RScotty, you can't disconnect mechanical self leveling while working with the loader. It's a challenge to design it properly but once it's done it works great all the way to the max height.
I based mine on a at least 45 deg dump angle and almost perfect leveling to the ground because I use pallet forks alot.
Hydraulic self leveling loses position quite frequently. We also have an M4072 with front loader and hydraulic self leveling...and i have to say it does not keep the position as it should. 3-4 times up-down and it's quite a bit off true level...
The rod is connected to the plate that the tilt cylinder is mounted on moving it as the loader arms raise or lower. This keeps the bucket or forks at the same angle set before the arms move.
If you level a pallet and just raise or lower the arms, the pallet will stay level:
Well, I grew up on a farm, there were always some machines around an much of that we had to fix and maintain by ourselves. So there came the experience with mechanics. Besides that, I have a certain talent...I started to draw 3 dimensional drawnings at very very early age; everybody said I'll become a painter...but that wasn't interesting. As soon as I gained acess to cnc plasma cutting all my drawnings could easily become reality...so it's a mix of things. Later I got interested in computers and automation so I got a degree as an electrical engineer/subgroup automatic systems...so now I work as an electronics maintenance engineer at a company, but I never forgot where I came from so after regular shifts I develop and make prototype machines at my home shop...