2305 has bent 200cx mounts?

chadrotter · Oct 16, 2008

I have a 2305 with a 200cx loader. I have noticed that the left and right loader mounts that bolt to the frame are not parellel. They both appear to have deflected downward due to the loads applied to them by the loader. I crawled beneath the frame of the tractor expecting to see broken frame welds, or chipped paint indicating fatigue or some other sign to confirm they have deflected by deforming the frame. I did not find any signs. So my question is, if you park your 2305 on a flat surface and measure at the end of the 5 inch square tube down to the floor is it equal to the same measurement taken near the frame on either or both of the mounts? Please help!

farmeratheart · Oct 16, 2008

I just measured my 2305 with 200CX FEL. Within the error contributed by my old blacktop driveway, the loader frame "tubes" are 11.75" from the ground where they bolt on the frame and at the outboard ends.

F-A-H

joes_427_vette · Oct 16, 2008

Chad;

Can you post a side and front view of the mounts ? Something has to be bent. There can't be that much of a difference.

ragkar · Oct 16, 2008

My tractor is a 2320 rather than a 2305, but I do have a 200CX FEL. I'm not sure where you want the dimensions taken, but I measured a vertical 24.5 inch (on both sides) to the center of the tractor's 1 5/8" round tubing that the 200CX FEL hooks onto.
So my 200CX hooks onto level pivot points.

Willl · Oct 17, 2008

Are the mounts on the correct sides ?

chadrotter · Oct 17, 2008

I will try to get some pictures over the weekend of the downward sloping loader mounts. I think I have abused my tractor and bent these mounts downward. I doubt the condition was caused by a dead lift as the hydraulics are matched to the loaders capacity. But, I may have caused the bending by loading to capacity, probably with retaining wall blocks, and then driving hard over rough terrain causing the load to bounce. One response to this request for measurements has provided feedback that his LH and RH mounts are aligned. That indicates the design has them running parellel and mine are indeed bent

. SO, how to bring them back up? Shims along the bottom? Shim between frame rails and the zinc plated frame member or outside the frame rails between the mounts and the rails?

davkir · Oct 17, 2008

The horizontal tubes on mine are about 11.75" from the ground and are parallel to it.
Any chance you are missing the flat steel crossmember that runs under the tractor that ties the bottom of the mounts together?

dirtworksequip · Oct 17, 2008

Chad, there you have it! You admit abusing your machine. Yes, the loader mounts will bend if they are abused. Any equipment, even the heaviest heavy equipment will break from abuse.

Sincerely, Dirt

chadrotter · Oct 17, 2008

Yes, there I have it! The reply from the forum member that adds no value in understanding the mechanical root cause or the means to bring the machine back in to spec. Thank you.

boxygen · Oct 17, 2008

I dont think any disrespect was meant by that comment. I think it was probably just a gentle reminder that although we can be very impressed with our own machines at times, going "above and beyond" just because we can, will catch up with us one day. I think many of us have made mistakes with our tractors that didnt seem like mistakes at the time but upon reflection, we wouldnt do it again. I dont think it does any harm in reminding everyone their machines all have limits and we should use common sense when approaching those limits for the sake of our expensive machines and everyones safety.
That being said, I wish I had the same tractor/loader so I could help you find a solution. Regards,

jimgerken · Oct 17, 2008

I cannot imagine that they bent if they are still bolted in place, they are overbuilt so much. My guess, without seeing it or pictures, is there is a missing cross-member, or the bolts are loose or have pulled out of the frame casting (threads ruined). If the bolts pulled, THEN the brackets may have bent. We need pics! Crawl under there Chad!

jsboening · Oct 17, 2008

I'd tend to agree. I don't think they would engineer a loader that would tear itself apart or the tractor. They must be built strong enough to survive even if the tractor is putting out slightly higher than normal hydraulic pressure. Right? It seem like the hydraulics would release pressure before it would allow the mounts to bend.

JiminGa · Oct 17, 2008

I would tend to think either the cross member is missing or bent, not the loader mounts themselves. get a nice straight piece of something (small level perhaps) and check for straigtness on those. just the way they are situated I would think something else would give before they bent.

dirtworksequip · Oct 17, 2008

boxygen, thanks for explaining the point I was tying to make. I wasn't trying to offend the OP. One thing that will cause tractor loader mounts to bend is applying unequal forces to one side of the bucket. You just have to learn when to back off.

Sincerely, Dirt

dirtworksequip · Oct 17, 2008

To everyone that thinks something else would give before the mounts would bend. Think about it for a minute........where is the force from the loader transfered to? The mounts......... and they will bend.

Not trying to make anyone mad, just trying to tell you to excercise a little caution when using you loader.

Sincerely, Dirt

47chevy · Oct 18, 2008

I can not imagine that you are able to bend the mounts if they are tight. Since I got my 2520 back from the dealer I have really used the FEL hard, moved several large chunks of concrete footings. I had to put a lot of weight on the 3pt just to keep the rear tires on the ground. There were several chunks that the loader would not lift, had to push them. I had to get a friend that has a crawler loader to load them in the dump truck.

dirtworksequip · Oct 18, 2008

47chevy,let me on your tractor for 5 minutes and I'll show you how easy it is to bend those mounts. That's the point I'm trying to get across. Everyone seems to think the mounts are indestuctible and then they can't beleive it when they bend their mounts.

My 13 year old son just told me "you can bend anything."

Sincerely, Dirt

47chevy · Oct 20, 2008

I am not doubting you that the mounts can be bent. I guess when I moved all of the concrete the tractor was not put in an awkward lifting position or strained beyond normal operating parameters. Will have to be more careful when lifting stuff. I have welded 3 hooks to rear of the bucket and use those for hooking up chains. There is one in the center and one on each end.

At one time I would of let you do anything you wanted to to the tractor. It has not been a pleasurable ownership yet.

chadrotter · Oct 20, 2008

I measured my loader mounts and found approx 0.3 inches difference between weld at bolt plate and weld at mast plate. I can assure you all the bolts were present and very tight before I loosened them with a breaker bar and many pounds of force applied. I ended up shimming between the zinc plated compression cross member and the back-side of the bolt plate. The shims totaled to about 0.188 inch on both sides. Cause of deflection was very inconspicous bending of the actual bolt plates and outward frame bending along the top bolts. The mast plates are now vertical. I have concluded, right or wrong, the root cause of the bending is the multiplied forces due to acceleration generated by the "bouncing" of high bucket loads applies loads higher than the structure can handle.