ovrszd
Epic Contributor
- Joined
- May 27, 2006
- Messages
- 33,499
- Location
- Missouri
- Tractor
- Kubota M9540, Ford 3910FWD, Ford 555A, JD2210
I assume your 1/4" flat bar is where I drew the black rectangles? I considered add some 1.5" by 1/4" square tubing under the bucket level indicators for added strength because I was planning on welding the grab hooks near the bucket level indicators instead of on the end like you did. What do you think?View attachment 299411View attachment 299412
Yeah, you've got the idea. I left a gap between the bars I added and the factory braces. You could leave that gap or fill it all in, wouldn't matter much.
As for your idea, I couldn't tell for sure how well the tubing fit the bucket shape. What additional bracing does is keep the top edge of the bucket from being distorted and to spread the force. The tubing will spread the force but if it's not welded to the top bucket edge it won't help with that situation. I also think you'd be adding material that isn't going to do you much good at all. By welding in a flat, you are creating a "square tube" using the three sides that are already there. I think you'd gain the most strength with the least material. But with that said,,,,, I'm a scrounger and tend to use what's on hand if possible. If you have the tubing and can get it welded in there to give support to the top lip of the bucket, go for it. Would save you the cost of purchasing flat bar.
As for hook location, I think you'd get along fine with your hooks there. I like mine at the ends to get as much separation as possible if trying to pick up a wide load. With hooks at the ends it's more important to have a center hook for other types of loads. If you mount your hooks where you displayed, you might not need a center hook. But again, with that said,,,, I use my center slip hook a lot.
The thing to remember is that the LA1353 loader has a very large lift capacity. You can distort your factory bucket very easily if you lift a load improperly. I never hook a heavy object on one of my bucket end hooks. I think the loader could easily twist the arms or at a minimum the bucket doing such a thing. I always distribute a heavy load across the bucket and try to center it as much as possible. That becomes even more critical if you have a grapple.