Tractor loader rebuild
#1
I've been sorely missing the front-end-loader off my tractor since I took it off early last year (I think) to do all the overhaul work on the tractor. Rebuilding the loader has finally made it to the top of my to-do list. A few photos to give an idea what I'm dealing with;
This is the main loader frame, complete with 40 years of farmer repairs and alterations.
   
I don't have any photos of the rest of the frame, I'll try and remember to take some of the other bits. There's a large channel section that bolts up to the underside of the tractor, plus two big frames that sit on the channel with braces that go to the rear axle and the tombstone housing at the front of the engine. The side frames are pretty much ok although I'll need to re-do the mounting for the control valve, but most of the work to be done involves repairs and modifications to the frame shown above. I plan to change the hydraulic setup from a single tilt cylinder mounted to the middle of the bucket, to a more modern style arrangement with a tilt cylinder on each side, a dual linkage arrangement which increases the rotation angles of the bucket, and a quick-attach setup to make swapping the bucket and other implements easy as I plan to obtain (or build) a grapple attachment for it once the loader is operational again. I picked up a 'new-old-stock' John Deere loader bucket from a bloke who used to own a JD dealership, so I'll build the quick-attach setup based on that system. In the photo below, the bucket is sitting upside down so it doesn't fill up with rain, but you can get the idea of the attachment system.
   
That's the old rusted-out and torn-up bucket that the new one is sitting on; the new one is quite a bit smaller but large enough for my purposes.

I got the frame components into the shed and assembled them and got everything level. I scratched my head for a while over how I was going to get the necessary machining done on the front ends of both of the loader arms, in the end I decided to cut the ends off so I could work on them in the mill, then weld them back on and fishplate them. I'm confident that my welding is better than anyone else who has been near this thing over the course of it's life. I spent most of one day, about 15 5" cutting discs and a few grinding discs and flap wheels getting rid of all the unnecessary bits, then got to marking out ready to cut the arms.
I found a centreline along each of the tapered arms and scribed a line, then centre-punched at 100mm intervals as a reference for when the ends go back on
   
   

One more cutoff disc and the point of no return has been reached.
   

I took a drive to a John Deere tractor dealership and asked nicely if I could take some measurements and photos of one of their loaders so I could get the geometry right for the dump linkage system. I'm sure there is a name for the system where the rams are connected to the bucket via a second arm and linkage, but I haven't been able to find what it is. It will hopefully end up looking something like this (from google images)

.jpg   loader hitch image.jpg (Size: 15.5 KB / Downloads: 145)

The pivot points for the front end of the ram will be a cylinder of 4140 just over 3" diameter welded across the end, bored to take a hardened bush which will accept a 25mm greasable pin. The second pivot point is also a barrel of 4140 welded through the arm 140mm further back (centre-to-centre). After some careful marking out to get everything as square as possible, I used a holesaw to rough out the holes and then stretched my 2" boring head to it's limit to make them round and centred on the right place.
   
   

I don't like using the fixed steady in the lathe but I couldn't see an easier way of getting the barrels out of this chunk of 102mm 4140. I actually managed to get the steady set up nicely and didn't have the workpiece trying to walk out of the chuck as usual.
   
I've always had long, stringy swarf when I've turned 4140 but I've been reliably informed that if I push it harder it will actually break a chip. I worked it much harder than I have before and with a little trial-and-error got my swarf from this 10-footer
   
to this nice little pile of blue sixes and nines.
   
Had to keep changing up gears as the diameter shrunk or it would quickly revert to the long stuff.

That's about as far as I've got so far, plenty more to do.
Lathe (n); a machine tool used in the production of milling machine components.

Milling Machine (n); a machine tool used in the production of lathe components.
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#2
Looking good Pete. That's quite a project you've got going there. I sure that loader will be a real beast when you get it done. Popcorn
Willie
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#3
The bucket looks like the one I have for my 1025R TLB. I really like how it attaches and can quickly switch between the bucket and the forks.

If you need any detailed photos of how the quick attach is set up or frame dimensions I'm more than happy to provide photos and measurements.
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#4
That's great to know Arvid, I may well call on you for dimensions as things progress. The JD dealer didn't have anything with this specific attachment type for me to measure, apparently it was a short-lived system.
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Milling Machine (n); a machine tool used in the production of lathe components.
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#5
I took a few more photos of the rest of the loader frame; this is a view of the setup bolted together on the shed floor without the tractor. Funny to think that this did not look out of place on the tractor before I did the overhaul; definitely going to need a coat of paint before it gets near it again.
   
The attachment of the support for the control valve is kinda amusing
   
I have a new valve with a third function so I'll make a new support for it, might be quite a job to cut that one off.
These two pieces are what I have cut out of the ends of the frame arms where the bucket pivoted. I've lost a little bit of length but will regain it with the quick-attach setup.
   

Back to the new stuff. I got the pivot barrels finished, reamed to 1.5" with this old adjustable reamer, actually did a decent job
   

The four barrels ready to install,
   

and one pair welded in
   

I was on track to get them all welded in and the arm ends ready to tack back in place but I ran out of mig gas as I was tacking the second pair in place. Had to call it a day.
Lathe (n); a machine tool used in the production of milling machine components.

Milling Machine (n); a machine tool used in the production of lathe components.
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#6
(11-14-2019, 02:20 AM)Pete O Wrote: I was on track to get them all welded in and the arm ends ready to tack back in place but I ran out of mig gas as I was tacking the second pair in place. Had to call it a day.

That's when you fire up the stick welder instead. Big Grin
Willie
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#7
(11-14-2019, 11:56 AM)Highpower Wrote: That's when you fire up the stick welder instead. Big Grin

Unfortunately I've only got a little 140a portable stick welder,not enough oomph for this part of the job. Perhaps I should sell the mig and get a bigger stick welder, I don't remember it ever running out of gas.
Lathe (n); a machine tool used in the production of milling machine components.

Milling Machine (n); a machine tool used in the production of lathe components.
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#8
(11-14-2019, 04:08 PM)Pete O Wrote:
(11-14-2019, 11:56 AM)Highpower Wrote: That's when you fire up the stick welder instead.   Big Grin

Unfortunately I've only got a little 140a portable stick welder,not enough oomph for this part of the job. Perhaps I should sell the mig and get a bigger stick welder, I don't remember it ever running out of gas.

Then you'll just run out of rods. Rotfl
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#9
I just went and returned my rental cylinder of argon mix, went to another local supplier and bought a full cylinder outright for a little over double what I've been paying annually for rental. Don't know if it's the same for you guys in the US but the big gas companies are losing the small cylinder market here, the best deal they could offer me was still abysmal. Their bill has been coming on my birthday each year, that's a gift I won't miss!
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Milling Machine (n); a machine tool used in the production of lathe components.
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#10
It was cheaper for me in the long run to buy my argon/CO2 mix bottle from a local supplier.  I did the same in Nebraska and was able to sell the bottle back to the supplier for the cost of the bottle.

For my O2 & acetylene bottles I go to Rural King, a regional farm & ranch (station to the Aussies) as they are open 7 days a week which makes getting refills much more convenient.
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