<font color=blue>the only problem I saw with this UHMW plastic is that it's not recommended for outdoor use, needs to be UV stabilized(?)</font color=blue>
I hadn't considered that. We did use it on our outside forklift and boom lift trucks with good results, however. If your loader gets any degree of regular use, I'd figure you'd wear through it more quickly than the UV would degrade it. I think we settled on it in part because of price and in part because it seemed to wear better than some of the alternatives.
If my memory is correct, and it is significantly cheaper, it may be worth trying UHMW first. It would let you check out and refine your design (shape, attatchment method, etc.) while you were testing how it held up to UV. If UV resistance is a factor, you could upgrade to a more expensive alternative, but at least you would have worked out some of the other bugs first.
Are you storing the tractor/loader inside or out? That may also affect how much of a factor UV is for you. If it;s stored inside, and gets used a couple hundred hours a year, that's not much UV exposure.
John Mc