Bucket hooks done

[RexB]

Thanks for your pictures of hooks welded onto the bucket, they'll be a critical help to topple/skid the trees and all sorts of chores. (the backhoe interferes too much with the drawbar hook too.) I lapped the endcaps, 1/4" mild steel that are welded onto the ends of the 4" channel iron, over the bucket sides. Figured the greater surface area of the lapjoint would be stronger (I hope that was right).

The channel is also butt welded to the two loader arm bracket plates o'course, and to to the bucket around the channel. That bucket is good hard steel! the durn' 1/4" mild was burning through first lol. I left the clevis of the grab hooks hanging over, they ought to be of use for hooking up a weird tow cable arrangement or something.

Looking forward to getting rid of more of these Aldertree-weeds










,
Tractor mods could get to be habit-forming

 

[Highbeam]

I almost lost faith in you until the third picture when I finally found the frosty beverage in a cozy. Hmmm, gold can, yard beer.

An AC stick welder too. Cool.

 

[RexB]

Yard beer Hah! That's the great MGD! as in the only thing I can afford. You're right, yard beer, don't miss it so much if it bounces out of the fender holder.

Now I've gotta' weld/bolt/strapbolt a good brush guard to that l'il frame in front. Expanded metal like on the dozer, but I don't want to uglify this new paint job doing it -- a thread here had a good pic of one but didn't show how it was attached...gotta' surf and ask.

 

[Highbeam]

"That's the great MGD! as in the only thing I can afford."

Hey now you and I have a lot in common. I actually have a hard time paying extra for the cans of MGD since the bottles are cheaper but the bottles are more of a pain if they break or bounce off the fender. I have strategically placed empty cans on branches and inside cutout tree trunks on my rural property. Like an easter egg hunt.

Another strange coincidence that we have in common is the dozer thing. I too owned a small old dozer before moving to a new Kioti. Weird.

Tractorlegend modified the Kioti brushguard and did a dang good job of it along with extra effort for a nice paint job. I ended up buying a Kioti guard after it was proven necessary doing loader work around trees and stumps. It really should be part of the loader package. It isn't that expensive to buy and gives a great base to start adding extras. The hood swings forward and up so any fabbed brushguard will need to stick forward a long ways.

 

[RexB]

Thanks for that info, I'll find TractorLegend's pics of his brushguard and lookit the Kioti's for sale too, like ya' say it's needed in the brush just like for the dozers. The tracks did our heavy work, now the wheels will keep it clear and clean. The woods is always trying to take it back :~)

That's a fine future tractor driver sitting in your dozer

Return pic, three generations of us, the youngun eventually got to pushing some dirt around.

 

[TractorLegend]

Now I've gotta' weld/bolt/strapbolt a good brush guard to that l'il frame in front. Expanded metal like on the dozer, but I don't want to uglify this new paint job doing it -- a thread here had a good pic of one but didn't show how it was attached...gotta' surf and ask.

Heres one... wire feed welded and welds ground flat with disc sander

 

[RexB]

Clean edges on the tubeframe, good paint, very nicely done thanks for the pic.

We got some KA Washingtonians here.

 

[RedRocker]

Here's my grill guard, it's removeable if the need arises.

 

[Patches]

Nice looking job RexB, very similar to how I did mine, except I didn't cap the channel ends and I kept the three hooks inside of the loader arms;well actually the outside hooks are welded in line with the arms.I was afraid of possibly wracking the bucket,or worse(the arms) if I was a little careless rigging the chains if the outside hooks were at the extreme sides of the bucket, and the xs TLB 1231 loader has two torque tubes through the arms and welded.

 

[RexB]

Thanks Red Rocker, that removable grill is a nice fit and good idear

and Patches thanks. I wanted wide-set grab hooks for stability on longish logs and poles, if I screw up the load balance that much then on to a Woods FEL :~)

 

[TractorLegend]

Anything a guy can do to keep errant branches from poking back up thru grill is good...
I likie RedRockers NASCAR type tube frame set up!
If you look close again at mine I cut a nother piece of perforated plate and angeled it at the lower edge.
I went to Metals Supermarket in Kent WA for my materials.

 

[RexB]

The perf-plate angled to keep out upthrusting branches is primo too....a combo of your two ideas will be the end result BUT CRIMINY WHAT'S HAPPENED TO METAL PRICES THE LAST TWO YEARS?!?! Just priced 18"x20" stainless perf plate $104, plain steel $87, expanded metal isn't much better. CRAP, i usta' make BBQ grills outta' that stuff and it was reasonable prices.

I have some ribbon/flat mild steel to trade for a 4'x8' sheet of perf or expanded metal preferably flat.



1.5"-7" wide
1/8" - 1/4" thick
4' - 16' long

 

[TractorLegend]

That Metals Supermarket place in kent, wa often times has odds and ends cut off whole sheets, etc for pennies on the dollar. Just a thought.

 

[RexB]

Kent is only about 60miles and ferry ride over, maybe I'll make a run there. From your earlier post about them, I'm waiting for a quote on purlins and I-beams; their homebase in Canada transferred the rfp to "a closer store" probably there in Kent. Must be nice to have a metal supplier close by.

 

[twigpig]

Have you tried Everett Steel? They don't mind small sales. I bought some square pipe from them to reinforce around sink openings when I put in granite countertops in my house. They also had bins of odds and ends. They have a decent web site and a 1 800 number. They are right across the street from Lowes.

 

[Jaybr]

I need to learn to weld

 

[RexB]

Woot! I traded for a half-sheet of flat expanded metal and got the brush screen rigged. An old Navy buddy showed up, we drank lots of yard beer, and I goofily commenced to welding at midnight; no closeups of that job will be posted

But my pal Grinder and paint can cover a multitude of sins.



ps: I got better-priced quotes from both Metals Supermarket and Everett Steel than other outfits for some purlins and beams, thanks.

I need to learn to weld

It's verrry handy, give it a whirl. For $150 now you can get a small Mig wire welder and soon be welding. It works with or without the expensive bottled gas; get the right flux-cored wire and no need to use argon/CO2.

 

[Highbeam]

Now I think you're just staging these photos too carefully. Cripes, 5 cases of barley pop, one tall and mysterious glass bottle in the holder, and even a mysterious storage method for your bakhoe boom?

Looks like you found a Kioti brushguard too, I think that was a good idea.

 

[RexB]

Staged photos? No way, I always park it next to the brew for rejuvenation, and a KC Chiefs parking sign and the boom extended for show

I misnomered before what I needed, it was the brush screen i put on that y'all tipped me on so well, the brush guard came stock with the tractor. The bottom of the expaned metal screen is angled in like Tractorlegend's to keep the upthrusting brush away. We are now ready to head back into the woods, time to ruin the paint job!

ps: the green bottle is a empty Grolsch, hangover cure from the night before. (one case at a time, I can only afford just so many of those Holland beers)