FEL torsion bar mis allignment

[big bubba]

inquiring if any members have had this happen. on my M series, there is a large diameter torsion bar that connects one FELarm to the other. on occasion, the lever on one side of the attach becomes disconnected (brush handling, etc) in my case it happened without my knowledge. so in lifting heavy loads, a lot of the force was transferred to one side only, slightly twisting the torsion bar so the 2 connect pads of the quick connect are now not aligned properly.

happened once before. i made a quick fix on recommendation of dealer mechanic. happened again. am in process of dealing with it. not big game changer as i have done some compensations when attaching implements....

won't describe my method as it may steer some toward potential damage of FEL. reason for posting is to see if this is a common issue with some. One dealer's recommendation is to replace the torsion bar itself, out of the question @ 1k repair bill. this may be an issue only on larger higher capacity FELS, but it is something to address for all users.

Always check that the quick attach is fully engaged on both sides before loader use! (maybe bungee both levers down)
maybe Messiks or a tractor mechanic could address...
best regards

 

[oldtimer 66]

I have the same problem on my JD 400X loader. The hole in the FEL brackets is elongated. The pins and torsion bar look ok. I would weld and re-drill the brackets but I think they are a high strength iron. Not sure what I am going to do. This shows ups when changing implements, bucket to grapple etc. and the brackets are chasing each other.

 

[Rustyiron]

It's common, eventually there will be a screw up with the ssqa and that tube will twist and the l/r sides will become "un timed".
My fix (rather than trying to force things back) was simple if you can weld.

1 cut through the tube in the middle
2 disconnect one of the dump cylinders so that you can rotate (dump) that side to off set the now cut tube*
3 slide a new pipe over the factory pipe (the length is from the cut to the loader arm)
4 rotate the other side back to where you can slide the new pipe down over the cut and center over the cut
5 hook the cyl back up and put on a bucket or forks, lock the levers and weld it up. I drilled 8 holes in the cover pipe down near the cut for a little extra weld.
* I disconnected the "links" at the ssqa

 

[big bubba]

very impressive. have the welder & torch. but will see if my "forceful" fix will hold. nice fix on that

 

[Redlands Okie]

Rusty iron fix sounds good and looks like it would not only work but make things a bit more sturdy.

On my L3560 i had them also get out of timing and simply cut half way thru the torsion tube, braced the torsion tube so it would stay in line and finished cutting the rest of the way through. Ground the edges of the cuts a slight bevel for better penetration of the welding. Then lined up the plates and welded it back. So far its been a bit over a year and it has worked great and held up. I also have been careful to not have the problem happen again

 

[big bubba]

saw or torch?

 

[kthompson]

I twisted my fel couple of years back moving a tree hurricane laid on my mother in laws house. It left my bucket about 1 1/2 inches difference from one end to the other. Not much but it bugged me. Friend who had a dealership told me the cheap way to fix and I had bought the tractor from said yes that my work but you had no idea how the capacity of the loader might be affected. I used that as reason to go ahead and move to self leveling loader. Oh the fact had insurance o the fel helping with about a third of the cost helped. The insurance company made it clear no way would they pay for any field effort to repair the twisted fel for no way could they know the result.

Had I not wanted the self leveling loader which I am so glad I went to and would have tried the method some others have used.

 

[ruffdog]

Another thread:
https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/owning-operating/400157-torqued-loader-torque-tube.html?highlight=bent+loader

 

[Redlands Okie]

I saw cut mine so as to get a neater cut. This allowed me to rotate the torsion bars two half’s and not have them hanging up on each other. Also figured with my torch skills I would remove less metal in the cut with a saw. I used a portable band saw since I already had it handy from another project but a recip saw and metal blade would have worked fine.

 

[Oldoak]

I would remove less metal in the cut with a saw. I used a portable band saw

Now that is the way I would cut it if it ever comes to having to do what you did.

I would also mark a ring around the circumference of the tubing using a pipe wrap, any piece of flexable cardboard with a straight edge will do, as a guide to keep the cut perpendicular to the pipe.