[motobi65]

Hello all,
I live close to the Woods Equipment factory and have several friends working there. Woods is a excellent company for letting employees buy steel , get things cut , bent , painted ect. So my buddy is talking to the engineer that does the fel work and is in the Rand D dept . He tells him I want to build a fel for the 990. The guy knows about the 990's and says it is my lucky day! They are clearing out some of the proto type units they used to mock mounts for different tractors to their fel setup. I bought the LS72 for less than I could buy the cylindars for a build! It is perfect for the 990, bucket is 4 foot wide and 6 foot lift. It has a easy to attach mounting system with pins and a saddle . You simply pull up to the mount , use the bucket to raise pin into the saddle and put pins into holes. it also has parking stands that allow the fel to stand alone when removed. I have a couple issues to work out tho , mounting the pump, hydro tank , and a foot pedal for the tractor forward / reverse. The fel controls are right hand mounted so I need a foot control . How do I upload pictures?
Tom

 

[motobi65]

Here are some pictures. I will take more of the mount and add them.
Tom

 

[Kingwood990]

That looks really good Tom. You are right that loader is the perfect size for the 990.

 

[motobi65]

Pic of the mounts. The plan is to bolt them to tractor and use a piece of rectangle tube between them large enough to double as the hydro tank.

The parking stands dont go in that spot but you get the idea.

 

[SOLUTION]

That is a very nice loader, I like that it only has one cylinder to tilt the bucket. I have seen some nice loaders built on this forum over the years. The unfortunate part is most that I have seen have been WAY overkill for the garden tractors they are built for, or dont look like they belong. I like the design of this loader, it has nice lines. It still looks a bit overkill for the old 990 from a strength standpoint.

 

[motobi65]

Im assuming your talking about the 3/4 thickness of the mounts. In place of tube they chose a beefy plate to mount it . I agree it is a bit much , they build this stuff for modern tractors. If you have something tough enough for a fel , you didnt get it at home depo! For moving snow, lifting rounds into my splitter this things a home run .
Tom

 

[flejl]

Nice FEL!

Looks like a very sturdy unit.

One of the problems I found with the 990 with an FEL installed, is that it is very big!

You need to be careful with it, its no longer just a garden tractor with an FEL installed, its a small tank.

One thing I found out with mine is the standard 2 ply tires should be replaced, beside the load rating issue, they make the tractor feel unstable... the front end bounces allot if you are not very graceful with the FEL controls. I took the advice of people on the forum and went to 4 ply tires, it made a big difference.

 

[motobi65]

I am thinking ag tires for all four, I like the agressive look of them. The steering is already tough on this unit it could use power steering. I only have $400.00 in the tractor and fel so I am in good shape to spend a little on goodies! I love a good project.
Tom

 

[Chagrin]

I only have $400.00 in the tractor and fel so I am in good shape to spend a little on goodies! I love a good project.

Having been fabricating my own, primarily using an angle grinder, and seeing your CNC cut mounts I was going to accuse you of cheating, but your $400 price tag is starting to make me think you're committing some kind of larceny. Not fair!

 

[motobi65]

LOL! Well if it would make you feel any better , I did have to go ALL the way to the store to get the 30 pack I traded for the tractor! The suns got to shine on a guy every now and then.

 

[blacksmithman]

Nice looking FEL. What capacity tubing are you using for the oil storage? I filled my tires with ww fluid about 9 gals each and I have the wheel weights at 50lb each. I still attach my rear blade for more weight.

There are not many tires that fit the 15" rims. I used skid steere tires. They are not the best but I was able to get some for $55 each as they were seconds. You would have a greater choise if you could get 12" rims but they do not fit the MTD bolt pattern. You would have to change hubs.

 

[more&more lawn mowers]

Awesome loader! I want it! Lol!

 

[motobi65]

I am planning on a 4x6 rectangle tube 34 inches long. I figure I can get 3.5 gallons in it . I will use a steel tube with a vent on top to fill it . Based on the 1.5 X 3/4 x 16 lift cyls and 2.5 x 1 x 16 tilt cyl i think I have enough oil . I dont know the pump gpm , but will be checking it before I start to mount it . I also have a 4 gpm pump but after talking to you I agree it would be slow.
Where is your tank / tanks?

 

[motobi65]

Blacksmith ,
I noticed it is slim pickins on tires. 12" tires seem to come in around 23" tall that would lower things over 2.5 inches . are 16 inch better? I can make adapters for the hubs.
Tom

 

[jarhead2111]

i have been looking at tires as well and i think i may go the 14" route there seem to be alot of choices in the atv/utv market for tires that look like they would do the trick load rating would be the only thing im unsure of but i am stiil looking into them for further specs

 

[AngryBeaver]

AWESOME loader! wish mine looked that good!

16" tires are common and available in many sizes.
Not sure how tall your rears are, but there are alot of light duty passenger truck tires that you could get in a nice BFG mud terrain type pattern that would be plenty HD for a garden tractor with a loader! keep the pics coming!