KL401 Loader bracket repair

[84SCRAMBLER]

I missed float plowing snow last night and the uneven lifting of the front end said we had a problem. Didn稚 take long to find it! Based on the rust in the crack I think this happened in the summer.

I bought the Dk40 used and as part of my negotiating strategy I pointed out how ugly these welds were! Aside from that I have a grapple and though I try to avoid momentum and uneven loading on the FEL the grapple along with the power of this loader obviously was too much and leverage won out.

Not really looking to beat a dead horse on the failure (or those ugly welds)! I would like to hear any pointers on repairs from others with similar experience. I expect this is regular mild steel? I have a 220 MIG but can稚 even call myself a weekend warrior at this point so I will likely trust a structural weld like this to a friend who is a professional welder. Will need to remove the bracket for full penetration repair, are these dowled or anything like that which would make the removal harder than it seems? Probably have him blend and weld the other side as well, it hasn稚 broken yet but probably will not be far behind. I always like to check new vs the repair route, over $1000 per side....yikes!

 

[84SCRAMBLER]

 

[84SCRAMBLER]

Well upon further review it looks like this had to have been weld repaired before so the welds can稚 be attributed to Kioti. I say that because I am missing the rear bars, parts number 3&4 in linked KL 401 part diagram below (apologize if that link isn稚 allowed).

Parts Finder Michigan Iron & Equipment Morrice, MI (855) 265-459

Any chance those bars are optional or were they definitely lost by prior owners? I expect they are meant to tie into the rear and reduce torque on this bracket!

Used is always a risk, especially when your unfamiliar with the equipment like this (my first tractor). Not sure I would have noticed this either way as I had seen the tie in points plenty of times and assumed it was for optional backhoe mounting.

So how big of a learning opportunity am I in for here? Those bars are 600 apiece if I can稚 track down the original set which is a long shot!

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

Those bars are an integral part of the loader reinforcement, prevents rotational torque at those welds. They should be replaced, either with stock parts or to be fabricated, they are pretty simple.

 

[84SCRAMBLER]

Thank you for confirming that. Always thought the shift linkages hung low and in harms way. I知 sure these bars act at protection for them. Probably a good fab project. If anyone has a DK HSE and would be kind enough to measure the height and width cross section of those bars I would appreciate it.