Loaders, Buckets, and Counter-Weights

[Zinno87]

I recently purchased a JD 4320, but don't have a loader yet. I'm set on getting the skidsteer quick-attach, but I'm not sure what bucket to get. I'm thinking about passing on the standard JD bucket and purchasing a skid-steer bucket. They seem to be a lot stronger and more competitively priced. The qa forks seem much better than the JD forks too. For example, I can get a 4k lb set for about $600 vs $1,000+ for JD forks.

Any thoughts?

On another note, does anyone know how large of a counter-weight I would need on the 3-point in order to max out the loader? Obviously it depends on how far the weight is set behind the 3-point, so assume a standard weight box, as in pretty tight to the back of the tractor. I don't have anything in the tires either. I think that the loader capacity is about 2.4k lbs. I would think that I need at least 1k lbs.

 

[RFB]

I have a Kubota 5030 with a 900+/- Rhino 85 subframe backhoe. At times that feels a little light and I am in the process of adding an additional 700 pounds (350 per wheel) by way of a fabbed wheel weight bracket.

I do not want the constant weight of loaded tires, and I keep the BH attached unless I am running other attachments. Check your tractor manual for suggested ballasting numbers.

 

[shaley]

You have a lot of choices when it comes to loaders. There must be at least 20 manufactures of loaders.
If your loader size is as big as I think (2.5" lift cylinders) then I'd look for a bucket that is 72" and has a struck capacity of 17 QFT. I'm not sure that the skid steer are always built as heavy duty as the traditional loader buckets. Loader bucket tend to use a different profile and the heavy duty versions will have a bolt on cutting edge which gives additional strength and some added flexibility to the uses. You could look at overall weight as a starting point and take a look at thickness of the wrap steel as well.

 

[john_bud]

On another note, does anyone know how large of a counter-weight I would need on the 3-point in order to max out the loader? Obviously it depends on how far the weight is set behind the 3-point, so assume a standard weight box, as in pretty tight to the back of the tractor. I don't have anything in the tires either. I think that the loader capacity is about 2.4k lbs. I would think that I need at least 1k lbs.

The old Ford loader literature shows the counter weight requirements to be about 500# more than the lift capacity. The loader has 3000# lift, and the CW requirement is listed as 3500# minimum. That's pretty consistent across the old loaders. Now, that's for 2wd tractors. A 4wd tractor won't loose as much traction as a 2wd will, but you will be more stable with more weight rather than less.

Best guess would be 2000-2500#.

jb

 

[Soundguy]

The only caveat i can think of to that is to make sure you check your 3pt lift 'max' weight and not exceed it.. etc.

Soundguy

 

[DDT]

All good advice. When I had a JD4300 I built a 3 point concrete weight. It should weigh about 1700LBS. It did pick it up fine, but new it was there. The next one a JD4400. I now have a Kubota L5030 and it still has plenty of weight for it to.
When I had the JD tractors I went with GB loaders because of there skid steer QT for the same reason you want to. I personal feel the GB loaders are better than my Kubota. But there are other brands that are good that have skid steer QT on them.

 

[MarkV]

Definitely get the Skid Steer type of QT on the loader. It offers a whole new end of the tractor to spend money on implements for. I run a 74” Bob Cat bucket on a Kubota L39 and feel it has some advantages and some disadvantages. I find skid steer buckets to be great for grading for several reasons. Standard SS buckets generally have a wider flat bottom, from rear of bucket to cutting edge, than the standard CUT bucket. Also bucket teeth are mounted so that they are flush with the cutting edge and don’t protrude below the bucket like tooth bar teeth do. This provides a large flat surface that will let you work an area similar to the way a wood plane cuts high spots without digging into the wood. You can get results much like a box blade with the advantage of down force and angle adjustment on the fly.

What I consider a disadvantage is a direct result of what I consider the advantage of a SS bucket. The wider bucket places your leading edge farther from the pivot point of the loader which reduces the breakout force the loader will have. CUT buckets normally have a rounded back which aids in breaking out a bucket full of dirt from a pile where SS buckets tend to be squared off on the back. In short I don’t consider my SS bucket as good for digging on a CUT as the standard bucket.

As far as durability, the SS bucket I have is much stronger than the standard bucket and is 150 lbs heavier. There are also many variations of SS buckets out there so advantages and disadvantages are going to vary depending on the tractor, loader and bucket combination chosen.

MarkV