How many times a day do you change the front attachment?

   / How many times a day do you change the front attachment? #21  
Maybe a couple times a month. Bucket for moving/loading manure or leveling dirt, bale spear for moving round bales.
 
   / How many times a day do you change the front attachment? #22  
Maybe once a week now that I have the grapple fork. It stays on most of the time
Today I cut and grappled 2 dead pines from the edge of the driveway and then switched to the bucket to haul and spread 2 loads of gravel on the muddy trail that leads to the drive shed.
 
   / How many times a day do you change the front attachment? #23  
I have two buckets (snow and regular), a grapple, forks, bale spear, and tree puller. I use the snow bucket the most and I will change between them often - the quick-attach makes my tractor extremely useful. I've used all of my FEL attachments on the same day on at least one occasion.

Then there is manure hauling. I only have one tractor so I have to load the manure spreader, drop the bucket, drop the counterweight, connect the manure spreader, spread, return, drop the spreader, pick up the bucket, pick up the counterweight, load and repeat! With the quick-attach on the bucket and 3pt it takes me less than 10 minutes a load to swap back and forth per load. I didn't get the manure hauled before the snow flew last fall so I had double the normal pile - 20 loads!
 
   / How many times a day do you change the front attachment? #24  
Then there is manure hauling. I only have one tractor so I have to load the manure spreader, drop the bucket, drop the counterweight, connect the manure spreader, spread, return, drop the spreader, pick up the bucket, pick up the counterweight, load and repeat!

We pull our spreader with our pickup. Wife drives, I load.
 
   / How many times a day do you change the front attachment? #25  
My pickup doesn't have a PTO. :)
 
   / How many times a day do you change the front attachment? #26  
Depends what I'm doing, I've a bucket, forks, and a grapple.. Bucket is whats usually on, but if I'm dropping a tree here comes the grapple to handle the logs and brush, and if I'm running my sawmill its the forks, moving logs or skids of lumber, or the take off bark slabs.. so it really depends.. usually at least 2..sometimes 3,4,5 or more even. I change my front implements more than my rear ones anytime!
 
   / How many times a day do you change the front attachment? #27  
I switch to the pallet forks and my bucket regularly. Once in a while I値l swap to the grapple. Then again to the hydraulic auger. Sure would be nice to have the hydraulic quick attach like offered on the Grand L or M62 loaders.

Could be some or all of the parts can be used on other QAs. In any case the parts diagram would be a good guide for fabrication.
 
   / How many times a day do you change the front attachment? #28  
Could be some or all of the parts can be used on other QAs. In any case the parts diagram would be a good guide for fabrication.
See my link a free posts back to my linear actuator based build. The OEM Kubota cylinder alone is over $800. I'll be into my new build on my L4060 about $350 or so using a random cylinder of appropriate stroke I found for $50 or so.

Really there isnt much to it. Cylinder or linear actuator & connect it to existing mount points with some longer bolts & bushings. Match the stroke length of you cylinder/actuator to the travel distance of the mount points. Then make a bracket to connect the cylinder to the bolts on the mount points.

I was using a 200lbs rated actuator if I recall, so despite not having the leverage of the manual handles the forces involved are still pretty low. I got the smallest hydraulic cylinder i could for my new build to minimize its strength & ability to break things if pins weren't aligned. I forget the size offhand, but 1 square inch of piston is 2,000-2,500lbs of force. Well beyond my previous 200lbs actuator. 20160910_192309.jpg20160821_143315.jpg
 
   / How many times a day do you change the front attachment? #29  
Be somewhat vigilant with a hydraulic coupler. My electric valve leaks ever so slightly, and I have lost my tool a couple of times, usually hanging on by the hoses. I have a spring loaded toggle switch with one of those red spring loaded safety covers to switch the thing. If using the AUX circuit a lot, every now and then, I will give the switch a flick and pull on the Aux Hyd Lever, just in case.

Just thinking about this over lunch. I think the leakage only occurs if i apply too much pressure because I have never found the coupler mid way.
 
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   / How many times a day do you change the front attachment? #30  
I made my own hydraulic operated QA from scratch several years ago. I have had a tool fall off but only because I forgot to cycle the cylinders to push the locking pins in. Otherwise 100% reliable and simple to use.
 
 
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