Finally got a Boom Pole

Freep · Jul 23, 2018

I'm in the market for a boom pole. I had initially intended to purchase a quick attach boom for the loader, but now I'd wondering if the 3-point might be better. I intend to use it for general purpose moving of stuff, plus lifting/skidding logs.

The most challenging log movement task I'll need to do is lifting them on and off trailers. As someone noted above, you can probably get a lot more control of a log up front by using the FEL and chain/hook/tongs rigging. But I wonder if having a boom attachment for the FEL might increase the height at which I could lift logs... in which case I would be able to load and unload trailers with higher beds.

Any thoughts? What am I overlooking? I'm fairly new to tractor usage, but have managed some of the above work with a FEL/chain/tongs setup.

Dave M7040 · Jul 23, 2018

Freep said:
I'm in the market for a boom pole. I had initially intended to purchase a quick attach boom for the loader, but now I'd wondering if the 3-point might be better. I intend to use it for general purpose moving of stuff, plus lifting/skidding logs.

The most challenging log movement task I'll need to do is lifting them on and off trailers. As someone noted above, you can probably get a lot more control of a log up front by using the FEL and chain/hook/tongs rigging. But I wonder if having a boom attachment for the FEL might increase the height at which I could lift logs... in which case I would be able to load and unload trailers with higher beds.

Any thoughts? What am I overlooking? I'm fairly new to tractor usage, but have managed some of the above work with a FEL/chain/tongs setup.

A bad idea for this reason. If you doubt my advice, go to the orange forum and see what happened to the owner of a set of forks for his FEL. Broken cylinder.

Imagine you pick up a bucket of gravel which your tractor manages to get off the ground. Then, because the bucket is not completely full, you start to shovel some more gravel into the bucket. At some point something will fail. A hose, a cylinder.... The relief valve has no role once the control levers are in the neutral position.

With a FEL. once you position the bucket and arms, the hydraulic fluid is locked in place and the relief valve cannot save them from serious overload. The owner with forks was back dragging a log when the bucket cylinder failed. The forks greatly increased the leverage working against the bucket cylinder.

In contrast, most 3 pt hitches have a relief valve and a safety valve. The relief valve is to limit how much weight you can raise with the 3 pt hitch. Once you release the 3 pt control lever and you are moving, the relief valve is not in the circuit. As your heavy load bounces up and down as you travel, this bouncing imposes significantly higher forces on the 3 pt than the weight of the implement.

This is where the safety valve comes into action. It is set much higher than the relief valve. It is set at a pressure the hydraulic pump will not reach. To set the safety valve, it has to be removed and connected to an fuel injector tester which produces very high pressure.

The safety valve will greatly reduce the possibility of damage to your 3 pt hitch. Your FEL does not have his protection. A pole on the FEL magnifies the forces on your fEL and you will break it.

Dave M7040

bdhsfz6 · Jul 23, 2018

^^^Good information^^^

To answer your question, yes you will gain height by using a FEL mounted boom. You can also add a hydraulic top link to your 3pt which will gain some lift height. Whether it's enough to load a trailer depends of course on the trailer height.

Using any FEL attached implement requires an abundance of caution to avoid damage and / or injury. I've been using a FEL boom for many years now without incident. I use mine mostly for lifting furniture and light appliances (less than 300 lbs or so) up onto my 12' high deck. At my age, carrying these items up and down stairs is no longer an option. I also load items into my dump trailer which has 48" high sideboards. I can't do either with the boom on the 3 pt and hydraulic top link.

I don't lift anything close to the max FEL capacity more than 5' above the ground and only lift on level stable ground. Bouncing around in the woods carrying a 1000 lb log on the end of a FEL boom is a recipe for disaster. Likewise dragging that same log at an angle to the direction of travel (making sharp turns) is a sure way to bend or break the FEL frame.

If you go the FEL boom route, use a healthy dose of common sense and you should be fine.

Fallon · Jul 23, 2018

Also, you never want to pull anything with the chain/strap above the axle. It could roll the tractor & kill you.

If the load gets snagged while attached to the drawbar below the axle it pulls the tractor towards the ground increasing traction. If you attach things to the 3pt, loader or something else up high the wheels will still keep moving forward while the top of the tractor is halted by the snagged tow. Before you can even hit the clutch the tractor will pop a wheely & roll over backwards. Plenty of YouTube videos showing this dangerous or tragic event. Commercial 3pt logging winches all say to attach the load low to a dedicated hitch rather than tow from the drum up high for this reason.

Freep · Jul 25, 2018

Great advice, All - much appreciated! I had anticipated keeping the load under the lifting capacity of the FEL, but it seems like with a boom's length amplifying the leverage, I need to be yet more conservative. I wonder what fraction of loader capacity would be acceptable... half? I suppose it must all depend on the length of the boom. The booms I was considering are much shorter than the one mentioned above (12' deck - inspired idea, by the way... I need a deck and french doors for my upstairs bedroom!)

My loading with the FEL has been and will be limited to relatively stable ground and fairly optimal circumstances: Basically onto and off of a trailer in a driveway or a backyard, distances of around 10-20' or so, tops. If I need to move the logs any distance, I have a 3-pt attachment with skidding tongs for that purpose. (Appreciate the warnings there, too, by the way - I've seen a lot of those and approach the task very cautiously.)

The reason for considering the boom rather than using the FEL with some chains as most others seem to do is that I discovered older logging trucks (F600, e.g.) in good condition are dirt cheap relative to the price of a decent truck and a separate trailer. The only drawback is the height of the bed. I'm exploring ways to get one of those for use rather than renting a truck and trailer every time I need to pick up some wood. I cannot (responsibly) afford to buy a truck and trailer that will accomplish the same task, but I do hate renting stuff.

Thanks again. I'm going to revisit the thread in light of what you've all shared.

Fallon · Jul 25, 2018

There is no valid universal rule for loader capacity. With lots of extra ballast on the back of a 5' rotary cutter (weight * leverage) my old Kubota L3200 could barely keep the back end on the ground maxing out the loader. On my new L4060 with minimal ballast the loader stops lifting long before the tractor notices. One was stability limited, the other hydraulically limited. Both could have been limited by some engineering weakspot I couldn't see & the other limits were engineered so there wasnt a catastrophic failure.

If you are putting a boom on your loader, know your tractors limits beforehand. If you lift with the loader the hydraulics should (no guarantees at all) keep you safe as the extra leverage of the boom should decrease the effective lift capacity. If you are raising the boom then lifting something with a pulley attached the hydraulic relief valve will provide no protection at all & you could pull the tractor over. And if you pull the back end off the ground the front axle pivot will pivot & it's very likely you will roll the tractor before you can blink, much less unload the pully.

Xfaxman · Jul 28, 2018

Built my boom pole in the summer of 2005, for long reach light duty lifting. The front axle is solid to the frame, no pivot, so very stable with weight up on the loader.

It sets on the forks, with a brace to the top of the fork frame:

Medgerton · Apr 15, 2021

bdhsfz6 said:
I use both. This SSQA to 3 pt adapter lets you attach the boom pole to the FEL:

Amazon.com: Skidsteer 3 Point Attachment Adapter Skid Steer trailer hitch front loader case: Home Improvement

The lifting capacity is limited a bit but it greatly extends the horizontal & vertical reach.

View attachment 562772

If you've got a death wish, you can use it to limb trees.