Is your loader bucket level?

[DK_Farms]

I have a 460 loader on a 4610. The bucket is 2 inches higher on one side versus the other. It came that way from the dealer. Nothing in the manual about leveling and the dealer says they never check that and wouldn't know how to fix it if nothing is obviously damaged or bent. I can't really see anything out of line. The cylinders on both sides always have the same amount of shaft showing in any position and the lift arms don't appear bent. Any ideas or is this normal? Never had a bucket before, just a shovel.

 

[Tractors4u]

Did you check the air pressure in your front tires?

 

[rockyridgefarm]

Ask you wife if she has noticed you being out of plumb..?

 

[rockyridgefarm]

Ok, real suggestion: Are both sides fully seated on the brackets in the rear?

 

[gone]

first thing came to my mind (rear tires) pressure the same,same tire make,ect. the next is brackets mount to frame. if that all seems fine. And its under warranty send it back and tell them you want it right before you take home. the dealer should have noticed it when the loader was put on. I would have sent it back right away! it deffinatly should be level. if the dealer gives you crap call JD service rep,you paid good money it should be right,i can't belive dealer is telling you they don't check that and wouldn't know how to fix it anyway. i think the dealer is dumb or just trying to blow you off! I would be pissed and he would see and hear me on one of his busyiest sales days for all buyers to hear

 

[Bird]

Ken, there's no way that's "normal". Of course, you need to check in on a firm, flat surface (level concrete preferably). Like the other guys said, unequal tire pressure may well be the only problem. The other possibility is improper installation. I would assume that Deere's loader manual has similar instructions to those in the Kubota loader manuals; one of those being to install it on a flat surface, putting the nuts and bolts in, but NOT tightening any of them until they are all in. It's hard to imagine the dealer not knowing what the problem is, and of course, I could sure be wrong, but I would think if the bucket were lowered to the floor and all the nuts and bolts loosened, it would settle level and then simply re-tighten all the nuts and bolts.

 

[beenthere]

The air pressure is one thing, as others have pointed out.

Mine was "out of level" and I fixed it by raising the loader all the way to the "top" figuring that at some point there was an imbalance of oil in the two cylinders. That did the trick, and the bucket was then level. I was worried at first that something was bent when I lifted from one bucket corner.

Hope this works for you. (And I would question the intergrity and smarts of the dealer if they told me what you said you heard them say).

 

[stuart]

DK if the bucket is not level and you take the loader off you may never be able to attach it again. This cannot be correct. Complain to the customer rep. The dealer is not looking out for you.

 

[yellowsocks93]

I would try Bird's suggestion. My 430 loader would never go on/off at all until I tried this suggestion from my dealer. Loosen all mounting bolts to hand tight and when the loader is installed properly then tighten them down good.

 

[DK_Farms]

Thanks for all the suggestions. When I posted the question today, I had pretty much tried all the obvious stuff. Air pressure was correct, I was on a flat slab, tractor level, etc. I hadn't tried loosening any hardware, however. On the 460 loader, there are no bolts. The loader is all welded with pins at all the pivot points. The only bolted parts are the rear support arms that bolt to the tractor. Those stay on the tractor when the loader is removed. Nevertheless, this afternoon I set the loader down and proceeded to loosen the bolts on the support arms. When I did, the high side of the bucket came down to 5/8 of an inch off the slab. The arm on the high side came down alot and the short side arm came down just a little. I tightened everything up and measured the distance from the ground to the bottom of the support arms. The arm on the high side is about 3/8 of an inch higher. The only thing I can surmise is that the mounting arm was not welded exactly square on one of the the mounting plates. There are no shims or washers. One side is either too low or too high. Hard to tell which one without having another tractor/loader to compare to. I can live with 5/8 of an inch. My neighbor has a Kubota and his bucket is off about 1/2 inch also. As for my dealer, they are good folks but their smarts vary with the phases of the moon. Some days you get good info, and on other days you get double talk. Thanks again for the feedback.