Bucket hooks done

[RexB]

Thanks for your pictures of hooks welded onto the bucket, they'll be a critical help to topple/skid the trees and all sorts of chores. (the backhoe interferes too much with the drawbar hook too.) I lapped the endcaps, 1/4" mild steel that are welded onto the ends of the 4" channel iron, over the bucket sides. Figured the greater surface area of the lapjoint would be stronger (I hope that was right).

The channel is also butt welded to the two loader arm bracket plates o'course, and to to the bucket around the channel. That bucket is good hard steel! the durn' 1/4" mild was burning through first lol. I left the clevis of the grab hooks hanging over, they ought to be of use for hooking up a weird tow cable arrangement or something.

Looking forward to getting rid of more of these Aldertree-weeds










,
Tractor mods could get to be habit-forming

[Highbeam]

I almost lost faith in you until the third picture when I finally found the frosty beverage in a cozy. Hmmm, gold can, yard beer.

An AC stick welder too. Cool.

[RexB]

Yard beer Hah! That's the great MGD! as in the only thing I can afford. You're right, yard beer, don't miss it so much if it bounces out of the fender holder.

Now I've gotta' weld/bolt/strapbolt a good brush guard to that l'il frame in front. Expanded metal like on the dozer, but I don't want to uglify this new paint job doing it -- a thread here had a good pic of one but didn't show how it was attached...gotta' surf and ask.

[Highbeam]

"That's the great MGD! as in the only thing I can afford."

Hey now you and I have a lot in common. I actually have a hard time paying extra for the cans of MGD since the bottles are cheaper but the bottles are more of a pain if they break or bounce off the fender. I have strategically placed empty cans on branches and inside cutout tree trunks on my rural property. Like an easter egg hunt.

Another strange coincidence that we have in common is the dozer thing. I too owned a small old dozer before moving to a new Kioti. Weird.

Tractorlegend modified the Kioti brushguard and did a dang good job of it along with extra effort for a nice paint job. I ended up buying a Kioti guard after it was proven necessary doing loader work around trees and stumps. It really should be part of the loader package. It isn't that expensive to buy and gives a great base to start adding extras. The hood swings forward and up so any fabbed brushguard will need to stick forward a long ways.

[RexB]

Thanks for that info, I'll find TractorLegend's pics of his brushguard and lookit the Kioti's for sale too, like ya' say it's needed in the brush just like for the dozers. The tracks did our heavy work, now the wheels will keep it clear and clean. The woods is always trying to take it back :~)

That's a fine future tractor driver sitting in your dozer

Return pic, three generations of us, the youngun eventually got to pushing some dirt around.

[TractorLegend]

Originally Posted by RexB

Now I've gotta' weld/bolt/strapbolt a good brush guard to that l'il frame in front. Expanded metal like on the dozer, but I don't want to uglify this new paint job doing it -- a thread here had a good pic of one but didn't show how it was attached...gotta' surf and ask.

Heres one... wire feed welded and welds ground flat with disc sander

[RexB]

Clean edges on the tubeframe, good paint, very nicely done thanks for the pic.

We got some KA Washingtonians here.

[RedRocker]

Here's my grill guard, it's removeable if the need arises.

[Patches]

Nice looking job RexB, very similar to how I did mine, except I didn't cap the channel ends and I kept the three hooks inside of the loader arms;well actually the outside hooks are welded in line with the arms.I was afraid of possibly wracking the bucket,or worse(the arms) if I was a little careless rigging the chains if the outside hooks were at the extreme sides of the bucket, and the xs TLB 1231 loader has two torque tubes through the arms and welded.

[RexB]

Thanks Red Rocker, that removable grill is a nice fit and good idear

and Patches thanks. I wanted wide-set grab hooks for stability on longish logs and poles, if I screw up the load balance that much then on to a Woods FEL :~)