Dirt Scoop/boom pole? (aka 3 pt bucket, slip scoop...)

[3gun]

A FEL will do more than a boom, rear blade, and scoop combined and do it easier. Even before I got a FEL I sold a 5' rear blade, boom, and scoop. Good riddance.

The fact that an FEL is a wonderful versatile implement, well worth the money (if you have the money) is not in dispute.

My boom pole and scoop cost 1/10 what a FEL would, and get the job done, I would like an FEL but I do not NEED one, and I can not justify the cost, YMMV.

 

[Ken45101]

A FEL will do more than a boom, rear blade, and scoop combined and do it easier. Even before I got a FEL I sold a 5' rear blade, boom, and scoop. Good riddance.

No. A FEL will do different things than a rear blade. You certainly cannot dig a trench or hillside trail with a FEL.

In my experience, a rear scoop does a better job of digging hard clay than an FEL. (A backhoe or excavator does it even better.)

Ken

 

[lake rat]

Hey All,
Just acquired a 30" for my early 80's Kubota B7100D 4x4. Had to spend <$10 for 7/8" x 5.25" adustable draw bar pins, but am happy with the larger pay load vs 24" scoop. Also picked up a Harbor Freight 3 pt Quick hitch. - Jury is still out on that one. Need to play with set up and adjustments for the top link, pto, etc.
DEFINTELY need to build the removable front weight ballast system to get better use of my machines. Box blade (@ 435lbs. + quick hitch at about 75lbs) has left me without steering til I get some front weight on board.
Again, thanks for making this such a great resource.

 

[jas67]

Hi All, (What a Great Forum.)

I'd like the skinny on dirt buckets & boom poles.

I have an older, but solid Kubota B7100D 4x4 (16.5/12 hp) with 5' scraper blade, 4' brush hog & 4' finish mower. All came as a package.

While a FEL would be nice ... lift stuff w/ a boom. I don't mind taking small bites to get the job done with less than ideal solutions where the cost is 1/10 for the scoop and boom as compared to the FEL, but I don't want to throw $ down the rat hole either.

greater KC, KS to support my

"From 5 a.m. to 'bout noon I play farmer, After that my favorite attachments are a boat w/ boobs aboard and beer cooler."

I like your schedule too!

Like others have said, both tools will do the job they are designed for, and in some cases, better than front loader, but in most cases, not as well.

This latter comment is especially true for the B7100. The B7100 is a VERY capable little tractor, I know, I've owned two of them. BUT, the 3PH is quite limited in its lift capability, even compared to some other tractors of similar size. It is rated for 400 lbs. at 24" back from the pivots. My 2nd B7100 could actually lift about 550-600 LBS 18" back (load centered on a 36" pallet on a 3PH carry-all). A boom pole puts the load much futher back (like 6'), and the geometry of it (vs. a normal implement with a top link) give you about 3X more lift, and 3X less lift force at the end of the boom pole. You'll probably be limited to about 200 lbs at the end of the pole. This is still very useful, but about 40% of what B219 FEL on a B7100 can lift. One of the main reasons I sold my 2nd B7100 and got the B7610 was that I need more 3PH lift power (the B7610 is good for about 1300lbs at the pins, 1080lbs 24" back), for moving pallets of firewood, and other loads with the 3PH carry-all. I also got very frustrated using my PHD with the B7100, as it would get stuck very easily, and the B7100 didn't have enough lift power to get it back out.

The boom pole and dirt scoop are probably much more useful on the larger tractors of the era they came from (the Ford 8N was one of the smaller tractors of that time).

All that said, I would go ahead on get a boom pole and dirt scoop (esp. if you can get 'em cheaply used), and keep looking for either an FEL, or another B7100 with one. I've seen some older B7100's for sale this year with FEL for as little as $3200. You might be able to get a high-hours, or otherwise beat B7100 w/ FEL cheaply and move the FEL over to yours.

The B219 FEL that Kubota sold for early B7100's was also used on the B6100 (I don' t know if the subframe is different). Later B7100's used the 1630. My 2nd B7100 (and HST) had a Woods DuAl 145. The Woods was a very nice loader, with excellent lift power (680 lbs), and lift height (at 84", a full 15" higher than the LA352 on my B7610). If you (or a friend) have welding/fabrication skills, you could adapt a front loader from any other similar-sized tractor, or even build one.

Enjoy you B7100, and if you do get a FEL, fill the rear tires, and get a ballast box or weight.

 

[Ken45101]

Interesting point about the limited 3 pt lift capacity of the smaller tractors. I've only used the scoop and boom pole on the M4700 which has around 3000# lift capacity so I had not thought about the limited lift of smaller tractors.

I do know I was thinking of pulling the backhoe off my B21 and getting a bush hog for trail work, but the B21 is only rated to lift 300#, so I gave up on that idea.

Ken

 

[jas67]

Before you get a boom pole; if you need a PHD as well, many of those double as a boom pole. My Linebach Line PHD had a hook on the end, and could be used as a boom pole (just leave the PTO shaft and auger off).

Ken45101: I find it hard to believe that the B21 has only 300# 3PH lift capability.

Most of the B-series tractors starting with the Bxx50 series and newer had at least 800# lift.

Kubota had to compete with the others. The B-series sized Ford 1210 (pretty much the same size and HP as the B7100) had 800# or rear lift.

400# is plenty for any implement of the proper size for the B7100, it only becomes a limitation for using a rear carry-all, fork, or boom pole.

And, as Lake_Rat has discovered, if you don't have a FEL, you need weight on the front to put much weight on the 3PH. The FEL makes a good front weight, and it is easy to add more if needed

 

[Ken45101]

Ken45101: I find it hard to believe that the B21 has only 300# 3PH lift capability.

I over simplified a bit. The manual says 300# max for a mower, 400# for a tiller, 375# for a box blade, 350# for a rear blade. It's actually rated for 479# 24" behind the 3pt. The more I think about, the more confusing those different numbers become But 300# for a rotary cutter isn't much.

Ken

 

[sandman2234]

I don't agree with whistlepigs statement, but to each his own...

If I owned a dirt scoop, and purchased a FEL, I would still keep the scoop for moving dirt/rocks(which we don't have here), etc. You just about have to have something on the back end for weight, and why not use the scoop as it? All you have to do is load the scoop first, then the fel and then transport the payload to where your headed anyway. If you haul the scoop full every time you make a trip with the fel, how many trips are you going to save?
I rebuilt the bucket on a 30" with 3/16" plate, and then gave the 24" scoop I had to a friend. Both of us are happy with them.
David from jax