Front Loader from a Ford Truck

[flingwing1969]

Same here and it also made my arms sore from leaning on it.

Not to mention the horror of spinters.

 

[nimblemotors]

You'll also want to work out your lifting geometry over the full range of motion and bias it to have more force down low than up high since that is where you'll get the most benefit IMO.

What happened to the 530 ck in your profile? That would dig circles around what you are proposing to build.

sold the 530ck. Those things weigh 10,000 lbs, so I'd need a new trailer and a new truck to move it anywhere. I want something 5,000 lbs or less.

 

[nimblemotors]

I agree with X, you need to leave the twin I beam alone so you can keep all four wheels on the ground, most of the time.

I suppose having the front axle fixed is the major issue, so getting some movement in back might be ok. I can certainly start it that way, I looked at it closely
today and it looks like the way to fix it is just replace the spring with a solid bar, so it would be easy to go back and forth to see how it works both ways.
Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[nimblemotors]

Some people will do anything to avoid using a shovel. Me included.

I dug out the crawl space for a 400 sq ft addition to my 'flip' house, 24 inches deep, using hand shovels, I did have help from my son.
We wheelbarrowed all the dirt spread around the big backyard, I used my Jaguar as the tractor to compact the dirt with the tires.
I just troweled on all the stucco myself to this addition, that is tough physical work too.

 

[BrokenTrack]

In my experience, you really cannot beat articulated machines unless they are on tracks; is there a reason you don't want to articulate this machine?

Not only would you have better maneuverability, but what I have found is, the ability to oscillate the rear axle from the front is what allows a machine to have traction. Tractors, jitterbugs, ATV's, etc all break traction when the suspensions bottom out. Forwarders for instance, can navigate the roughest terrain with ease because of their center pivot. They are easy enough to fabricate for what you would gain.

The other thing you will want to really look into is weight transfer. I don't care what it is for a machine, you want 60/40 weight transfer. That is 60% of the weight on the back prior to loading and 40% on the front, then after loading 60% on the front and 40% on the back. Skidders, bucket loaders, etc have this weight transfer figured in, other wise they would be unstable, but also unable to efficiently work.

This is the stuff you should really be figuring out rather than theoretical load calculations of hydraulic cylinders. It is going to be what nets you the most usable machine.

 

[rScotty]

This sounds like a great project. Hope you can do it. The kind of machine you are talking about building hasn't been done often, but any mechanically oriented farm kid has seen or heard of something like that. During a decade of migratory farm work I might have seen half a dozen variations on that idea....and that was half a century ago & more. I never had the opportunity to really study one or work with it, but they do exist and I've seen them in action.

Some explanation is in order......I grew up traveling with the grain and fruit harvest. It's a gypsy kind of life. We were called "Harvies" & often worked for the same farming family year after year. Sometimes we worked directly for the farmer, othertimes we worked for a custom cutter or picker. If you are country, you know what I'm talking about.

So I got to sleep in a lot of barns, see a lot of farm machinery, and marvel at farmer-designed inventions.
Even as a young kid I was known to have a knack for machinery, so earned extra money on rainy days fixing things and doing maintenance.

Using a truck backwards to make a maneuverable loader was not common, but it was something that I remember seeing every once in a while.
What struck me at the time was a couple of things. One is that the lift arms often had very long cylinders, another was that it wasn't uncommon for the entire loader frame to be made of welded and bolted metal pipe. Another thing that I wondered about was that nobody ever seemed to refine their design once it was built enough to work. It was the rare farmer who ever used even elementary physics or math; most just went with instinct and used what they had laying around. I remember the ones who did plan more completely though, because those were the ones who would often invite me up to the kitchen where we would eat pie while they explained their drawings. Wonderful times.
rScotty

 

[Xfaxman]

I agree with X, you need to leave the twin I beam alone so you can keep all four wheels on the ground, most of the time.

I suppose having the front axle fixed is the major issue, so getting some movement in back might be ok. I can certainly start it that way, I looked at it closely
today and it looks like the way to fix it is just replace the spring with a solid bar, so it would be easy to go back and forth to see how it works both ways.
Thanks for the suggestion!

Both of my "loaders" have a solid front axle and a pivoting rear axle:

 

[ovrszd]

Yep, and that's the preferred design with rear steer setups.

 

[nimblemotors]

So here is the ranger I bought for $50, turns out it is a 5-speed and not an automatic, which might cause me some grief.
It was 'running when parked'. I stripped it down as much as I can before I get it running. The starter was toast, so until I get
another one, I can't do much more to it. So my plan is once it is running, I can pair the wiring down to a bare minimum,
and then remove the cab, and cut it in half and put it back on facing backwards.

I like that Bobcat with the single arm loader with the telescoping arm, what a nice design.

 

[4570Man]

A $50 dollar truck is a good start for the project. I'd buy every $50 truck I could get. So far that's none. If it's a 4x4 you might have low enough gears in 4x4 low. Otherwise you're probably going to have problems. I'd probably throw a rubber chock block in the front suspension. Solid blocks would work but the block would have a little give. You could accomplish the same thing with air bags but they're more expensive.