Loaders for Garden Tractors

Will it handle a loader? Yes, depending on several factors.

FEL's overload the front ends of GT's. This is a given, no matter which GT. Expect a higher rate of wear on front end and steering components. The front spindles are especially vulnerable and 1" diameter spindles are recommended to handle the higher loads.

A subframe to distribute the loads from the loader to the tractor is required. Attachment points of the subframe are the rear axle tubes or a reinforced area of the frame as close the axle mounts as can be accomplished, and as close to the front axle frame supporting structure as is reasonable, allowing for steering linkages and tires.

Diagonal bracing from the posts to the front of the frame is also a requirement.

The existing frame serves little more than as a locater for engine, steering, and rear axle. The subrame supports the loader and the forces acting on it and delivers those forces to the 3 specific attaching points. Do it right, and you may not even have to drill holes for the mounting bolts in the frame by using existing holes provided by the tractor manufacturer.

Loaders are not horsepower intensive. You have 2-3 times the horsepower available over what is required. Higher horsepower will allow higher acceleration rates for the tractor, and will otherwise have a minimal effect on loader capabilities or operation.

I recommend a bucket to be at least the width of the outsides of the rear tires as a minimum. My personal preference is that it be at least 2-3" wider if used for snow.

Pump and reservoir sizing are dependent on the size of the cylinders used.

There is much information and many examples of home built and after market GT loaders in this thread.

I have a question...

I made a scoop/bucket clamshell type of loader and have installed it on a Sears Suburban,using a home built frame that attaches to the 4 mower deck mounts,which are plenty beefy enough...the frame goes under the front axle,and does not attach to the axle,leaving it free to "tilt" as it goes over uneven ground...

After putting this all together,with no weights or ballast in the rear tires,or on the rear of the tractor,just me standing in the bucket (I weigh about 180 lbs),will want to lift the whole rear end off the ground,and the front axle pivot action makes the tractor want to do a flip !...it also puts a lot of stress on the chassis,makes it want to flex if I put my weight towards the outer ends of the scoop bucket..

Now I realize adding weight to the rear will help a lot to eliminate that,but now I'm wondering if it would have been better to make the front axle "solid" by attaching the framework to the lower axle tabs...to prevent it from tilting...?

I had a 641 Ford tractor with a loader that had a center pivot front axle and it didn't seem that unstable,even when I had no liquid in the rear tires..but that was larger and heavier too..

I'm thinking make the front axle more solid might improve the stability on the Sears though...the factory Roper snowplow had 4 links that went on the front axle tabs ,in addition to the mule drive,so it tends to prevent the axle from pivoting as much as it normally would..am I right,or should I just leave it as is,and just weight the rear end down with loaded tires and wheel weights and more piled on the back ?..

Tractor-Holic said:

I have a question...

I made a scoop/bucket clamshell type of loader and have installed it on a Sears Suburban,using a home built frame that attaches to the 4 mower deck mounts,which are plenty beefy enough...the frame goes under the front axle,and does not attach to the axle,leaving it free to "tilt" as it goes over uneven ground...

After putting this all together,with no weights or ballast in the rear tires,or on the rear of the tractor,just me standing in the bucket (I weigh about 180 lbs),will want to lift the whole rear end off the ground,and the front axle pivot action makes the tractor want to do a flip !...it also puts a lot of stress on the chassis,makes it want to flex if I put my weight towards the outer ends of the scoop bucket..

Now I realize adding weight to the rear will help a lot to eliminate that,but now I'm wondering if it would have been better to make the front axle "solid" by attaching the framework to the lower axle tabs...to prevent it from tilting...?

I had a 641 Ford tractor with a loader that had a center pivot front axle and it didn't seem that unstable,even when I had no liquid in the rear tires..but that was larger and heavier too..

I'm thinking make the front axle more solid might improve the stability on the Sears though...the factory Roper snowplow had 4 links that went on the front axle tabs ,in addition to the mule drive,so it tends to prevent the axle from pivoting as much as it normally would..am I right,or should I just leave it as is,and just weight the rear end down with loaded tires and wheel weights and more piled on the back ?..

Click to expand...

:Stop:
Don't do it! At the very least, one of your rear tires will seem to be constantly off the ground on the leastest unlevelest of conditions. This will majorly stress out your frame, leading to premature failure.

The reason for this is when you have a pivoting front axle, essentially you have a tricycle. Three points will ALWAYS lie in the same plane (triangulation, if you will). Four points (4 tires always in the same relationship to each other) will also always pretty much be in the same plane, so you better hope the ground you're working on is perfecly flat, or the two planes will never be parallel. Long story short, this will spell early destruction for your frame or front spindles, since they will no longer equally share an uneven load either from forces in the loaded bucket or those on the ground.

Think: camera tripod vs. 4 legged plastic molded outdoor chair placed on hard, uneven ground. Which is more stable?

That makes sense to me--I recall driving my old go-kart I had as a kid "off road" ,that had a solid pipe frame and no suspension or front axle pivot action,and yeah,one wheel was off the ground more often than not..I can see that twisting the frame up .....

Even with the pivot action,I can see the chassis getting flexed quite a bit...but with enough weight in the rear it should not be too tippy..I'm guessing about 500 lbs,including me,would be enough...I'm not planning on lifting cars or anything....just snow,dirt,logs, and some other objects I cant lift myself..

I'm going to start making wheel weights and load the tires too,and probably add some weight to the rear hitch plate too..

I have a large torque converter out of a Ford 4x4 truck transmission,after fall season ends, I'm going to move it off my lawn and make it into a rear counterweight..(I painted it orange to resemble a pumpkin for a yard ornament for halloween !--no one is going to smash that pumpkin!)..it weighs probably 50 lbs as it is,filling it with cement should add almost add that much I bet..

I can get more torque converters free or cheap from a friend's auto shop's scrap heap,I have been keeping my eyes peeled for some out of an import or FWD car that might be small enough to fit inside a 12" rim,to make wheel weights...
I've seen some on a tractor a few years ago I guy made,he just welded a flat plate to the "neck" to bolt them to the rims holes, and filled them with cement...they worked great for plowing,look neat, and are pretty much indestructible..

500 lbs of weight including the operator is almost nothing for loader use, especially on a lighter tractor like that. Its no wonder it isn't stable.

I'm planned on starting with an 11-1200# machine, that has the rear tires filled to 190#'s each, with 100#'s of weight in each wheel. I'm guessing I'll want more.

I'm not sure how strong a Sears Suburban's transaxle is when it comes to how much weight it can withstand before the axle tubes or shafts bust...I'd guess 500 lbs is safe,any more may be too much for them,especially being almost 50 years old..

All I know is with no weight on the rear of the tractor,and no fluid in the tires,if I stand up in the raised bucket, with my feet close to the edges,it doesn't take hardly anything to make the rear end come right off the ground,and it wants to flip easily...GT-80 saw me do it when he was here back in the summer !...

I doubt I could pick up anything with it the way it is now--just the weight of the plow and bucket empty makes the rear tires barely get traction !..maybe with me sitting on it it might be a bit better,but I wanted it to be able to lift say,200 lbs safely...it doesn't raise up all that high,maybe 2 feet off the ground or so...

I think because I'm using a winch to raise the bucket,that is mounted on a mule drive bracket,may also be adding to the issue--if it had a subframe like a loader with the lift arms attached closer to the center of the chassis,instead of the plow/bucket pivoting off the very front end of the tractor,there would be less uplift forces transferred to the rear perhaps ?..

How you lift the bucket and whether or not there is a subframe has no bearing on the load distribution. The load is ahead of the axle. Think seesaw with the front axle as the pivot.

Loaded tires and wheel weights do not add weight to the rear axle. Of the 400 lb base ballast load, 350 lb of that weight is in the 26x12-12 tires on my tractor, between the liquid and the tire chains. With the smaller 23x10.50-12 tires on your tractor, you can gain as much as 175 lb the same way. Add 100 lb of wheel weights and another 200 lb bolted to the rear of the tractor and you won't have any trouble with traction or payload.

The rear axle is rated for 700-750 lb static load.