Loader New Tractor, New Member Loader questions

[Ken45101]

The problem with putting the hitch on the bale spear is that you probably will not be able to see the ball when you are trying to hitch up. That's the nice thing about having a hitch on the 3pt, you have great visibility for positioning the ball.

 

[Chilly807]

Welcome to the group!

You can cut two pieces of pipe that will slip over the bale spears, weld a nut over some holes drilled in the pipe to accept a bolt to act as a set-screw to hold the pipe in place. Then weld a couple pieces of square tube across the pieces of pipe to form a cross frame and weld your receiver tube to the cross pieces. That would allow you to move the trailer easily, then loosen the set screws, slide the adapter off and put it away for the next time. How heavy a trailer are we talking about?

Whatever you do, you need a solid implement like a bucket, forks, or a bale spear to use as a base for your adapter. Others have tried to use just the quick attach frame with no implement on it and bent it quite easily. It has very little torsional strength on it's own, it needs an implement to stiffen it.

As for the bucket hooks, reinforce the bucket lip with something, whether is angle iron, flat bar, pipe, something. The 844 loader has enough power to bend it if you don't. Like gwdixon, I added 4 hooks to my bucket, one on each end of the upper lip, one in the center, and one on the bucket heel. I should have put the end-of-bucket hooks in line with the loader arms, but it's done now. As long as I'm careful to load both chains evenly it's not a problem. We use the one on the heel more than you might think, often for pulling fence posts with the bucket full of material and tools you don't want to dump every time you pull a post.

What kind of critters do you have fenced in? That's quite the fence behind the tractor.

Sean

 

[vrmnthntr]

Regarding the trailer hitch, I use the 3 pt hitch. I use it for unloaded trailers. I tried a clamp on bucket hitch before, but found the 3 pt was easier for me to maneuver the trailer.

Here is something I rigged up using a cat. 1 drawbar, cheap bumper mount hitch from harbor freight, and some steel welded together. It works well and cost me about $60.

 

[gwdixon]

Regarding the trailer hitch, I use the 3 pt hitch. I use it for unloaded trailers. I tried a clamp on bucket hitch before, but found the 3 pt was easier for me to maneuver the trailer.

Here is something I rigged up using a cat. 1 drawbar, cheap bumper mount hitch from harbor freight, and some steel welded together. It works well and cost me about $60.



View attachment 321682

Yep, that is very similar to the 3PH ball mount that I use. Those drawbars make a good base. Plus, other things besides a ball can be put in the receiver - Pintle mount, rope hook, grab hook, or whatever you can weld onto a ball mount.

A trailer is much easier to hook up when looking down on the hook-up point over the back of the tractor with a 3PH. When it is out front it is quite difficult to line up and the visibility is limited.

Hooking the trailer to the front gives some added maneuvering ability but (most) tractors have such a short wheelbase that turning a trailer is a cinch from a rear hook up.

 

[case245]

to cover the floor I would a good bed liner line x comes to mind I have it on my truck bed floor its been 2 years I use it hard there a few scratches in it and a cut or 2 it should last for the life of the tractor good luck

 

[creekbend]

I am late, but I agree with others regarding truckbed liner.

 

[BeezFun]

Also, the tractor has a bare floor pan where as the model above it had a rubber floor mat. Any suggestions as to the best way and rubber product to cut one to fit?

We use these rubber mats on wet floors, I think you could cut them to fit and they'd work OK. They hold themselves up off the floor surface so it won't collect water underneath.

 

[k0ua]

Here is my thread about using pickup bed liner material.. I don't have the tractor anymore. but it was holding up great, and really helped traction, and If I say so it improved the looks of the tractor. As that paint you have on there now will start to show significant wear by the time you have done your 50 hour service

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/customization/177061-using-truck-bed-coating-floorboards.html

James K0UA

 

[Chilly807]

Like James said, with gritty boots the paint goes pretty quick. I usually repaint my floorboards twice a year in spring and fall just to stay ahead of any rust.

Sean

 

[stumpjumper47]

Wow, you fellas have given me a lot to work with! Sean, that is a great idea for the bale spear. The trailers I am wanting to be able to move around are a flatbed 20' neck over and a heavier 20' Goose neck stock trailer along with a couple small bumper hitch trailers. Will the forks handle that? It is a heavy duty one rated at 3000lbs I think. As you guys know, it is so much easier to move trailers around the place with a tractor verses the truck. My little Yanmar that just died on me did not have a loader but I had a ball welded to the box blade. Couldn't move the neck overs but could move the bumper pulls.
One thing I should have mentioned is that while I like the three point, I would rather not have to remove the box blade to move the trailers.
I like the idea of a receiver hitch on the bucket but it just seems (haven't even hooked it up) that I could see better with the little frame of the hay spear. I figured before I get the welder out, I would get some advice.
Sean, we raise bucking cattle and that is an arena (grown up with grass) with 6ft panels. It can get a little western with some of these cattle while others can be petted.
I have used r pol raptor spray bed liner on my truck cab and have some left. It has held up really well and sounds like the ticket for the floor pan.
I haven't really put any hours on the tractor as of yet, but that is about to change. You guys can flame me but I have been putting coats of liquid glass polish on it and am going to spray fluid film on the the chassis. Really want it to last and look good down the road.
Well, thanks to each of you for taking the time to help a guy out.

My Best,

Jimmy