Homemade quick attach

[joshuabardwell]

I ordered the bushings from Bobcat today. They worked out to about $7 a pair. I need 6 pairs total--four for the loader side and two for the bucket side, so that worked out to just under $50. It's comparable to what DOM tubing would have cost, except zero fabrication on my end and I'm 100% guaranteed that they will be the right diameter.

I still need to fabricate the U-shaped cup at the top of the bucket-side of the adapter. I didn't think that trying to cobble it together from the bushings was the right choice, so I will probably still end up buying a foot of DOM tubing. I wish, wish, wish, I had access to a brake and the right dies to make a U-bend in a piece of 1/4" flat stock instead, but I don't see it happening. I have tried searching for metal fabrication shops near me, but I'm not searching for the right thing, because everything I find is on a way larger scale than what I'm doing. The places I find seem set up for doing huge jobs, not little one-offs like this.

 

[RBA50]

Try searching for 'Machine shop". They are usually geared to do small one-off jobs.

 

[CDN Farm Boy]

Often times, atleast up here, shops like you are looking for won't have a website. The local phone book or word of mouth is about the only way to find them.

 

[RBA50]

Yeah, phone book is more likely to list your local machine shop. Also, ask at auto parts places or your tractor dealer, they'll know where the local shop is.

 

[puckgrinder85]

I wanted to do the same thing but its a LOT easier to just slice a piece of DOM down the middle, this will make the two halves you need for the project. The DOM is very close tolerance and will fit the pin like a glove.

 

[joshuabardwell]

I wanted to do the same thing but its a LOT easier to just slice a piece of DOM down the middle, this will make the two halves you need for the project. The DOM is very close tolerance and will fit the pin like a glove.

If it comes to it, I will do that, but I suspect that I may be able to get the piece fabricated for similar cost to the DOM, and zero labor. On top of that, I am mildly concerned about the fitup of the joint between the DOM and the wall of the U. If that weld is not 100% smooth, then there will be a wear point that will be nigh-impossible to grind out due to the lack of clearance in the U. Flat stock put through a brake won't have that problem.

 

[puckgrinder85]

When I welded the DOM in I did it on the underside only. All heavy welds were on the outside only. The filler pieces i lightly welded in and I did one side, ground it smooth and did other and used a cutoff wheel to get into the mouth of the U to grind the filler piece to DOM joint. That weld was really just cosmetic more than anything, any maybe to keep it from rusting later on. All the welds but that one were accessible to a normal 3 inch die grinder sanding disc. I knew when it was ground out enough as the pin wouldnt fit in the DOM unless the weld wasnt obstructing it, a go no-go gauge as it were.

 

[Burtonbr]

I was thinking yesterday as the DOM is a bit expensive for the pin bosses, I think the pin bosses could be made from say 3/8" plate with a 1" hole bored in it and still perform as they should

 

[puckgrinder85]

Where are ya'll getting your prices from? I think I paid 30$ for a 3 foot piece and only used maybe a foot of it. By the time you drill holes and all that your time is worth more than that.

 

[Burtonbr]

Not that it is so expensive, but it is more than any other of the components I would need to finish. My local steel supplier only sells 20' sticks so that's not really an option though if I bought a 20' piece of some flat bar and rod for this project I would eventually use it on other projects.
At the online suppliers a 2' piece od DOM is $38 - 42 plus shipping. Not too expensive but I'm just a tightwad...