Home made loader

[warburtonplayer]

has anyone ever made one from sratch?

 

[blacksmith]

Check out my thread "Front tires for loader" under Search. I designed one for my 1976 Dayton GT Tractor. I used a 3D drawing software to design the loader. It has a quick disconnect bucket. Here is my loader without a bucket. I started making the bucket this week. If I can help you let me know.

 

[Morkai]

NICE blacksmith! Industrial Strength...

I built one for my GT2544 Cub, not quite that heavy duty, although it's more HD than the Johnny Bucket model and attaches to the front of the frame without tractor mods. I didn't really layout design plans, other than my head. It does take a lot of fab and measuring, remeasuring, and mockup.

 

[Mith]

Blacksmith, you looked into making a grapple yet? I drew one up for my loader, but I think it'll be too heavy to do much...

I just finished this one a month ago or so.

 

[alchemysa]

Check out my thread "Front tires for loader" under Search. I designed one for my 1976 Dayton GT Tractor. I used a 3D drawing software to design the loader. It has a quick disconnect bucket. Here is my loader without a bucket. I started making the bucket this week. If I can help you let me know.

Very nice work Blacksmith . Great lift height for a little tractor. But may I make a couple of comments. I'm no engineer but the thing that strikes me is the sharp angle and relatively small brace in the middle of the arms. You'll have a lot of stress on this point. When you drive into a pile of rubble and hit a lump of concrete or a tree stump it will stop the tractor dead in its tracks. So the elbow and the lower section of the arms needs to be very strong. Also you should get a strong front guard on it to protect the radiator, lights, and pump. The nose of my tractor is often buried in bushes or trash that can hide all manner of sharp points.

 

[blacksmith]

Mith -- I want to build a grapple like the one I downloaded from the Net. It will be easyer and cheaper to get pipe or rod from my local salvage junk yard.
Your forks look great. How is the steering with the loader on the tractor? I want to get some power steering added to mine, but have not found any thing to use as yet.

alchemysa -- I will look into adding a gusset or two at that intersection. I was planning on adding a grill and pump guard.

 

[Renze]

Very nice work Blacksmith. I'm no engineer but the thing that strikes me is the sharp angle and relatively small brace in the middle of the arms. You'll have a lot of stress on this point.

I agree... even more when comparing the loader boom to the size of the cylinders used...

How much is your pressure relief valve set at ? The cylinders look quite big for your tractor.

 

[Mith]

The grapple design you posted looks lighter than what I came up with. I think if I made is strong enough to handle big logs I wouldnt have the capcity to lift them.
The steering is impossibly heavy with the biggest loads. I think thats becuase of the front tyres though, they pretty much rest on the rims with the big stuff. Need upgrading. Power steering is something I'd like, but its quite alot of money.

 

[blacksmith]

I'm using 2" cylinders x 16 stroke with my relief valve set at 500 psi. These cylinders are from a car carrier and are aluminum with 1 1/4 dia. rod. I have tested the cylinders at 750 psi. The frame is 3" square pipe with 3/16 wall.

I do not plan on lifting any large logs but only brush and branches with my grapple. I have the third valve attached and will have a quick disconnect on the boom for adding any cylinders in the future.

 

[sandman2234]

Just wondering if foam filling the tires would help in the overloaded tire problem with small loaders?
David from jax