DIY bucket level indicator

[walnutman]

Need more pics

 

[walnutman]

Got inspiration from this thread and built a prototype. Sorry for a bad picture.
So far works very well, no mater how high the forks are, it always show when they are parallel to the ground.
I'll give it a try for a while and see if it is useful i'll build something better.


View attachment 5017740

I could see a bar attached to the bucket sticking up high with a pendulum hanging from it.

 

[JeepHead]

I took a 2" wide piece of flat stock and bolted it to the side of the bucket exactly perpendicular to the straight edge of the bucket. No matter what level the loader is at, I can always easily see exactly how the bucket is tilted. Took all of maybe 5 mins and works great.

 

[RjCorazza]

I took a 2" wide piece of flat stock and bolted it to the side of the bucket exactly perpendicular to the straight edge of the bucket. No matter what level the loader is at, I can always easily see exactly how the bucket is tilted. Took all of maybe 5 mins and works great.

My previous loader utilized a similar indicator, but it was a piece of flat stock parallel to the cutting edge. Current bucket has a good view of the flat top bucket, which makes it even easier to level. I don't ever use the official bucket level indicator.
As long as I can see the bucket, simpler wins.

 

[walnutman]

I took a 2" wide piece of flat stock and bolted it to the side of the bucket exactly perpendicular to the straight edge of the bucket. No matter what level the loader is at, I can always easily see exactly how the bucket is tilted. Took all of maybe 5 mins and works great.

Curious as to how you see the angle accurately when looking at an angle from behind and not from the side.

 

[JeepHead]

Curious as to how you see the angle accurately when looking at an angle from behind and not from the side.

From where I sit, I do see it from the side. The bucket extends past my front wheels so I am viewing it at an angle from where I am seated.

 

[JeepHead]

Curious as to how you see the angle accurately when looking at an angle from behind and not from the side.

 

[walnutman]

From where I sit, I do see it from the side. The bucket extends past my front wheels so I am viewing it at an angle from where I am seated.

That's what I mean... at an angle you get what's called cosine error.
I look at things like this in exaggeration.
Looking head on from behind you see no change as you tilt
Looking at 45 deg angle you see half of the tilt angle
Looking from the side you see the full tilt angle.

 

[JeepHead]

That's what I mean... at an angle you get what's called cosine error.
I look at things like this in exaggeration.
Looking head on from behind you see no change as you tilt
Looking at 45 deg angle you see half of the tilt angle
Looking from the side you see the full tilt angle.

I don't know, it works great and allows me to clearly see how the bucket is angled. I plowed a ton of snow using it a couple weeks ago and it really allowed me to get the angle right.

 

[walnutman]

My Yanmar has the bar that indicates a level bucket when the loader is on the ground. Works great.
But there is the other level... gravity level for when you are lifting something and you want to keep the bucket level.
I can see using one of those camper trailer level bubble gauges but seeing it is the issue.
Then I thought, well hell I can see the bucket once it's raised LOL

 

[WranglerX]

The only time I need to know if bucket is level is if I am doing ground work and need to know where front edge (cutting) of loader is, so I think my rod and tube works quite well because I can not see frot edge of loader ... If I am "off" the ground level it is not usually a concern....

 

[bcp]

"Level" in this thread means different things at times. Sometimes it means parallel to the ground. Other times it means 90 degrees to the pull of gravity.

Maybe the device should be called a "bucket position indicator" instead of "bucket level indicator."

Bruce

 

[garry1p]

I could see a bar attached to the bucket sticking up high with a pendulum hanging from it.

I tried that and found no way to dampen the pendulum.

 

[bcp]

Here is a commercial gravity-operated level indicator that may generate ideas.

https://www.yumitoqubo.com/product-p-766950.html

(I know nothing about the company)

Bruce

 

[2515R Dude]

The issue is, for bucket you need it to see if it it level only when it is on the ground, there are 100s options, but for the forks, there are 1000s of different positions. For me it is important easily to see if it is level in each of those, it is why i made it for the forks, bucket does not bother me in a bit.