For being only a little tractor it seems to have quite a bit of power and toughness to it, and apparently is eager to please. That front-end bucket assembly looks to be akin to the Buford Bucket. It looks like you have a winning combination there - that tractor and that bucket evidently gets the job done. Thanks for the video!
I guess " little tractor " is in the eye of the beholder and what you compare it to.. Seems ready for heavy duty compared to other mini FEL's. 2 link chain, rear weighted as long as the front mounts hold up... A fine piece of construction.
Nice loader, and does almost as much as bigger ones. Great design! My only concern would be the stress loading at the attachment point. Is you loader only attached at the front? I don’t see anything reaching back from there. Without some means of countering the constant twisting at the frame at the front end, my concern would be about cracking the frame or croasmember over time. All in all, very very nice!
R L Beardsley I was concerned about that as well, I had originally planned on running some sort of bracing towards the rear. However I found a few aftermarket models that attached the same way as mine so I left it alone. If the hydraulics were more capable it would definitely require reinforcement.
I modeled mine after little buck loaders. They have one for the 318. Of course that's not as fun as building one yourself! www.littlebuckloader.com/shop/little-buck-loader
I am getting an old 400 this week too! Any suggestions on building or buying a loader for it. I would love to do what u are doing. Clearing brush and field, back scraping driveway, moving logs etc.
I modeled mine after a Little Buck loader. I wanted it to be easy to remove so it didn't have to stay on all the time when mowing and such. However if that's not a concern for you I would do more of a traditional style like the model 20 that was a factory option for these tractors. I feel it does a better of job of transferring the weight to the frame of the tractor and also gives you more lift height.
Neither of them are available from surplus center anymore. But these are the links to the cylinders I purchased. Tilt Cylinder www.surpluscenter.com/Hydraulics/Hydraulic-Cylinders/Double-Acting-Hydraulic-Cylinders/2-5x13-25x1-25-DA-Hydraulic-Cylinder-159041-XH0114-0217-9-8760.axd Lift Cylinder www.surpluscenter.com/Hydraulics/Hydraulic-Cylinders/Double-Acting-Hydraulic-Cylinders/2-75x13x1-25-Double-Acting-Hydraulic-Cylinder-9-9675.axd
@@owentimo Sorry I don't and I sold it last spring. It attached the same way any of the other factory John Deere attachments do, with 2 fixed pins and 2 spring loaded latches. There were 2 additional large holes that were unused that I put bolts through.
Hello, I have a 400 as well and will be purchasing a Little Buck Loader very soon. It weighs 200lbs and I am wondering what the weight of your loader is. How did your 400 perform with the loader as far as the lifting capabilities? I have a total of 180 lbs of wheel weights on each side for the rear and wondering how much weight you have in the back for your counterbalance. Thanks! Great video as well!
I was very pleased with the loader. It did more than I expected based on it's size. Mine weighed ~350lbs. The bucket was a 48" skid steer bucket so it was quite heavy for it's size. I had 8 41lb suitcase weights on the rear weight rack as well as fluid filled tires which brought the total rear ballast to 500lbs. Adding chains the the rear wheels greatly increased the digging power.
@@SkylarHillShop thanks for the reply! I spoke the owner who makes the Little Buck Loader and he assured me the LBL will work just fine for me. I will post a video to your post once I get it installed. Thanks again.
@@SkylarHillShop I am seeking opinions on the Little Buck Loader and wondering if you are familiar with the product. Do you know of anyone who has one?
@@SkylarHillShop yes I will. If I'm unable to post a video of it in action on your post, I will post it on my profile for others who have a 400. I have yet to see the LBL on a 400 on RU-vid.
