Where to weld bucket hooks?

[Dargo]

well, not sure why. i had similar hooks on my old tractor that had thinner metal. been using those for 14 years without an issue.. i guess i could always add a stiffener if needed

Hooks mounted outside the lift arms are simply asking for trouble. As I've said many times, I've cut off and re-located dozens of hooks in my shop. Every time the owner had a ruined loader because he had twisted it by using incorrectly mounted hooks on the outer edges of his bucket. Besides the pure physics and avoidable torque applied incorrectly for which an FEL is designed, it is also an accident waiting to happen. It's your tractor, your money and your life, but I'd cut those outboard hooks off and mount them properly in line with the loader arms as soon as possible.

Trust me, I am not saying this just so I can say "I told you so", it's to try to help a fellow member avoid unnecessarily tearing up a good machine and possibly getting hurt. I have nothing to personally gain for it. If I thought it funny to see guys tear up a tractor they spent their hard earned money on or possibly read about someone getting hurt, I'd say nothing. I've worked in and around machine shops and engineers who design equipment for decades. This is not a debatable topic. I'm just saying "don't shoot the messengers".

 

[Dargo]

I also used two hooks on outer edges but in the center I used a 2" receiver like that is on the back of your pick up.

Generally when I've re-located hooks to be in line with the lift arms (after they've twisted their loader arms), it seems to be standard operating practice to cut off the center hook and weld a 2" receiver in the center of the bucket. Once you've used your FEL with your trailer hitch on it to move your trailer, you'll throw away any 3 pt. hitch trailer hitch setup you may have. It's far easier and you can see what you are doing without trying to twist your neck off.

 

[grsthegreat]

Generally when I've re-located hooks to be in line with the lift arms (after they've twisted their loader arms), it seems to be standard operating practice to cut off the center hook and weld a 2" receiver in the center of the bucket. Once you've used your FEL with your trailer hitch on it to move your trailer, you'll throw away any 3 pt. hitch trailer hitch setup you may have. It's far easier and you can see what you are doing without trying to twist your neck off.

i tried that on my last tractor, but i couldnt reach under the trailer to hook the ball cause the bucket was too tall. i ended up making a hitch connector that bolted thru the lip of the bucket. Simply remove a flip lever clip, and pop it off. took a second to install. have used it for years.

mynew tractor has to lift a gooseneck that has a tongue weight of 1,500 pounds. im afraid a ball screwed thru bucket lip or top cap would bend. im looking at modifing aq skid mount hitch plate with a receiver for my trailer ball...like shown. i may possible just add a beefed up receiver to a set of loader mount pallet forks. still havnt made up my mind

 

[SandburRanch]

For those that have welded ball hitch receivers to their bucket, how much drop in the hitch is required to get low enough to connect to a trailer. I realize that depends on bucket depth and trailer tongue height but I' not seeing how one could get the ball low enough to connect.

 

[flusher]

I would like to have hooks welded to my front end loader bucket.

Advice needed:

1. Should I have one, two or three hooks on the bucket? It is maybe four feet wide.

2. Should the hooks just be big hooks, or should their opening be sized the width of the chain?

3. How should they be welded to the bucket? Directly to the bucket or with some sort of reinforcing

4. If the hooks are too far back the bucket, the chain could bend that curl of metal at the top of the bucket. How should I handle reinforcing the curl?

I want to use the chain for lifting logs for moving around, and other heavy stuff you cannot fit in the bucket but can lift with a chain.

Any directions, drawings of pictures would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Here's what I have on my Mahindra 5525 bucket (6-ft wide)



My dealer installed them when I bought the tractor (I supplied the hooks, he kicked in the labor).

I bought the hooks at AW Direct

Gunnebo-Johnson Grade 80 Weld-On Anchor Hook w/ 4,400 lb. WLL - 3-3/4"H x 5"L - Mfg# 589357

Weld-On Grab Hook - Grade 70 - 5/16" - Mfg# 11-516WGH

My dealer welded a 1/4" thick stiffener to the top lip of the bucket and then welded the hooks to the stiffener. Very important to use adequate stiffening or risk bending the bucket out of shape.

 

[moored4]

JRP; The 2007 date is the day the OP joined this group, this thread was started on 03-15-2011, 02:26 PM. Thread or posted date is in the blue line top left corner right above the posters name !

 

[flusher]

For those that have welded ball hitch receivers to their bucket, how much drop in the hitch is required to get low enough to connect to a trailer. I realize that depends on bucket depth and trailer tongue height but I' not seeing how one could get the ball low enough to connect.

Use a drop down hitch receiver

Tow Packages

 

[Dargo]

Use a drop down hitch receiver

Tow Packages

Yup, exactly. I could get under a tongue sitting on the ground if need be. Not being able to get low enough is a problem with the 3 pt. hitch setups, not on FEL setups.

 

[Dargo]

i tried that on my last tractor, but i couldnt reach under the trailer to hook the ball cause the bucket was too tall. i ended up making a hitch connector that bolted thru the lip of the bucket. Simply remove a flip lever clip, and pop it off. took a second to install. have used it for years.

mynew tractor has to lift a gooseneck that has a tongue weight of 1,500 pounds. im afraid a ball screwed thru bucket lip or top cap would bend. im looking at modifing aq skid mount hitch plate with a receiver for my trailer ball...like shown. i may possible just add a beefed up receiver to a set of loader mount pallet forks. still havnt made up my mind

I can't say I've ever seen anything like that before. Pictured here is where I welded a receiver to the FEL on a friend's Kubota L5030HSTC. He wanted a hook along with the receiver although I don't see the need for both. He simply added a 2 5/16" ball on an insert and moved everything from his gooseneck trailers to his travel trailers around without any issue. With the insert removed the receiver is not in the way of anything. I can't see why you'd want to spend the money for anything different. Why try to re-invent the wheel? The hitch setup pictured would handle anything your tractor could handle.

Personally, all of my trailers are stored in my barns with concrete floors and concrete drives, so I use my forklift to move everything. Nothing is easier than that if you operate all on concrete (which I'm well aware a lot of guys don't - thus the FEL hitch). I despise burning a hole in a perfectly good fork to mount a ball. When the ball is off, you really weaken the end of that fork. I certainly cannot take credit for inventing the idea of welding a receiver on an FEL; guys have been doing that for years. However, I did design and invent a removable hitch for forklifts as pictured. If you have a forklift, there is nothing better when it comes to moving trailers. We even use it when lifting items with chains or slings using the forklift to assure the chain or sling does NOT slip off the end.

Since the economy is so bad, I'd be happy to take orders for the forklift hitch that I did design and build.

 

[grsthegreat]

I can't say I've ever seen anything like that before. Pictured here is where I welded a receiver to the FEL on a friend's Kubota L5030HSTC. He wanted a hook along with the receiver although I don't see the need for both. He simply added a 2 5/16" ball on an insert and moved everything from his gooseneck trailers to his travel trailers around without any issue. With the insert removed the receiver is not in the way of anything. I can't see why you'd want to spend the money for anything different. Why try to re-invent the wheel? The hitch setup pictured would handle anything your tractor could handle.

hmmmm. possibly. just dont want to damage my bucket with the 1500 pound tongue weight of the wifes goose neck horse trailer

 

[Thick82558]

You can use the receiver for chains, slings it is great
Also HF has stingers with hooks on end, cleaves for 15-17 bucks
This works wonderful

 

[jgrieve]

Looking at pictures of the buckets I would think it would work good to drill a hole in the side plate (vertical plate on ends of bucket) and put the pin through the hook and plate. No need for welding. should be strong. Just a thought while im sitting here procrastinating, what I should be doing is fixing the brakes on my car.

 

[JB4310]

my new tractor has to lift a gooseneck that has a tongue weight of 1,500 pounds. im afraid a ball screwed thru bucket lip or top cap would bend. im looking at modifing aq skid mount hitch plate with a receiver for my trailer ball...like shown. i may possible just add a beefed up receiver to a set of loader mount pallet forks. still havnt made up my mind

The skid plate or fork frame sound equally suitable, bring the load in closer to the tractor.

For those that have welded ball hitch receivers to their bucket, how much drop in the hitch is required to get low enough to connect to a trailer. I realize that depends on bucket depth and trailer tongue height but I' not seeing how one could get the ball low enough to connect.

I have a 4 inch drop for my small, low utility trailer, but the pintle on my dump trailer and coupler on flat bed is high enough for just a straight or 2 inch drop. Mine is on top of bucket, I've seen some inside which would lower it more, but mine is fine for my needs

There is a chance of bucket contacting the ground over rough terrain, but these are mostly for short trip trailer moving/ jockeying, so it is well worth the trade off. for any serious trailer towing I use the 3pt on rear.

Receiver tube on bucket is the way to go in my opinion, use it so often, don't know what I would do without it :thumbsup:

JB

 

[JB4310]

You can use the receiver for chains, slings it is great
Also HF has stingers with hooks on end, cleaves for 15-17 bucks
This works wonderful

Couldn't agree more

Some may be tired of seeing my "Bucket Buddy" since I post this pic of all the acs. when ever the subject come up.

JB

 

[Dargo]

Looking at pictures of the buckets I would think it would work good to drill a hole in the side plate (vertical plate on ends of bucket) and put the pin through the hook and plate. No need for welding. should be strong. Just a thought while im sitting here procrastinating, what I should be doing is fixing the brakes on my car.

"Safety police here"
Better go fix the brakes on your car and nix your dangerous thoughts on how to twist your loader and wreck your bucket.

 

[Thick82558]

I think you are right on the outer hooks
I wonder if any hooks other than the center
One can bend your FEL. Because I have picked
Up on a fence post to pull it out of ground and
my hooks are in line with my arms and it pulled
My tractor down. But it did not bend my FEL. So
I think I will cut my hooks off and
Use my center receiver only. That would be one
Expensive fence post. I saved many yrs to get my tractor
I would hate to tweak it out on a numbskull thing like a
Fence post

 

[JB4310]

I'm sure it's been mentioned in the pages of this thread already, but you need to use both hooks to lift, in a sling configuration.
Using just one hook only will try to flip you on your side, never mind damaging your loader.

That was part of my reasoning for going with one center mounted receiver attachment point, instead of 2 hooks.

I know bucket hooks are here to stay and have a faithful following, but I don't need them. I wouldn't cut them off though, they could still come in handy for securing a load in the bucket.

JB.

 

[SandburRanch]

Yup, exactly. I could get under a tongue sitting on the ground if need be.

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That sounds interesting. Care to explain how you get the ball that low.

 

[magicheater]

With all this advice about not putting the hooks outside the lift arms, which by the way I am in complete agreement with, then why are tooth bars the rage when you are basically putting a hook on the outside edge of your bucket?

 

[blueriver]

I think you are right on the outer hooks
I wonder if any hooks other than the center
One can bend your FEL. Because I have picked
Up on a fence post to pull it out of ground and
my hooks are in line with my arms and it pulled
My tractor down. But it did not bend my FEL. So
I think I will cut my hooks off and
Use my center receiver only. That would be one
Expensive fence post. I saved many yrs to get my tractor
I would hate to tweak it out on a numbskull thing like a
Fence post

well I have 3 ... one center and 2 outside ... sometimes I need to hook center and sometimes I need 2 chains and the 2 out side hooks ... better to have them and not need them than to need them and not have them.