Buying A FEL In A Crate

[bp fick]

My wife and I reached an agreement on upgrading from a BX1860 to a B2320. In a nutshell, the ONLY reason for upgrading at all would be the added ground clearance for cultivation in our organic gardening field. Our agreement simply is that if this year's contract pays out, we will step up to the B in fall. If we find that our contract doesn't provide the monetary returns we hope, then we will certainly not bother buying a tractor larger than our needs to the rest of our private gardens, yard work, drive maintenance and snow removal. The BX we have now certainly does all those things.

While at the Kubota dealership today, working through all these things, our salesman, Steve, who is genuinely helpful and not a hard sell guy, suggested he could help us out in the meanwhile. In anticipation of selling our BX, I had sold the front hydraulic blade and Quick Hitch last month, during the snows, for what I had paid for it, $1750. Those plows were in short demand.

Steve suggested that if we kept the BX through next winter, we'd have to replace the blade with something to push snow. Further, if the crop does pay out and we did upgrade to the B in fall, we would get 120% (that's right) of our investment back in buying a FEL from him, either in trade in value or sell it outright.. Knowing those LA203 FELs usually sell, with tax, out the door for $2300, I asked, "So, what's the price?"

$2000 out the door. So, what's the catch, if any? He'd load the FEL, still in a crate into my trailer and I'd install it myself. Looked at my wife and she had "the look of total agreement" on her face. What's a guy to do?

In a few minutes, a big burly guy, driving a fork lift, appeared from behind the barn. Slipped it right into my 5x8. I guess those 6 bales of straw we were going to pick up will have to wait for another trip. There wasn't any more room in the trailer for straw. We had lunch and drove home, but the smile hasn't left my face yet!!:licking:

 

[jayste]

I like it! I'd like to have an LA1002 the same way!:thumbsup:

 

[BXpanded]

I didn't realize you didn't have an FEL on that BX! Man, you're gonna' LOVE IT! You'll find more uses than you can imagine.

 

[bp fick]

Un-crating. Makes you wonder about the guy or gal who's job it is to pack these up at the factory. God bless 'em. They do a good job!!

 

[mantis]

Nice! FEL is at the top of my wish list.

 

[TripleR]

Absolutely can't bear a FEL; wish I could put one on everything.

 

[bp fick]

Three hours of hard work. Whew, I am bushed. Turns out my thinking the air gun would be a great help, well... it is mostly grunt work.

The "installation manual" is not a great work of American literature, in fact, it was fairly useless. Anyhow, it's on. I am tired and sweaty and heading to the shower. Got it all greased and most of the air bled out.

I tell you guys, I am very, very open to being tutored on how this quick on and off stuff is supposed to work. Right now, if asked, I'd say I'll never take it off.
I certainly open to you pros who might have some insights, cause I admit my total lack of confidence in thinking it is easy enough to do, ever!!.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

Three hours of hard work. Whew, I am bushed. Turns out my thinking the air gun would be a great help, well... it is mostly grunt work.

The "installation manual" is not a great work of American literature, in fact, it was fairly useless. Anyhow, it's on. I am tired and sweaty and heading to the shower. Got it all greased and most of the air bled out.

I tell you guys, I am very, very open to being tutored on how this quick on and off stuff is supposed to work. Right now, if asked, I'd say I'll never take it off.
I certainly open to you pros who might have some insights, cause I admit my total lack of confidence in thinking it is easy enough to do, ever!!.

Leave it on and drive it around for a couple of weeks, Then one day you'll be "over" the installation aggravation and you'll start looking at the bucket, and you'll locate the pin that holds the legs up and you'll let it drop and see how by moving the bucket that if the side pins were removed and it's on level ground how it would hold itself up and how easy it is to disconnect the hoses and then how easy to back away from it but not today or tomorrow, Just drive it around and appreciate your hard work. No man that can install the entire thing can be stumped by the taking it off and on process. I will admit my first time taking mine off was fairly easy and horrible putting it back on but I believe it will be alot easier the next time.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Take loader off:
Raise loader into the air, put down the legs / stand on the loader and lock in place.
lower the loader to the ground so the legs touch (good to have on a solid surface or put a board under the legs).
tilt the bucket whichever way will take the load off of the two connect pins. Usually this is done by tilting the bucket down.
pull the top pins once you have the load off of them by adjusting the bucket.
Once the pins are removed, tilt the bucket up (back of the bucket will go down), this will lift the loader out of the bracket on the tractor.
once the loader clears the bracket, you turn off the tractor .
with the tractor turned off, roll the loader valve in all directions, to remove all pressure from the loader cylinders. If the loader valve has a lock, lock it now.
remove the hydrolic line connections, put on the caps.
turn tractor on, back out from under the loader.

hope this helps, once you get used to it, it's real fast. find a good level surface to park it on. connecting is the reverse.

 

[bp fick]

Take loader off:
Raise loader into the air, put down the legs / stand on the loader and lock in place.
lower the loader to the ground so the legs touch (good to have on a solid surface or put a board under the legs).
tilt the bucket whichever way will take the load off of the two connect pins. Usually this is done by tilting the bucket down.
pull the top pins once you have the load off of them by adjusting the bucket.
Once the pins are removed, tilt the bucket up (back of the bucket will go down), this will lift the loader out of the bracket on the tractor.
once the loader clears the bracket, you turn off the tractor .
with the tractor turned off, roll the loader valve in all directions, to remove all pressure from the loader cylinders. If the loader valve has a lock, lock it now.
remove the hydrolic line connections, put on the caps.
turn tractor on, back out from under the loader.

hope this helps, once you get used to it, it's real fast. find a good level surface to park it on. connecting is the reverse.

Wow!!! Thanks so much Buckeye. I am going to actually print out your answer. Don't laugh! Kubota should hire you to re-write their manual. LOL

 

[dodge man]

The trick is to use the dump or curl just the right amount to take the load off the pins, then they will slip right out. Don't be discouraged, it takes a little practice. I'm pretty much down to 5 minute or less on mine. When you put it back on, make sure the end loader is seated down well on the brackets on the BX. I actually didn't get mine seated well once and it was all screwed up, it took me a while to figure out what was wrong with it.

 

[mjpalmer]

Here is a video of the removal 55 seconds.

YouTube - Removing a loader from the Kubota BX24

 

[timswi]

Believe me, once you take the FEL off the first time and see how it all works, you'll be amazed at how fast you can remove it..Minutes.

 

[aczlan]

Here is a video of the removal 55 seconds.

YouTube - Removing a loader from the Kubota BX24

Actually, I think that was 50-52 seconds... Same procedure as on a B7510.

Aaron Z

 

[Evil the Weasel]

Take loader off:
Raise loader into the air, put down the legs / stand on the loader and lock in place.
lower the loader to the ground so the legs touch (good to have on a solid surface or put a board under the legs).

This is not quite correct. You dump the bucket slightly before lowering it. You don't ever want the legs/stands to make contact first and risk bringing the front wheels off the ground with the weak stands taking the load.

 

[bp fick]

OK, that is one nice video from Messick.

Now, the question is begged, let's see the re-install video!!!:confused2:

 

[keyman1808]

I beleive that the BXpanded website has the reinstall video. Notg sure been ahile since I looked.

 

[bp fick]

Did I mention that I got another hat? I guess you spend 2K and you get a hat. Nice.

Well, checked for leaks. Yes, there were two, so far. Just tightening fitting here and there. I checked the HST fluid this morning. Not on the stick. Put in a quart of sudt I had. Dang, still not on the stick. I told myself twice to pick up another quart or two, now wish I had remembered. bah.

Wonder what the lines and cylinders of the FEL really hold? 3-4 pints (2 liters)? Anyone ever computed that?

 

[radioman]

I am surprised your dealer let you walk out the door without asking you if you need more fluid.

I am not sure how much it really holds. I am guessing about a gallon due to size of curl piston and long hoses for everything.

 

[rScotty]

I tell you guys, I am very, very open to being tutored on how this quick on and off stuff is supposed to work. Right now, if asked, I'd say I'll never take it off.
I certainly open to you pros who might have some insights, cause I admit my total lack of confidence in thinking it is easy enough to do, ever!!.

I've had quick on/off loaders on three tractors previously and only took the loader off of one of them once. That was for mowing a field...and it didn't seem to be any advantage. Lots of work. More trouble than advantage.

So on the new tractor I got a permanently installed loader with Kubota's quick on/off bucket. That's a whole different story. So convenient that it actually gets used. And it really expands the use of the loader when a specialized bucket is put on in place of the dirt bucket. If you guys think that strapping teeth onto a dirt bucket works well (and I did that for years), just wait until you try a bucket actually built for rocks. Amazing diff.
rScotty M59