Loader mounted hydraulic implements

[slingha]

Dumb question- there are many quick attach style hydraulically powered implements that can be used on a skid steer. That being said, if you have a third function, are there any that could be put on the front of a compact tractor loader and operate as intended? As an example, I saw a loader mounted snow blower. I don’t know if there’s not enough flow out of a tractor’s hydraulic pump vs a skid steer.

 

[mcfarmall]

The only stuff that will work on a FEL is stuff that falls within the GPM output of the tractor pump. You could purchase a PTO driven hydraulic power pack with a high flow rate but your talking $$$$.$$

 

[kennyd]

Short answer is no, not really, it's all an[ut the pressure and GPM's, tractors can't match skid steers on either.

A grapple or angling blade is very doable, and there are some low-flow hydraulic post holes diggers that may work.

 

[ericm979]

Anything with just hydraulic cylinders would be fine. It's the hydraulic motors that could be too slow with the tractor's hydraulics. CUTS are usually in the 8-10 gpm range while skid steers are at least twice that. Some tractor manufacturers quote a misleading "total system flow" by adding the steering circuit and the everything circuit together but in modern CUTS they're separate.

 

[oosik]

I have a grapple on my tractor. The hydraulic demands of the hydraulic cylinders on the grapple and FEL are minimal. My tractor has the HP - but like most - it's just not set up with the high flow pumps.

 

[sea2summit]

There’s a hydro brush hog for the FEL now but it is very small and requires a special high flow hydro line to be plumbed in.

 

[bdog]

I have a skid steer hydraulic post hole digger that I used to run on my tractor. I didn’t have the third function so I bought couplers, unplugged the tilt function, and controlled it that way. It didn’t spin near as fast as it does on the skid steer but worked fine and I dug hundreds of holes with it.

 

[rademamj1]

No tractor hydraulics can compete with a high flow skid steer, which often puts out 45 GPM. Any 3rd function kit you install for your tractor, is of course limited to the GPM of that tractors hydraulic pump capacity. So you need to carefully insure your tractor can handle the hydraulics of loader mounted implements.

PTO hydraulic systems can be purchased to support front loader implements requiring higher flow than your tractor can provide. These typically can be expensive, however when connected, often can provide up to 24 GPM. That's a big improvement over the tractor, but alot less than a skid steer.

 

[bdog]

Very few skid steer attachments require high flow. I have a high flow skid steer and have a trencher, concrete mixer, auger, and 7’ heavy duty rotary cutter and none of them require high flow. Standard flow is around 20 GPM. I am sure there are other things but the only high flow skid steer attachments I have seen are mulching heads.

 

[4570Man]

Very few skid steer attachments require high flow. I have a high flow skid steer and have a trencher, concrete mixer, auger, and 7’ heavy duty rotary cutter and none of them require high flow. Standard flow is around 20 GPM. I am sure there are other things but the only high flow skid steer attachments I have seen are mulching heads.

A tractor aux is like 5 gpm. That’s still not even close to 20 gpm. Almost nothing with a hydraulic motor is going to work right.

 

[rademamj1]

Very few skid steer attachments require high flow. I have a high flow skid steer and have a trencher, concrete mixer, auger, and 7’ heavy duty rotary cutter and none of them require high flow. Standard flow is around 20 GPM. I am sure there are other things but the only high flow skid steer attachments I have seen are mulching heads.

That's good to know about standard flow skid steer implements. Unfortunately, I was probably biased in my statement toward high flow only, because I just got completed some land clearing last week, done by a contractor using a high flow tracked skid steer with a forestry mulcher. That skid steer performed more work in one day, than my tractor could do in several months.

 

[Dadnatron]

I have 3rd function valve on FEL for grapple. I use it on my FEL Auger for post holes. It works... but it is a slow turner. Probably 1/3-1/2 regular speed. If I had to use it often, I'd buy long hoses and attach it to my primary hydraulics on the back of my tractor, as it has significantly higher flow than the 3rd function small tubed circuit. I think the flow would work for a concrete mixer, but I wouldn't try it on anything that actually required speed, like a snow blower.

 

[grsthegreat]

But skid steers also have higher pressures. Tractors are in the 1500-2000 psi hydraulic range. Skid steers in the 3000# psi range plus.

my tractor has a rear 3 point hydraulic add on that produces 15 GPM AND 3000 psi pressure to run my front hydraulic snowblower. With a hyd cooler, it can run most any skid steer tool. But I don’t use any other tools for it. I just don’t need to . I was thinking of getting a front post hole digger, but my rear one works great. I did not feel the need for it.