NewLight
Bronze Member
My current project, hopefully this will beat trimming trees from the bucket.
FEL carrie all, and work platform
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jeff9366
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FEL work platforms are NOT approved man lifts. If an employee is injured in any way while working from the FEL you are toast in the legal system; good-bye land, good-bye retirement investments or pension, good-bye bank accounts, etc.
Some problems: no fail-safe mechanism to prevent catastrophic bucket drop in case of a hydraulic line failure or other type of hydraulic failure. Rail height, working space and tractor instability are further issues. With large rear wheels and smaller front wheels, tractors are inherently unstable. Approved man-lifts are engineered to address these issues.
Chainsaws are often associated with serious accidents involving FEL buckets.
Liability insurance will not protect you.
Some problems: no fail-safe mechanism to prevent catastrophic bucket drop in case of a hydraulic line failure or other type of hydraulic failure. Rail height, working space and tractor instability are further issues. With large rear wheels and smaller front wheels, tractors are inherently unstable. Approved man-lifts are engineered to address these issues.
Chainsaws are often associated with serious accidents involving FEL buckets.
Liability insurance will not protect you.
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stuckmotor
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Jeff,
Why won't liability insurance protect NewLight?
Why won't liability insurance protect NewLight?
TripleR
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One of those things a lot of people do, but few will recommend. I can find them in use around here pretty much any time. There is a thread somewhere on here about how to fabricate padded locks to place on the cylinder rods, but I can't find it right now.
TripleR
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Here is another thread: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...t-work-platform-build.html?highlight=platform
Jeff, you are indeed right about the legality's. The good new here is that this is strictly for personal use by me on my property. When I posted this it was a quick before bed at the end of a busy day scenario. So I didn't give any other info or planed ideas, sorry:duh:. I have made some progress that I will show in an upcoming post. I have already considered the things you mentioned and I intend to incorporate an appropriate solution. Thanks for your reply, I appreciate the input.
The next things on my list are a removable back panel, storage and anchor points for a latter, cylinder locks, and some type of adjustable length legs mounted underneath would be nice. The back panel being removable will help keep it lighter when putting it in and taking it out of the bucket as well as more out right carrying capacity when the back isn't needed.
PhysAssist
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Hi NL,
Nicely done!
IMHO, as long as you have personal health insurance and life insurance; the related safety issues are almost always a personal choice, and again IMHO the more appropriate realm for that discussion is between you and your own SWMBO.
We have been thinking about making something similar for tree trimming, etc; but we will probably incorporate our bucket forks as part of the under floor support for it.
I would also be making a dedicated place for my small HF gennie and electric pole saw so that I can reach higher branches than the bucket lift would otherwise allow.
The other advantage of using the pole saw is that the business end is far enough away to make any kind of complications involving skin/moving chain contact kind of hard to imagine- so much so that I think it would have to be a deliberate choice.
Are you planning to add any safety railings or an attachment for a safety line/harness?
Thank for sharing (and thereby opening your self to criticism by the more safety-conscious members) (NOT to say safety nazis).
Thomas
Nicely done!
IMHO, as long as you have personal health insurance and life insurance; the related safety issues are almost always a personal choice, and again IMHO the more appropriate realm for that discussion is between you and your own SWMBO.
We have been thinking about making something similar for tree trimming, etc; but we will probably incorporate our bucket forks as part of the under floor support for it.
I would also be making a dedicated place for my small HF gennie and electric pole saw so that I can reach higher branches than the bucket lift would otherwise allow.
The other advantage of using the pole saw is that the business end is far enough away to make any kind of complications involving skin/moving chain contact kind of hard to imagine- so much so that I think it would have to be a deliberate choice.
Are you planning to add any safety railings or an attachment for a safety line/harness?
Thank for sharing (and thereby opening your self to criticism by the more safety-conscious members) (NOT to say safety nazis).
Thomas
milligjg
Silver Member
Where does the cooler go?:laughing::drink:
Nice work!
Nice work!
PhysAssist
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kco
Veteran Member
Nice job, NewLight, and very creative.
I also use the front end loader as a work platform. I agree there are risks but consider it less dangerous than trying to work from a ladder. I climb onto my platform by going over the hood and loader arms. I do want to get a ladder to avoid that, and I do agree loader lock arms are a good idea. The Buhler loader on my previous Kubota L275DT had a loader lock device that fit over the rod. Here is a link that shows it:
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/safety/339061-f-e-l-failure-fatality-post4220825.html#post4220825
One possibility might be to fabricate an adjustable ladder that acts as a lock while spanning between the grill guard and the loader cross member near the end of the loader arms.
I worked from the bucket until I got pallet forks this year. While doing renovations this summer I removed a section of our sun deck and I ended up with a handy 2' x 10' section that makes a great platform. I used it today to trim shrubs:
I also use the front end loader as a work platform. I agree there are risks but consider it less dangerous than trying to work from a ladder. I climb onto my platform by going over the hood and loader arms. I do want to get a ladder to avoid that, and I do agree loader lock arms are a good idea. The Buhler loader on my previous Kubota L275DT had a loader lock device that fit over the rod. Here is a link that shows it:
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/safety/339061-f-e-l-failure-fatality-post4220825.html#post4220825
One possibility might be to fabricate an adjustable ladder that acts as a lock while spanning between the grill guard and the loader cross member near the end of the loader arms.
I worked from the bucket until I got pallet forks this year. While doing renovations this summer I removed a section of our sun deck and I ended up with a handy 2' x 10' section that makes a great platform. I used it today to trim shrubs:
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