scratch build loader?

[Groo]

I am kicking around the idea of doing a "scratch build" loader/snow plow/whatever of some sort; either articulated or 4 wheel steer.
I am heavily leaning towards a hydraulic drive with wheel motors so I don't have to mess with gears and driveshafts.

I am trying to work through some of the formulae to get a better idea of what sorts of components I would need to make a functional machine, so I can start virtual shopping.
I work with hydraulics, so that part wont be too tough, but I need to know stuff like suggested ground force?

for example, if I use wheel motors capable of 6250 in-lbs and stick on 30" tires, that gives me 417 lbs of force, assuming I am on 2 wheels while digging, 833 lbs of of digging force, or 1666lbs total peak potential pull.....I am guessing I would want more than that from a machine that will probably be over a ton completed. Is 1:1 pull what I should shoot for? higher? do I just pick a desired bucket size and work from there?

any idea what the commercial small loaders use for wheel motors?

Any reason to choose open center or closed center for the hydraulics? I know a variable displacement pump will be much more expensive than a solid Chinesium gear pump.

any engine suggestions? industrial? from a small car?

pros and cons of articulated vs 4 wheel steering (other than than how complicated it would be)? Seams like articulated would keep the turning tires out of the way of the loader mechanism, but be a bit less stable turning.

anything else to consider for this pipe dream that will likely never happen?

 

[CADplans]

YouTube has a LOT of them,,,

cadtrac - YouTube

 

[Groo]

YouTube would be more for design ideas. I am trying to figure components capabilities and cost's at this point.

Thinking about fixed displacement vs. Variable displacement, I could get by with a much smaller engine and still get peak drive force and speed with a variable displacement.
For example, the first gear pump I considered would need 250 ft lbs of torque to make peak pressure. I'd need a V8 to make that. But a variable displacement would just shift to a smaller pump size when it bogs down, then become a bigger pump when I heading cross country.

 

[Xfaxman]

What size and lift capacity?

Mine is a 3 cylinder 22hp diesel, 9 mph top speed:

 

[Groo]

Yours is a front deck mower with a loader added on in place of the mower deck, correct?
I was thinking 1-2,000lbs, maybe more depending on how the weight works out. I am looking at drive and tractive force at this point. Thinking more and more about possibly 6wd, but that would also require a more complex suspension, (steering would be just link to move it half as much as the other if articulated, or nothing if 4 wheel steer) so not 100% sure about that. with 4 tires, just solid mount 1 axle and pivot mount the other and all 4 will contact regardless of terrain within the limits of the pivot axle range. add a 3rd axle, and there needs to be some suspension to allow for 1 axle to be higher or lower than the plane of the other two.

Maybe what I really aught to do is help Dad get his next piece of equipment (he was thinking skid steer, but I am convincing him a small telehander would be better for him) and buy his CUT, that I've been driving and fixing for the last 30 years.

 

[Xfaxman]

Yours is a front deck mower with a loader added on in place of the mower deck, correct?

Correct.
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Maybe what I really aught to do is help Dad get his next piece of equipment (he was thinking skid steer, but I am convincing him a small telehander would be better for him) and buy his CUT, that I've been driving and fixing for the last 30 years.

The compact telehandler that I have is the most amazing machine that I have ever owned, and I have owned more tractors than I can remember. Show him this thread: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...pact-telehandler-post3243370.html#post3243370