What are these holes for?

picker77 · Jul 17, 2010

That is a serious chunk of rock, beenthere. I'm not at all sure this little 3032E/305 of mine could pick it up!

sixdogs · Jul 17, 2010

picker77 said:
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In the meantime, I want hooks but I don't want to weld directly on the bucket. I don't mind drilling a few holes here and there, however. So I'm thinking of welding up a simple L-shaped bracket out of wide flat bar stock, something on the order of my 'engineering' drawing attached. This would allow a bolt-on hook installation (painted JD green, of course!) and using 3/8" flat bar stock should give me mucho plenty support across the top to avoid bending up the top of the bucket. What do you think?

I didn't want to weld a hook directly to my bucker either--I think it could rip the metal easily. What has worked for me over the years is to weld a plate to the bucket (maybe 8 " by 6") and then weld the hook to the plate. It looks like it belongs and is very strong. Easy to touch-up paint.
I have posted photos before but could do it again.

pat32rf · Jul 17, 2010

My bucket is the smaller one, same OA width as the front wheels, but it definitely didn't have the reinforcing plate under the top lip. Got a rock like that wedged in and bent the top lip of the bucket when I dumped it out. Thats why I welded the 3" channel across the top to reinforce things. Lifting hooks on the bucket itself would have just bent everything out of line...

picker77 · Jul 20, 2010

I finally decided to go the KISS route on bucket hooks, went down a picked up a 24" length of 4" x 3/8" cold rolled plate, plus a couple of 4" x 5" x 3/8" pieces of same. Drilled them to fit the top of the bucket, and ordered five 5/16" Grade 40 weld-on hooks from AW Direct. I might take the plates and the hooks to a professional welding shop to get them welded on, since I sort of hate to have anybody look at my weld beads.

AW Direct has some excellent stuff, they are suppliers to the wrecker and tow truck market. Could have saved a few dollars by buying $2.99 TSC clevis hooks instead and welding them on myself, but after all this is a new tractor and I want it to work good AND look nice.

Now I just need to decide if I want to add some sort of backing plate on the underside of the hook mounting plates instead of just big flat washers. Not sure that backing is really needed since 3/8" cold-rolled plate is pretty stiff, but I suppose it couldn't hurt. I'm putting five hooks on. The three on the long middle plate will be one in the center and two to either side of it about 10" or so, and there will be two out at the ends mounted on 4" x 5" x 3/8" bolted plates. With grade 40 hooks rated at 3900 lb working load and all plates bolted on using grade 8 hardware, I doubt this little 305 loader will ever be able to overstress anything.

RoyJackson · Jul 20, 2010

So, did you ever ask your dealer about those holes?

picker77 · Jul 20, 2010

Nope, never did, Roy. Since I re-used the same holes anyway for my hook mounting plates (and added a few of my own for good measure), I just ignored the situation. I actually used the tractor for the first time today, to carry away and dump a bunch of 3'-5' cut sections of a couple of large downed trees. Would have been brutal work by hand with a cart or trailer. Got it all done with the loader in about 45 minutes and was back in the house drinking coffee. Life is good. I'm a little jerky with the loader joystick yet, but practice makes perfect, I guess.

RoyJackson · Jul 21, 2010

picker77 said:
Nope, never did, Roy. Since I re-used the same holes anyway for my hook mounting plates (and added a few of my own for good measure), I just ignored the situation. I actually used the tractor for the first time today, to carry away and dump a bunch of 3'-5' cut sections of a couple of large downed trees. Would have been brutal work by hand with a cart or trailer. Got it all done with the loader in about 45 minutes and was back in the house drinking coffee. Life is good. I'm a little jerky with the loader joystick yet, but practice makes perfect, I guess.

Thanks for the answer...I was just curious what his answer would have been.

Yep...working with the loader and you will get better. It was moving a bunch of snow that got me better (but far from an expert) using the loader. Now I'm pretty smooth and coordinated.