Buying Advice 60" FEL bucket on B3200/B3300 is "light duty"??

[jim_wilson]

Just want to add a couple things before I stop offering my opinion on your shopping adventure.

When you priced the ATI SSQA, was the two grand price you were quoted after the credit for the factory Kubota bucket???? Back when I was shopping the dealer in Plaistow, the SSQA was a little over a grand more. Shooting from the hip, it was about $800 for the ATI TachAll, and $600 or so for the Woods HD 60" bucket. Your salesman should be deleting the Kubota bucket, or crediting the cost of it. When I was shopping, it was about $400. If your salesman is charging you for the pin on Kubota bucket you can't use, you should find a new salesman. I realize prices have gone up in the past few years, but $2000 to upgrade to the SSQA doesn't sound right.

May I ask how much the MyTractorTools set-up costs?

I don't think the Kubota quick attach is a bad design, nor is the John Deere set-up, nor is the TachNGo. The reason the universal skidsteer style quick attach is so great is................... well, it's universal. Literally every bucket manufacturer makes buckets, forks, rock buckets, trailer hitch recievers, etc, etc, etc, to fit. Need a skidsteer to 3 point adapter? No problem. Man lift basket? You name it, its available.

What if you upgrade to an L series in a couple years? (When you bought your BX, did you plan on upgrading an a couple years?) Can you use the Kubota QA on the L ? Can you use the MyTractorTools on an L ? Universal Skidsteer.......... no problem.

Also, my concern with a tiny manufacturers proprietary system such as the TachNGo....... what happens if they decide in two years that they are no longer profitable to make the system to only sell 20 sets per year ? It would then be scrap metal value.

Anyway..... the reason I'm so pro-SSQA, is because I feel that converting the loader on my B3030 over to skidsteer was the single best thing I have done to the tractor since I bought it. And..... even with the small weight penalty, It has never failed to lift a full (60") bucket of dirt.

I appreciate the comments - so don't stop ;-)

Believe me - I am pro SSQA, I spent a sizable amount of time researching the mini-skidsteer QA setup thinking I could possibly adapt one of those setups to my BX23. This was a few years back - before any of the QA solutions came out for the BX tractors.

I understand the versatility of the SSQA type quick connect. The biggest problem I have with it is the cost - and I may be exaggerating here because I don't remember exactly what he quoted me, but I recall it being $1800 to 2k. I just went and grabbed the quote sheet and the salesguy didn't write it down. My memory is going as I get older - in any case - it was significantly more expensive than the Kubota QA setup - which was like $275 if I remember correctly.

One of the reasons why I am contemplating the mytractortools setup is because he has integrated the versatility having the receiver in the QA piece - and he has that rock grapple setup that I really like.

If I was really being honest - I would say that I don't really like ANY of them all that much because I think they could ALL be a lot better. The Kubota setup moves the bucket out a few inches so it potentially leads to a loss of capabilty, the ATI setup does too, the mytractortools setup I think actually moves the bucket out the least.

Overall I would prefer an SSQA setup for the exact reasons you mentioned - it has the most versatility and compatibility

I found some good pics of the ATI SSQA for an LA403 loader here:

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...e/166594-ati-quick-attach-coupler-kubota.html

And if you look at the pics - my personal opinion is that there's a whole bunch of extra metal there.

Taking a close look at those pics I think an SSQA could be designed that basically only adds just a little bit more metal on the QA piece itself and also moves out the bucket minimally - like only a maybe a half inch or so.

Looking at all the options - I think what I may do is just order the tractor with the Kubota QA so I have something I can use right now. Then I will get a SSQA weld on plate and start taking a closer look at how the whole thing goes together - and possibly just weld up my own SSQA setup.

I'll have to dig out the SSQA specs somewhere or buy a plate and make some measurements - but I know the plates are available and the SSQA specs must be available somewhere.

I know what you mean about getting into a proprietary setup like the mytractortools solution - I've spent some time looking at some of the QA setups that have come out for BX's over the last few years - and a few of them already appear to be gone. The QA setup from mytractortools is $700 - a lot more money than the Kubota setup, but not as much as the ATI setup once you include the fact you've got to get a different bucket with the ATI setup.

I kept my BX for eight years - and honestly when I got it I never intended on getting another tractor. This year I guess I started really thinking about it because I still have a bunch of work to get done that will just go a lot faster with a bigger tractor. If the wife has her way - and I stay on this property - I will have absolutely no reason to ever get a bigger tractor.

I appreciate the input - I probably think this out too much - but I want to make sure I get the right setup for what I want to do.

 

[Carl_NH]

Jim,

I am one that does look at and try to assess every option and cost benefit asmost on TBN do this especially when upgrading - get it better" the second time as one has the wisdom, of experince.

This is the fun part IMO looking and evaluating and then buying. Working with all the new toys is fun too..

Are you having any liuck selling your BX yet?

Carl

 

[jim_wilson]

Jim,

I am one that does look at and try to assess every option and cost benefit asmost on TBN do this especially when upgrading - get it better" the second time as one has the wisdom, of experince.

This is the fun part IMO looking and evaluating and then buying. Working with all the new toys is fun too..

Are you having any liuck selling your BX yet?

Carl

I went and put a deposit down on B3200 this morning - with the 60" bucket. I'm going to get it with the Kubota quick attach - and then explore my options after that.

I haven't had any luck selling the BX yet - but I haven't really tried. There are a few things that need to be fixed on it. I want to do the maintenance that is due - etc. Once I do that - I will actively pursue selling it.

 

[1savoy]

Hey Jim,

I like your thinking about just getting the Kubota QA, so you have something to start using now. I would probably do the same if I was going the B3300 route. I have the spec's on the SSQA somewhere and will find them if you want. As far as changing later to SSQA it is very doable. I actually adapted an old Case loader I had to be a quick attach loader with Ebay John Deere brackets and then picked up an after market SSQA from a local Kubota dealer that would not fit any of their current equipment. I think I paid $100 for the SSQA. I then cut it down and adapted it to the Case loader. It worked great and cut out a lot of extra metal. I just fabricated my own mounting plates on the bucket and forks I built. It was way cheaper to make my own plates than to buy a pre-fab SSQA plate. Also, I think quite a bit lighter. You may find that the Kubota set up is all you need. Another good method, I think, is to use the JD quick attach. I had a friend looking at my SSQA and I told him to check out the JD setup. He ended up attaching all of his equipment with the JD stuff. You can buy the JD parts to attach to your equipment and almost everyone makes equipment (forks, buckets, root rakes, etc) with the JD mounts. They do not push the equipment out any further, are light, and very easy to adapt. Just a few thoughts. I will attach a few pictures of my home made stuff. Not as pretty as factory, but good enough for what I needed. Unfortunately I moved to Texas and sold everything before I got around to painting the old girl. The picture of the SSQA in white is the before. Yellow bucket was built from scratch in my little village two car garage. Tractor was used on a 10.5 acre lot I was working on to build a home. Picked up used forks on Ebay and built the rest from scratch. All surplus steel. Good luck in figuring out a plan. I always wrestle with the same decisions. I am glad the L3800 on the way already has the SSQA

 

[jim_wilson]

Hey Jim,

I like your thinking about just getting the Kubota QA, so you have something to start using now. I would probably do the same if I was going the B3300 route. I have the spec's on the SSQA somewhere and will find them if you want. As far as changing later to SSQA it is very doable. I actually adapted an old Case loader I had to be a quick attach loader with Ebay John Deere brackets and then picked up an after market SSQA from a local Kubota dealer that would not fit any of their current equipment. I think I paid $100 for the SSQA. I then cut it down and adapted it to the Case loader. It worked great and cut out a lot of extra metal. I just fabricated my own mounting plates on the bucket and forks I built. It was way cheaper to make my own plates than to buy a pre-fab SSQA plate. Also, I think quite a bit lighter. You may find that the Kubota set up is all you need. Another good method, I think, is to use the JD quick attach. I had a friend looking at my SSQA and I told him to check out the JD setup. He ended up attaching all of his equipment with the JD stuff. You can buy the JD parts to attach to your equipment and almost everyone makes equipment (forks, buckets, root rakes, etc) with the JD mounts. They do not push the equipment out any further, are light, and very easy to adapt. Just a few thoughts. I will attach a few pictures of my home made stuff. Not as pretty as factory, but good enough for what I needed. Unfortunately I moved to Texas and sold everything before I got around to painting the old girl. The picture of the SSQA in white is the before. Yellow bucket was built from scratch in my little village two car garage. Tractor was used on a 10.5 acre lot I was working on to build a home. Picked up used forks on Ebay and built the rest from scratch. All surplus steel. Good luck in figuring out a plan. I always wrestle with the same decisions. I am glad the L3800 on the way already has the SSQA

Nice job - that looks great. What you did is actually almost exactly what I was thinking of doing. If I compare your setup against the ATI setup - you've got minimal extra metal - and you haven't really moved the bucket out any further than the standard pin-on setup.

I bet more weight could be taken out of it without reducing it's strength at all by getting a hole saw and cutting some strategic placed holes.

You've got one cross bar - just like the Kubota setup does - whereas the ATI setup has two pretty beefy looking ones. All of that adds weight - and decreases capacity.

If you have the specs on the SSQA and could forward them to me that would be great. It would come in very useful when I get the welder going


Oh - and I have thought about the JD quick attach setup too - I've actually got some of the pieces hanging around somewhere here because I was experimenting with trying to adapt my BX23 FEL to use a JD setup. I think between the JD and the SSQA - I would go the SSQA route though - the JD setup is proprietary to them, even though it is very common, whereas the SSQA configuration is pretty much an industry standard.

 

[whistlepig]

I have the 60" bucket on my B7800. It does dirt work just fine. I think it would dig better with a 54" bucket. I also push snow with my FEL. I push more snow than dirt. I prefer the 60" bucket for pushing snow. If I were to have to do a lot of dirt work I would buy a tooth bar and keep the 60" bucket. That would be the best of both worlds for me.

 

[Ductape]

I bet more weight could be taken out of it without reducing it's strength at all by getting a hole saw and cutting some strategic placed holes.

You've got one cross bar - just like the Kubota setup does - whereas the ATI setup has two pretty beefy looking ones. All of that adds weight - and decreases capacity.

Haha....... great minds think alike. Mine does put the bucket out a bit more, since the SSQA I bought for my tractor was somewhat of a 'universal fit'. I lightened mine up with a holesaw also (plus some drill bits). Still..... adding the SSQA was the best thing I've done to my tractor.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/customization/140902-adapting-skidsteer-qa-my-kubota.html

 

[whistlepig]

Its all about sprung weight and unsprung weight. Anything above the axle.

 

[1savoy]

Hi Jim,

Thanks for the compliments. Yes, the parts I made could have been lightened up further. I think sometimes you get close to ending a project and just want to finish it up. The forks and grapple were also probably quite a bit heavier than they needed to be. Most of the steel that I used for that was a freebie. Sometimes it takes longer than it should to build something when you have a limited quantity of material to make what you want. Anyway I will stop rabbling and here are the spec's I had for the SSQA. Let me know if you need any more info. I have saved various pictures of mounts over the years. I looked at the ATI site again and their bracket did not look too heavy. I attached a picture I had of the ATI. I will have to look on site here to see if someone has posted one on the B3300 loader. I think the steel may be fairly thin wall, helping to reduce weight. I also attached a couple of pictures of a bucket with SSQA bracket that were quite minimal as far as adding weight. A local New Holland dealer was clearing out a bunch of buckets. I should have bought a couple. Prices were good. Good luck and take care.

 

[jeff9366]

I purchased a Kubota B3300SU in February 2012.
This package came with Kubota's L504 Loader with 54" bucket.
The outside width of the tractor + tires is 54".

I use this rig for keeping up trails and improving access in a forty acre heavily wooded, brushy area. Maneuverability was and remains an important issue.

The bucket has Ken's Bolt-On-Grab-Hooks installed in line with the hydraulic cylinders. The factory bucket + 5/16" chains + bucket hooks have been used a lot to pull old logs, well settled into Florida loam, out of the dirt prior to backing up and using a Hanging Tree attached to the 3-Pt hitch to skid these partly decayed logs to the burn pile. The entire tractor setup has been solid and given no trouble.

Ken's Bolt On Grab Hooks

When it comes time to dig out living trees I use a clamp-on Bucket Solutions Bucket Spade, rather than digging with the bucket. This is a good tool; 100 pounds. The spade takes out everything up to 4", roots and all, in just a minute, again in Florida sandy-loam with minimal rocks. This small stuff is chipped with a Wallentstein BX42 PTO chipper and used on the trails.

Tractor Forks, Bucket Forks, Loader Forks

I recently purchased the well-reviewed Ratchet Rake from my local Tractor Supply for $299 plus tax. It is reputed to work well loosening up rocks. So far I have only used it to knock down and tear out brush, at which it is effective.

My advice: If you have a specialty need get whatever specialty tool is required. Do not count on the bucket to be a universal tool....it isn't. If you spring your bucket it will reduce your enjoyment of the whole tractor experience. Even a relatively small repair is more expensive than the correct implement to forestall damage.