Bucket Hooks Location and attachment of FEL chain hooks?

[have_blue]

leaddog,

I must say your solution is the most attractive of all the ones I have seen so far. However, I'm wondering if it's strong enough to not bend under maximum load?

I dread welding a single hook to the center of my bucket. The metal looks weak, so I would have to weld a very large plate.

 

[leaddog]

Yes the channel is heavy enough. I have used mine to pull logs and stalled the loader hyd and this is on a VERY heavy duty fel on a century 3045. Mine is a 2in by 2in by 1/4 angle iron but a channel iron would be even heavyer and the top edge would hold the chain better. Wished I had used channel and I might just change it when I get time
leaddog

 

[JClark]

I use a center mounted tow hook bolted through reinforcing plates on the top of my JD 410 loader. The bottom plate is flat and the top is angle iron to reduce flexing. The tow hooks accepts most anything and is very handy for hooking into trailers when I need to move one around the yard. I also use a slip hook connected by 2 chain links to a grab hook (5/16") for handling chains. The slip hook fits over the tow hook on the loader and the grab hook faces out for easy hookup. This has been a very flexible system for me for the last 12 years.

 

[bebster]

Jeff,
Any chance you could post a picture of your loader hooks so we can see better what it looks like?

 

[JerryG]

Put some on like this and you can use them for other things as well.

 

[JClark]

Here's a photo. Longer angle bolted at the ends would probably be better. By tilting the bucket down I can use the tip of the tow hook to grab a trailer coupler when I need to move a trailer a short distance. I keep a box blade on the 3 pt hitch for counterweight when the FEL is mounted so I don't have access to the drawbar, plus the FEL makes it a no-hands operation.

 

[bigpete]

Here's a pic of a good reinforcement plate, and another to follow showing orientation of hooks to loader arms. If centering and balance are crucial, it's easy enough to use slip hooks to pull from dead center.

 

[bigpete]

Orientation of reinforcement and hook to loader arm.

 

[bigpete]

Hook welded to surface at loader arm support point.

 

[have_blue]

Nice paint. What brand is that tractor? /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif