My Little Bolens Loader

   / My Little Bolens Loader #1  

Leejohn

Elite Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2007
Messages
4,036
Location
Doniphan, Mo.
Tractor
Kubota L4240, B7800 & BX2660
Just one of the things I have been making on the days when you don't feel like doing the things I should be doing.
Been playing with it for about 4 weeks off and on. Still have some welding to do on it and have to pull the tractor apart to get all the bolts in.
I'm going to use 1.5" Hyd. cyl. It would look better with 1" but haven't found any yet. The Bolens has Hyd on it but I'm going to put a small pump on the front of the eng. The pump on the Bolens also feeds the trans and don't want to cut it short. I'm not going to be able to get the Cyls right away because of cash flow.
The Bolens was a round tube frame and I made it sq frame. It still has the engine that came with it, I did put O.S. piston & rings in it. I run it a lot, most of the time everyday. My shop is away from the house and I use it to go to and from. Over look the rust and the dirt on the bolens it has to come all apart and well be painted then. Also maybe a new engine.

Lee
 
   / My Little Bolens Loader #2  
Looks great so far. Did you fab the bucket too?
 
   / My Little Bolens Loader #3  
Very nice fabrication.

And an interesting shop, too: I'll bet the Bolens, barber pole, shoeshine chair, and Evinrude are about the same vintage.
 
   / My Little Bolens Loader #4  
I like the tapered loader arms. How did you make them? Can you include a few more photos up close of these arms please? Thanks!
 
   / My Little Bolens Loader #5  
Does anybody wonder whether this tractor, with anything actually in the bucket, would just tip over if it was actually capable of lifting that load off the ground? A full load in that bucket is very far forwards of the front wheels from these pictures. At the very least, it seems quite unstable. I'd recommend a large breakfast before use, so as to maximize your butt.

I'd definitely want suitcase weights on the rear end. What is the weight of the tractor itself? It looks like a rather light model. Let me guess that the tractor itself is 500-600 pounds, a fair amount of which is in the engine itself, and that sits on top of the front axle. I'll guess the wheelbase on the tractor is a little over 4 feet, so we can look at the tractor as a point load that sits roughly 2 feet back from the front axle. Let me be charitable, and say the tractor is a 600 pound point load sitting back 2.5 feet from the front axle.

How about the bucket? This must weigh in near 250-300 pounds at least from the pictures, especially if it has any strength in those arms to lift. And the bucket sits just about the same distance in front of the front axle as the wheelbase of the tractor. So approximate the empty bucket assembly as a 250 pound load that sits 4.5 feet in front of the axle.

These two lever arms just barely balance each other, and if you have a few hundred extra pounds of load in the bucket, it will tip over immediately unless balanced by someone in the seat. As I said, this will be unstable unless that tractor is one heck of a lot heavier than it looks.

John
 
   / My Little Bolens Loader
  • Thread Starter
#6  
tlbuser, The bucket started out as a front blade off of a small tractor and I done the rest.

Jimgerken, The taped arm are made out of 1 X 2.750 X .125 rectangular tube and I took 2 of them cut to my arms length. Then cut from one corner to the other corner and that gave me 4 wedges that I welded on the bottom of each arm. Just had to go slow with the welding.

Farmerford, yes thay are somewhat the same vintage. The Bolens is a 1256 made in 1970. The barber chain is from the early 20's and the pole I have had it 28 years, was old when I got it. The # on it is 405 and about 10 years ago the Co. was still making them.

John, Yes I well need ballast for the back.. You are right about the wheel base at 4' and the weight of the tractor 500 to 600 lbs. If you look again at the engine, the front of the engine is in line with the front axle not over it.
The bucket is about 55 to 65 lbs. and the arms are 56 lbs. Can't always go by the picture. The bucket is set 2' in front of the axle and if go look at your tractor it"s scaled about right.
Right now it takes 174 lbs. to left the rearend up with no ballast and no one on the seat. The bucket is only about .400 of a yard or less. I'm not going to try any heavy work with it. If I need something like that I well eather use my B7800 or my L4240 what ever the job.
The biggest thing I'm going to have is trying to turn it. I guess that well call for some PS. Oh well what are toys for anyway?

Lee
 
   / My Little Bolens Loader #7  
Very nice loader fabrication. I like that you made it unhook like all the newer loaders with the 1 pin on each side. And you did a nice job on the bucket. You definately have some skills. Hope to see the finish product. How much are you estimating it to lift. Definately have to add quite a bit of weight to the rear end.
 
   / My Little Bolens Loader #8  
That's nice. These 1970's vintage garden tractors are a lot tougher than people give them credit for. I guess you've done quite a bit of fabrication in the past for this loader to look this good.
 
   / My Little Bolens Loader
  • Thread Starter
#9  
I'm not sure what it well lift for sure all I know it well lift 174 lbs. right now and if I get into the seat that adds 140lbs. so lets guess 275 lbs. with no ballast. It has a hyd 3 point that I put on it and I have a basket for it, can add weight as needed. The 1" cyls that I would like to use, that would be about it. If I only can get 1.5" cyls. that might be alittle over kill. More then likely that is what I well end up with, just have set the relief valve low.

Lee
 
   / My Little Bolens Loader #10  
It looks like an old bolens lawnmower without the mower. I like it. I have a 17hp john deere that I welded up a brush guard for. Was it needed? NO! but now I have a little impact bar on it as a tie down point and also a good jack point to change the blades. I really like this forum and All you guys are great.
 
 
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