Front mounted barrel attachment for tractor

Have a Woods 5000, 3-point mounted, chipper shredder that works very well. While I can easily just blow the chips out on the ground, they are a valuable resource for mulching in the right spots. I have a small 1 cubic yard cart, and a larger 5 cubic yard trailer that I use to collect chips when doing lots of chipping. They are not convenient to use for smaller jobs that are spread out over the property or on the trails through the woods. I want to mount a 55 gallon plastic barrel on the front to collect the chips.

Years ago I built an attachment to hold a 55 gallon barrel on the 3-point hitch. I use this for weed spraying when necessary and for a counter weight on a light tractor with a front loader. I decided to mount that attachment on the front. It was pretty easy to fabricate some brackets to accomplish this task. When originally built, I was not sure of the design so rather than weld, I bolted it all together. This would allow for adjustment and modification as required. (Someone on the forum has the signature line “If you can’t make it precise, make it adjustable”) .

Design requirements were; no modification to the tractor itself, original barrel mount still usable on the 3 point hitch, use materials on hand, easy to install and remove as required.

Attachment 46292

There are four good spots on the tractor that are designed for a front loader. In the front brackets fit under the hood and extend below. They replace a spacer that held the hood in position where it attaches to the heavy bracket bolted to the engine for front axle. In middle there are is a spot on each side where the loader would attach. Adapter plates were attached to those spots to make it quicker and easier to install and remove the barrel mount and bring the mounting holes up to the same height on both sides. As built the right side holes on the tractor are lower to allow for the hydraulic pump to be attached.

Attachment 46293 Attachment 46294

Adapters extend forward from the front brackets to the barrel mount.

Attachment 46295

The lift brackets on the barrel mount were moved to the lowest position to raise the mount as high as feasible while attached to the tractor. Washers account for the difference in width between tractor and the barrel mount. The nuts were turned down to serve as bushings for the 7/8” holes that were previously for original lift pins.

Attachment 46296

With the front bolts secured the mount will stay in position to allow fitting the braces. Braces have to miss the exhaust system on the left, battery on the right and the hood at the front..

Attachment 46297

Braces that run back to the adapter plates on the sides of of the tractor are made from thin wall rectangular tubing. Steel inserts to were added to prevent the bolts from crushing the tube.

Attachment 46298

The braces attach securely to to the adapter plates and the mount. Nuts were used as spacers to provide clearance between the braces and the sheet metal hood.

Attachment 46299

The top link attaching structure was removed and replaced with a single bar attached to the sides.

Attachment 46300

Chip collector will be fit on top of the barrel in this thread.

Attachment 46301