Loader Unlevel bucket

[DonRybak]

I haven't had a chance to contact the tractor guy at RK since sending him the pictures but this past weekend I did have the bucket off and my hay spear mounted and the left spear on that is also lower than the right. I guess I could disconnect one end of the cylinders from the FEL and then compare the length of each fully retracted to se if they match. If they do then partially extend them and measure again to see if they have extended at different rates.

 

[gunny0628]

Mine is the same and I just took delivery yesterday. The left side is obviously low.

RK55HC

 

[tookielee]

Doesn't matter how long the cylinders are until you reach the limit of travel. If you curl it down til the edge
just touches the ground / concrete, with no downforce applied, (assuming level ground) if it doesn't touch
on both sides, bucket is out of square or mounting brackets are not welded in correct spots...
is this SSQA? maybe that's incorrect... You really want to eliminate cylinder mismatch as the issue,
set it on the ground and remove lower pins... I bet one side is still higher.

Edit: I meant remove pin on cylinder to curl

 

[CobyRupert]

Not sure if this applies to your make/model, but I'll throw it out there:

Does your loader (not bucket) have (let's call it) a "synchronization" bar that connects one side's "tilt / mounting bracket" to the other side's. This ensures each side's bracket is at the same tilt rotation spot.

My loader has one with a shear bolt. I must of broke the bolt by loading pallet forks unevenly, but never knew synchro bar existed until one day with no bucket on, why one side no longer tilted/rotated in unison with the other side.
:2cents:

 

[DonRybak]

Gunny, have you contacted the store about it. You might have your folks contact Dan at the Bartow, FL store to see exactly what steps he has taken or contacts he's made so they don't just start all over again.

Don

 

[DonRybak]

Coby, the only thing I have connecting the left and right FEL arms is what I would call a cross brace that the rigid hydraulic lines going from the right to left side are attached to and it's welded. Thanks for the suggestion though.

Don

 

[gunny0628]

Thanks Don. I’ll take care of it Monday

 

[chesternator]

Also having issues with level which makes it very difficult to remove and attach the FEL. One side disconnects before the other. As I contine to try and get the other side to disengage the FEL starts to twist due to one side being loose. This is on level ground. I found I have to put something under one side of the bucket to equalize and get both sides to disconnect at the same time.

 

[DonRybak]

I talked with Dan the tractor guy here at my local store this afternoon and he said that he thinks that there's a mismatch in the cylinders when the FELs are assembled. I reminded him, that a few weeks back I sent him pictures of the cylinders being different lengths. After I got home I took another set of pictures with the bucket raised about 3 feet off the ground. Left cylinder is 33.75" from center of the grease fittings and the right side in 34". A quarter of an inch at the cylinders makes a big difference at the ends of the FEL arms. For those having issues with the FEL not being level with the frame you need to speak up so that something can be done.

 

[gunny0628]

Same issue! I will measure and take pictures as well tomorrow.

 

[PILOON]

Not saying it is the same cause but-------------
My loader was not parallel so I went about checking on a flat surface etc.
Discovered that one frame bolt had come lose and elongated the hole by 1/8" which translated to near 2" at the bucket cutting edge.
The fix was to oversize the mounting hole and use oversized bolt.

Small errors can magnify at a distance.

 

[npalen]

Looks like the loader frame may have a slight twist in it or one rear tire may be low on air pressure. I think there may have been some past threads about twisted loader frames and how to straighten them. One of the fixes that I remember reading some where is to set the loader down on a flat surface and cut the crossmember loose. This should then let the loader square itself before rewelding the crossmember.
The cylinders being different length is probably a symptom rather than the disease.

Edit: Another item to check before cutting anything loose is to measure the rear mounting brackets and make sure they measure the same distance above a flat surface. Also be sure that the loader frame is correctly seated in the mounting brackets on both sides.

Edit again: After reading the thread more thoroughly, I see that some of these things were previously mentioned.

 

[ptsg]

Looks like the loader frame may have a slight twist in it or one rear tire may be low on air pressure. I think there may have been some past threads about twisted loader frames and how to straighten them. One of the fixes that I remember reading some where is to set the loader down on a flat surface and cut the crossmember loose. This should then let the loader square itself before rewelding the crossmember.
The cylinders being different length is probably a symptom rather than the disease.

Edit: Another item to check before cutting anything loose is to measure the rear mounting brackets and make sure they measure the same distance above a flat surface. Also be sure that the loader frame is correctly seated in the mounting brackets on both sides.

Edit again: After reading the thread more thoroughly, I see that some of these things were previously mentioned.

That's exactly how I welded my loader arms on my homemade loader I'm doing. That insures that the bucket will be parallel to the ground if you do that work on a good flat surface with the same tire pressure on the rear.

I agree with the cylinders being a sympton. It should be measured with the cylinders either fully extended or fully retracted.

 

[gunny0628]

 

[Qapla]

Is it possible that the mount for the bucket is welded off-level on the back of the bucket?

 

[gunny0628]

I didn’t look there. I sent these pictures to the store where I bought the tractor and gave them all the previous information. I’m frustrated because I have my grapple and loader on pallets and you wouldn’t think an inch and a half would make a difference when picking up, but it does. As well, when I put the loader to the ground, if I want a flat surface it flexes the entire implement/arms.

Not what I expected for what I paid for. Hopefully someone will find a resolution. I’ll look at the welds tomorrow.

 

[ptsg]

Is it possible that the mount for the bucket is welded off-level on the back of the bucket?

There are pictures above that show that the cross member is also twisted to one side.

 

[PILOON]

I might be seeing things but in the 3rd pix the left cylinder seems slightly more extended which would be in keeping with the bucket misalignment, but then it could by an illusion caused by camera angle.

 

[snymat68]

This is similar to my RK24. I've noticed with mine, that the right cylinder starts extending a fraction of a second before the left one. This causes the right side of the loader to be higher throughout it's travel until it hits the top. I wonder if this issue is less of a mechanical one, and more of a hydraulic balance issue? Just thinking out loud here. I agree though, it's an annoying issue. Do other brands have this problem, or is this something specific to the RKs?

 

[jmc]

Isn't there a TBN member who represents RK tractors? Surprised he hasn't weighed in on this.