Ripper is on but has an oddity

[Welder Dave]

I'd agree with that. If I was doing a lot of ripping in rocky soil with large rocks or maybe lot's of roots then I'd want to make absolutely sure the ripper was mounted as strong as possible. I'm almost certain the same ripper is used on all sizes of Champion graders up to the 780 and 6 wheel drive models. I'd guess there could be as much as 10,000lbs. additional drawbar pull than my machine. Others have commented that a 730A like mine will struggle pushing a full 16' moldboard and it has it's work cut out for it with a 14'. That's why I think it would spin the tires before it came close to putting too much stress on the bolts. I'm also going to go slow when ripping and try to pay close attention to see if there is any movement of the ripper frame. It would be interesting to know the reasoning behind the gaps. I'd suspect so there is maximum clamping force but maybe there's another reason we're missing? It's one of those things that makes you wonder why it was designed that way.

 

[Cmark]

My guess for the gaps is that the manufacturing tolerances for either the machine or ripper are so poor that they want to be sure it will fit first time without any cutting or grinding.

 

[Welder Dave]

Maybe the frames on different models are slightly different or it is for maximum clamping force. My biggest concern is if the bolts are in any danger of breaking.

 

[Cmark]

Please can you just drill some pieces of flat bar to fill the gap, bolt it up tight and bring all this to a conclusion? Sincerely. xx.

 

[Welder Dave]

I can do that. Would be interested in the reason for the gaps. Not something you come across very often. There a couple people that worked for Champion or Jade on the forum but they haven't been on for a while.

 

[cuttin edge]

The wing on our old 730 mounted to those same mounts, and it came with shims. Check with a manufacturer like craig.

https://www.agrimag.co.za/machinery...710a-grader-with-ripper-1997-id-6399551#pid=9 If you enlarge it there is a gap

 

[Welder Dave]

Yeah I could see a gap before I enlarged it. I saw another machine with a gap too. It's weird but I wonder if the clamp force on the frame is considered for increasing the shear force on the bolts. I did discover the shear calculator I used was wrong. It was from Fastenal but for some reason I think the 1 1/4" grade 8 calculation was mixed up the grade 5. The shear force is about the same as clamp force at 87,000lbs.

 

[Welder Dave]

I picked up the hoses today and mentioned it would be nice if there was a kit of different size hose and fitting caps you could buy. The guy said hold on and brought me out an assortment to fit 1/4"-1". There's at least 40 in the bag. He said they buy them 500 at time. That was pretty nice. The 3/8" to 1/2" jump fittings for the hose were about $7 more each than the standard size fittings. The 2 14' hoses were $125ea. It was a little more using the extra flexible 3/8" hose but it will be a neater installation.