Loader Unlevel bucket

[rScotty]

This sounds fascinating.... just the sort of project that we look forward to doing: Making it better with little to no chance of making things worse. Plus the chance to learn something in the bargain.

I also like the idea of witness marks both before and after. That will tell you what change actually took place. Can't wait to hear how it all turns out. Take some photos if you haven't yet. I have a feeling that this is common to lots of loaders.

Engineering wise, bolted joints should hold under clamping pressure alone. Bolt holes are allowed to be a specified amount oversized. So if the clamping pressure is not holding it firm, the answer is to go with larger or higher strength bolts so that you can use higher clamping pressure i.e. more torque on the fastener bolts.
Best of luck,
rScotty

 

[fried1765]

jmc, Williston is one of the two assembly sites in the US. From what I was told when I ordered mine the dealer receives it completely assembled with the options your ordered. When I did the order I was given a choce of tire type and what attachment(s)such as FEL I wanted installed. I was given a delivery date of two days later and the dealer told me that if would be ready for me to take a couple hours after arrival once all the serial numbers on the paperwork was verified.

Tree Farmer Dave, as far as I know you are the very first person outside the south east that I know has spoken up about this. Be sure to check your time pressure all around because that plays a role in the position of the bucket. Make sure when you check the tire pressuire in the rear tires that the valve stem is at the 12:00 position since the rears are filled with beet juice. I have been very happy with mine other than the bucket issue and the paint fades very quickly if exposed to the sun. Mine sits outside 24/7 so it's faded to a dull orange. FEL is still nice and bright. But what the heck, it's a tractor.

Yup....it is "just a tractor", and while it sits outside in hot Florida, every single Korean hose and rubber part is rapidly deteriorating, with your instrument console/gauges fading as well.

 

[jmc]

Engineering wise, bolted joints should hold under clamping pressure alone. Bolt holes are allowed to be a specified amount oversized. So if the clamping pressure is not holding it firm, the answer is to go with larger or higher strength bolts so that you can use higher clamping pressure i.e. more torque on the fastener bolts.
Best of luck,
rScotty

That's fair about "friction should be enough" but I'd feel a lot better with an abutment close enough to limit any slip should it happen. I also wonder about the two layers of thick paint sandwiched in there not to shear under load and allow movement. Another reason for a close abutment.

Either way, if RK used coarse threads with nuts, fine threaded bolts, with their shallower threads, could probably provide more clamping force.

 

[Btown]

Btown, I don't think it's an issue of the bolts loosening up but an assembly issue. It appears that all the owners that have reported the issue are in the south east where the tractors were assembled in Williston, FL. I downloaded the loader manual today and it gives instructions for attaching the loader to the tractor as if you purchased it after the fact. It appears that there's only 6 or 8 bolts per side that actually attach the FEL to the frame of the tractor. Once the rain clears out so I don't have to lay on a cold wet ground I'm going to try and loosening and re-tightening them with the bucket in a known level position. Once I finish I'll post the results for those interested......Don

Your better off having some, they are notoriously famous for loosening up on tractors and by the time you figured out they are loose they have either sheared off or rounded out the holes. I know it’s an assembly issue because I haven’t heard anyone with a TYM complaining about the issue. They are pretty much identical tractors. Different paint and decals.

 

[fried1765]

Your better off having some, they are notoriously famous for loosening up on tractors and by the time you figured out they are loose they have either sheared off or rounded out the holes.

Why not use at least blue Threadlocker, or maybe even red Threadlocker?

 

[cowpen]

If it was an assembly issue specific to the Williston FL TAC, then I believe they have licked the problem. I've got a month on my RK37, and 240+ tons of fill dirt later you can still barely slip a dime under either edge of the loader. I really like the witness mark idea. Think I'll do that now in case mine slips later. Thanks for the tip!

 

[DonRybak]

Hey cowpen, hopefully you have one without the issue. It's great to hear that someone has a straight one. I haven't moved anywhere close to that weight of material. I didn't even notice it until I was going to level down some dirt mounds left by some pocket gophers. As I drug the bucket backwards over the mound I noticed that one side was around an inch or so higher. I drove onto my concrete driveway and lowered the bucket to just above the concrete. Then looking at the front of the tractor it was obvious that one side was 1 to 1.5 inches higher. I posted on this site asking for suggestions and tire pressures not being correct was the most viable. I then corrected the pressures all the way around to specs but that didn't help. Then the other owners started chiming in. It's not something that keeps me from doing anything but just grates at me that it shouldn't be that way. Have a great day......Don

 

[PILOON]

An earlier thread made me check out my FEL leveling.

Surprise, I was off a reasonable bit.
Turned out to be a FEL frame bolt had worn out the hole enough to be the cause.
I pried things back to level and cheated, (LOL welded it fixed).
Correct cure would be to ream out the holes and install an oversized bolt however that day I was in a lazy mood.

Moral is to check torques on most fittings from time to time, (especially rim attachment*).

* I scrapped one rim due to very oval holes!

 

[sengli]

So whats the torque spec on the FEL bracket bolts? My FEL is like everyone elses, its off by over 1.5 inches from one side to the other. I first noticed something wasnt right, when I removed the FEL, this spring for mowing. The drivers side pin wouldnt come out easily, the passenger side slid right out.

 

[gunny0628]

Hey guys. Haven’t been on here in awhile mostly because I don’t use the tractor much in the cooler months. My bucket is still not level despite them taking it and torquing the bolts and whatever else they said they tried to fix it. Not sure what the real problem is, I could never get a straight answer. Someone said it was put on wrong (one person doing the job versus two people). I’ve given up at this point.