C Channel for Bracing FEL in Up Position?

[Suburban Plowboy]

I have a Kubota L3710 with a front end loader. It is stored indoors. Yesterday I realized I could add 50 square feet of useful space to the workshop by storing the Kubota with the loader and brush forks raised.

I prefer not to be crushed by a falling front end loader, so I want to brace the loader in the up position. I have read that it's as simple as cutting a piece of steel C channel and putting it over one of the cylinder rods. Is that really all there is to it?

I don't want to damage the cylinder or the place where the rod attaches to the tractor. I am wondering if I should cut pieces out of an old tire and shape them to fit on the ends of the C channel.

 

[mrmikey]

The proper ones have longer legs than a typical piece of structural channel so they wrap around the cylinder rod more so than a piece of structural channel. They also have plates on each end so there's a bigger bearing surface for the weight. Saying that, all I've used if the factory ones aren't available is a piece of 2 x 2 or 3 x 3 angle ziptied over the rod. If you're worried about the rod getting scratched, put a piece of rag over it..........Mike

 

[Suburban Plowboy]

Thanks for the help. I guess I can get a piece of channel and weld a plate on one end and cut a couple of recesses in the other to rest on the lower hinge.

I left the FEL up last night to see if it would come down, and it was on the floor this morning. I am wondering if there is a relatively easy way to fix the problem. It's not a big deal, but it would be nice to have it working right.

I also learned that I have a couple of slow hydraulic leaks. Oil is dripping off the little box the front PTO (or maybe it's the mid PTO - it's in the middle of the tractor) protrudes from, and a couple of hoses which appear to be for the power steering are wet. I guess I can try to tighten the hose fittings a little, but I am wondering what would have to be done to get the PTO leak fixed. Maybe someone here is familiar with this issue.

I haven't looked at it closely yet. For all I know, a fitting above it is leaking on it.

 

[jmc]

Another way to do that is to use a 4x6" timber as a brace between the tractor's front "bumper" and the FEL's cross tube. No scratching or concentrated load. Centered under loader's weight.

 

[KennyG]

I think any FEL will leak down over time. Some faster than others. 3 point also, but slower than FEL.

 

[rScotty]

I left the FEL up last night to see if it would come down, and it was on the floor this morning. I am wondering if there is a relatively easy way to fix the problem. It's not a big deal, but it would be nice to have it working right.

I also learned that I have a couple of slow hydraulic leaks. Oil is dripping off the little box the front PTO (or maybe it's the mid PTO - it's in the middle of the tractor) protrudes from, and a couple of hoses which appear to be for the power steering are wet. I guess I can try to tighten the hose fittings a little, but I am wondering what would have to be done to get the PTO leak fixed. Maybe someone here is familiar with this issue.

It may not be a problem you can easily fix. All cylinders leak internally from the high to low pressure side and you can't see it. How fast that happens depends on the construction of the cylinder. Same is true for 3pt hitch lifts.... or for any hydraulic system.

There is always a spec for normal leakdown. It's usually quite high; I've seen "normal" rates for a 3pt hitch that are given in terms of an inch of drop per 5 minutes.

Your best bet for a support is to use the C channel with plates over one of the lift cylinder rods - just as you were considering.
For a rough idea to size the material, look at Kubotas TBN line. The L45, L48, M59, M62 and so on. All of those have a clever support built right onto the loader lift cylinder. It pivots out of the way when not in use. Most commercial machines use some variation on that design. You can get by with a much simpler setup.

Our M59 has a FEL lift capactity of 4000 lbs. The safety support for my M59 is a 20" long section of 3" C channel made with a 3/16" wall thickness. Pretty standard material - probably std. 1018 steel - & 3/16 wall is thick enough not to need end plates - although they are a good idea of course depending on where the end contacts the cylinder and arm. Make the support a few inches shorter than the extended length of the cylinder rod & to use it you raise the arm, install the support, and then lower the arm to trap it.

Do NOT use zip ties. Instead, drill some holes through the C channel so that you can use pins and cotters to hold the brace to the hydraulic cylinder rod. You don't want it jumping out of position.
rScotty

 

[Suburban Plowboy]

Thanks, Scotty.

I'm thinking I may just start parking the tractor outside with a tarp, but I still want a brace. It would make the tractor less of a hassle to work on.

If the internal hydraulic leakage is normal, I won't worry about it, but I would like to keep oil off the floor without using two buckets. It used to leak so badly I had to top off the fluid over and over. That was a problem with a loose hose fitting. Now that that leak is gone, there is less oil on the floor, and I can see the oil from the other two leaks.

 

[rScotty]

Thanks, Scotty.

I'm thinking I may just start parking the tractor outside with a tarp, but I still want a brace. It would make the tractor less of a hassle to work on.

If the internal hydraulic leakage is normal, I won't worry about it, but I would like to keep oil off the floor without using two buckets. It used to leak so badly I had to top off the fluid over and over. That was a problem with a loose hose fitting. Now that that leak is gone, there is less oil on the floor, and I can see the oil from the other two leaks.

Yes. you can stop the leaks, but not the "leakdown".
I'm glad to hear you still want a brace. I used to work on tractors without one, but that was just being young and stupid.... and lucky.
rScotty

 

[bcp]

Use a rectangular tube that, with one narrow side removed, will fit over your cylinder rod.

Bruce

 

[Suburban Plowboy]

That is exactly what I'm working on. The metal place didn't have any channel deep enough, so I cut one side out of a tube using plasma. Unfortunately, I had not used the plasma cutter in over two years, so there was a lot of bubbafication before I got the settings right.