Hooks..

Dargo · Apr 23, 2009

J_J said:
I most definitely agree that the chain hooks are to be welded in-line , or just to the inside edge of the lift points. with the bucket arms. I just figured that most people would know that.

Look out. Some folks here call us plum nuts for advising this.

polo1665 · Apr 24, 2009

J_J said:
I most definitely agree that the chain hooks are to be welded in-line , or just to the inside edge of the lift points. with the bucket arms. I just figured that most people would know that.

J_J, your second picture on the top row clearly shows hooks welded on the outer edges of the bucket, you may want to get with the owner of that tractor and straighten them out.

Dargo said:
Look out. Some folks here call us plum nuts for advising this.

I wouldn't call you plum nuts, but I'd be angry that I didn't think of that when I welded mine on. I've got four of them. Two on the outer edges of the bucket and two in the center inside of the lift arms. I'm not going to run out to the garage and reposition any though. Since I've had them on I've never used the outside ones. Seems like every time I eye up a job common sense raises its ugly head and the center hooks look alot more attracive than the outer ones. For now I'll continue to let common sense flourish and keep my options open.

Mark

J_J · Apr 24, 2009

polo1665 said:
J_J, your second picture on the top row clearly shows hooks welded on the outer edges of the bucket, you may want to get with the owner of that tractor and straighten them out.

I wouldn't call you plum nuts, but I'd be angry that I didn't think of that when I welded mine on. I've got four of them. Two on the outer edges of the bucket and two in the center inside of the lift arms. I'm not going to run out to the garage and reposition any though. Since I've had them on I've never used the outside ones. Seems like every time I eye up a job common sense raises its ugly head and the center hooks look alot more attracive than the outer ones. For now I'll continue to let common sense flourish and keep my options open.

Mark

I know, but we all have to learn, and sometimes the hard way. I try and not tell people what to do, unless I am paying for it. If it were mine, I would just add another set to the inside of the lifting points. You can even use the two inside hooks to lift a single point. That way, you have less of a load on any one point.

Dargo · Apr 24, 2009

J_J said:
I know, but we all have to learn, and sometimes the hard way.

Guilty. The very first time I welded hooks on a bucket was when I bought a new John Deere 850 compact tractor in the early 80's. I welded 3"X4"X1/4" plates on the top of the bucket on the outer edges and one in the center. I then welded 3 hooks on those plates. I nearly turned the tractor over trying to pull an S10 pickup out of a small ditch when I used one of the outer edge hooks because it created less of an angle for me to pull. I nearly had him out and he quit pulling, sliding back in the ditch. That tipped my tractor over until only the bucket stopped me from completely flipping.

After that incident that right side of my bucket was about 3" off the ground when the left side touched the ground. That made the thing worthless for doing most digging and leveling chores. I took it in the the JD dealer and they refused to warranty the twisted loader arms because of where I had placed the hooks. Although it was a costly lesson, in retrospect, I can clearly see where it is foolish to place hooks on the outer edge of a loader bucket.

polo1665 · Apr 24, 2009

Dargo said:
Guilty. The very first time I welded hooks on a bucket was when I bought a new John Deere 850 compact tractor in the early 80's. I welded 3"X4"X1/4" plates on the top of the bucket on the outer edges and one in the center. I then welded 3 hooks on those plates. I nearly turned the tractor over trying to pull an S10 pickup out of a small ditch when I used one of the outer edge hooks because it created less of an angle for me to pull. I nearly had him out and he quit pulling, sliding back in the ditch. That tipped my tractor over until only the bucket stopped me from completely flipping.

After that incident that right side of my bucket was about 3" off the ground when the left side touched the ground. That made the thing worthless for doing most digging and leveling chores. I took it in the the JD dealer and they refused to warranty the twisted loader arms because of where I had placed the hooks. Although it was a costly lesson, in retrospect, I can clearly see where it is foolish to place hooks on the outer edge of a loader bucket.

Wow that had to put a knot in your gut. Fortunately I read this thread before I made the same mistake. Luckily none of the jobs that required the hooks tempted me to use the outside ones. One day I will move or remove them. For now I am the only operator of the tractor, so I'll just keep a mental note.

Mark

Dargo · Apr 24, 2009

polo1665 said:
Wow that had to put a knot in your gut. Fortunately I read this thread before I made the same mistake. Luckily none of the jobs that required the hooks tempted me to use the outside ones. One day I will move or remove them. For now I am the only operator of the tractor, so I'll just keep a mental note.

Mark

You make what I think is a very important point, at least for me. I learn stuff every day. Most of what I learn is information picked up from the hard earned experience of others. That's sort of why my tag line is what it is on here. The more I learn the more I realize how much I don't know. If I had access to a forum like this one in the early 80's I likely would have been told what would happen if I located my hooks on the outer edge. Unfortunately this resource wasn't available then and, like a lot of things, I had to learn the hard way. I've done that a lot. Did I mention that when I was a teen the physicians in the emergency room knew my name when they saw me?

jd2305cd · Apr 24, 2009

Has any one gone the bolt on route?

polo1665 · Apr 24, 2009

Dargo said:
Did I mention that when I was a teen the physicians in the emergency room knew my name when they saw me?

LOL - The original Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor eh.

You are right, this sight has helped me significantly. I had only owned stuff as large riding lawn tractors before and I knew I was in for a learning curve when I jumped on something that weighed 3,800 lbs, and had a backhoe and loader. I've managed to only destroy a couple things around the house

. I'm glad I found this sight and I certainly appreciate the hard won wisdom that comes along with it.

Mark