Tips for Easier Front End Loader Attachment Hookup
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- čas přidán 8. 01. 2020
- Getting a front end loader attachment connected to a tractor can be challenging. Even if you're a seasoned operator it doesn't always go smoothly. To complicate matters, there are three different types of quick attaches on the market today; skid loader-compatible (or "universal"), the John Deere hook and pin design and the Euro system. Going from one to another can really mess with your mind because you'll generally like the one you get used to and struggle with changing types.
The most common design is the skid loader compatible, or Bobcat system. You'll see it offered on almost all tractors under 50-70 hp, with the exception of Deere. It was originally designed for skid loaders, so having it on tractors can be a little challenging because of visibility. On a skid loader you're looking right down at the connection, on the tractor it's way out in front of you and mostly obscured by the hood of the tractor. So, you may struggle hooking up implements to it. Here are six tips to make that process easier. The first two happen before you start trying to hookup the attachment.
First, unhook your attachment on level ground, in a mowed area, and not on your best lawn turf. On my best day, I'll scuff up the turf when scooting around the bucket trying to get it on. If it's making a divot in my yard, that's bad, out in the woods it doesn't matter.
Second, squirt the moving components of the face plate (the part on the front end loader) with WD-40. They tend to get dry and accumulate dirt, and if the levers are stiff, getting the bucket attached properly is a much bigger hassle.
Third, when approaching the bucket, have the face plate tipped slightly forward. My tendency is to have too much angle there and that tends to push the attachment around.
Fourth, and this is probably the most important. Try to exactly center the attachment on the face plate. On a skid loader-compatible system, the female bracket is probably about an inch wide than the face plate. My experience has been that if you can see a gap on both sides, you're in. For some reason, if you're all the way to one side, the levers won't go down.
Fifth, come in just below the lip on the attachment. All you want to do is clear it, on some face plates, if you come in too low, you'll dig a divot out underneath.
Finally, once you've gotten the face plate into the bracket, lift it up, and get off the tractor to check to make sure all surfaces on the face plate and the bucket are flush together. There's a way to get the bucket on that one side is flush and there's about a 1/4" gap in the other side and if you lock the levers down and do work you may damage the face plate and that's an expensive fix.
Once I've done these steps and locked my levers down I like to pick my bucket up and turn it down so I can see that the pins are locked. If they are, you should be ready to do work!
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I know, I've already commented on this video. But I'm hoping it's ok to add another comment. After watching your video a few times and memorizing your tips, I went out yesterday to plow some snow. I was dreading taking off the forks and putting on the bucket. But, for the first time since getting this tractor, I was able to attach the bucket without lifting it up and putting it on by hand (it's heavier than it looks)!! It worked so great that I had to drop it and put it back on a few times to make sure it wasn't just a fluke. I still need more practice, but your video has definitely helped me to enjoy using my tractor so much more. Thank you for what you do!
I would get 2 sets of haul master magnetic trailer alignment kits from Harbor Freight. They are $9.99 per set of 2! They are strong magnets with a telescoping rod with a yellow ball on the ends. You would put one on each bracket on the loader in the center and one on each bracket center on the bucket. Telescope them all the way out Then drive in toward bucket slowly aligning the balls up. Works easy on a trailer. I think it would work great here also.
I bought a 2 year old tractor (first tractor ever) that clearly had never had its bucket removed. I bought pallet forks and was excited to try them but could not get my bucket off. Once I was confident the levers should move further I actually had to beat them with a 2x4 to get them to release (I am not super strong)!!! What was missing was the WD40! They move easily now and I have mastered the swap. My method is to lean over and only look at one 'far edge' and everything else comes together. Thanks.
I have a John Deere that has Global Attach (Euro) with a single lever. I have never missed mounting an attachment. It is absolutely one of the best attachment mechanisms I have ever used.
Thank you very much for taking the time to make this video (you make it look so easy). Since I ran out and bought some paint pens right after seeing you use them in a prior video, I used the white to paint the top and outer edges of the attachment point. That helped a bit in lining it up. I can't wait to get home to try some of these others. I'm one of those people who comes in really low and tries to pick it up. Your tips are going to help me enjoy my tractor again.
Top Marks yet again Mike, Your tips are pure gold to watch and hear. Great Stuff!
Good informative video Mike, thanks. My tractor has the 'Euro" style manual quick connect, and since I recently installed a third function connection on the loader of that tractor, I wanted to be able to use some of the skid steer implements we have. Imagine the pleasure of discovering that an affordable adapter plate was available for just that purpose. Result is much more versatility in our equipment.
Mike, thanks for doing videos like this. You have no idea how many people you help, me especially! Thank you!
Wow! I thought the system was so simple that it didn't even require instructions for changing implements.
Great job Mike! I felt good that I do most of those things the way you described. Great call about sliding the pallet forks under the bush hog.
Good info Mike! I adapted my pin on style loader to SSQA this summer and love the system! Took some practice, but I still push the implement around a bit. I'll try your tips!
Glad you made this video. I place my implements on cinder blocks. Easy to see when hooking up or disconnecting. Also, make sure the pin hole stay clean. They easily plug with gravel, wood, etc., and make it hard to lock in the attachment. Lastly, watch your feet when disconnecting an attachment. If there is no hydraulic pressure to the loader arms, they can bleed down and pin your foot.
Great information Mike👍
The first time I swapped the bucket to pallet forks wasn’t a problem. But going back tested my patience. Uneven ground makes it fun Thanks Mike keep the videos coming.
Great video Mike.
The paint pen idea is great!! My only suggestion in practice, practice practice. That way it will become second nature and make your life a whole lot easier.
Thanks Mike Euro hitches are becoming the standard in Australia. They’re simple to use but there are lots of skid steer attachments second hand that you can’t use anymore. Way back you gave a hint about using a bar to make micro adjustments to bucket position so you don’t have to get the tractor position perfect every time, you just pry the attachment into position, I’ve found that invaluable as a newbie trying to put on attachments by myself. Thanks for the tip!
Interesting. Great explanation Mike!
Great Video, Mike! I have found not only does the bucket have to be level when re-installing it, but the tractor should be on the same plane as the bucket for best results! Cheers!
Thanks Mike. After seeing this video I sure am glad I'm running a John Deere tractor & bucket.
I painted a vertical day-glow yellow stripe down the back center of my bucket and forks. My tractor hood has a ridge running down its center. I just steer into the bucket by keeping the center of the hood lined up with the stripe painted on the bucket. I don’t pay attention anything else until I contact the bucket. This way you don’t have to move your head back and forth- just sight along the center of the hood.
Once againMike, a big thank you! Your videos are my favorite on you tube.
Thanks so much for the support!
I don't have pallet forks, but grapple brings bucket along just fine😁. Great video again.
Excellent video. Thanks.
Awesome tips like Allways thanks
I use the paint pen, but the paint keeps wearing off. It helps when you first start with a new implement. Once I get the implement on, before I push the levers down, I lift the implement from the ground a couple inches and bump the curl both ways and they usually slide the rest of the way on to make sure that gap isn't there. Then after I have secured them with the lever, I always tip it all the way forward and visually check the pin is engaged from my tractor seat. I learned to check those from one of your other videos, probably has saved me a lot of money :)
A skid loader quick change system is AWESOME on a skid loader. I used one of Tractor Mike's adapter kits to change my New Holland tractor to the skid loader system. It's great to be able to use so many of my skid loader attachments on the tractor. First off, changing the original bucket over to the quick attach mount was a huge amount of work. A smarter person would have sold the original bucket and purchased a quick attach bucket. Im stubborn that way. Using this system on a tractor, I found the hood of the tractor completely blocks the view of what you are trying to attach. This is frustrating, but the ability to change attachments makes it worth it.
Hello from Sweden! We have the Euro system on our Mf6255.
Good information Mike!
I too had problems at first with the SSQA.
And even today, several years later, I will sometimes have issues with certain implements. Your tip on painting a line on the bucket or what ever, is a good one!
At the 12:45 mark you mentioned curling the bucket "all the way forward" to gain tongue weight. This is not recommended by my tractor dealer and they will NOT load a tractor in this manner. They say it is more likely to damage the loader cylinders when they are fully extended. Now I know that there are MANY people that load as you mentioned. I am just forwarding what my dealer told me.
Lonnie, thanks for sharing. They must have had a bad experience with that practice, I'm having trouble picturing what could have happened. Gonna have to roll that around awhile to grasp why that would be dangerous to the cylinders. Sometimes you have no choice if the trailer is too short.
I guess some people might have an issue getting them connected but I've never had a problem. I'll angle the connector (a tad more then Mike does here) and watch the outside to get lined up and gently push until I know both sides are in contact then I lift the bucket 1st and then tilt it back until the bucket rests against the plates. By lifting first I avoid getting debris in between the bucket and plate. The bucket will actually stay connected and just swing a little. After tilting back and with the bucket now properly seated against the plates I'll get off the tractor and stand in the bucket to set the pins, since it's only a couple inches off the ground it's not that bad. By standing in the bucket it makes it easier to push the pins in OR pull them out when taking the bucket off.
I love the New Holland machines, truly I do. I like that they grew from Ford. That said, I have been working with Kubotas forever and then I bought a Deere. On my Deere I lomp that loader a wee bit into dump position, schlomp that rascal up into the bucket hooks, or the pallet forks or whatever, pick it up, jump down and lock the pins and off I go to do some work. I am fixed into Deere now forever... and me Dad told me long ago it would happen... he knew stuff I still don't know existed.
Hi Mike. Sometimes I have a problem with my John Deere quick attach bucket too. I've found that when I get right up to the hooks on top, if I turn the wheels the tractor front end moves in the opposite direction, while standing still! Then I have to back up a little and try again. It's annoying but like everything else in life, the more you do it, the more adept you'll be. Your tips on saving space when parking the tractor is spot on too. When I load my tractor and Bush Hog on my trailer I have to curl the bucket all the way under so it's resting face down on the deck so I can put the ramps up. The mower deck overhangs the front by a couple of feet so the tail wheel kisses the jack when I lower it. The trailer deck is 20' but the tractor with the mower deck on it is about three feet longer. It was the longest trailer I could find around at the time and I needed one ASAP because my old trailer was rusted almost in two I discovered one time. It pays to get under the trailers from time to time to check things out so you don't have any unpleasant surprises when you don't have time to fix it...assuming it can be reasonably fixed.
Occasionally I use my grapple and bucket in a different pasture than where the barn is located. When I do this, I use the grapple to “bite” the bucket and carry it that way. I learned this when they delivered the tractor.
I've always come at the attachment at an angle so it makes contact with the left tip of the face plate and push it forward slightly so it levels itself out without having to focus on both corners.
My implements are on pallets. Keeps the out of the dirt and high enough I can see to hook up better.
With the bucket or other attachment on the loader, use a paint pen to make a mark on the bucket or attachment where the left and right inside edges of the loader face plate are properly aligned.
good tips.
Thanks!
find an old CB antenna with a magnetic base. Put it on top of the bucket, centered. It should help you figure out center from the seat.
My T4.90 tractor has the euro style quick attach. It's way easier to attach different attachments. I can roll the attachment pins down and see them as I attach the bucket and able to adjust the tractor to align everything. The only thing that I don't like with the euro style is that the attachments are more expensive. Another quick suggestion, I picked up some scrap pallets and put the attachments on them when not in use.
Really good info Mike, although I have a Deere.
The two biggest issues are left/right centering and the angle of the loader plates to the attachment. Set the plate low enough so that there's a gap of a few inches at the bottom when the top connects. Once the top of the plates get under the lip, lift and then roll back and gravity should take care of the rest. Getting centered takes practice. Not being exactly square can be solved by pushing the attachment if you're centered.
Before I get too far into the video, I do like the deere system (sure is a proprietary setup so skid steer attachments aren’t compatible, but still). The only downside to the deere system, is the brackets are independent of eachother. It wasn’t a problem when the loader was new but after a few years, the dump cylinders won’t extend/retract at the same rate. One side might lock into the bucket fine but the other side might have gone all the way down and is digging into the ground.
After the video:
One tip I’d like to add is to put your attachments in an easily accessible area. Don’t try to cram them into the back corner of your barn, leave them somewhere where you can easily maneuver your tractor to line up perfect when attaching them. You you’ll have a hard time if you have to make a 10 point turn to angle your tractor a few degrees over to line up square. It’s much easier to come in straight initially. It sounds basic, but I’ve had that problem before when I first started using loaders.
Another tip might be to have someone to guide you in if you can’t see your alignment. Bonus points if you can get them to remove/install the pin or actuate the levers to install or remove the attachment.
After I get the loader QA plates under the attachment lip, I raise the loader maybe a foot or two and curl the attachment back towards me maybe 20 degrees. I then jiggle the loader curl lever a few times to set the loader plate to the attachment. I next set the QA levers down. I then lift the attachment a few feet up and tip way forward so I can clearly see if the pins are truly set in their mating slots. If the pins aren't properly engaged, the attachment will swing away from the QA on the bottom. That means you have to level everything out, set it down and try again.
I am glad that my tractor has the John Deere system on it and it eliminates that problem. Since I don't have any need to remove my bucket right now I don't have to worry about other front end attachments, but the way mine is I can easily put on pallet forks and remove it easily.
Also if you have grab hooks welded to your bucket you can just loop a chain through your forks, lift up and go.
I keep my front loader attachments on large cable spools so I can see the plate and relating.
Biggest advantage over the Deere system is you can lock both sides by standing on one side of the tractor! Yes the Deere system is simpler but you have to walk to each side. The biggest key here is how deep of a valley is on the attachment. Most have a wimpy little one for the top edge of your quick attatch plate to go into so it's hard to get the lip in and curling back to get it locked. Also the spring tension on your quick Attach can be adjusted to make life easier.
I have a heck on a time getting the accessories hooked up. I am very short and can't see the center at all I have to use the outside of the lip. It is frustrating but I am getting the hang of it.
I just purchased a tractor. I am very short and I can't see the center of the face plate like he says. I only see the outer edges of the bucket.
Great video gotta laugh cause I know the feeling 🤣 but well explained 👌 👏 👍 now got some questions on mine but too much to put here can we talk. I have a JD 2555 and a new Holland TC29D
Mike, next video: how to install a front facing backup camera?
I actually keep most of my loader attachments on pallets which not only keeps them off the ground, it makes them easier to shuffle/move them around without having to put each implement on the loader. I usually put buckets & grapples on the pallet such that the fork tines will be running along the width of the bucket - which allows me to put multiple loader implements along a wall when I wouldn't otherwise have the space to put the bucket/grapple at that location.
Can you make a video picking up hay bales with fork lift forks vs hay spear
Hey question for someone. I have a NH Tc45da. I noticed a chatter above the HST filter. I've changed filter new oil and still chatters. Any idea what I can check. Noticed online some say it's normal. Don't want to ruin machine if this could be a problem. Is it normal for the HST filter bypass to make noise like that? Anybody else have that noise. Thanks for the videos!
I live in eastern canada. Here, the compact tractors are more commonly seen with the skid steer quick attach however the euro or ALO style is available. On our larger ag tractors its generally always seen with the euro quick attach. Its a great system, about as easy as they come.
The pallet forks on our LS are also hard to hook up😩
Good information Mike. However on the storage tips, I wouldn’t store the tractor, especially over winter, with the cylinders extended. The chrome rods are tuff but having them submerged in oil is best.
My cabbed mahindra won't let me see anything other than the outside edge of the driver's side faceplate. Just like yours, the bucket has a bracket on the outer edge. I open my door, hang my head out and make slight adjustments to get the left edge of the adapter just inside the bucket bracket. Works every time.
One other point is to have it in the lowest gear. If I'm in anything other than low, the pedal is just too twitchy.
The "Euro" system is standard on big tractors in Europe..
I think my faceplates are tweaked. When I hook the top on both sides I can lock in one side but the other I need to push the bucket into the ground with the weight of the tractor on it to lock in the other side.
A good habit is once locked on, lift the front of the machine off the ground to verify that pins are engaged. Sometimes it is hard to do a visual depending on the style of the attachment. I saw a guy have to dump his skid loader bucket out of the back of a dump truck because he did not verify it was locked.
my kubota has the skid steer type, the locking handles are up when no attachment is on. paint on the attachments with a paint marker were the handles are to line them up. my massey 5455 had a euro, switched it to a skid steer type but the handles are down with no attachment! this stinks.
A tip for unlatching the attachment; don’t get your toes under the loader frame while releasing the handles. Thank goodness I had steel toes on.
Hey Mike. I just bought a tym t264. How can install the chain Hooks. It's going to be welded I guess. The top of bucket appears to be a 2x2 closed channel.
Google "Ken's bolt-on grab hooks" for the option to bolt on. 2 X 2 closed channel might be tough to get holes all the way through, though, and it would require long bolts.
@@TractorMike thanks man. I've tacked them with welder and drilled holes. Installed class 8 bolts.
Hi Mike, can I put my old front end loader from my ford tractor onto my White Field Boss 2-135?
A good blacksmith can do anything but it probably won't be easy, depending on what Ford it came off of.
I leave bucket on a pallet to make it easier for me to grab bucket.
Do you have one for a Case 580 super d? Didn’t see that on the site.
Don't have it in stock, but we can order one. It would take about 8-9 weeks to get it built and shipped. Message us at support@asktractormike.zohodesk.com and we'll get you a price. Thanks!
We the euro hitch in nz.
👍
Glad I have a Deere
How come my locking levers wont lock up. They just fall down the lever then wont hit the hole were the pin goes.
allen Henry sounds like yours aren’t spring loaded or if they are the springs have broke.
@@chevyon37s ok ill check that. Thanks great informative clip...
Now do a video on removing/reinstalling the whole loader...
Owners just need to gain a little experience, and drop and pickup attachments on level ground. After a month, this becomes the easiest to do.
Thanks I think I’ll stick with my deer
You got that right!
In the Netherlands 90% is euro
I've had both and they work the same. I can't understand why he is having a problem. One has levers and the other has pins. You hook the top the same way.
All you have to do is lean over so you can see one side. It's not very difficult. With the John Deere system you have to walk around to the other side in order to put both pins in. With the other system you can release and engage both levers from one side.
Why is it so hard to open and close the levers when un hooking and hooking up? I have a brand new tractor.
Kenny, I think it'll get easier when it gets broken in a bit, but make sure all of the components are lubricated. I've been using WD-40 Specialist Gel Lube: www.wd40.com/products/spray-gel/ which seems to stay where it's supposed to be longer than anything else I've tried. Also, try to get the bucket/implements as close to center as you can, and that's tough if it's your first tractor. When my bucket is in the perfect sweet spot and the levers go down really easy, there's about a 1/2" gap on both sides of the plate that the quick attach fits in. It takes a lot of practice to get it there, I don't hit it every time. Good luck!
@@TractorMike Thanks
I've got both skid steer and tractor....ur right, skid steer is so much easier.
I watched this video and learned some stuff.
STILL LEARNING!
TIP: once I added my quick attach to my Kubota tractor I could carry way more than my ass end would allow. So, I filled up 3 five gallon buckets with Rick and cement and lift them with the back lift. It allows for better stability. Plus, it looks ridiculous! Grin grin
If you cant do this you shouldn't own a tractor! Geez
Have the faceplate at the same angle as the attachment you're putting on. A bucket is usually angled and a set of forks is more vertical. If they don't met up properly you'll have a hard time putting them on.