Hi
I'm trying to make a little (big) garden roller to smoothen our garden out in the spring (push back down the mole hilles, remove some ridges, push in the hoof marks!).
But all the rollers you can buy are completely pathetic, and very expensive.
I am building a heavy version of one of these pansy things:
Now my plan is to get a plastic tank a bit like this one:
Chop the ends off, stick and axle down the middle, fill it with concrete, put two pillow block bearings on each end and build a simple frame around it to tow it with the lawn mower.
It should weigh about half a ton or so when full of concrete depending on how heavy I can make the concrete.
Now my question is how strong do you think the axle needs to be? Bearing in mind I really don't want the axle to bend?
I was thinking of using 1" solid bar, but will mild steel do or do I need to use EN8 or stornger? Or even bigger than 1"?
Thanks
I'm trying to make a little (big) garden roller to smoothen our garden out in the spring (push back down the mole hilles, remove some ridges, push in the hoof marks!).
But all the rollers you can buy are completely pathetic, and very expensive.
I am building a heavy version of one of these pansy things:
Now my plan is to get a plastic tank a bit like this one:
Chop the ends off, stick and axle down the middle, fill it with concrete, put two pillow block bearings on each end and build a simple frame around it to tow it with the lawn mower.
It should weigh about half a ton or so when full of concrete depending on how heavy I can make the concrete.
Now my question is how strong do you think the axle needs to be? Bearing in mind I really don't want the axle to bend?
I was thinking of using 1" solid bar, but will mild steel do or do I need to use EN8 or stornger? Or even bigger than 1"?
Thanks
my old roller was used on a farm 40 years used on a fergie tractor. ive sold it on and still going strong. keep it simple as long as u dont want a show piece of engineering 
