Well for those that were watching the snowblower thread, I had some images of the unfinished product there. So, for those who were interested in my "ride" for my snow blower, here are the finished pictures. Only thing left is to sleep on it as to how I'm going to mount the throttle cable (aftermarket) to the top of the blower chute, so I can adjust the snow flow up or down from the seat.

For a handicapped old body that can't hardly walk for much distance anymore, this has done the trick! I took it for a cruise around the complex and it steers and works perfectly.

Now, wife says I ought to patent it. Anyone know about patents and the process? Now that I've trial and errored my way to success, I have ideas on how to improve it already, plus make it from steal or wood. And if I were to sell it, I'd put on an adjustable seat. The thing that is tricky about it is the BALANCE from front to back, so that your weight doesn't push down on the back of the blower all the time, making it tough to keep the front on the ground and in the snow.

The foot rests are a thin rubber mat, turned upside down so the knobbies stick up, to hold your feet in place.

Anyway.. here she be... THE CORDELL BUTT TROLLEY!




Now... what's my next project? Dang!

 

Seems there was a patent thread on here last year sometime.
Very cool concept, 55.
Hope posting pics on a public forum doesn't jeapordize your chances of a patent, but then again, it might help.


Pete



P.S. Heated seat and foot rests would be nice.

 

I like it. Good JOB!!!

 

looks great!
Congrats on a job well done!

 

I wasn't too serious about the patent, but you're right... posting pictures on the net isn't the brightest idea if you plan on patenting something. LOL!!
The only thing I wish would have happened, was when I went to get the material for the seat, I wish the scrap I found would have been black instead of that mahogany (?) color I ended up with, for $1.82. Oh well.. it was just the right size remnant, leaving enough over to make the tool/parts bag on the back. I used a couple pieces of the rubber mat and made a place to hang a Crescent wrench on each side of the bag.

Now for the portable TV, coffee cup holder, cab, windshield, etc.. ROFL.

And then train the wife to use it!!!!!

Oh..and thanks for the compliments!!

 

Why not mount a small caster wheel under your feet to prevent it from tipping down, thus keeping the blower on the ground.

 

Wow, that is a sharp snow machine Dick ! What a neat idea. You figured out those modifications modifications well, so you will not have any problem getting the controls the way you want them . Great job.

 

You might not be serious about the patent but I bet you could make a mint by selling the idea to some company. Patent it first then sell the patent and idea.

Either way nice work there Dick.

US Patent office:
http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/com/iip/

 

I don't need a caster...mine is balanced perfectly. But .... a caster would impede the ability to lift the front end and turn it, or hold the front off the ground and cruise back to the shop.[/QUOTE]

I'll check out the link... I haven't worked in nearly three months because of my back, pain in my leg and now numbness and tingling. Thanks bunches!

Thanks Greg!!!!

 

Good job, Dick! That should make a menial job a bit more survivable. I can't even begin to count the hours I put in at the tiller of one of those as a kid living in the mountains. Wore out two of 'em in 5 years...makes me sort of glad I don't live in snow country any more. And yet, I do miss it in many ways...

Hate to rain on your parade but I don't think you could get a patent on it, a company called Gravely beat you to it by 50 years or so:



We had a couple of these beasts when I was doing small engine repair many years back. The attachment on the front of the thing unbolts and there are a variety of other attachments available, including a snowblower. And the trailerable seat portion is removable so you can walk behind or ride behind like your machine. Yours looks a lot more comfortable than the one we had...it sported a metal tractor seat with no back support. (Can't you just feel your buns freezing to that thing?!)

 

Slick setup. I had actually thought about something similar a few years back, but never got the ambition to actually build it. One question I have, how well does it work on inclines? Is there enough weight over the snowblower wheels to keep it chuggin along up a grade?

Great work! Now if only it would snow here...

 

Actually, I knew something like it had existed long ago. My cousin used to have a huge mower with a trailor hitched sitter behind it. It was a metal seat like the one you describe. As for patents, it'd take a lot more money than I've got to even get the ball rolling. I checked into pricing, filing, search fees, etc. No way could I do that!

Thing is, nobody seems to build them anymore. DR doesn't even have a rider seat for their walking monster mowers, etc.

Thing is, a guy would have to make one that is a lot more adjustable than the one I made, if it was going to fit a varied assortment of body sizes. (Adjustable length of the hitch bar, adjustable seat, etc..to make the balance right for all sizes of people.)

Hey....fenders and flat running boards. Now, why didn't I think of that? ha!

 

Yeah... I'd appreciate some more snow here, now, too.

As for the traction, it hasn't changed. I imagine as long as you maintain a proper balance, so that your weight isn't pushing down too much on the back of the blower, you'll be fine. The one thing you need to do if you make one, is to put a bearing or spacer, like I did, between the blower's hitch mount and the butt trolley's hitch, to give you the ability to raise and lower the handlebars when turning and not bend the hitch. Of course, if you made the whole hitch assembly from steel, you could make an H type hitch with plenty of room for that anyway. I was only working with simple materials I could get at the local building supply store, by browsing the aisles and looking at stock...inventing my design as I found different materials.

And, the chains on the blower itself, would make for enough traction to climb any incline, even dragging a larger butt than mine. My Ariens has 5 forwward speeds and one really low reverse. First gear... I'd be able to go up a pretty steep hill with no problems. Not too sure about side hilling though... my wheels are only 24 inches wide, to match the snowblower's width and keep from dragging through deep, unblown snow.

 

What about adding a windshield (from a motorcyle) would keep snow from blowing back on you and maybe a small strobe light mounted in the rear for safty when working during a blizard.........

 

Idea noted. I think I mentioned a cab earlier on....

I'm happy to look at any ideas...not saying I can afford 'em. As for a flashing light, I'd given that some thought, but there's no generator and I don't want to bother with a battery operated thingie. Besides..if my neighbors can't see and hear me, then I'm SOL... and so are they, should I survive the impact! ROFL!