kd5hnw
New member
My New Coldwater Front-End-Loader (FEL) experience.
Here is my 2 cents worth...
I wanted a new FEL for my Yanmar 2310. So after a lot of reading, blogging, questioning and honestly a lot listening about what to look for in FELs, I recently purchased a FEL online from Coldwater Tractors.
Ordering: Called and spoke with Henry many times before I ordered. When I finally decided to make the purchase he emailed me a PDF invoice for me to verify and approve.
Payment: Coldwater does not accept payment via credit card; only by Check or Bank Transfer. I opted for the Bank Transfer. Transferring money from my bank only cost $15.
This process scared the crapola out of me and I told Henry as much. He verified immediately when his bank acknowledged payment. I slept a little easier that night.
Shipping: Coldwater fabricated and shipped the unit within a week. I arranged for my own shipping. Coldwater packed the FEL on a pallet wrapped in plastic. I was extremely impressed how well and secure this packaging was done. It appeared that an engineer figured out the best way to ship the FEL. Nicely done! It arrived perfect! Henry sent me a picture of the unit on pallet before it left their dock. Weight was around 600lbs.
Delivery: The shipment arrived by truck in about a week. I had it shipped to my office/loading dock. I went back the next day with my S10 truck and small 5x8 utility trailer
Installation: What we got:
A wrapped up pallet containing:
Brace that fits under tractor
Brace that fits in front tractor
Brace adapter plates
All required nuts and bolts
All hydraulic lines pre-installed to FEL (except where connects to my tractor)
All hydraulic connections
Joystick controller
3 cylinders
5ft bucket (thick metal)
We used a hydraulic lift to remove the FEL pieces from the pallet. This is a very handy tool to have around. We un-wrapped the plastic wrap and removed all the packing wire. Once again, this was very well packed.
Everything was in perfect order. Hardest part was to get a mental picture of the end result never seeing this specific model installed. A little trial and error and we had all the nuts and bolts done in a little under 2 hours. Installation was actually very easy.
The next task was to connect the hydraulics.... the pre-connected controller had no markings (we found) for pressure in or out. We winged it and guessed the right line off the controller box was the pressure in connection. Made the cut on tractors hydraulic line and install the new ends. All the standard connections came on the lines. I like the fact that I could go to Napa or any local hydraulic shop and replace any of the connections or lines if I ever needed to. There appears to be nothing proprietary here. Checked the hydraulic fluid level and it was perfect. Started up the tractor and let it sit for a minute or two, then we raised and lowered the still connected box-blade, no worries, then hesitantly tried the FEL... wow, up it went, then down, then up... slow at first, then curled in, then out, up and down... a little sluggish, but responsive.
Turned off the tractor and checked the hydraulic level again. It was pretty low so we added 2 quarts of hydraulic fluid. Started the tractor and worked the FEL and box-blade a little more. The attachments were smoother and more responsive. Turned off tractor and checked fluid again. Right on the money!
Lastly, we secured the new hydraulic lines to the FEL frame with a couple of zip-ties.
Impressed so far - time to try it out - drove over to a pile of dirt and after couple of little rookie maneuvers, picked up and unloaded a couple large loads. Worked like a charm. May even sell my shovels (ok, not really). The front tires may need to be replaced soon (currently 6 ply) to a more substantial tire.
Final Thoughts:
I am definitely happy with this purchase. This FEL was the most expensive (and my wife hopes the last) and largest item we have ever purchased online and Coldwater made the process smooth.
Would I but from Coldwater again? - Yep !
Would I recommend Coldwater FELs to a friend? - Absolutely!
Suggestions for Coldwater? - include instructions with shipped units to end users. The unit was pretty self-explanatory once ya studied it, just would be nice to have a reference. (I made the suggestion to Coldwater and they are considering including instructions and pics in the future)
FYI - I am in no way affiliated with Coldwater Tractors, I am an end home user with a little acreage in North Central Alabama.
Reference:
Coldwater Tractors, Inc.
274 Dekay Rd
Hoquiam, WA 98550
(360)533-2160
Coldwatertractors.com
hope this help someone
73s - kd5hnw (aka james)
Here is my 2 cents worth...
I wanted a new FEL for my Yanmar 2310. So after a lot of reading, blogging, questioning and honestly a lot listening about what to look for in FELs, I recently purchased a FEL online from Coldwater Tractors.
Ordering: Called and spoke with Henry many times before I ordered. When I finally decided to make the purchase he emailed me a PDF invoice for me to verify and approve.
Payment: Coldwater does not accept payment via credit card; only by Check or Bank Transfer. I opted for the Bank Transfer. Transferring money from my bank only cost $15.
This process scared the crapola out of me and I told Henry as much. He verified immediately when his bank acknowledged payment. I slept a little easier that night.
Shipping: Coldwater fabricated and shipped the unit within a week. I arranged for my own shipping. Coldwater packed the FEL on a pallet wrapped in plastic. I was extremely impressed how well and secure this packaging was done. It appeared that an engineer figured out the best way to ship the FEL. Nicely done! It arrived perfect! Henry sent me a picture of the unit on pallet before it left their dock. Weight was around 600lbs.
Delivery: The shipment arrived by truck in about a week. I had it shipped to my office/loading dock. I went back the next day with my S10 truck and small 5x8 utility trailer
Installation: What we got:
A wrapped up pallet containing:
Brace that fits under tractor
Brace that fits in front tractor
Brace adapter plates
All required nuts and bolts
All hydraulic lines pre-installed to FEL (except where connects to my tractor)
All hydraulic connections
Joystick controller
3 cylinders
5ft bucket (thick metal)
We used a hydraulic lift to remove the FEL pieces from the pallet. This is a very handy tool to have around. We un-wrapped the plastic wrap and removed all the packing wire. Once again, this was very well packed.
Everything was in perfect order. Hardest part was to get a mental picture of the end result never seeing this specific model installed. A little trial and error and we had all the nuts and bolts done in a little under 2 hours. Installation was actually very easy.
The next task was to connect the hydraulics.... the pre-connected controller had no markings (we found) for pressure in or out. We winged it and guessed the right line off the controller box was the pressure in connection. Made the cut on tractors hydraulic line and install the new ends. All the standard connections came on the lines. I like the fact that I could go to Napa or any local hydraulic shop and replace any of the connections or lines if I ever needed to. There appears to be nothing proprietary here. Checked the hydraulic fluid level and it was perfect. Started up the tractor and let it sit for a minute or two, then we raised and lowered the still connected box-blade, no worries, then hesitantly tried the FEL... wow, up it went, then down, then up... slow at first, then curled in, then out, up and down... a little sluggish, but responsive.
Turned off the tractor and checked the hydraulic level again. It was pretty low so we added 2 quarts of hydraulic fluid. Started the tractor and worked the FEL and box-blade a little more. The attachments were smoother and more responsive. Turned off tractor and checked fluid again. Right on the money!
Lastly, we secured the new hydraulic lines to the FEL frame with a couple of zip-ties.
Impressed so far - time to try it out - drove over to a pile of dirt and after couple of little rookie maneuvers, picked up and unloaded a couple large loads. Worked like a charm. May even sell my shovels (ok, not really). The front tires may need to be replaced soon (currently 6 ply) to a more substantial tire.
Final Thoughts:
I am definitely happy with this purchase. This FEL was the most expensive (and my wife hopes the last) and largest item we have ever purchased online and Coldwater made the process smooth.
Would I but from Coldwater again? - Yep !
Would I recommend Coldwater FELs to a friend? - Absolutely!
Suggestions for Coldwater? - include instructions with shipped units to end users. The unit was pretty self-explanatory once ya studied it, just would be nice to have a reference. (I made the suggestion to Coldwater and they are considering including instructions and pics in the future)
FYI - I am in no way affiliated with Coldwater Tractors, I am an end home user with a little acreage in North Central Alabama.
Reference:
Coldwater Tractors, Inc.
274 Dekay Rd
Hoquiam, WA 98550
(360)533-2160
Coldwatertractors.com
hope this help someone
73s - kd5hnw (aka james)
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