Front end loader attachment
Front end loaders are one of the most useful, and often most expensive, attachment for your garden tractor. There are some less expensive copies of front end loaders, usually called a scoop or bucket, that will move a load from one area to another but they don’t do the work that a front end loader can do. I’ve never regretted getting a new front end loader for my John Deere 140 garden tractor in 1973. We have worked that tractor and loader hard for 34 years and the tractor and loader are still working hard. That little tractor and front end loader has moved many attachments, pulled engines out of cars and trucks, moved tons of snow, the list is endless. I just couldn’t get my work done without my JD 140 and my modified John Deere 318 with a custom front end loader we call “the Bird”. Some questions and answers about front end loaders:
Q: I recently started building a front end loader for a John Deere 318 garden tractor and have run up against a problem, I do not know much about hydraulics. I already have 4 cylinders with a 11/2 inch bore and an 18 inch stroke they are rated at 2500 psi max and plumbed with 1/4 lines. My question is on the pump how many gallon per minute should this loader take and what should the working pressure be? I would like this loader to operate quickly but not so fast that it is hard to control.
A: I don’t know the pressure; I just adjust the relief valve to lift a 600 lb load. The new loader built in the 70’s came with a 4 gallon per minute pump and worked okay.
Q: We have a John Deere 5300 tractor with a 520 front loader/bucket attachment. The bucket will raise but will not dump. Could you tell me what to look for so I can fix this?
A: Check out if your hydraulic tip bucket valve is mechanically operating from your single lever linkage.
Q: I have a John Deere 430 garden tractor. I have a home made loader that I want to put on my 430. I was wondering if I would be able to use the auxiliary hydraulics to run the loader, or if I would have to run a pump off the front PTO. I’ve been told that if I use the auxiliary lines that I might lose my drive power when I move the loader.
A: Yes you can hook onto your current hydraulic couplers for a front end loader. The only thing is the loader does not move up and down very fast. Your hydraulic transmission will work fine while using the loader.