DIY Front End Loader out of Shop cranes?

[KennyG]

The 455 was available with a loader so you might look at it's design. On old farm tractors we made simple loaders by mounting arms that pivoted as close to the rear axle as possible and then used a single cylinder mounted on the front of the frame with a cable system. Be careful, 600 lbs is a lot for a machine that probably doesn't weigh over 1000 lbs.

 

[NCMau]

Hello everyone, I'm looking at building a front end loader for my JD 455. I'm thinking the cheapest way to actually do that is to hack up two harbor freight shop cranes. It seems that a minimum amount of fabrication would be required to make this work. My target bucket capacity is a little over 600lb, which I've heard is about what the model 40 is reasonably capable of at 1000 PSI.

So I've done some rough calculations and it seems possible with the existing lift points, I'll just need to use some stronger hydraulic cylinders.


My question at this point is, has anyone else seen a shop crane adapted for this use? Is there some obvious drawback that I'm not seeing?

Think rear!... Here is an HF 2-Ton engine lift, a lot simpler projects with minor mods.

 

[radios1]

here's some data on the front loader and etc. for you. TractorData.com John Deere 455 tractor attachments information this is a REAL Garden Tractor btw. Tuff Torq K91 trans.. Diesel engine, Nice..

 

[WranglerX]

Think rear!... Here is an HF 2-Ton engine lift, a lot simpler projects with minor mods.

That is interesting... Good idea/concept there...

Dale

 

[TheDevilYouLove]

Think rear!... Here is an HF 2-Ton engine lift, a lot simpler projects with minor mods.

Hey, that's pretty cool! Clever idea!

 

[Teachu2]

here's some data on the front loader and etc. for you. TractorData.com John Deere 455 tractor attachments information this is a REAL Garden Tractor btw. Tuff Torq K91 trans.. Diesel engine, Nice..

580 lbs of loader to lift 215 lbs about 5' high. Adding up to 800 lbs to a 1000 lb machine. What could go wrong???? Here, I'll hold your beer....

Of course, if you're just looking for a unique project this would be one. What do you want to use this for?

Pictures of one for sale at John Deere 4 Loader for 425 445 Deere 455 Tractors | eBay

 

[Teachu2]

Also parts and manuals at https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=john+deere+40+loader

 

[james4465]

580 lbs of loader to lift 215 lbs about 5' high. Adding up to 800 lbs to a 1000 lb machine. What could go wrong???? Here, I'll hold your beer....

Of course, if you're just looking for a unique project this would be one. What do you want to use this for?

At worst I'd use it for light digging. I'm using the blade on the front now to move dirt/gravel around (more than I expected to be able to do). But I really need a better way to pick up and drop off material. I looked into a Johny Bucket Senior and thats almost a perfect solution. But after doing more research a lot of people mention using the bucket for a lot of other different stuff, so I don't want to buy it and immediately regret the purchase.

I have studied lots of pictures of the model 40, I just haven't found any data on the material thickness or exact measurements it has.

 

[james4465]

Think rear!... Here is an HF 2-Ton engine lift, a lot simpler projects with minor mods.

Nice I like that a lot, and it sits on the ground so the lifting force doesn't rely on the tractor frame.

 

[radios1]

here's someone that loves the Johnny bucket sr. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...durable.html&usg=AOvVaw0pzY8Wsj8AqX7OGyJogpkH and here's someone on this forum that sold his for $700!.. https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/lawn-garden-equipment/250616-whats-worth-johnny-bucket-sr.html