I have a coldwater FEL also. It has worked very well for me. IMO, I think it is perfectly sized and built for the 284 series tractor and will help keep from overloading the front end and possibly causing drivetrain damage there. I have lifted enough with that loader to pick the rear wheels off the ground so the frame is plenty strong. That bucket full of wet sand or gravel is enough to make the rear end light.
I think the OP on this very old thread was pushing forward/scraping with the bucket tilted way down. This is a recipe for damage with any FEL. When using the bucket, think of the bottom of the bucket like a knife blade. If you are pushing into anything, you want to do so that the force is directed straight back toward the bucket pivot pins. This will be the axis where the bucket is at it's strongest and reduces strain on the bucket roll cylinders and structure. It is also a loader, not a bulldozer. It is intended/designed to push into relatively loose material and scoop it up. If you are trying to push into something that will not move, or the bucket will not penetrate/dig into, you are using the wrong tool.
Haven't really had any problem with mine other than breaking off grease nipples at the bucket pivots from debris(rock) getting back in between pivot and the back side of the bucket. My only complaint was that the original prince 2 spool valve didn't have float on the first spool. I replacd that 2 spool with the same model valve in 3 spool that had float on the first. Float makes the loader a much more usefull tool for spreading and smoothing material. I built a fork bucket for it(you can see it to the left in my avitar) and used the third spool on the new valve for a grapple, another highly usefull tool for working with brush and branches.