Steel requirements for JD 4110 loader

[joes_427_vette]

I want to start gathering materials for construction of a front end loader for a 4110 John Deere. I am thinking 2" x 3" by 1/4" steel tubing for the arms and 1/8" plate for the 54" bucket. 3/8" plate for reinforcing where the rams attach and 1- 1/4" pins.
Will the 2x3 tubing be strong enough to withstand digging in clay / rock environment ? There is quite a strain on the lower loader arms which will be approximately 3' long.

 

[kennyd]

I do not have a direct answer to your question...But how much is a new 200cx loader?
I'd have to think that buy the time you bought the steel, cylinders, hoses, fittings, pins, bushings, welding rod/wire, paint...you'd be hard pressed to break even.

 

[Gizmo2]

I know I'm a good one to say anything but what about labor cost? I don't buy into "the cost for labor is free for a DIY project".

 

[Kernopelli]

I want to start gathering materials for construction of a front end loader for a 4110 John Deere. I am thinking 2" x 3" by 1/4" steel tubing for the arms and 1/8" plate for the 54" bucket. 3/8" plate for reinforcing where the rams attach and 1- 1/4" pins.
Will the 2x3 tubing be strong enough to withstand digging in clay / rock environment ? There is quite a strain on the lower loader arms which will be approximately 3' long.

I think what you are planning will be fine. I mostly used 2x4x1/4" on mine and it is way more stout than I really need ( I have a 24HP tractor that is larger framed than a 4110) and when I dig, it is almost always in hard clay. The plate sounds fine but will need some reinforcements along the buckets bottom and back and will also need a good cutting edge. The rest sounds fine.
Everybody has their own opinion on building vs. buying but to me, it was the best thing I ever did with my spare time.
I ended up with a little more than $500 in mine and am very pleased with every aspect of it. Even at today's prices, I feel confident that with the same degree of patience, I could build it for under $1000. I built mine several years ago when steel was about 1/2 of current price. My local scrap yard used to get quite a bit of large "drops" and pieces of plate of all types that were left over from local manufacturing so I was able to buy "new" steel at a bargain by-the-pound price. I was VERY patient and waited for good deals over about a 9 month period and bought my cylinders on ebay for about $100 total. (Two good used lift cylinders for $75 and 2 new bucket cylinders for $20!!!) I also bought a new Ford/New Holland joystick Kit ( hard lines, quick connects and valve) on Ebay for $150. Got all the pins, bushings, hoses and hydraulic connections from the local farm supply store and a relief valve from Northern Tool. I built a heavy sub frame that stays on the tractor but I can take the loader off in a few minutes by pulling 4 pins and unhooking the quick connects.

 

[joes_427_vette]

Kenny; Already checked...... dealer cost was 2100 and retail is 2900. They will knock 200 off but shipping and tax applies so your over 3k.
I have a new Miller wire feed, Ellis bandsaw, and just purchased a hypertherm plasma so I intend to play in my shop til the paint is dry. I worked many years to have a heated 40 x 70 shop with alot of toys. Just finished building a 3 x 6 manlift and a set of quick tach forks for the TC 55 DA. I don't really need another loader but I thought it would be fun to have a smaller version for the yard projects.
I feel the project can come in under a thousand dollars if I start collecting my pieces early. Just stuck another 35# roll of wire in the welder so it is ready for a new project. The weight box with 600# of steel is already completed.
Today I'm working on project jeep. Could have bought a new one for 20k but I like the 600 dollar variety. Retirement doesn't have to be boring !!!!

 

[joes_427_vette]

Kernopelli; I was thinking of 2 x 4 but asthetics wise I thought it would be to much for the small frame size machine. I will lay it out on paper and have another look. Price wise it would be very close, especially if I can get into the cut stock pile. I'm familiar with the side and bottom bracing on the bucket as I built one for my skidsteer. I used 3/8 x 3 strap for that and it turned out to be very strong. John Deere has a great detach system. One hates to go back to the pin release system after using one of these for a while. The rams on the 200 series are a very small diameter. With the limited pump capacity I imagine they have to be this size to be fairly fast acting.
Thanks for the info.

 

[Kernopelli]

I used 2" lift cylinders and 1-1/2" bucket cylinders with a 4.9 GPM pump. The lift could be a little faster but overall it's fine. The bucket has very good speed but could use more force on the curl. It will easily curl a bucket load of any material but I would like it to be able to pop small tree roots out of the ground but it needs more grunt for that. You obviously have already figured out that going too big is a mistake when it comes to speed.
I used this calculator when I was trying to decide on what to get Baum Hydraulics :: Spec Calculator

 

[kennyd]

Joe, have you checked out CadPlans?

 

[joes_427_vette]

Kenny; I have seen their ads before. $140.00 for plans to a basic loader seems quite high. There doesn't seem to be that much engineering in a small loader. A few pictures, measurements from several machines and I will have a design I can live with. The research and design is the facinating part. It is just too cold to trip through steel piles in the middle of winter.

 

[jimgerken]

I cannot prove it with math or mechanical analysis, BUT, I think the reason these manufacturers are using curve tubing is to make a loader frame stiffer. Example: I used my neighbors Boomer. It is a slightly larger tractor and loader than my own, but this day I needed both tractors on-site to spread and level arriving fill. The bucket sizes are the same. Mine would lift the bucket full (JD loader, curve tube design), so would his of course. When driving with the bucket full, mine was steady, his (Hew Holland loader, straight tube construction) would bounce up and down constantly, from flexing in the the loader arms. Its not something you could overlook. The loader with curved tube was stiffer. Both were strong enough for the load. Obviously I know that curved tube is out of reach for the homebuilder, unless you are willing to fab it up from flat (as JD does) with advanced machinery. Food for thought....