Broken plastic hood?

[GreatWhitehunter]

Dirt, like I said in my first post it was my fault for sure. I was being careless. I also realize that more curl low means more curl when lifted. The cx loader has more curl low which would be helpful. The biggest problem with the tractor is the operator. I need not to rush when operating and not worry about how much I need to accomplish in the limited time I have. I should also mention that I rushed my battery charger for my dump trailer battery and only got half of the charge hence limiting me to only two dumps,when I needed four.
This is going to be an expensive lesson for me it seems. I hope someone can learn from my mistakes as I certainly have. However I'm quite certain I'll be making more.

 

[dirtworksequip]

Matt, I wasn't giving you h_ll. Just trying to point out some basic machine design common to all loaders and maybe helping soemone else avoid a busted hood or worse. Yes, getting in a hurry never pays. I have broken my share of stuff over the years. Hope your hood repairs go well.

Sincerely, Dirt

 

[AKfish]

On my JD 970, I finally went ahead and welded a 1/4"x6"x73" plate to the top of the bucket.

The top of the hood was beginning to look like I'd left the tractor sit outside in the middle of a h___acious hail storm! I had dimples over the front end of it from rocks spilling back over the top of the bucket!

The added height to the bucket was a vast improvement and the amount of snow that I could load into the bucket was pretty impressive, too!

AKfish

 

[sixdogs]

If this were mine I would take it to someone that can do plastic welding. Then, as mentioned in the prior post, reinforce the backside with fiberglass cloth and resin. I bet that would hold.
If it couldn't be "welded" I would try to use "Twin Weld" on it carefully and then reinforce with the fiberglass.
My first choice would be to replace the hood it but if the cost is prohibitive I would give the above a chance.

 

[builder2]

Use fiberglass kit from auto parts store ( comes with resin, hardener and mat) on the bottom of the hood after putting the pieces back in alignment then bondo and paint on the top as needed. Probably $35.00 at the most for an effective and longlasting repair.

Paul

 

[builder2]

Use fiberglass kit from auto parts store ( comes with resin, hardener and mat) on the bottom of the hood after putting the pieces back in alignment then bondo and paint on the top as needed. Probably $35.00 at the most for an effective and longlasting repair.

Paul

 

[ray66v]

Use fiberglass kit from auto parts store ( comes with resin, hardener and mat) on the bottom of the hood after putting the pieces back in alignment then bondo and paint on the top as needed. Probably $35.00 at the most for an effective and longlasting repair.

Paul

Having made repairs to plastic parts on hundreds of vehicles, I can tell you, it may no be that simple. Depending on what type of plastic it is made from, there are different types of adhesion promoters, cleaners, and techniques that may be required to get the materials to adhere. Painting some types of plastic can be a nightmare.

With every new model year, comes new materials and the challenges they present to repairing them.

If the products you use do adhere, they have to expand and contract with heat and cold at the same rate as the original part or the repair will not hold up.

To start with, using 3m epoxy, made for this type of repair, (if it is not fiberglass, you do not want to use fiberglass resin), your going to spend $25+ just for that.

Sure you can guess, and you can just try it. But, you may find out the hard way, this is not always a cut and dried operation.

If you can get someone to tell you what it is made from, (good luck). and post some photos of the damage, I can suggest a course of action if you desire to attempt your own repair.

I would suggest you find an experienced competent professional. Sometimes looking at the part, and sanding an area, you can get a feel for what type of plastic it is. Some are simply not repairable.

 

[deererunr]

I know it's an expensive lesson, but you have to step back and laugh at our humility and be thankful that you were not hurt. My family gene pool isn't particularly full of coordination, and I have spilled a bucket of dirt above my head when using a Bobcat one time. Just hearing your story is enough to make me be a little more cautious the next time I raise my bucket on my 3120. Thanks for sharing.

 

[DreaminGreen]

GreatWhitehunter, sorry to hear about the damage to your tractor. Glad it did'nt do any damage to the engine on you. If possible a picture or two would be appreciated, so I can see what it will look like when I sooner or later drop something on the hood of my tractor. How about this, just go and buy some green colored Ducttape to hold it together, while you wait for Uncle George's $600/$1200 check and then buy the new hood.

I have been wondering if the plastic hoods might be safer than steel in a situation like this. Because the plastic will break and hopefully reduce the chance the rock will bounce or roll back and hit the operator. Just a thought.

 

[GalwayBoy]

Matt, I feel your pain. Did the same thing with my 4120.
Had the 4in1 clamped around a bunch of branches, and threw a short lenght of trunk on the top. I *did* have the load low, but needed to raise the bucket to clear some fence as I turned. Log rolls out and smashes the hood.

This happened over a year ago, and the cracks haven't spread. There aren't many stresses there I would guess.
Yeah, it pisses me off, but not enough to spend 500 bucks on a new one.
Too many other places to spend that kind of money.


I cracked the corner of my canopy also while out in the woods in zero degree temps...

Jon