Using bucket as work platform.

[N80]

Thanks. Here's the finished product:

I do not like using the bucket as a work platform but it is so incredibly useful that I can't resist. I take a lot of precautions, warn the kids never to do like daddy does (which is hypocritical and probably useless but I at least explain to them why it can be dangerous so that they understand the risk involved). But I built that shed with just me, my 17 year old son and my wife. (My B-I-L helped with the roof...or I helped him anyway). I literally could not have built it without using the tractor. Its a calculated risk and I don't recommend anyone else do it....but man it was a big help!

 

[2manyrocks]

Going to jump off topic here for a sec...been storing my tractor since about 1993 in an open wall shed, and now my tires are getting really cracked. Think maybe I'd have been better off to put the tractor in the barn to keep the daylight off the tires?

 

[N80]

Going to jump off topic here for a sec...been storing my tractor since about 1993 in an open wall shed, and now my tires are getting really cracked. Think maybe I'd have been better off to put the tractor in the barn to keep the daylight off the tires?

2008 minus 1993 is 15 years. Fifteen years of UV exposure is going to be hard on any tire. But at the same time, I'd guess most 15 year old tires would have some cracking even if kept behind 4 walls, but I might be wrong about that...I'm not sure I've ever run into a 15 year old totally barn kept tractor.

Bottom line though, if you can keep it out of UV light, the tires...or maybe your new ones, will be better off.

 

[2manyrocks]

Thanks. Nice straight shed, too.

 

[J_J]

Some of you guys seem too critical about things that are done as usual. Yep, we know the safety police are around, but to tell us what ever is unsafe all the time, is blowing in the wind. I will bet that some of the same guys that harp on this safety stuff still speed 10 to 20 over the limit, and maybe drink too much while driving with their kids in the car, and also smoke while their kids are in a closed car, or house. If you were to compare the ratio of accidents of car drivers to accidents to tractor owners, you would have a wide disparity. I think that most of us do what we have to get the job done. , with what we have, and hope for the best. What are accidents. They are things that are not supposed to happen. Yes it does make one think when ever we hear of an accident, and silently say, I am glad that wasn't me. We all take chances, but that is what it is, just chance. Some people are more prone to accidents than others. That is just the way it is. I have had my share, Did I learn anything, maybe. One might take the same chance over and over. What does that mean, It might suggest that it is an acceptable risk that we are comfortable with.

 

[Richard]

A: who has had a loader suddenly "drop" fall or whatever on them or seen it first hand?

B: Who has had a loader hyd cylinder or hose fail?

I'm late to this thread since I've had log in issues... Anyways...

I was once working my 'hoe... (can I say that on a public forum? )

Turns out the hose that supported the boom failed WHILE I had the backhoe outstretched to do something. The hoe was extended straight out from the back of the machine.

It DID fall remarkably fast... much like dead weight. I can tell you I would NOT have wanted to be under it when it fell.... no warning and then WHUMP. It did NOT "bleed down" as one might have thought. It simply crumpled to the ground under the weight.

Now, as soon as I say that, I'm going to change gears a bit...because this has a single hose supplying the pressure (lift/support) side of the hoe. My loader has TWO hoses, one on each side.

In the conversation of a loader hose failing (never happened to me yet), I'd also wonder if the second hose wouldl't be enough to either hold the bucket up or at least, offer some sort of buffered resistence?

Only because of two hoses would I wonder this.... the backhoe with its single hose, was pretty sobering to witness.

 

[JB4310]

I'm guilty, never wanted to share this picture with TBN but since there's a 250 reply thread on the subject, why not. used it once for trimming branches.

 

[davitk]

I'm guilty, never wanted to share this picture with TBN but since there's a 250 reply thread on the subject, why not. used it once for trimming branches.

....and now that you did, may I recommend some decorative lattice-work?

 

[EddieWalker]

Now, as soon as I say that, I'm going to change gears a bit...because this has a single hose supplying the pressure (lift/support) side of the hoe. My loader has TWO hoses, one on each side.

In the conversation of a loader hose failing (never happened to me yet), I'd also wonder if the second hose wouldl't be enough to either hold the bucket up or at least, offer some sort of buffered resistence?

Only because of two hoses would I wonder this.... the backhoe with its single hose, was pretty sobering to witness.

I can't say for all loaders or even other loaders, but on mine, there is a main supply line from the hydraulic pump that splits like a Y after the control valve to each side of the lift cylinders. If that one line fails, it would probably cause the imediate drop that we all fear.

That line is metal, so it's less likely to fail, but on my dozer, I had a metal line fail on me, so it does happen.

As for the toppic of working from a loader, I do it when I need it. I know of one guy who had his bucket fail instantly when loading a dump truck. It pretty much locked itself onto the dumptruck. They had to remove the cylinders and jacked the bucket up to get it off of the dump truck.

One of my future projects is to make a work platform from metal that will have a permanent ladder off of each side that I can pick up and move around with my pallet forks. Reading all the posts, I've modified my plan to make the ladder part on both sides of a pallet sides platform. Then I will make the ladder long enough so that I can pick it up and get it above the point wher I can lock the loader in the up possition.

I'm not much on the safety aspect of most things, but this makes sense. I need to prune trees on a regular basis and will need the platform for this on my roads. Having it held in the up position with the lock in place is just something that I never considered. I'll just build it to fit.

Thanks,
Eddie

 

[SPYDERLK]

I'm late to this thread since I've had log in issues... Anyways...

I was once working my 'hoe... (can I say that on a public forum? )

Turns out the hose that supported the boom failed WHILE I had the backhoe outstretched to do something. The hoe was extended straight out from the back of the machine.

It DID fall remarkably fast... much like dead weight. I can tell you I would NOT have wanted to be under it when it fell.... no warning and then WHUMP. It did NOT "bleed down" as one might have thought. It simply crumpled to the ground under the weight.

It takes a lot of hyd pressure to hold up an extended hoe and that hi pressure will expel the fluid quickly. The pressure on an unloaded loader is much lower, and also flow distance from at least one cyl will be long and add backpressure. You would neverwant to be under one of course, but time to react by moving an extremity is more likely.
larry