Warranty void by adding hooks on FEL?

[yooper1]

Speaking of taking the loader off and putting back on....

I found a level spot near the driveway so the welder could get to it.

I thought I would practice taking it off and putting it on a couple of times as I had not done this with this tractor yet.

So, I follow the directions, pull the pins, make sure the hoses are free and then move the bucket lever in the up position and back away slowly and walla, off it came....no sweat.

Then I unhooked the hoses....backed away and got off....and covered the couplers with the caps.

Then I thought I would try and put it on.

Ok....I pull forward, I think I am square to the loader.

I hook up the hoses.

I nudge the loader and then move the lever to lower position slowly.

the loader slides forward about 2 feet... ....I drive up to it and try again...and it slides across the lawn about 3 feet... ....I try again and again and it slides and slides. :smiley_aafz:

I had to move my pickup in front of the bucket so it would stop sliding.
(I nudged my tire to do this)

Then it went on.

I had not been perfectly square with it though, so I had get off and to shove it a bit to the left in order for the posts to line up, but I got it.

If I did not know better I would have sworn someone was messing with me the way it was sliding and sliding....if I did not have my truck there it would have ended up across the street in the neighbors yard and I coulda used one of his big pine trees to stop it.

 

[Baby Grand]

Jim,

I hope you have backing plates inside the bucket under those hooks. I bolted those type hooks on my first tractor bucket with no reinforcement. I think I must have side loaded them somehow, maybe with a "Y" arrangement connecting one lift point to both hooks. It bent the sheet metal slightly where the bolts go thru. And my bucket wasn't a pretty as yours.

John

John - good advice. In my application (LA724 HD bucket) the holes are drilled through thick material - I'd say about 1/8" and right next to the tube that reinforces the edge. Also, I used large, thick washers under the nut on the opposite side to spread the load, so I'm not worried about deforming the bucket in my case.

... Also, under no circumstances would I ever even consider welding on a bucket attached to any tractor made after the mid 60's. Probably things would go okay, maybe not. If you're willing to risk what could easily be a couple thousand bucks just to make sure no current flows into the tractor electronics, you're a far bigger gambler than I. Your advice on dropping the bucket or taking the loader completely off if need be is spot on. I'll even go so far to say that not doing so is simply foolish.

Dargo - Good point! I have suspected that welding onto anything directly attached to the tractor is probably a bad idea. Now I know it's something to avoid. Besides, I need to try dropping the FEL so I can do it quickly when I need to in the future.

-Jim

 

[Leejohn]

Speaking of taking the loader off and putting back on....

I found a level spot near the driveway so the welder could get to it.

I thought I would practice taking it off and putting it on a couple of times as I had not done this with this tractor yet.

So, I follow the directions, pull the pins, make sure the hoses are free and then move the bucket lever in the up position and back away slowly and walla, off it came....no sweat.

Then I unhooked the hoses....backed away and got off....and covered the couplers with the caps.

Then I thought I would try and put it on.

Ok....I pull forward, I think I am square to the loader.

I hook up the hoses.

I nudge the loader and then move the lever to lower position slowly.

the loader slides forward about 2 feet... ....I drive up to it and try again...and it slides across the lawn about 3 feet... ....I try again and again and it slides and slides. :smiley_aafz:

I had to move my pickup in front of the bucket so it would stop sliding.
(I nudged my tire to do this)

Then it went on.

I had not been perfectly square with it though, so I had get off and to shove it a bit to the left in order for the posts to line up, but I got it.

If I did not know better I would have sworn someone was messing with me the way it was sliding and sliding....if I did not have my truck there it would have ended up across the street in the neighbors yard and I coulda used one of his big pine trees to stop it.

Stop pushing, pull up to it, reach out with loader arms tilt down just a little, lift up and tilt back, then lock down

 

[picker77]

Here's my entry in the bucket hook contest... My dealer didn't bat an eye when he saw these, except to say "nice hooks". The inner three are used for lifting depending on the physical configuration of the load, the outer two are strictly there for keeping bulky things from falling out of the bucket while carrying them around, and are never used for lifting (or pulling on) anything.

 

[yooper1]

looks good picker

 

[yooper1]

Stop pushing, pull up to it, reach out with loader arms tilt down just a little, lift up and tilt back, then lock down

I can't reach out with the loader arms because they are on the loader.....which is parked ....separate from my tractor

or am I missing something?

I was not trying to hook up a quick attach bucket....as I have no QA anything

I had taken the whole loader assy off the tractor for welding

 

[RoyJackson]

I can't reach out with the loader arms because they are on the loader.....which is parked ....separate from my tractor

or am I missing something?I was not trying to hook up a quick attach bucket....as I have no QA anything

I had taken the whole loader assy off the tractor for welding

I think he means...once you have your hoses connected, pull back (as if you were raising the loader) on the loader joystick (slowly, and the engine should be at a low idle). By pulling back on the stick, the loader masts (those sections that mount to the tractor brackets) will extend up and out toward the tractor. Move the tractor slowly forward and push the loader joystick forward (as if you were lowering the loader). The loader arms will retract and the masts will lower and pivot down toward the mounting brackets on the tractor.
Just take your time and you'll see how it works. It's no big hurry to accomplish this...speed will come later. It might take a time or two to get the tractor aligned to the loader. Just remember to not back away too far if you need to reposition the tractor. Those hoses aren't too long.

If you're moving the loader, your tractor is too close.

 

[yooper1]

thanks roy.

Yeah...only doing it twice, I am sure I did not do it 100% right.

I think I followed those instructions and each time the whole assy slid forward even when I was dead stopped.

But, like I said...I only did it twice and am not 100% sure if I did it right

 

[lilranch2001]

Here's my entry in the bucket hook contest... My dealer didn't bat an eye when he saw these, except to say "nice hooks". The inner three are used for lifting depending on the physical configuration of the load, the outer two are strictly there for keeping bulky things from falling out of the bucket while carrying them around, and are never used for lifting (or pulling on) anything.

****, how do you keep the inside of that bucket so clean?

I only have 117 hours on mine and the paint is almost all worn off on the leading edge, I guess I do use my bucket a lot

 

[RoyJackson]

thanks roy.

Yeah...only doing it twice, I am sure I did not do it 100% right.

I think I followed those instructions and each time the whole assy slid forward even when I was dead stopped.

But, like I said...I only did it twice and am not 100% sure if I did it right

Two things come to mind:
You should only be using the loader functions of the joystick, not the bucket, until it's mounted.
You may have your loader hoses connected wrong (bucket might be moving instead of the loader frame members).

I can't see why the loader would be moving with the tractor stationary.

You may have to use the dump function to lock the loader on later though (Deere QA loaders that I'm familar with require the front end of the tractor off the ground to lock the latches...this is done by using the dump function of the bucket). But the loader frame should be mounted on the tractor before this is required.

If you have the tractor's or loader's operator manual, have it with you as you do this...go step by step following the procedure.