Loader Don't let this happen to you.

[heviduty]

Protect the grille but weaken the loader mounting setup so all the really expensive stuff behind the grille is overstressed. Yup. Some really great thinking went into that "improvement". Even if all it's used for is loading mulch, I'd worry that over time that's going to fatigue the loader brackets or the engine block itself and cause a serious failure. Maybe someone could fab up something similar to the factory side frames to mate up with your mega-grill guard. That would have to be less than trying to buy everything you'd need to bring it back to the OEM Kubota setup, if that's even possible.

Grandad4,
I agree. Next time I go to my FIL's we will mull over ideas for how best to brace the loader to the grille. Thanks again for the heads up about the missing side frame braces.

Also, it is good to see all the posts about guys checking loader and wheel torque.

 

[EE_Bota]

I bet he DID get 'em right! Both of my sons out weigh me and tower above me. Wonderful to have a torque son when you need him!!

That's funny and true too!

 

[graydog111]

.......... Keep a check on your fel mounting bolts along with your wheel bolts and tighten them to the proper torque.

.
Very good advice. I wish you would have printed this 2 years ago. I was mowing with my 1950 JD B. I had the rear wheels extended all the way out on the axles and one scooted off the axle. Nothing was hurt, but it was very alarming. I had to get the neighbor to bring his tractor & front end loader over and help put the wheel back on. I do check & torque bolts better now.

 

[lew61]

Another thing to check: I recently had a zerk on my FEL break at around 25 hours (Newbie!). Once I got the stub out and replaced, recalling this thread, I checked the remaining fifteen zerks on the fel and found that half were loose. Wish I'd checked them at delivery - it would most likely have prevented my breaking one. :mur:

 

[almost13ranch]

Cast iron will drill pretty easily. Did you get an insert tool for the helicoils? The nicer insert tools will compress the helicoil just a little which helps make it go in easier. Once it's free of the insert tool the helicoil will expand. We use lots of them at work in Aluminum. Any place a bolt needs to be removed we put them in so the threads in the Aluminum don't get damaged. I have used lock-tite to hold helicoils in place but I would not use it on a bolt going into a helicoil. If you do and ever need to remove the bolt you'll most likely have the helicoil try and come out with the bolt.

Here's some thing you could try. After you use loctite and get the helicoil in, lube the bolt threads with a light coat of oil. The loctite won't stick to the oil.

 

[heviduty]

Grandad4,
I agree. Next time I go to my FIL's we will mull over ideas for how best to brace the loader to the grille. Thanks again for the heads up about the missing side frame braces.

Also, it is good to see all the posts about guys checking loader and wheel torque.

Went to the FIL's Sunday and discovered the loader is a LB552, which doesn't come with side braces. I never really paid attention to the loader model while I was working on it.

 

[Grandad4]

Went to the FIL's Sunday and discovered the loader is a LB552, which doesn't come with side braces. I never really paid attention to the loader model while I was working on it.

You've probably figured this out already, but that's still something of a "mixed-breed" setup from what I can determine. The correct loader for a deluxe "Grand L" 4310 would have been the LA682, as previously discussed, which had that diagonal brace. The LB552 was for the L4300, a standard L model in production at about the same time, that had no such reinforcement. For whatever reason, your FIL's tractor got the wrong loader, either when new from the dealer or added later since it "could" be made to fit on that tractor.

However there's more to this. On the L4300, the FEL bracket was attached to the tractor with 6 bolts, not 4, using those two extra holes toward the front axle, which are shown in one of your photos. Both models of tractors had the same basic V2203 Kubota engine, but the engine casting in an L4310 like your FIL's apparently does not have matching threaded holes for those other two bolts. So, by installing the wrong FEL, that tractor is a weaker setup than it should be. It only has 4 bolts on the bracket instead of 6, and it has no diagonal brace to make up for only having 4 bolts.

The FEL is a country mile better than it was thanks to your thread repair. The FEL is probably fine for careful use and light loads, but I would avoid working it to full capacity without some kind of additional reinforcement.

And it's a lesson to us all about periodically checking the tightness of everything on our tractors!

 

[heviduty]

I noticed when I looked up the LB552 on the Kubota website that it was for the L4300. It is definitely buyer beware with used anything nowadays. I wasn't with him when he bought this from the local dealer, and even if I had been I wouldn't have thought to check that the loader was correct for the tractor.

Thanks for the information, Grandad4. It would be nice if he could relegate it to loading only mulch, but that's not the case. Hope it holds up.

 

[Bladehauler]

since it's not the correct fel for the tractor and only has 8 bolts holding it on, I would definitely work on making some plates to tie the 2 forward holes on each side to structural mounts on the engine and add diagonal braces from the top of the loader frame to the front of the tractor.

 

[heviduty]

since it's not the correct fel for the tractor and only has 8 bolts holding it on, I would definitely work on making some plates to tie the 2 forward holes on each side to structural mounts on the engine and add diagonal braces from the top of the loader frame to the front of the tractor.

You can't see it in any of the pictures but the loader frame does have braces extending back and bolted under the axle. I agree a diagonal from top to front would help tame the torque.