OP
rider7767
Platinum Member
I appreciate what you are trying to do, but this is very confrontational for the forum.
Bolt on bucket hooks for my MT125
- Thread starter rider7767
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I appreciate what you are trying to do, but this is very confrontational for the forum.
TNtractorguy
New member
I just found it funny.
Doesn't bunch my knickers a bit. I buy USA made when I have that option.
kennyd
Advertiser
Got my hooks today. If those are 'blemished' I think you are much more particular than I am - they look just fine to me
I got 3 hooks to go at each end and one in middle. Would it be beneficial to run a piece of 3/16" x 3" x 50" steel under the top part of bucket where these will attach? Added strength or just waste of time & material? Not welding the steel backer strip to bucket, just drilling and the 6 bolts for the hooks wold pass thru holding that strip there. The bucket seems stout enough that I don't think I could damage it trying
to lift anything - I think I'd run out of lifting force before running out of bucket strength, but figured no harm in asking. <$20 of cold rolled steel so not a big deal if it would do any good.
Thanks CMV, yes I am picky-I’ll take that as a compliment!
Adding an extra layer is never a bad idea, but like you I’m not sure it’s really needed. If you do however, hot rolled steel is fine and even a bit cheaper.
s219
Super Member
- Joined
- Dec 7, 2011
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- 8,607
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- Virginia USA
- Tractor
- Kubota L3200, Deere X380, Kubota RTV-X
The issue to me is that another company has knocked off Ken's hooks with cheap offshore imports of dubious quality. I never like to see when a small business that makes quality products gets knocked off. Doesn't matter what countries are involved. It's just not right.
Tractors are a different story -- generally all the good brands design and engineer their own stuff or resell a machine that has unique design and engineering. They are not knocking off another brand.
Another pet peeve of mine is when I see a Chinese knock off of the excellent Wallenstein wood chippers (which are made in Canada). The Chinese companies pretty much copy the design down to the last bit, but then make it with inferior materials and questionable fabrication. Companies like Titan import them and sell them for about half the price of a Wallenstein. An unsuspecting buyer may not know what they're getting into.
Whenever I see a company's design/engineering/fab investment get ripped off with cheap copies, it's wrong to me. Doesn't matter if it's hooks or wood chippers.
I've had my own small business' products ripped off by offshore competitors, sometimes blatantly, and have spent a lot of money defending my copyrights and trademarks. So I may be more sensitive to this than most folks. I can spot the problem a mile away in most cases.
ThirdMan
Gold Member
Are there any sub-compact tractors manufactured in the USA (not just assembled)?
Peter 315
Super Member
I don't think so
kennyd
Advertiser
TNtractorguy
New member
Enough of the John Deere 1025R is made in the USA that it can have "Made In USA" on the data plate. 51 percent rule. I don't know of any other subcompact.
opie1988
Bronze Member
What do you suggest for an XG3025 with the 66" double walled bucket top? Weld or bolt?
kennyd
Advertiser
Generally for "double wall" buckets we recommend the Weld-On hooks, (read more on the FAQ page about that), but some LS buckets have a 2x3 heavy wall tube that can support the Bolt-On hooks.
OP
rider7767
Platinum Member
I don't trust my welds so I installed the bolt-ons. Seem really solid to me. I did not bolt thru the double channel. Instead, I set the hooks back a little ways and avoided it.
kennyd
Advertiser
I guess you didn't care for my comments on your YouTube video and removed them?
I meant no harm really, I am just upset at the blatant rip-off that Titan did to me and my business (and others). They even used my product name to promote their offshore knock-offs.
We work hard to make a quality product and have been actively contributing to these and other tractor forums for a LOOONG time. I'm sorry to have hijacked your thread.
OP
rider7767
Platinum Member
I removed the comment only because it was off subject. I was just showing people how to install bolt on hooks. Start selling your hooks on Amazon, and I will link them. I am not against anything Made in the USA and I would be glad to do videos demonstrating your products. Tony
s219
Super Member
- Joined
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- 8,607
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- Kubota L3200, Deere X380, Kubota RTV-X
Don't want to hijack this further, but this is an ongoing problem and I mean no harm to the OP (I know he didn't intend to get into any of this). Maybe this is a good opportunity for you guys to get together and have a video made testing/comparing Ken's products to the others and have a frank, open, honest discussion of the issue with knockoffs. I can tell you first hand his stuff is beautiful quality all the way through and will be easily appreciated by folks like us. Even with my glasses off the difference in quality of welds is immediately apparent!
Ken, do you have any sort of trademark or copyright protection on your products? (Patents are good too, but the cost to enforce them makes it all but impractical). I had one of my products knocked off by an offshore company, and what finally got them was that they had copied, verbatim, a lot of information from my owner's manual. The manual had a copyright notice on it just out of habit, but in the end it was what bit them. The violation was easy to prove and document. Trademarks are similarly helpful.
They way I look at it, if someone wants to take the time to do original work, it's a fair market and they have the right to compete like everyone else. But once they start copying designs, engineering, product names, user manuals, etc, it crosses over to laziness and/or blatant efforts at a ripoff. They know what they are doing is wrong, and hopefully the original business has the protections in place, and budget, to stop the practice.
Finally, in some cases it's difficult/impossible to go after the company doing the knockoff, but resellers are more responsible and responsive. Amazon will pull products/vendors if copyright/trademark/patent violations can be proven.
Again, no harm intended in my post and I hope the two of you see an opportunity here that is mutually beneficial.
Ken, do you have any sort of trademark or copyright protection on your products? (Patents are good too, but the cost to enforce them makes it all but impractical). I had one of my products knocked off by an offshore company, and what finally got them was that they had copied, verbatim, a lot of information from my owner's manual. The manual had a copyright notice on it just out of habit, but in the end it was what bit them. The violation was easy to prove and document. Trademarks are similarly helpful.
They way I look at it, if someone wants to take the time to do original work, it's a fair market and they have the right to compete like everyone else. But once they start copying designs, engineering, product names, user manuals, etc, it crosses over to laziness and/or blatant efforts at a ripoff. They know what they are doing is wrong, and hopefully the original business has the protections in place, and budget, to stop the practice.
Finally, in some cases it's difficult/impossible to go after the company doing the knockoff, but resellers are more responsible and responsive. Amazon will pull products/vendors if copyright/trademark/patent violations can be proven.
Again, no harm intended in my post and I hope the two of you see an opportunity here that is mutually beneficial.
downsizingnow48
Elite Member
seems to me that by leaving the video up, Rider is explicitly promoting and endorsing the knock offs at the expense of a real American company. Now that he knows better, he should re-do the video using Ken's products.
I have one of Ken's "blemishes" it is as an example to me of outstanding workmanship.
I have one of Ken's "blemishes" it is as an example to me of outstanding workmanship.
downsizingnow48
Elite Member
I see the Titan price for 5/16" is $18. Ken is $24. The difference is about the price of one of those flavored coffees that my daughters like. For that, I would go US-made no question. There are some things where you could save hundreds of dollars and that needs to be taken into account. But for the price of a cup of coffee, nope.
Chinese Crap is one of my biggest pet peeves about Amazon. You just never know where your items will be coming from. Some state "China", most don't. We normally notice it comes from China when it ships and by then it is to late. Grrrr!
OP
rider7767
Platinum Member
I don't think i mention a name brand in the video. I did a video about how to put hooks on. I gave instructions on how to drill holes in metal. Nothing about a name brand. I only put a link in the description of where I bought mine. I went as far as to tell Ken, I would link his, if he would sale them on Amazon.
Tractors in there current form, were basically designed and built in the USA starting with the 9N Ford. There have been some improvements, but it is still the same basic design. I remember, just a few years back, Japan was taking over the world. Everyone was screaming about how Japanese junk was killing the US tractor market. I think the brand was Kubota. People kept screaming, don't buy that Japanese junk, It is putting US tractor companies out of business. People screamed out of one side of their mouth "Buy US", and bought Japan made tractors out of the other side. Now at best, some of tractor's parts are made in the USA.
You can have the soap box back now.
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