full and end up hald full - not to mention what happens if you get a good overnight freeze with the barrel full - - - - - - - .

behind my small tractor.  Is a used water heater cord a good candidate for this project?  Anybody done that?

Around here..the guys take a piece of 8-12" pipe (oil field country) stick a piece of cardboard on one end with a hole in it big enough to put on a piece of 3/4" or 1" pipe, stand it on that end, put the pipe down through the cardboard and simply fill it with concrete, and then using wire or string and centering the high end, and then let the sucker cure. Da Rich Guys use a piece of 3/4" plywood on the lower end with a hole in it. Its not rocket science and if its got a little wobble in it..shrug..who cares? Ya simply weld on a handle and Bobs your uncle.

Gunner