LS R4047 or R4041 Loader Removal?

[RKJeepXJ]

Anyone taken the loader off their 4047 or 4041? Any watch outs or gotchas? Like most things in the owners manual, the translation is suspect and not very clear. I'm assuming its done like most other compact tractor loaders which you can find videos of on youtube.

I don't have a paved or perfectly level pad to take it off on. I have a 18' wide graveled area under my carport that has a 8" drop from left to right. Is that level enough to take it off? Looks to me like its more about the tractor and loader being on the same plane, not neccesarily level ground.

 

[boomer632]

There was some discussion on this a while ago. Take my advice from experience... Make sure the ground is level. You may get it off but getting it back on will take you about an hour and probably cost you a loader stand leg or two. Like I said..speaking from experience.

 

[Guesseral]

Level is relative, what you are talking is to far out of level, dead level is great but levelish will work. What is ish well that is close. Especially for the first time or first few times after that you will have a better feel as to what is required but as close as you can to begin with. They are easy to take off and on the more times you do it the easier it gets just take your time and remember exactly how it came off that is unless you know you did something wrong then forget that. The first time I took mine off and had everything disconnected I just reinstalled it right back on the tractor before I even drove away just to make sure I understood the process. Didn't they show you how to take the loader off at the dealers or when they delivered it? My dealer took me right back into the back room and showed me exactly how to do it and them reversed the process before I even loaded it on my trailer. Make sure if the dealer didn't mark the hydraulic hoses that you do so you can reconnect them in the proper order. The easiest way to do that is with 4 different colors of tape make one pair red one pair blue and so on, on both sides then connect red to red and blue to blue....... when reinstalling it. One of the biggest problems with removing the loader is with the pressure in the hydraulic hoses, no matter how well you bleed off the pressure before you remove the hoses the sun or warm temperatures creates pressure so you may have to open a hose fitting and relieve pressure before you can connect the hoses. I have my loader off all of the time I just can't stand to have it on when I don't need it, it just gets in the way and seems wrong to have it on somehow.

 

[rocknrod]

Never could get mine off using the description in the manual. So here's what works for me:
Turn the bucket face down, put it on the ground. Now you can remove the pins and pull the tractor away a bit. Then unhook the hydraulics.
Reverse order to install.
I put two short pieces of 4x4 under the front of the bucket during install though, made it much easier.
Never have to use the little legs either.
It works every time I do it.

 

[RKJeepXJ]

I tried to remove it this weekend. Legs dug into the gravel some, but using the method in the manual and as described on a few youtube videos of other tractors, the curl function didn't have enough travel to lift out of the saddles, only lifted up about an inch so it would clear the mounting post notches. I figured I needed to set the bucket and legs up on blocks the get the height. I'll try the bucket curled down method first though, seems simple and would give the height needed.

 

[Guesseral]

My dealer showed me to use the raise function after unpinned and that pushed the tractor back and extended the arms and I don't have to curl at all till I reinstall it. Then when I reinstall it I drive up plug in the hoses use the curl to lower the arms down on the pins and then use the down function to pull the tractor forward. It works great. I mean you need to pay attention some time the arms ride up and you need to curl a little more as you go but it isn't brain surgery.

 

[bruceatlam]

I tried to remove it this weekend. Legs dug into the gravel some, but using the method in the manual and as described on a few youtube videos of other tractors, the curl function didn't have enough travel to lift out of the saddles, only lifted up about an inch so it would clear the mounting post notches. I figured I needed to set the bucket and legs up on blocks the get the height. I'll try the bucket curled down method first though, seems simple and would give the height needed.

It helps to put a nice piece of 2x6 under the loader support legs to keep the legs from digging in to anything other than asphalt or concrete.

As has been mentioned ---- once you have the pins out, use the curl up and the raise functions to lift the loader arms out of their cradle. To lower them back into their cradle use the curl down and lower functions to seat the arms back in their cradles.

And ---- it's a very good idea to do this two or three times in a row. Practice helps ---------