Ferguson bfo-a21 backblade help

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I bought a rough back blade or as Ferguson called it a utility blade with the wheel on the back to grade blades and make ditches. The lever to release the pin works but there is a short piece of flat stock with a pivot pin in the middle to release the blade lock pin. The flat stock is sheared at the pivot pin and the blade is locked into place. I can’t get the pin to retract and I can’t get the flat stock out to replace or weld. Any advice on releasing the pin or disassembly? Any insight would be great!

[Bob McCarty]

Can you post some pictures?

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Hope these come through well.

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The pull handle release is loose, the lever you see is loose and the pin wiggles left to right slightly but even with a custom wedge it won’t slide back.

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This is what it should/will look like.

[Jim Becker]

I assume you have been soaking most of it in penetrating oil.

Remove the 2 cross pins. The upper half of the flat part should come right out. The lower half may need a little encouragement, a crowbar between the top of it and the pivot should help. A punch against the back edge should shake it loose.

A big punch against the front of the lock pin might loosen it. A little use of a punch against the back side might even help shake things loose. If not, heat the heck out of the pin then let it cool. Add more penetrant. Looks like you can literally put a puddle of it in from the top where the flat part goes in. Repeat as needed.

Use the two pieces of the flat part as a pattern to make a new one.

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I assume you have been soaking most of it in penetrating oil.

Remove the 2 cross pins. The upper half of the flat part should come right out. The lower half may need a little encouragement, a crowbar between the top of it and the pivot should help. A punch against the back edge should shake it loose.

A big punch against the front of the lock pin might loosen it. A little use of a punch against the back side might even help shake things loose. If not, heat the heck out of the pin then let it cool. Add more penetrant. Looks like you can literally put a puddle of it in from the top where the flat part goes in. Repeat as needed.

Use the two pieces of the flat part as a pattern to make a new one.

This is exactly what I have been doing. For 3 days. 4 hours a day. I’ve used about 2 tanks of mapp gas (hot as I have) and 5 oz of kroil and tapping the point of the blade and the back. Not budging. I’ve puddled the kroil there. The flat stock on the top is no problem removing. Below the pivot pin is where I’m stumped. Obviously there is a pin there but I can’t see it or see how it’s even accessed.

[Jim Becker]

Have you removed the pin in your third picture? Once it is out, I assume all that is holding the flat piece is rust.

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Yes I took it out. I believe that there is another pin, like the top, that is holding it in.

[Jim Becker]

Even if there is, you should be able to get a little front-rear movement of it in the area of the now-removed pivot pin. Getting anything to move is usually a good step towards getting everything to move.

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That’s what I’m hoping. I can get that tab to move front to back like it is on a pivot point but no movement in and out. The next step is going to be taking the blade and pivot off (4 bolts and nuts) and get a good striking face instead of trying to take a small chisel to it. The last 4 bolts I took off (to take the wheel assembly off) 3 snapped so I hope they will come off easy. Been using penetrating oil for 2 weeks now.

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Got the manual for the “utility blade” and saw what needed to be done to pull it out. The actuator pin is still stuck in place but one more thing figured out. The other thing is the crank for the pitch adjustment is snapped and frozen in place. I can weld a new crank handle on but I’m not sure how it looks above the a frame. Here are some photos for reference for others here and future use.

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The arrow points to where the crank is broken. Not sure how that even originally was.