Front-End Loader Bolt on Bale Spear

[SuperCobra]

Stay away from the bolt-on. You WILL stress the FEL. (my cousin has ruined a couple of tilt cylinders) Plus, you can't see with the bucket in the way.

As several have already said, go to a quick attach system. You can get them after-market and relatively inexpensive.

Thanks for the explanation of why not to use the bolt on. I guess I figured that as long as I didn't exceed the lifting capacity of the loader or have it off center I was OK. I understand that the further out from the arms you get the lower the capacity was but I didn't think it would do damage. Should we not be using pallet forks then? That extends the weight a lot further out than the bucket. Serious question as I didn't realize this was an issue.

Mounted on the top of the bucket, my spear only extends 8-10" past where a quick attach spear would and visibility is not a problem. Do those extra inches make that big of a difference? Once I curl the bale I figure most of the weight is back up over the loader arms. I'm not familiar with how other people are bolting them on but I guess I can see where bolting them on the bottom of the bucket would put the center of gravity out another foot or so - but not that much further than if you have the same amount of weight on pallet forks, or like seen here, carrying a big log on the end of the bucket - am I asking for trouble?

 

[Bigfoot62]

Thanks for the explanation of why not to use the bolt on. I guess I figured that as long as I didn't exceed the lifting capacity of the loader or have it off center I was OK. I understand that the further out from the arms you get the lower the capacity was but I didn't think it would do damage. Should we not be using pallet forks then? That extends the weight a lot further out than the bucket. Serious question as I didn't realize this was an issue.

Mounted on the top of the bucket, my spear only extends 8-10" past where a quick attach spear would and visibility is not a problem. Do those extra inches make that big of a difference? Once I curl the bale I figure most of the weight is back up over the loader arms. I'm not familiar with how other people are bolting them on but I guess I can see where bolting them on the bottom of the bucket would put the center of gravity out another foot or so - but not that much further than if you have the same amount of weight on pallet forks, or like seen here, carrying a big log on the end of the bucket - am I asking for trouble?

If you understand the possible risks involved, and you still want to do it, that's your call. I've done it both ways, and I'll never go back to a bucket-mounted spear. Yes, I do have bucket forks that I use occasionally. Most of the time, I only use them to carry off limbs when I'm trimming trees. Have I overloaded the FEL with them? Yep. Is it a good idea? I don't think so.
Granted, the bypass (relief) valve on a loader is supposed to let go before you damage a cylinder, but there's no guarantee.
You say that visibility is not an issue, but I parked a 1200# roll of hay on the hood of a truck because of lack of visibility. I admit it was with a much bigger tractor and a much larger bucket than what you have, but visibility IS a factor. Your spear mounts to the top of the bucket, rather than the bottom. I've never used one like that and it's probably better, but you still can't see through the bucket.

 

[Sterff]

I use the kind that slips over the cutting edge of the bucket. I have a hook welded on the bucket and use a binder to tighten the whole assembly.