Homemade loader for Branson tractor

[LouNY]

I wish the Euro style quick attach was more popular over here.
Not much of the front end loader attachments for under a 100hp offer it here,
over a 125hp it is usually the only quick attach offered.
I find it safer and easier then the SSQA to attach and detach is as easy.

 

[ptsg]

I agree with you Lou, and as you mentioned in a previous post, the Euro style will also self lock the attachment, at least some brands offer this, which prevents going in/out of the tractor just to lock it.

 

[Oldpath05]

<<<This must be the one your talking about, it does look stronger and better and looks like it attaches and detaches from one side with one lever, that is a plus, but over a $1000.00, ouch, think I'll have to settle for the cheaper one @ $200.00 and walk around both sides.

Cutting steel with grinder is a last resort or small job, cant imagine trying to build a loader that way. A plasma is still on my wish list, I do have oxy/acetylene its great for stubborn bolts, maybe this winter I'll find one of good buys on a plasma that everyone else seems to get.

 

[ptsg]

That's seems way too expensive. I'm sure there are other alternatives.

Definitely get a plasma cutter. Just don't forget that it will eat quite a bit of compressed air.

Here is a picture showing the linkage of my quick attach during assembly. Was missing a spring that is now in place. The only mistake I made there, was not offsetting the handle to one side. It's quite a stretch to pull/push the handle with the bucket on.

 

[Oldpath05]

I see your quick attach handle is in the middle, that is a hard reach. Think I'll go with something like these two quick attach items at Amazon or somewhere, just have to make sure that the two individual items are comparable, be more simple if one company sold both together. My plan was to do that this year, but stuff keeps coming up so I kicked it to next year.

https://www.amazon.com/Attach-Conve...er+Quick+Tach+Latch+Box&qid=1571273695&sr=8-1

https://www.amazon.com/Attachment-L...DRECYE4JPX3&psc=1&refRID=HXS9WYNJ8DRECYE4JPX3

 

[ptsg]

I'm pretty sure you can get stuff like that from the same company. At least I've read about it on other threads.

I did use the loader to move my 450 lbs tiller and the 430 lbs mower yesterday. It didn't even noticed the load. It's quite an improvement from my previous tractor. A small Kubota B7000 that would get all tipsy with anything over 300 lbs.

Anyway, here is the video with a bunch of pictures and some machining clips.

 

[rkidd]

ptsg. That was a most impressive fab project for sure. Fabbing all phases of the loader is really doing something!! I really want to thank you for posting it with all of the pics and video, which is alot of work in itself.

 

[Imold]

Must say that turned out very nice, BIG thumbs up.

 

[ptsg]

Thanks guys.

Even though it's a lot of work, it's very rewarding in the end to see something you create and fabricate, working as it should.

 

[Oldpath05]

You even know how to make a professional video, I watched it three times paused here and there, nice you didn't have screaming background music, but just so you know pictures and videos just makes for more questions and comments.

Very good welding, I do welding for a living, I find that going around fittings is hard to maintain a constant good weld. So it looks like 7014 drag rod? and I looked for grease fittings, didn't notice them on the rams? I bet the seal packing threads were time consuming, and then it looks like you made roller for bending pipe? I would've never thought of using and end-mill bit that way for making a groove, I would've tried just using a regular cutter and got mad the groove didn't come out in a nice U shape.........

By the looks of the bucket movement pitures, looks like you acquired more travel then a standard factory bucket, I dont think mine will tipped that far down, but now I have to check mine against yours, and looks like you got more height, what is your measurement at full height with bucket level-ish at cutting edge? Your front tires appear to be about the same as mine >7,50-16 AG........ the one with most level height wins........

And thanks for taking time making a picture/video.:thumbsup:

 

[ptsg]

I tried to find a nice music for the video. I don't like those screaming music like most Russian videos either.

Every weld you see on the loader, is made with 6013 rods (3/32" and 1/8") and my good ol' 180A 3 phase AC stick welder and a few with a 200A AC inverter stick welder. I also have on of those cheap Gasless MIG welder but that works mostly for thin stuff, so I didn't use it on this project.

I did add grease fittings on every moving joint, but completely forgot to take any pictures on those. I even added two grease fittings on the locking pins of the quick attach.

The piston and glands for the cylinders actually went faster than I thought. It was my first time ever making cylinder, but I've always wanted to do it. Definitely a learning experience but I have to say, those things came out perfect with absolutely no leaks. I'm still amazed at myself with that.

Yes I did make a quick and dirty pipe bender. I though about grinding a cutter with the proper radius and do it on the lathe, but then I found that I didn't had any HSS blanks on hand. Then I thought about using the milling machine and my also homemade indexing head controlled by Arduino and stepper motor. It did work very nicely. That's about the only part I made for the bender, everything else I already had and somehow everything just fitted together.

Rollback and dump angles were a problem on my previous loader, specially the rollback. So on this loader I did improve that motion quite a bit. These new CAD programs are great with this stuff. I might have changing the linkage about 30 times on the CAD program before I settled on this. Ended up with 33 degrees rollback and 43 degrees dump angle.

Max lifting height at the pin is 2.7 meters or 106". My forklift maxes out at 3.3 meters or 129". Lifting height with a leveled cutting edge is around 2.5 meters or 99".

My tires are 8-16 at the front and 12.4-24 on the rear.

Feel free to ask any questions. I also should have done some sort of chart with loader specs. That would nice to have.

 

[Oldpath05]

You did well with 6013 to get no slag entrapment to cause leaks on the cylinders, usually mig is best for that. I heard of the CAD help, knowing how to use it in mechanical design is beyond my pay grade, I'd have to build it and tare it apart 15 times.

I almost forgot to measure my FEL til I raise it up moving my wood splitter in position, I took couple measured pics, my bucket wont quite curl as much as yours and dont quite have the height either, guess I owe you cup of coffee......



First pic is 9' +or- 1"@vertical bucket edge @ level-ish position, 2nd is 7' +or-1" @ cutting edge @ level-ish position.

 

[ptsg]

I'll take that cup of coffee. :thumbsup:

I was indeed very surprised to have no leaks. I'd like to try some 7018 rods though. I need to get some of that.

The Kubota also sits a bit lower than my tractor. My tractor does sit quite high for it's width.

 

[Oldpath05]

Well the next time your out riding around near me on a Sat morning stop in, coffee's ready at 10 am, one word of caution we drive on the right side the road.

My experience with 7018 AC rods for AC welders, is I get more pin holes, the DC 7018 start harder but hardly ever get pin holes. What you need for when you make your back-hoe is a mig welder, I have a Miller 211, runs .030 70s6 solid wire all day, it takes a 5/32 rod to go faster then .030 and it's great for tacking.

 

[BFreaky]

Great job, thumbs up

 

[ptsg]

Well the next time your out riding around near me on a Sat morning stop in, coffee's ready at 10 am, one word of caution we drive on the right side the road.

My experience with 7018 AC rods for AC welders, is I get more pin holes, the DC 7018 start harder but hardly ever get pin holes. What you need for when you make your back-hoe is a mig welder, I have a Miller 211, runs .030 70s6 solid wire all day, it takes a 5/32 rod to go faster then .030 and it's great for tacking.

I'll stop by next Saturday. Driving on the wrong side of the road is for the guys up north in the UK. The rest of the Europe drives on the right side of the road. :laughing:

The backhoe is already made and going strong. Started building it at 10 years old with my dad, finished at 18 years old. I'm now 25. It's a self propelled half-track machine with a 17 HP Kubota engine. Hydraulic drive and made entirely out of scrap.

Great job, thumbs up &#55357;&#56832;

Thank you BFreaky! How's your project going?

 

[Oldpath05]

Uh, I would've guessed all of Europe was like the UK and I also would've guessed that you was at least in your 40's for having these build skills. Where on here did you put the pictures of this home made tracked back-hoe?

 

[BFreaky]

Ptsg, my project is currently on hold due to other projects. I'm making a workshop crane, fel bucket for our new Kubota and a subsoiler for my brother. Once all that's done, my backhoe project will continue..hopefully soon

 

[ptsg]

Uh, I would've guessed all of Europe was like the UK and I also would've guessed that you was at least in your 40's for having these build skills. Where on here did you put the pictures of this home made tracked back-hoe?

I don't really have a thread on the machine. I'll post some pictures here.

It started as a 6x2 but it's now a 6x4. The two rear axles are tied together with a chain drive and are mounted on a sub frame, so it will pivot in the middle. The diffs are different so the chain drive also makes for the ratio difference between the two diffs. It has an hydraulic thumb controlled by a pedal. I converted the 4 stick valve to joystick. It has been through a lot of changes over the years.

It has two 4 speed gearboxes. Since I have low speed and lots of torque with the hydraulic motor, I opted to power the output side of the first gearbox so I can get some speed. Then what would be the input side of the first gearbox, is attached to the input shaft on the second gearbox. This way I can get some speed on the machine that would be otherwise very slow.

The engine is a 17HP Kubota D640 powering two pumps: 0,39ci for auxiliary circuit (thumb and flail mower) and a 1.037 ci for the backhoe and drive.

I do have a couple of videos on my Youtube channel.

Ptsg, my project is currently on hold due to other projects. I'm making a workshop crane, fel bucket for our new Kubota and a subsoiler for my brother. Once all that's done, my backhoe project will continue..hopefully soon

That crane will definitely be a nice addition to move all those big parts around.

 

[Oldpath05]

I don't really have a thread on the machine. I'll post some pictures here.

It started as a 6x2 but it's now a 6x4. The two rear axles are tied together with a chain drive and are mounted on a sub frame, so it will pivot in the middle. The diffs are different so the chain drive also makes for the ratio difference between the two diffs. It has an hydraulic thumb controlled by a pedal. I converted the 4 stick valve to joystick. It has been through a lot of changes over the years.

It has two 4 speed gearboxes. Since I have low speed and lots of torque with the hydraulic motor, I opted to power the output side of the first gearbox so I can get some speed. Then what would be the input side of the first gearbox, is attached to the input shaft on the second gearbox. This way I can get some speed on the machine that would be otherwise very slow.

The engine is a 17HP Kubota D640 powering two pumps: 0,39ci for auxiliary circuit (thumb and flail mower) and a 1.037 ci for the backhoe and drive.

I do have a couple of videos on my Youtube channel.

View attachment 625633.

You even have a antenna on it, must be for remote control digging................ I'm trying to figure out how two rear-ends facing each other turn the wheels same direction, to do that to me instead of chain connection, the gears would have to mesh together, or does turning the the front axle upside down do the same thing? Then theres that front gear not connected to anything, maybe power take-off add on?