Loader Using loader with chains, etc

[chopped]

Sixdogs ,the answer is yes. (at least some are). Like tractors, some people arent really trained to use toothpaste..I wonder if there was ever some sort of injury from swallowing the paste?

 

[TripleR]

Thanks for the input hows to beef up the bucket for hooks. I've read a lot on this site about it, but hadn't read anything specific to the L3400.

I have yet to see anything unique to the L3400 model and what works on one will generally work on another.

I can pretty much guarantee, I do stuff my manual recommends against.

I am inclined to believe those posts which differentiate using a chain with hooks as opposed to "around" the bucket. I honestly do it both ways.

 

[HiTechTed]

I should have been more clear with what the manual actually says. It says, "Never lift or pull a load from any point on the loader with a chain, rope or cable. Doing so could cause a rollover or serious damage to the loader."

So you can see where my question(s) come from. What the manual says and what you guys are doing are 2 different things, welded hooks or not.

My question was actually pretty dumb...I mean, the bucket doesn't have hooks on it from the factory, and the manual says not to do it, so that answered my question right there. Those of you that get away with doing it might be super-skilled, or just plain lucky. Occasionally I see super-skilled and lucky guys in the obituary so I think I'll go with the extra wheel/chain/drawbar suggestion.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go eat a tube of Crest and drive my tractor on the side of a hill at top speed with the rops down and my seatbelt on with the bucket as high as it will go....

Seriously though, thanks for the tips and sorry I ruffled the feathers of a couple of you guys. No harm intended...

 

[TripleR]

I should have been more clear with what the manual actually says. It says, "Never lift or pull a load from any point on the loader with a chain, rope or cable. Doing so could cause a rollover or serious damage to the loader."

So you can see where my question(s) come from. What the manual says and what you guys are doing are 2 different things, welded hooks or not.

My question was actually pretty dumb...I mean, the bucket doesn't have hooks on it from the factory, and the manual says not to do it, so that answered my question right there. Those of you that get away with doing it might be super-skilled, or just plain lucky. Occasionally I see super-skilled and lucky guys in the obituary so I think I'll go with the extra wheel/chain/drawbar suggestion.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go eat a tube of Crest and drive my tractor on the side of a hill at top speed with the rops down and my seatbelt on with the bucket as high as it will go....

Seriously though, thanks for the tips and sorry I ruffled the feathers of a couple of you guys. No harm intended...

I live in the heart of farm country and the dealers will put hooks on prior to delivery; most tractors I see have hooks. The use of chains or straps by people who use tractors daily or occasionally is accepted practice.

I am no dare devil and am not particularly skilled or lucky.

That being said, I am not sure there is anything as being too careful. As your experience and confidence build you will probably find yourself doing things you once would not have considered. Happy tractoring.

 

[dex3361]

I should have been more clear with what the manual actually says. It says, "Never lift or pull a load from any point on the loader with a chain, rope or cable. Doing so could cause a rollover or serious damage to the loader."

So you can see where my question(s) come from. What the manual says and what you guys are doing are 2 different things, welded hooks or not.

My question was actually pretty dumb...I mean, the bucket doesn't have hooks on it from the factory, and the manual says not to do it, so that answered my question right there. Those of you that get away with doing it might be super-skilled, or just plain lucky. Occasionally I see super-skilled and lucky guys in the obituary so I think I'll go with the extra wheel/chain/drawbar suggestion.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go eat a tube of Crest and drive my tractor on the side of a hill at top speed with the rops down and my seatbelt on with the bucket as high as it will go....

Seriously though, thanks for the tips and sorry I ruffled the feathers of a couple of you guys. No harm intended...

Ted
What you read (out of the manual)is a liability statement. if the FEL was sold with hooks on the bucket it would classify it as a lifting device or crane and that is a whole different set of rules. I use my hooks and chains and straps on a regular basis and I imagine you will do the same at some point in the future. Its a learning experience. Dont be shy around here there is a lot of good advice and some seasoned people here, post the question because there is probably somebody on here that has tried and succeded or failed. We can all learn from the cumulative experiences. :thumbsup:

 

[madrone]

Sorry if i'm beatin the dead horse but to me, a FEL without hooks is naked.
If anyone here is really nervous about lifting heavy objects with the FEL then they should take it slowly and get used to the limits of the tractor/operator.
When I bought my Kubota I was super careful and paranoid about tipping forward when lifting with a chain. After I learned to feel where the balance point is, it got much easier.

In very little time I was pulling T-posts from the ground, falling medium trees with their root balls intact, and even using the FEL to bang in 8" fence posts 2 ft. in the (soft) ground. That plus many, many things I won't mention for fear of waking the safety trolls.
None of these things would be recommended or condoned by Kubota (or OSHA) but like any tool, the more you use it, the more you learn how to use it.
-Mark

 

[Chilly807]

I then hook a chain between the hooks welded to the bucket. For a lift chain I have a three or four ft. piece of chain with one hook and one slip clevis on it. I hook the grab clevis to the center of my connecting chain and everything balances.

We do that as well, particularly if it's difficult to get under the bucket to the heel hook. I've had no problems using this set-up. The main thing is to keep the strain between the loader arms, never outside them.

To be honest, my hooks ARE outside the arms, but only by about 5 inches. The bucket on the LA463 loader is narrow compared to the arm width. I've thought about moving them to line up with the arms, but they aren't out there far enough to make a huge difference as far as I'm concerned.

Common sense is the best tool in the box.

Sean

 

[easygo]

My question was actually pretty dumb...I mean, the bucket doesn't have hooks on it from the factory, and the manual says not to do it, so that answered my question right there. Those of you that get away with doing it might be super-skilled, or just plain lucky. Occasionally I see super-skilled and lucky guys in the obituary so I think I'll go with the extra wheel/chain/drawbar suggestion.

For taking out fence posts the 3ph is a better option anyway.
You might change your mind about hooking things to the bucket as soon as you run into something that does not fit into it and is just 20lbs too heavy for you to pick up by hand. You will be standing there thinking only if I could move this thing 100ft it would great. It's common sense and being careful that's all.

 

[HiTechTed]

Ted
What you read (out of the manual)is a liability statement. if the FEL was sold with hooks on the bucket it would classify it as a lifting device or crane and that is a whole different set of rules. I use my hooks and chains and straps on a regular basis and I imagine you will do the same at some point in the future. Its a learning experience. Dont be shy around here there is a lot of good advice and some seasoned people here, post the question because there is probably somebody on here that has tried and succeded or failed. We cann all learn from the cumulative:thumbsup: experiences.

That makes sense to me. And what easygo said about having things weigh 20lbs more than I can lift...just about everything around here fits that description. I just have a lot of work to do and seemingly no time to do it all. I've seen hooks on buckets before, and even my dealer said he could do it so I know it's not totally taboo or anything. I just want to get my facts straight before I do anything.

I've had the L3400 for almost a year and have done a lot with it. I have had a couple of experiences where I swear I pinched a hole in the seat, if you know what I mean. I don't like the feeling of any of the wheels not being on the ground, so I ask questions when I'm in doubt. It's just that I was seeing one thing in the manual and another on here and elsewhere, that's all.

I have a tree or two in the river on my property that I need to pull out, but the bank is vertical and about 6 feet high. I'll start a new thread on that one (with pictures) and see what ideas you guys have for that project... should be interesting!

 

[easygo]

I have a tree or two in the river on my property that I need to pull out, but the bank is vertical and about 6 feet high. I'll start a new thread on that one (with pictures) and see what ideas you guys have for that project... should be interesting!

That would be an interesting thread with pictures. That said - in my opinion - using the loader would be a particularly bad idea in that case. May be a pulley chained up into a stout tree and a strong rope or cable connected to the draw bar.

 

[sixdogs]

It's not rocket science but here are photos of how I use my welded-on hooks and chains.
As described earlier in this thread, by stringing a chain between the hooks and then using a single centered chain to pick things up, I can balance most anything and use the edge of the bucket for extra stability.
One pic is from a JD 790 and one from a larger JD 5520. Didn't paint the hooks and plates on the 790 yet--oops.

 

[k0ua]

I live in the heart of farm country and the dealers will put hooks on prior to delivery; most tractors I see have hooks. The use of chains or straps by people who use tractors daily or occasionally is accepted practice.

I am no dare devil and am not particularly skilled or lucky.

That being said, I am not sure there is anything as being too careful. As your experience and confidence build you will probably find yourself doing things you once would not have considered. Happy tractoring.

My sentiments exactly. I have had hooks put on by the dealer, on 2 tractors, and welded the last 2 tractors hooks on myself. Would not have one without hooks. BUT all that being said, you must be carefull, think about what you are going to do, and be ready, hand on the joystick. Of course lifting can flip you over. just dont be stupid. and when you are new, and don't have a feel for what is and is not dangerous, then err on the side of caution. People just think things thru before acting. Good advise for life if you ask me.
James K0UA

 

[bitseeker]

It's not rocket science but here are photos of how I use my welded-on hooks and chains.
As described earlier in this thread, by stringing a chain between the hooks and then using a single centered chain to pick things up, I can balance most anything and use the edge of the bucket for extra stability.
One pic is from a JD 790 and one from a larger JD 5520. Didn't paint the hooks and plates on the 790 yet--oops.

Sixdogs,

That's a nice idea. With the between-hocks chain that direct between the side hooks, the force on the side hooks is probably ten times the lifting force. It also puts the side-hook welds in tension, rather than shear, as is conventional. Do you think it would it work as well to lengthen the between-hooks chain to reduce the force and chance of breaking the side-hook welds?

 

[sixdogs]

Sixdogs,

That's a nice idea. With the between-hocks chain that direct between the side hooks, the force on the side hooks is probably ten times the lifting force. It also puts the side-hook welds in tension, rather than shear, as is conventional. Do you think it would it work as well to lengthen the between-hooks chain to reduce the force and chance of breaking the side-hook welds?

No. The chain beyween the hooks needs to be tight or the load can unexpectedly shift (yeah-ask how I learned that) and it's not good.
With the big tractor I pick up awkwrd things like four bottom plows, etc and everything needs to have predictable tension.
You aren't ever going to break the side hooks that are welded to plates that have been welded to the tractor.

 

[InThePines]

Hydraulic Cylinder Components, Products

 

[TripleR]

It's not rocket science but here are photos of how I use my welded-on hooks and chains.
As described earlier in this thread, by stringing a chain between the hooks and then using a single centered chain to pick things up, I can balance most anything and use the edge of the bucket for extra stability.
One pic is from a JD 790 and one from a larger JD 5520. Didn't paint the hooks and plates on the 790 yet--oops.

Interesting; never seen one set up like that.

 

[sixdogs]

Interesting; never seen one set up like that.

It's the only way--- and I've tried them all in 50 years (I'm 62). I have seen injuries.

The single chain gives a pretty good balance point and by rolling the edge of the bucket into the implement I can stabilize awkward stuff without damage. Just picked up--multiple times--a JD 145 4X-16" lopsided plow with tailwheel, etc. Weight not centered and it was so easy it looked like I knew what I was doing. Maybe 2000-2500 lbs?

But--- I have the same setup, as stated above, on my JD790. I find it safe and secure and cringe when I watch some guys pick up things in an unsafe manner with different arrangements. A sudden shift of the load can flip you over.

To belabor the point I use 5/16 grade 70 chain and grade 70 USA-made hooks all around. No exceptions. My shorter lift chain has one slip and one grab clevis. make sure they stay hooked before you pick up. Weld with lots of heat and penetration or have a shop do it for you.
Small point but the hooks I weld to the bucket still have the stubs on them. I hook straps to them when I carry plastic barrels for watering trees. Plus it's more weld surface.

 

[TripleR]

It's the only way--- and I've tried them all in 50 years (I'm 62). I have seen injuries.

The single chain gives a pretty good balance point and by rolling the edge of the bucket into the implement I can stabilize awkward stuff without damage. Just picked up--multiple times--a JD 145 4X-16" lopsided plow with tailwheel, etc. Weight not centered and it was so easy it looked like I knew what I was doing. Maybe 2000-2500 lbs?

But--- I have the same setup, as stated above, on my JD790. I find it safe and secure and cringe when I watch some guys pick up things in an unsafe manner with different arrangements. A sudden shift of the load can flip you over.

To belabor the point I use 5/16 grade 70 chain and grade 70 USA-made hooks all around. No exceptions. My shorter lift chain has one slip and one grab clevis. make sure they stay hooked before you pick up. Weld with lots of heat and penetration or have a shop do it for you.
Small point but the hooks I weld to the bucket still have the stubs on them. I hook straps to them when I carry plastic barrels for watering trees. Plus it's more weld surface.

We had three hooks welded on our M8540 before delivery, both corners and one middle, so it should just be a matter of fixing up the lift chain.

I am going to have my son weld hooks on the loader of my L5030 as soon as we catch up and I will give him a picture of yours. He is a very good welder, so it shouldn't be a problem.

As soon as things calm down I plan to get a set of pallet forks for lifting, but there will always be times when hooks will come in handy.

 

[Chilly807]

Our setup is pretty much identical, we use two grab hooks back to back on a shackle to attach a lifting chain to the cross-chain. Neither one can slip.
I considered angling the corner hooks inward when I was welding them on, but decided I wouldn't put enough load on them with an LA463 loader to worry a 5/16 gr 70 grab hook.

Sean