Heath Engineering MC2 Bale Chaser

[Stabliofarmer]

This has been my baby for the last 3 months. While working on a friend's farm carting bales over the summer I started drawing up a Heath Bale Chaser. While working there I bought the laser cutter and the project began to gain momentum. 

The drawings. To draw up the machine was a challenge, I've never been around one in the flesh, but between a friend whose done a few seasons on one, and the instructional videos on YouTube I started to figure it out. The design was created with the use of 2 and 3mm acrylic plastic as the construction material. 

Once the drawings where on paper I transfered the designs into a vector drawing on inkscape, this then becomes a dxf file that can be sent to the laser cutter. When I got home from the summer I excitedly installed the laser cutter and got the first test cut done. 

And before I knew it I was out of time and had to head back to uni. While at uni I couldn't get home, pandemic and what not, so was stuck with a not quite right prototype and a set of 2D drawings. 

Pretty rapidly I'd lost the 3D picture of how everything went together in my head. I'd relied on the laser cut prototype to plot where things like the rear Bale push arms would route without clashing with the cylinders etc. And knowing I needed to extend the actual bed length I didn't want to risk changing any drawings without being certain. So while I didn't have the laser cutter with me I did have Solid works, so I 3D cadded my drawings. 

[Stabliofarmer]

The CAD looks like this and allows me to see how all the moving parts interface. From the finalised CAD I could create a fresh set of dxf files to cut when I got home. 

Note that the telescopic boom of the MC2 has now been developed too, designed so that it can slide and work. 

[Stabliofarmer]

As soon as I got home for Christmas I hit print on the cutter and we have this. 

Which equates to this

And builds up to this, note the dxf file on the laptop in the background. 

 

[Pete132]

Mighty!

[sipher172]

That is some amazing work, can't wait to see what it looks like when it is finished.  

[Barry]

Brilliant, you've basically done everything I want to do!!!

CAD design, laser cutting, make a Heath bale chaser!!

Well done

 

[Stabliofarmer]

Thank you for the kind words all, I am pleased with the final outcome of this project and will update with the rest in due course.

[Tractorman810]

thats pretty dam impressive, way beyond my computer skills for sure.i assume when you are designing  it all that you need to also factor in tolerances for primer and paint coats on parts as well ,especially the bale  lift arm bit,and telescopic tow eye bar? 

[JEP]

Brilliant!

Must be really satisfying to see it all come together, from initial drawings, cad drawings, then the file to create the printed parts, and all the work coming to fruition with the laser cut parts.

Very impressive James.

[Udimore]

Love this. brilliant James you are moving the goalposts

@SMurF you seen this Scott. Your crew yes?

[Stabliofarmer]

1 hour ago, Tractorman810 said:

thats pretty dam impressive, way beyond my computer skills for sure.i assume when you are designing  it all that you need to also factor in tolerances for primer and paint coats on parts as well ,especially the bale  lift arm bit,and telescopic tow eye bar? 

Thanks Sean, yes tolerance is something you have to keep an eye on. The laser has a thing called kerf width, which is the size of material you loose as the laser evaporates it away, same as the saw width when using a circular saw. Ontop of this paint thickness has to be accounted for. By allowing about 0.25mm of play between parts the kerf width and paint thickness seem to have balanced out. The only point where I've slipped up is the green bale support leg that slides along the bed, this is pretty tight in the gap in the bed, and while clearing some of the structural frame.

53 minutes ago, JEP said:

Brilliant!

Must be really satisfying to see it all come together, from initial drawings, cad drawings, then the file to create the printed parts, and all the work coming to fruition with the laser cut parts.

Very impressive James.

Thanks JEP, to get the design so close from just 2D pencil drawings was very satisfying and when everything eventually comes together it is very pleasing. Not that there aren't iterations in between that get launched across the shed in frustration!

41 minutes ago, Udimore said:

Love this. brilliant James you are moving the goalposts

@SMurF you seen this Scott. Your crew yes?

Thank you Barry, got to keep progressing or someone else will get their first! Scott was very helpful in providing a sneak peak at some up close CAD photos of the MC2 arm that he worked on.

[Udimore]

Scott helpful never 

He is still on about how how the ftf crew jumped the queue at Spalding in 2005 

 

[Stabliofarmer]

With the basic laser cut structure finalised it was onto the little details. 

First is the support wheel on the front. It can be raised and lowered for field or road use. The real thing uses a slightly more complex linkage than what I've modelled. I'm just using a simple arm with a tiny ram made from the smallest two sections of a telescopic aerial. 

The next detailing was the MC2 telescopic Bale arm. This is where the biggest compromise comes in. The boom has five hydraulic cylinders in a very limited space. To get them all too work, while providing the model as a kit simply wouldn't be economical. Instead I have added the rams as non functioning resin details. Rather than the rams spanning all three sections they remain fixed in the top section. A compromise but the overall effect is adequate. 

The only other resin piece is the solenoid box on the side of the chassis. This looks like a simple piece but it fits in a high tolerance gap, on the top the bed sits above, the jack legs hinge down just behind it and the drawbar hinges just below it. Therefore the angles all have to be tight, and the underside has to have a degree of clearance. To get the shape this was drawn up on CAD, converted to an stl file and sent to a friend who has an FDM 3D printer. He printed it for me and I have filled and sand it to get a smooth finish. Then made a mould and cast it. 

 

[Stabliofarmer]

Attention turns to the front now. The Bale pusher arm turns the Bale 90deg to allow the Bale to be picked up. I've made it from a few laser cut components and some resin. Also designed to take to a 3 point link, but comes with an A frame attachment as well. 

[Stabliofarmer]

With everything finalised concentration turns to mass production. A batch of 7 finished models where planned. 

All the parts going together (note there's only six in the photos, number seven was built first and used to take all the photos for the kit versions instruction manual). 

Primer going on, a fair bit of paint alround! 

Note to self, don't plan builds that require such a large area to paint in the middle of winter. The view from the garage as I was putting primer on, not primer painting weather! 

Top coat going on. I had planned to spray this with a gun to save cost, but with the weather I wanted to spend as little time as possible out in the garage, and to be able to easily warm the paint before application. Therefore I opted for rattle cans that can just go in some warm water. 

[SPN]

So looking forward to building this.

What colour rattle can do you recommend?

[Stabliofarmer]

6 minutes ago, SPN said:

So looking forward to building this.

What colour rattle can do you recommend?

Thank you Stan.

Everything will be in the instruction manual. The colour was a difficult one, I was speaking with Pete Heath, the boss, about paint as he had one of the built models. They are painted 'Heath Green' their own colour that he didn't have a recipe for. It was simply described as 'a bit lighter than John Deere Green', I have opted for RAL 6001 after first purchasing RAL 6037 and deciding it was a little too in your face bright. 6001 seems a good compromise.

[Stabliofarmer]

Assembly went relatively easy. A few bits of paint needed sanding back to get a good fit, but bar that all went well. And this was the final outcome. I'm very proud of what's produced here. 

 

[Stabliofarmer]

[Stabliofarmer]

[FendtFarmer]

1 hour ago, Stabliofarmer said:

That’s just a masterpiece James 

[Stabliofarmer]

Thank you Ben, 

Customer photos starting to come in now set up to slightly fancier models than Siku! 

 

[alf aphid]

These are really brilliant James. A real skill you have there! 

[The Tractor Twitcher]

Absolutely mega, stunning work James.

[weblet375]

Top job james