The Coolest TOOL I've ever BUILT - Scrapyard I-Beam

I picked up a HUGE I beam and wanted to make a scraper blade for the excavator. I have to say I really enjoy the results and will be using it all over the property. This blade will make hard-to-reach places easer to maintain and create.

[@docproc8508]

What an imaginative mind Mark has. That, yet again, makes my soul smile. Repurposing and turning from what it was into what you need. Awesome job. 😎

[@maryricketts8526]

Boy, you were certainly in your happy place. Huge grin on your face was neat.

[@jakobrebeki]

I remember when you got that beam at the scrapyard and I asked what you had in mind for it. Yep, that's one hell of a cool scrapper. Thanks Mark....

[@coffee8866]

Outstanding, seeing you make this reminded me of my father doing something kind of similar. He welded 3 rebar together into a triangle and then welded onto his I Beam, I think he did 10 sets, each rebar cluster if you will, is around 18 inches in length which left him around 10 inches to penetrate the land, he go's around using it to dig up old stumps, breaking up the ground, heck he used it this year to replow his garden earlier this March. 82 years old and you would think he's in his early 50's. Great video!

[@djohns4u]

Great tool but it’s all about the operator!!!

[@pinkywilliams8063]

Great addition to your tools Marc. Thanks for sharing

[@keenansells3827]

I used a beam all the time but used the thumb and bucket to hold it the quick connect will make that so stable and handy

[@kenutton992]

Marc you are a wonder. i never get bored with your projects. keep up keeping up. 🎉 15:45

[@buzzadams7876]

As a demolition operator, before retirement, we always grabbed an I-beam with our hydraulic thumb to clean debris off slabs and parking lots. It works much quicker than a skid steer and we just dropped it out of the thumb and had immediate access to the bucket again.

[@wallbawden5511]

Nice one not the first to think of it but yet another tool in the Box will make levelling ground way easier cheers

[@MountainMapleRanch]

Absolutely..! I've seen it once or twice in an obscure application and was IMMEDIATELY inspired. I've been waiting to build this tool for 2 months now... :)

[@firstname6208]

I want to build something similar for my stand on mini skid. I have a land plane but I don't want to bend it on hard rocky ground. This may be the ticket.

[@MusicList-rl9yu]

You sir are a creative genius. Whoa! The junk yard visit findings- I thought can't wait to see what he has in mind for them. Great job!

[@DoubleTap40]

Yep, you gotta get a Rototilt coupler at the next auction! 😎

[@edwardseth1230]

add 4 pulling/tow hooks evenly.. so when and if you ever need.. or something breaks. the hooks can be used as a backup to tie chain or pulling tow sythetic straps and pull this monster tool.

[@rt3box6tx74]

A local farmer/inventor neighbor of ours hit the jackpot building 30 ft drag type land planes we all used back before we went to no-till and minimum till farming in a cotton, wheat and corn rotation. It was a neat piece of equipment until it became obsolete. You could level and pack the heck out of a build site all in one operation, but we really used on big acreage where there was plenty of room to turn around.

[@brucelarson5267]

when I buried cable for the phone company back in the late 70s we also used an I-beam to fill in our trenches and level the ground over a large area. As you know, it works great. Especially your soil , no clay.

[@sandracunningham2689]

I was excited when you said lets see what it can do. It was awesome taking the ruts out and leveling. When you take it out to play do not forget to take us along..

[@charlie-jl6tb]

originally when i built my one it was great for doing driveway preps and also spreading new metal

[@DonD532]

Cool tool Marc! Good thinking!

[@lvslordy]

Good morning from Las Vegas. Bless you guys.

[@dane9175]

You can do the same thing just using the i-beam and your bucket and thumb. The advantages you can change the angle of the eye beam. The second advantage is you don't have to change your bucket. I have also just picked up log it works out pinch. Good luck on your project

[@alanpurdy703]

Awesome tool .Once painted you'll see it better against the dirt .Well done .

[@DeirdreHickey-nx8nt]

The smile of satisfaction on your face Mark is well deserved. ❤️❤️❤️❤️👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@brandons9398]

What a fantastic attachment you made for your excavator. I was going to suggest what you told your wife you were going to do at the end of the video. We think a lot a like.😊

[@cameronsmith5786]

That is the coolest I-Beam sky scraper leveling tool I’ve ever seen!!! Great work Marc!!

[@leonardwalker8700]

Awesome Job

[@vaalrus]

After picking up a timber with the thumb of the excavator and raking with it, we then tried tying a beam on with chains and boomers, and eventually took a 12’ lenght of square tube, welded a blunt cutting edge on it, some tabs the width of the bucket, a bracket that the bucket teeth could sit into, then just bolted the ears to the bucket, it’s out most valuable tool on the excavator. Makes leveling gravel for a building subgrade, or the pad of a septic treatment mound so very simple. And just invaluable for landscaping.

[@dorothyallen3614]

Wowed by man’s great creativity! Humanity is power and most courageous species God ever created in the universes!❤

[@MountainMapleRanch]

I've used a timber and even (especially) a root ball to "rake" through the ground and clear the limbs and small debris. This is intended to "move some dirt" and make it flat... not necessarily level, but definitely flat. I don't have a rotating coupler but can do wonders with this thing. :)

[@vaalrus]

@@MountainMapleRanch Oh, you can certainly move a lot of dirt with it… To the point that while we do have a big chuck blade, 95% of the time the beam ‘blade” does everything.

[@moirasimmerson929]

Sir, you are remarkably inventive.

[@johnmcclelland5265]

Great work. You’ve given me food for thought. I’ve been thinking of an attachment for my mini digger but have been put off making a headstock. No quick coupler may be a bit of a problem.

[@MountainMapleRanch]

You can buy weld-on "bushings" to beef up the pin holes. Just find them for your pin size and you'll be good. It's a bit of a pain to pull pins in order to swap attachments but still better to have that process down rather than being stuck to 1 attachment. ;)

[@CCscott]

Wasn’t sure I’d be interested in this new channel but I was wrong! So enjoyable! Bravo. 👍🏼👍🏼

[@kevinwiley9696]

It was AWESOME to see the look on your face when you were done Marc!!!!!

[@hallenw]

Try it on the side of the hill as a tamper. Dang! Commented too soon!! 😂

[@bohammarberg4072]

Good morning!! 🌹🌹🌹🌹

[@suestraughan8505]

Mark, you are so creative. I don’t think there is anything you can’t do. So talented. Love your channel.

[@MountainMapleRanch]

Thanks so much 😊

[@selador11]

Good work! The guy who does our gravel road, uses the same size I-beam on our roads. Only he picks it up with the bucket and thumb and just uses it like you would use a scraper in your hand.

[@MountainMapleRanch]

That is all true but I simply wanted the exacting control over the beam... I could let gravity decide but I wanted to shape the dirt to my desires. ;)

[@selador11]

@@MountainMapleRanch Yup. Makes sense. And I am passing this on to the roads guy!

[@earlinemcgahen3931]

Oil miss all the fun construction tools we had

[@rt3box6tx74]

I'd terrace that slope before planting. It'd be a beautiful landscape flower garden like you see in Italy.

[@1944chevytruck]

WOW! LOTS GETTING DONE!... GOOD JOB EVERYONE!

[@zfilmmaker]

I built something similar but out of a pipe to smooth out muddy sections and man does it work well.

[@auntiesam8489]

Hi. Just found you todayJune 17. Spouse & I enjoyed your work & the music also. He is a novice welder w/ 4 welding units...but I do not know what types of welds they'd "do". He likes to build his own useful thingies. Have a blessed day.

[@MountainMapleRanch]

That is so wonderful. I am so glad to have you guys on board.:)

[@trainchasersatwork]

One man’s trash, another man’s tools! Enjoyed watching! 😀👍❤️🚂💨💨💨💨💨🚙

[@hombredeacero3131]

Awesome and of course COOL!

[@DeirdreHickey-nx8nt]

Once again the genius is at work. Very well done. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@lorenmeyer5290]

That worked so nice Mark! Awesome job!!

[@1timby]

Wrangler Star uses a log or some lumber to do that. It seems to work well for him. Your idea should work better and last a lot longer.

[@seanthompson9519]

I had an old 12’ grader mold board on a wrist for a cat 320.thing was awesome for landscaping

[@kencorsell8087]

You should think about adding a level to your I-beam blade for a reference when trying to repeat a slope

[@Bernie5172]

thats an excellent project well done !

[@dorothyallen3614]

Great tool to use, things are coming along well ❤

[@foxglove8836]

That was a great big smile 🙂 Nice to see. great job. 🙂

[@dee73]

Nice job

[@michaelmartineau1373]

Awesome Mark great job 👍

[@robertbass5283]

Very cool idea Mark !

[@alanbierhoff6831]

That’s great! Maybe Santa will get you a tilt-rotator for Christmas With some big thick C channel, a 1” thick, square plate and few hundred more welding rods you could make a pile driver for posts. Like a T post driver on steroids lol Weld some chunks of H beam into an 18” square or cube and you’ve got a heck of a tamper/smasher Sorry, this video got my creative design juices flowing 😂

[@fridafelin]

Great tool! Wanna try it, too😂😂

[@MichaelJeffers75]

Tilt rotators have those, they're called a grading beam, and they also have a roller built into them on the trailing edge.

[@kpdvw]

The best fun to be had when you make your own toys, none of the plastic /beer can metal crap made in China.....!

[@grahamhardy1358]

Justva suggestion as I noticed that you had a pillar drill in your shop so it might have been easier using the hole saw on the drill bed surface

[@MountainMapleRanch]

It would have drilled better for sure but I already thought I would end up using the torch for the holes so I didn't bother. My thoughts were, "If the holesaw drills well, I'll use it... otherwise, I'll just torch it BECAUSE I'm going to weld the pins..."

[@toddincabo]

👍 necessity ... the mother of invention

[@donnburge9774]

I cut a log and grab it in the bucket and thumb, so I always have my bucket with me, here in Alaska

[@jeffheins6624]

I was wondering whether it would be made into a giant wood splitter, this will get as much use

[@manifold1476]

Ya need yer old drill with a cord on it. I've had good luck with holesaw cuts by slowly moving the drill in a *small* orbiting motion around the perpindicular. And a good spray of something on the cut.

[@duanemartin1383]

We repurposed an old mold board off a Cat 14 grader for the hoe. Cutting edges can be replaced rather than wearing out a hunk of I beam. For compacting, it needs to be wider or you’ll find yourself chasing your grade and pulling out your hair. Been there, done that. Excavator mounted roller drum works better for the smoothing and compacting part. Good on you tho for exploring your ingenuity side.

[@kennethalmond8922]

Really cool!

[@dennishill3463]

👍 thanks

[@timberdoodles4647]

A tiltrotator will change that machine into two machines. Well worth the investment.

[@user-ox3gf5jg9q]

You guys should get yourself some railroad ties. You can do a lot of Great projects with railroad ties and they last for a long long time. yeah, just an idea I thought I would throw that your way.! 💬😉

[@lorenzoconte227]

Just wonderingi notice-the shop has no siding. When is the timeline for the siding for the shop?

[@homerfantastic]

Sounds like a Fall project.

[@MountainMaplewithaSideofranch]

We have a couple more things to do and will be getting on the siding and the lean-to. If we are on track with all of our projects we hope to get to it in like hopefully (cross our fingers) 3 weeks.

[@lorenzoconte227]

@@MountainMaplewithaSideofranch cool good news 👍

[@josephohara7407]

If you have a metal worker buddy maybe you talk him or her into making a couple of iron worker figures a NYSC sign for your beam. You would be the Envy of the neighborhood

[@MountainMapleRanch]

Haha, that's not a bad idea.... If you know me, Ill do it myself or not... hahaha

[@karengarrett1606]

Sweet!!

[@lindamoore691]

Very cool ! 👏😀❤️

[@tillburn]

Mark as they say, "Overkill is under-rated". lol

[@deniseh8932]

excellent

[@billwatcher9321]

Ya, we've been using the I-beam leveler for the last 45 years. Works great.

[@oriwittmer]

You might find using the hydraulic thumb to grab a beam actually gives you a better job as it allows a small degree of movement up and down across the length of the beam. Akin to a built in tilt rotator. We've used grapples with beams to sculpt vast changes in grade with all our machines over the years. In the hands of a skilled operator theres little you cant do.

[@terrancesnyder9323]

Good afternoon

[@robertbarkey3194]

I had a very heavy I Beam n I used it to Drag my 20 acres n it worked Great n my was 11ft long n 2ft tall n I had 2 n I was going to put both on my 1ton truck but it was so heavy that I could only take 1 when I moved

[@thomasseeger2047]

Hey that's not an I-beam, it is called wide flange beam. I-beams taper on the flange, where as wide flange beams are the same thickness right to the web. Structural steel folks know the difference but most people never come across these and wouldn't know. Much respect and great idea!

[@monabale8263]

7:16; "Strategic Transfer of Equipment to Alternate Location..."

[@user-es6jt6eb7t]

Just Grab the Beam with a 4 + 3 Demolition Grab- which allows the beam to float a touch hence blend in and take the averages. Fixed Pin relies on the Machine being continously level

[@charlie-jl6tb]

so i built one of these back 7 years ago it worked great but to make it better it would be best having it so it bolts on to the tilt bucket then you can get a easyer grade

[@MountainMapleRanch]

I don't have any titling buckets or a tilting coupler. I do mention toward the end of the video, that I thought about building it with a tilt function but decided not to spend the extra money and time sourcing components.

[@davemiller1593]

Think I rather put up fence in the heat of the day instead of puttin that welding jacket on and doing some welding. Lol. Enjoyed the video.

[@sidewaysugoii]

I love my 308

[@lisforlifer]

👍👍

[@randybhuuu7uuhuuhoopesz288]

Yes not even done watching and I'm going to build one😂

[@curvebuster]

🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉😮

[@mortenmyhrmoen7592]

🇳🇴👍👍

[@kevinbaxter1571]

use your blade to tilt for now

[@chrischristenson4547]

why do you not use a plasma cutter

[@MountainMapleRanch]

I have one but it is a small unit with about 3/8" cut depth and proven to be so... 🤨 The grinder seemed the best tool but my plasma probably would have worked on this one.

[@kennethoblenesjr8493]

Nice, I bet it’s going to be copied

[@robbobcat7286]

Yesh I don’t think so

[@royamberg9177]

now to rest out your skill troweling concrete

[@HeyJoe1978]

Box blade on a tractor is a much better tool.

[@markchester7584]

Now stop playing and get on with that fencing.

[@sandyscats4]

You did the hard part, no sense not finishing easier. Practice makes Perfect. ❤👩‍🦳

[@MountainMaplewithaSideofranch]

Are you talking about the fence? When I was home the next day we got it stretched the next day. I will have a video on it tomorrow:) ~Ola