Loader After the fact quick disconnect bucket

[jim_wilson]

I just talked to my dealer (Gorham, ME) and he quoted $280 for the Kubota QA and over $1000 plus freight for the forks. I guess I'll stay with my chain-on forks for now. If anyone knows where to get Kubota forks for $650 please let me know.

Kubota fork frame was (if I remember correctly) $630 or $650 at the Kubota dealer I use in Milford NH (they had them in stock)

I already had forks I had bought a few years back for a project I never did, so that was already a sunk cost for me.

If you go to the Artillian place I mentioned in previous posts - they have 42" forks - for $219:

Cascade 42" Long x 3" Wide x 1.5" Thk
$219

or ones with slightly less capacity for $199.00:

42" Long x 3" Wide x 1.2" Thk
Maximum capacity: 2300 Lb at a 24" load center.

These ones have more than enough capacity for any B series loader. You're only going to get 1000 pounds about a foot off the ground anyway with an LA504.

You just saved $200.

 

[JoeBuyer]

We converted both a JD and a Kubota to Skid Steer Quick Attach, we felt neither JD nor Kubota had enough available attachments on their own plus we can share attachments between machines this way. The number of attachments available with the SSQA style is amazing. So it all depends on your use. If you simply need to swap a Kubota bucket with a few other attachments then you can stay with the Kubota and be cost effective. Once you have more than one brand tractor involved and/or many attachments, I think the wise choice is SSQA. Plus we share unique attachments between neighboring farms. Just my $0.02

 

[Artisan]

Contact Jery HERE

 

[94BULLITT]

This is just my opinion: but if you have gotten by for three years without a QA, and you are now thinking of getting one - think a little about what you really want to be able to accomplish.

If you go with the Kubota QA you will pay something like $250-$275 for it. You will be able to just use your existing bucket - and if you want a different sized bucket - you can just get that from Kubota (there's a 54" and a 60" bucket available from Kubota for the LA504 - and there might other bigger ones that will fit). A bucket from Kubota is around $575.00. You can use the Kubota forklift frame - which runs around $650. Any implement above and beyond that - grapple bucket, etc - will pretty much cost the same whether or not you're getting it setup with a skid steer type QA or Kubota LA504 type QA setup to go on your tractor.

If you go with a SSQA on your B3200 (LA504) - you're talking about a much higher cost up front to just get the adapter onto the loader - I believe that an ATI SSQA for the LA504 is around $800 or so. Then you need to get a bucket that will attach to it. You can either get from from a vendor (or maybe find one used) - but as price point I know when I priced out putting SSQA on my B3200 - it was going to be another $2000 to add the QA onto the loader - and get a bucket that would fit.

To state it simply: it's going to cost a LOT more to add a skid steer QA onto the B3200 than it will to go the Kubota route.

AND the SSQA weighs more and extends the bucket out even more than the Kubota QA does. So you're looking at an even bigger loss of capacity if you go down the SSQA road.

The cost of a forklift frame for SSQA is roughly equal to the Kubota frame. Although you will have to shop carefully because you may end up with a much heavier frame than you need if you just choose a random SSQA compatible frame. The LA504 is only going to lift around 1000 pounds - getting a frame that will do 4000 is a waste of metal on that loader.

The only major drawback to the Kubota QA over the SSQA in my opinion is that you need to get off the tractor and change the lower pins to lock an implement on. And the thing can be a bit ornery to get the pins lined up sometimes. I have a mallet that I use to get the pins in - and it helps the jiggle the implement around when putting them in. This means you need to have a little bit of strength to change stuff up. If you've got strength issues - then the SSQA might be the better route because it will line up better every time - you'll only have to manipulate the locking mechanism every time you swap something out - not screw with the lower pins like with the Kubota QA.


When I heard the price of the SSQA solution on my B3200 ( and I already knew about the weight issue and eating up lift capacity issue) I decided to go with the Kubota QA right there when I ordered the tractor. I figured for the same cost as a SSQA - I could buy a grapple and a forklift frame.

I agree you will lose lifting capacity do to a ss qa being heavier and farther out. You could buy one of these or comparable to save money if you can weld. Then you can get a ss qa plate for $100 and weld it to the kubota bucket and you would only have around $600 in it.