Resolving self leveling dislike

[KonigJager]

It definitely looks like you could reposition the pin for the link at the bucket to give you the extra curl you want like sjstyles suggests. There is a lot of extra material and room there to do it, and it can be switched back pretty easily if someone wants to. A lot less work than any other suggestion to be honest.

The bucket on my loader doesn't curl back very much either and it is not self-leveling, the geometry just isn't good. I can under-curl (?) so much that I can get a reverse angle on the bucket by at least 10-15 degrees. Unfortunately the mounts on the bucket leave little room to change the geometry.

 

[ruffdog]

The old loader/backhoes I ran had good rollback...why have a loader bucket that can't carry a bucket full of gravel? They would not curl down as far to dump though....no problem...giggle the bucket.

 

[npalen]

True, but I think it would require a "negative angle" on that link at full curl. It would be on the wrong end of mechanical advantage and it might not have the oomph to get the last few degrees. I suspect that the link and the cylinder being in line, straight, is going to be the most curl you are going to get. Using that assumption is why I drew the pivot a little more outboard on the SSQA frame.

I could be wrong about that though. Once I was wrong, I think my wife has it in her calendar .

Someone should start a thread "The only time I ever made a mistake......" or something like that.

 

[IndyJay]

Someone should start a thread "The only time I ever made a mistake......" or something like that.

That would likely break all records for longest thread, with potential for lots of updates.

 

[RancherGuy]

Happy New Year everyone, thanks for all of the feedback from everyone. I took a couple of pics with the bucket full curl and dump cylinders fully extended. I looked at a bunch of pics trying to see if it is more of a Kioti thing and I'm beginning to think it may be.

Boss: the pictures are great. Really helps to understand your issue. I have 2 tractors with non-self leveling and 1 with. I wish all 3 were 'non'. I have learned that when it comes to hay work, there is no place for SL. I also learned a lot when I built my own attachment for my tractors - a set of 7 tines that operate like forks, but are interconnected. The biggest lesson was an awareness that the back of buckets are not vertical. I'd say that the back of my OEM buckets are somewhere at a 20-25 degree angle from vertical. I'd bet that your non-OEM bucket is angled a lot less than OEM. This affects rollback and dump angles.

My three suggestions are fabrication mods (edit: choose one). (1) Remove the connection hardware from the back of the bucket (SSQA?). Replace with new hardware that adds more "wedge", thus increases the slope on the back of the bucket. You would have to do the same with the hay spear. (2) Create a new pair of bucket cylinders from scratch. The benefit is that you can always swap back to OEM if you wish. These new ones would have a longer stroke by 0 to 2 inches. The pipe/tube that is welded to the end of the cylinder completes the required length to the top pin. I say 0 inches if you want the same range of motion, but shorten the pipe to pull the lower cylinder pin a little higher. I say 2 inches of stroke if you want more range, although I don't think you need more range, for your cylinders may then contact the arm when fully extended. Personally, the pictures seem to show that there is a little bit of room to pull the lower cylinder pin higher, resulting in more bucket and hay spear angle. (3) cut the top tube of your OEM cylinders and reweld to shorten them. Test the amount to be removed by measurement of pin-to-pin distance when the cylinders are removed and bucket/spear is angled up to highest possible point.

 

[ovrszd]

That would likely break all records for longest thread, with potential for lots of updates.

I don't know. Would be fun though.

 

[Boss 302]

Rancher, I agree that the SL loader has no place in the hay business I also want to thank everyone for your informative suggestions. I am currently weighing everything, so whatever I decide I want to make sure that I can put it back to stock if ever the need should surface. I am leaning towards different curl cylinders but not interfering with any of the existing pivot points so things could go back to stock.

 

[charles todd]

I have no issues with my self leveling loader. I can scoop and carry a 100% full bucket. Bale spear not an issue. Would not buy a tractor without a self leveling loader with skid steer attachment.

2013 LS P7010C

 

[Boss 302]

I hear ya Charles, I wouldn't have another with a self-leveling loader and that's what makes this country of ours so great. If everyone liked the same thing the bed would be awful crowded, don't you think?

 

[SwingOak]

A self leveling loader is great for using with pallet forks, but there my appreciation ends. It's a solution to a problem I didn't have.

I get plenty of roll back when the bucket is down, and not enough when the bucket is raised up, and that seems to be the consensus. It's great for pallet forks all the time and a bucket most of the time, and a bale spear never.