Building a Loader for a MF1215

[Iplayfarmer]

Well, I'm sure some of you saw this one coming. I am too much of a cheapskate to fork out twice what I paid for the tractor to put a loader on it. I've got a big head now from my experience building a hydraulic dump trailer, and now I'm going to build a front end loader for my Massey Ferguson 1215. If all goes well, I'll build a backhoe for it too.

Everyone was so helpful throughout the dump trailer build, and I just had to start this project out by posting here on TBN. I owe MossRoad big for his excellent example of how to post a project. Anyone who hasn't read his backhoe build should dedicate and afternoon to it. It's really pretty good.

I'm just in the planning stage and the accumulating junk stage. I've promised my wife that I will do a few projects around the house before I start work on the loader, but in the mean time I can plan, dream, and keep my eyes out for deals on materials.

There's a tractor and farm machinery wrecking yard about 20 miles away, and the guy that runs the place owes a few favors to a close friend of mine. I took said friend with me on Monday and picked up all the hydraulics that I'd need for both a backhoe and a front end loader.

I got the 5 spool valve and the 3 spool valve in the attached picture plus the 10 rams of various lengths and diameters all for $350. All are guaranteed to work.

I've been using google sketchup to do some initial modeling and figuring. (Thanks hazmat for recommending it to me clear back in September.) The second picture is a shot from sketchup of the loader as it is designed so far. I still plan on considering a load leveling system, and I've got the third spool on the valve to keep my options open for a grapple or something like it.

I'm just introducing the project right now. Be patient with me and I will post back with plenty of pictures, stories, lessons learned, and I'm sure lots of questions.

 

[blacksmith]

Nice start. I made one for my MTD 990 tractor. I made my bucket a quick disconnect type. Here is a sketch of the design and the actual brackets made from a cut down angle welded together. The main support tubing was 3.5" Square instead of 4". Here is my 3d drawing of the assembly. The finished loader. If you need any other information let me know. My cylinders are all 2" dia. and 16" stroke.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

Nice start. I made one for my MTD 990 tractor. I made my bucket a quick disconnect type. Here is a sketch of the design and the actual brackets made from a cut down angle welded together. The main support tubing was 3.5" Square instead of 4". Here is my 3d drawing of the assembly. The finished loader. If you need any other information let me know. My cylinders are all 2" dia. and 16" stroke.

Wow! You've got my plans beat by a mile. I love the detail.

What file type are these? I may want to pirate them.

 

[PAB_OH]

Wow! You've got my plans beat by a mile. I love the detail.

What file type are these? I may want to pirate them.

Looks like solidworks, AutoCad Inventor, or solidedge (surely not Pro/E??)

Nice models btw. Very nice loader!

 

[blacksmith]

I used AutoCad Inventor Pro. I'm a retired mechanical designer. Now I design things for myself.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

Here's my first question to the group regarding this project...

How should I clean out used hydraulic cylinders and valves? I got these used hydraulic parts for dirt cheap, and I want to make sure the cheap dirt doesn't end up in my tractor's hydraulic system.

I have a parts washer with stoddard solvent in it. Is it a good idea to use the stoddard solvent? Should I rig some system to run hydraulic fluid through all of these parts to flush them out before mounting anything to the tractor?

Any and all advice and input is appreciated.

 

[Renze]

How should I clean out used hydraulic cylinders and valves?

Here's how i do it, after cutting and rewelding a hydraulic cylinder to desired length:

I put a bucket half full of diesel, stick the cylinder into it with the oil port submerged, then yank the piston rod in and out untill the diesel starts to foam...

The opening on the top end near the piston rod ?? hmm.... never tried that end. Maybe you have a short piece of hydraulic hose to put into the bucket of diesel, as a suction line.

 

[Kernopelli]

I build my loader with the exception of the lift arms. Make sure the cylinder bore is appropriate for your hydraulic flow. It is tempting to put the biggest cylinders you can find on one but especially if you are only using the tractors hydraulics you may not have sufficient flow for bigger cylinders and the slower the loader will function. I love Baums calculators and have found them very useful.
Baum Hydraulics :: Spec Calculator

Tractordata.com lists Your MF 1215 at 4.8 GPM. My Mits is very similar to that and I used 2" lift cylinder (wanted 1 3/4" but couldn't find them for what I wanted to pay) and I certainly wouldn't have wanted to go any larger since its operational speed is just moderate so-to-say. I used 1 1/2" cylinders for the bucket and they work fine and are quite fast but would not have been stout enough as lift cylinders with my configuration.

I never used plans, I just bought the materials and built the sub frame on the tractor. Then uprights, shortened and narrowed the lift arms I had, then did the cylinder placement and control valve bracket and then mocked up a bucket using cardboard and used those pieces as templates for the plate steel I used to make the bucket. I basically just built it piece by piece as I went but it turned out very well over all and was the best thing I ever did. Bought all the metal at the scrap yard, ebay supplied a new CNH joystick control valve and 4 cylinders and Rural King was where I got hydraulic fittings and hoses, pins, bushings and collars. Ended up with about $450-$500 when it was all done.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

Here's how i do it, after cutting and rewelding a hydraulic cylinder to desired length:

I put a bucket half full of diesel, stick the cylinder into it with the oil port submerged, then yank the piston rod in and out untill the diesel starts to foam...

The opening on the top end near the piston rod ?? hmm.... never tried that end. Maybe you have a short piece of hydraulic hose to put into the bucket of diesel, as a suction line.

Funny coincidence... I just found a can of Diesel?/Kerosene? in the corner of the garage this weekend as I was cleaning up. That would be a great use for it.

After the diesel, do I need to get hyd. fluid into in pretty soon, or will the diesel lube and protect enough until I get the whole system put together?

 

[Grand_Pooba]

I used AutoCad Inventor Pro. I'm a retired mechanical designer. Now I design things for myself.

Nice model. I spotted the green/red/blue axis icon in the bottom left corner of your model so I knew it was inventor. I'm a mechanical designer with only 27 years til retirement I design lots of my own stuff...but don't have the time or money build any of it!

 

[Renze]

After the diesel, do I need to get hyd. fluid into in pretty soon, or will the diesel lube and protect enough until I get the whole system put together?

Thats why i allways use diesel: it doesnt bite anything else, and doesnt rust quite easily. And its easier to flush than thick oil.

When storing it for longer than a week, a squirt of oil after flushing them out, might be better than just diesel though...

 

[Iplayfarmer]

Just an update. As a semi-temporary fix, I'm pulling the loader from my old tractor to put on this new one. I'll still have to build a new sub-frame, but that will be a lot quicker than building a whole new loader.

Then, when I go to build the bigger better loader for it, I'll already have the subframe done.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

I'm back to active again on this thread. I'm hoping to take the few days I have off around New Year's to get a good head start on moving the loader over from my old tractor.

I had my first lucky break today when I got the hose I need to close the hydraulic system on my old tractor after I remove the loader. A brand new 12" hose with 3/8" NPT male ends cost me $1.49 plus tax at the local army surplus store.

Now I just have to figure out the best way to attach the hydraulics to the new tractor. On the old one the supply line is cut and the loader valve is plumbed in series...No power beyond or anything. Upstream goes into the valve block, downstream comes out of the valve block. I stopped by the massey dealer to see how they plumb the loaders for this tractor. They had some kind of a manifold block, but they didn't have any indication as to how the manifold block ties into the existing hydraulics.

Anyone have any input about these manifold blocks?

 

[Iplayfarmer]

Here are some pictures to help illustrate what I am talking about. The first two pictures are of the old tractor. On the new tractor, you can see that there is a fitting in the middle of the line. I would hope that there is some way to tie into this fitting without having to cut the lines.

 

[Renze]

Here are some pictures to help illustrate what I am talking about. The first two pictures are of the old tractor. On the new tractor, you can see that there is a fitting in the middle of the line. I would hope that there is some way to tie into this fitting without having to cut the lines.

You could just undo one end of the line, take this coupler loose, bend it a half inch out of line, attach two knees and then re-attach the other end of the line.
They can take that half inch bending, we did that too on our previous loader tractor, a 1964 Deutz D50...

 

[Iplayfarmer]

You could just undo one end of the line, take this coupler loose, bend it a half inch out of line, attach two knees and then re-attach the other end of the line.
They can take that half inch bending, we did that too on our previous loader tractor, a 1964 Deutz D50...

Are you saying to just move the two ends of the tractor's hydraulic line 1/2" to the side of each other? Or are you saying to actually put a bend in the line?

The idea to move the lines each 1/2" to opposite sides of each other makes a lot of sense. Then I could easily re-attach the hydraulic lines if I take the loader off ever.

 

[Renze]

The idea to move the lines each 1/2" to opposite sides of each other makes a lot of sense. Then I could easily re-attach the hydraulic lines if I take the loader off ever.

I think we're talking about the same thing here. We needed to undo one end of the line to move it back a little, because the bolted line couplers dont meet flush ends, but stick into each other. We took the one end off and reinstalled in a half inch offset (with a little tension, but thats ok) so that they will just pass along each other. Whenever the loader goes, we can easily reinstall as original.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

I think we're talking about the same thing here. We needed to undo one end of the line to move it back a little, because the bolted line couplers dont meet flush ends, but stick into each other. We took the one end off and reinstalled in a half inch offset (with a little tension, but thats ok) so that they will just pass along each other. Whenever the loader goes, we can easily reinstall as original.

So what kind of couplers are these, anyway? Where would I buy an adapter that goes from this kind of fitting to NPT?

 

[Renze]

So what kind of couplers are these, anyway? Where would I buy an adapter that goes from this kind of fitting to NPT?

I have no idea. Hydraulics is about the only branch of industry where metric, NPT and gas thread ?? are used kriss-cross without any logic... at least in Europe. Maybe in the USA the metric fittings arent used, which would reduce the possible options to two...

I allways take things apart, use some sort of fitting from my parts bin to see if this one is the same, so i can use it as an example. Then go to the dealership and order a hose to be crimped with "these fittings"

 

[Iplayfarmer]

Now all I need is a parts bin.