16LA LOADER

KYFARMER · Sep 18, 2002

I have a TC35D with the 16LA FEL. I have heard people mention twisting their loader frames by lifting incorrectily. I seem to have to move a lot of heavy rocks on very uneven ground. Even though I keep the bucket as low as I can for safety sake, I am constantly afraid I am going to spring my FEL.
Am I overly concerned?

jinman · Sep 18, 2002

Ir's always good to be cautious, but I think the 16LA has one of the strongest loader frames I have ever seen. The cross-member isn't just a piece of pipe, it's a massive elliptical beam. Surely that makes it almost impossible to do twisting type damage up to the hydraulic capacity of the loader. I've done very hard and uneven load work with mine, and I don't think it has twisted even the least little bit. Just be careful with load on that uneven ground. I keep my bucket only a few inches off the ground when I am working on rough terrain.

mikim · Sep 19, 2002

I think what you're refering to is if you try to push against an immovable object sidewise with your bucket - then you might spring/twist it ---otherwise you're ok -- bucket goes up & down .... not sideways ... ie: if turning while looking at the implement on the back - it's not a good thing to hit a tree with the side of the bucket ........WHO ....ME??? /w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif/w3tcompact/icons/tongue.gif (luckily no damage)

paccorti · Sep 19, 2002

This is a great question! I put some heavy duty bucket teeth on my 16LA loader with light duty bucket. I used this combination to clear quite a bit of brush/prying small trees out of the ground. I then noticed that my tractor was not digging well, especially on one side (like the bucket was at a different angle). When I went to the garage I could tell that the bucket teeth were higher on one side then the other. Obviously, I was concerned that I had bent the loader frame. I then measured the height of the bucket pins from the floor. The measurements were right on, so the loader frame is fine. Basically I have a bent (twisted) bucket. I'll echo what others on this board have said; the 16LA has the strongest looking torque tube of any CUT that I've seen. It will be that last one to bend. The added leverage of teeth on a light duty bucket on the other hand... Actually, a little careful pushing against a dead tree straightened the bucket out just fine.

Peter

arazor · Oct 5, 2002

I must let you know that I have move more rocks than should be allowed with my TC40 with not a problem. When I bought my machine my dealer here in OK would not put a light (or regular duty) bucket on a loader. He said for the extra couple hundred bucks it was well worth the cost and I must agree. I have abused my bucket, with cutting teeth, and my loader more than should be allowed with only 100 hrs but it IS ONE pretty tough set-up. Very happy blue boy here!
See what your dealer will do for a trade on a heavy duty bucket?

catfishsteved · Oct 6, 2002

How can you tell if you have the standard or heavy duty bucket?

jinman · Oct 7, 2002

The heavy duty bucket has holes drilled along the cutting edge so yo can add a cutter bar or tooth bar. It also has extra reinforcement along the sides of the bucket. Other than that, it's hard to tell. The HD bucket only weighs about 30 pounds more than the standard bucket, but those 30 lb are strategically placed for a much sturdier structure.

gmason · Oct 7, 2002

jinman, It's my belief that the type of steel is of a harder type also.

I', speaking from where I had to enlarge the holes for my tooth bar on my bucket and the little grinding stones really had a hard time compared to the metal on my box scraper.

Plus the sparks the grinding gave off weren't the same, which from what I've read, has to do with the carbon content(hardness) of the metal.

But, I do agree about the holes along the leading edge of the bucket on the HD bucket and not on the standard.

BTW, has anyone added a welded a hardened edge to the bucket. With my new found welding knowledge, I'm looking for a few neat projects.

gary