Adding a MF1246 loader to a Cub 7265

[ninerhb]

So, I stumbled upon a Massey Ferguson loader for sale on my local Craigslist for a good price. I took a look at it and figured that it was about the right size, and if not, I could modify it a little by building new quick-attach mounts or something.

Getting it home, it looks like it's going to be even easier than that. The fitment is pretty close to how the factory loader goes on my tractor. There are 4 threaded holes in the body of the tractor, spaced 15" across. The loader has 4 similar holes, but in a smaller square pattern and with the faces 17" across. Off the top of my head, I've got two simple options for bridging the gap.

1. Build a plate out of 1" thick steel with recessed holes to bolt onto the tractor, and threaded holes that match the loader's pattern. At least one hole could be "straight through" from the loader to the tractor, using a longer bolt. I'd probably actually make it out of two pieces of 1/2" plate so that I could cut bigger holes on the outer plate for the tractor-side bolt heads to hide in, rather than trying to cut holes halfway through with a flat face.

2. Looked at from above, the loader bracket is 7 1/2" across - just the right size for an 8" wide (OD) square tube made of 1/4" thick metal to fit on top of. I could cut some 8" x 8" x 1/4" square tube in half and stick each half on the frame, extending the faces inward. I'd probably do a mix of bolts and welding to hold it in place. The only problem is the bolts would have to be put in the frame before welding it on, and once the welding is complete, they'd be captive, with only 3/4" space to move in and out. Enough that I could get in with a box end wrench to bolt them on, at least. Since they're just stub arms for the quick release, they'd never really have to come off the tractor.

So, any suggestions?

I've got an album of the parts here, by the way. Ignore the garbage can-chicken feeder.

Henry

 

[ninerhb]

Well, I ended up getting it on. Most of the time was involved in tearing it down so I could give it a coat of paint (it was pretty rusty). Apologies for the MF fans here, it's now a nice shade of Cub yellow.

Adapting work was a lot less trouble than I thought. Here's what I did:
1) The holes for the bolts under the footrest were more widely spaced than the MF bracket, but the size of the bracket covered all the holes. I measured the pattern and added 3 holes that matched the same pattern (one hole was original).

2) The MF tractor was 2" wider than the Cub, so I used longer grade 8 bolts and some 1" spacers. I wanted to try a whole 1" plate, but finding that big a piece and cutting it was going to take some time. On the other hand, if I see warping in the bolts or spacers, I may have to go that way anyways.

3) Similar to the side brackets, the front shelf bracket needed to be about an inch further out, and up from where the bumper mount on the Cub was. This time I was able to scrounge some scrap 3" x 3/4" barstock from work and cut brackets that would lift it up for me. I also cut some additional holes in the bottom of the MF bracket so that the top set of bolts on the tractor is the bottom set of bolts on the bracket.

4) I managed to break off all 4 studs for holding down the hard lines, so I ended up tapping new 1/4" holes and putting bolts in.

The original hoses plug into quick-attach plugs I put in the power beyond block on my tractor, and after getting them in the right order it seems to work fine. The 4-way valve works good. I can pick up the front end of the tractor, and get a little more than 7' clearance with the bucket fully up.

Pictures here.

 

[Kernopelli]

Great job and great post for anyone wondering about adapting an off brand loader to their tractor. Personal experience is that almost any similar sized loader can be adapted to any tractor with some additional metal and the aid of a chop saw, angle grinder, drill press, welder and common hydraulic supplies.