DIY Pothole Repair Front-End Loader Attachment

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Photo courtesy FARM SHOW
From chisel plow frame to pothole patcher for the skid-steer.

Anyone who can weld can turn the frame of an unused chisel plow into a useful heavy-duty “pothole patcher,” says Perry Easley, owner of Easley Welding, Kirksville, Missouri.

He uses the 10-foot-wide pothole patcher on his Kubota skid loader to smooth out gravel driveways.

He removed all the shanks, leaving a rectangular frame. Then he cut 120 4-by-1-1⁄2-inch rectangular “teeth” out of 1⁄4-inch-thick steel plate. They mount horizontally on the crossbars, spaced about 6 inches apart and staggered between bars. To mount the unit on his skid loader, he made a cardboard pattern and then welded three lengths of 2-by-4 steel tubing at an angle running from the frame to a mounting plate that’s equipped with quick-attach brackets.

“It does a good job of loosening the surface and smoothing out any clods and rocks,” says Easley. “One time I used it at a local tractor pull where they fell in love with it. When the tractors spin their tires, they pile up a lot of dirt, but my pothole patcher did a great job of dragging the dirt back into the holes.

“On gravel roads it rattles around some, but it does a good job of loosening the gravel and filling in the potholes. After a pass or two, it looks like I’ve put new gravel on the entire driveway.”

For more information, contact Perry Easley and Easley Welding at 660-626-3730. 

  • Published on Apr 5, 2016
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