LS R4047

[Sublifer]

Yes I added 3/8" plate to the front part of the sides on both buckets. Just some added strength-protection for the bucket. People use these tractors for work that they really were never designed for, myself included. These loaders are designed to work with loose material, not to dig into hard pack or even a pile of bigger rock. Most of us use them for far more than what they are actually designed for and the reinforcements that I have added just add some protection against bucket damage due to misuse of the product.

I never really thought of it like that... I always thought loader buckets were for digging but probably just because I never really thought about it much. I've been thinking about making my own implements and this gives me a lot more to think about. What would be the most efficient way to dig with a tractor...?

 

[Short Game]

I did not back up my bucket hooks. I will let you know when I have a failure there. So far, so good.

 

[Sublifer]

I did not back up my bucket hooks. I will let you know when I have a failure there. So far, so good.

Please do! :thumbsup:

Is that hooks on the front edge and the top side? Any particular reason?

 

[MtnViewRanch]

I never really thought of it like that... I always thought loader buckets were for digging but probably just because I never really thought about it much. I've been thinking about making my own implements and this gives me a lot more to think about. What would be the most efficient way to dig with a tractor...?

A bolt on tooth bar is what most guys use. I have a separate bucket with welded on tooth holders with replaceable teeth. The teeth or tooth bar make digging much much easier on the tractor and just plain easier to do.

On a side note, I have never seen any of the tractors that most of us TBNers have, SCUTs, CUTs or even UTILITY tractors advertised showing the tractor digging with the loader in any type of hard material. The ads always show the loader working with loose types of material.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Short Game, I don't think that I insinuated that there would be a failure. But if you lift the weight capacity of your loader with the hooks welded to the bucket without any additional backing, there will be a very good chance that the bucket will bend. It may not happen the first or second time, but eventually the bucket will indeed bend. Seen it in person and here on TBN to many times.

But I'm glad that you have had no problems with your setup.

 

[Sublifer]

A bolt on tooth bar is what most guys use. I have a separate bucket with welded on tooth holders with replaceable teeth. The teeth or tooth bar make digging much much easier on the tractor and just plain easier to do.

On a side note, I have never seen any of the tractors that most of us TBNers have, SCUTs, CUTs or even UTILITY tractors advertised showing the tractor digging with the loader in any type of hard material. The ads always show the loader working with loose types of material.

I'm thinking more of a continuous digging... one of the most time consuming parts to digging any decent amount of dirt is in moving to and from the spoils pile... I wonder if you can rig a tiller with an open back for discharging into a trailing bin. And somehow make the tiller tines more like scoops...
Okay, the tiller would need to be built into the trailer and towed from the towbar rather than 3PH. 3PH and/or a hydraulic ram can be used to dump the trailer.
I'm pretty good at the thinking part... now who is going to build it? :confused3: If only I had the time...

 

[Short Game]

Please do! :thumbsup:

Is that hooks on the front edge and the top side? Any particular reason?

Yes. I put the grab hooks on the front corners such that the chain stays in with gravity if I roll back the bucket. My old Cub Cadet came with hooks at an angle that turned upside down when I rolled the bucket back, and if there was slack on the chain, it could fall out. So I liked the grab hooks angled that way much better. The slide hook in the middle is also the way my Cub Cadet was rigged when I got it. I learned to love that configuration. I like to lift and pull from the center when I can, and I use chains that are long enough so that I can just flip the chain over that large slide hook, pull up the slack and hang it in the grab hook at whichever end of the bucket I happen to be standing.

Short Game, I don't think that I insinuated that there would be a failure. But if you lift the weight capacity of your loader with the hooks welded to the bucket without any additional backing, there will be a very good chance that the bucket will bend. It may not happen the first or second time, but eventually the bucket will indeed bend. Seen it in person and here on TBN to many times.

But I'm glad that you have had no problems with your setup.

Well, I just aped what came on my used 27 HP Cub Cadet's loader. But here, once again, that Cub Cadet 417 loader (actually a Woods 165, I believe, though the Cub Cadet name is on it) is just better in every way (except for the quick disconnect bucket) than my LS 4100 loader. This includes how stout the bucket is too. I spent years doing maximum lifts and pulls with the hooks welded directly to that bucket with no sign of failure. So I never thought about how much thinner the steel is on the top edge of this bucket than the other one before I welded the hooks on it. I also set up a friend's Montana bucket the same way. I hope I didn't mess it up for him.

 

[akraven]

Yes I added 3/8" plate to the front part of the sides on both buckets. Just some added strength-protection for the bucket. People use these tractors for work that they really were never designed for, myself included. These loaders are designed to work with loose material, not to dig into hard pack or even a pile of bigger rock. Most of us use them for far more than what they are actually designed for and the reinforcements that I have added just add some protection against bucket damage due to misuse of the product.

I went out and checked mine and it has a pressed in "bulge" in the side of the bucket just behind the from side edge to reinforce it.

 

[Sublifer]

Yes. I put the grab hooks on the front corners such that the chain stays in with gravity if I roll back the bucket. My old Cub Cadet came with hooks at an angle that turned upside down when I rolled the bucket back, and if there was slack on the chain, it could fall out. So I liked the grab hooks angled that way much better. The slide hook in the middle is also the way my Cub Cadet was rigged when I got it. I learned to love that configuration. I like to lift and pull from the center when I can, and I use chains that are long enough so that I can just flip the chain over that large slide hook, pull up the slack and hang it in the grab hook at whichever end of the bucket I happen to be standing.



Well, I just aped what came on my used 27 HP Cub Cadet's loader. But here, once again, that Cub Cadet 417 loader (actually a Woods 165, I believe, though the Cub Cadet name is on it) is just better in every way (except for the quick disconnect bucket) than my LS 4100 loader. This includes how stout the bucket is too. I spent years doing maximum lifts and pulls with the hooks welded directly to that bucket with no sign of failure. So I never thought about how much thinner the steel is on the top edge of this bucket than the other one before I welded the hooks on it. I also set up a friend's Montana bucket the same way. I hope I didn't mess it up for him.

Couldn't really see your slide hook. Do you have another pic showing that?

I can see part of why you liked that loader, the cylinder is mounted with more angle giving it better leverage for lifting. The cylinders look a bit skinnier so that counters the additional lifting force you would get from the angle but it would also help the cylinders cycle faster. They made some interesting choices in putting it together but I think the length of those cylinders are the first thing looked at when trying to cost-cut and make loaders cheaper. Shorter cylinders are just cheaper...

 

[Short Game]

Couldn't really see your slide hook. Do you have another pic showing that?

The Cub Cadet bucket hooks were there when I go it. I only added the receiver hitch. The receiver hitch got more use as a socket for my 4.5' square tube boom. It's useless for that on the LS because the roll-back is so gutless. I have lifted 300 pounds at the end of the boom with my Cub. I couldn't lift 50 pounds on that boom when I needed to with the LS.

Here are closeups of each bucket.