davesisk
Platinum Member
As promised (although 2 weeks late! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif).
Here's 3 pics of the front hoe I built. (I didn't build the bucket, of course...I bought it last year.) The mounting plate is cut from 1/2" thick steel plate with a plasma cutter, the boom is 1/4" walled 4" square tubing, and I just replaced the 8" cylinder with a 12" cylinder (which required me to cut the tab that the end of the cylinder mounts to off and weld it back 4"). I welded the tabs onto the attachment plate using TIG, and most of the other welding was stick (nice that a TIG machine will also stick weld!) I get quite a bit more open/close travel with the longer stroke cylinder..I'm very pleased with it, and I think I can call it finished!
The thumb was made from the corners of the 1/2" plate that I cut off...good use of the scrap! I'll eventually have to replace the 1/4" plate that I welded the thumb to with something thicker...you can probably see from the photos that I've already bent it by picking up tree trunks.
Note that not only is the thumb really useful for picking up things like tree limbs and trunks, it also helps quite a bit with digging. The force of curling the bucket has the tendency to pull the tractor forward (even if the wheels are spinning against the pull)...jamming the thumb into the ground helps give it something to curl the bucket against, plus it helps break up the ground.
I am very, VERY pleased with this attachment. It was remarkable effective with the 8" cylinder...it should be even more so with the 12" cylinder on it.
Anyway, here's the first pic...full view of tractor with the front hoe.
Here's 3 pics of the front hoe I built. (I didn't build the bucket, of course...I bought it last year.) The mounting plate is cut from 1/2" thick steel plate with a plasma cutter, the boom is 1/4" walled 4" square tubing, and I just replaced the 8" cylinder with a 12" cylinder (which required me to cut the tab that the end of the cylinder mounts to off and weld it back 4"). I welded the tabs onto the attachment plate using TIG, and most of the other welding was stick (nice that a TIG machine will also stick weld!) I get quite a bit more open/close travel with the longer stroke cylinder..I'm very pleased with it, and I think I can call it finished!
The thumb was made from the corners of the 1/2" plate that I cut off...good use of the scrap! I'll eventually have to replace the 1/4" plate that I welded the thumb to with something thicker...you can probably see from the photos that I've already bent it by picking up tree trunks.
Note that not only is the thumb really useful for picking up things like tree limbs and trunks, it also helps quite a bit with digging. The force of curling the bucket has the tendency to pull the tractor forward (even if the wheels are spinning against the pull)...jamming the thumb into the ground helps give it something to curl the bucket against, plus it helps break up the ground.
I am very, VERY pleased with this attachment. It was remarkable effective with the 8" cylinder...it should be even more so with the 12" cylinder on it.
Anyway, here's the first pic...full view of tractor with the front hoe.
