Bucket hooks held!

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Today was the first time I really put my welds on the line. I went to pick up some logs for firewood. Normally, I would cut them up and hand-load the rounds onto the trailer, but my saw is down for the time being, so I figured I would just try to load the logs onto the trailer with my tractor, since the site was not too far from my home. I don't have a grapple or anything like that, but chain and the bucket hooks I welded on did the trick.The heaviest of the logs was about 1100 lbs, based on its dimensions. I was kind of nervous, this being the first time I put that much weight on the hooks, but I figured if they were going to fail, no better time than the present, and went for it. Attached Images
Reply:Nice way to put it to the test! How many hrs do you have on the Bobcat, and how do you like it?
Reply:It's right at 60 hours now. I like it a lot, but if I were shopping today, I would have to take into account that Bobcat has decided to stop selling the line. My impression from being around the dealer is that the dealers and salespeople never really got behind the corporate decision to get a piece of the lucrative Compact Utility Tractor market. I liked the tractor the best of all the ones I looked at (Deere, Kubota, and Massey), but the salesperson kind of had a, "Well, if you want to buy it, that's fine with me," attitude. Didn't seem really interested in selling the unit, frankly, and talked openly about how he made his real money selling skid-steers and other construction equipment.The Bobcat tractors are the exact same tractors as Kioti tractors, just painted a different color and sold under an OEM agreement. These days, you can get a Bobcat at quite a discount if you find a dealer who's actually interested in moving them, because a lot of people don't want to buy one once the line has been discontinued. Me, I would probably be okay with it, since Bobcat swears they'll continue stocking parts, and if worst comes to worst, I can just go to a Kioti dealer (granted: 70 miles away instead of 10 miles).The one thing I don't like about the tractor is that it's too heavy to mow with. It really leaves tracks in the grass, even with R4 tires instead of agricultural. It comes in around 3500 lbs with the loader, or 3000 lbs without. Kubota, Deere, etc... in the same HP range are built on a smaller frame and come in closer to 2000 lbs. The extra weight is great for traction and ground engagement, and I would think twice about carrying a large round hay bale on a lighter tractor, whereas with this one I don't even blink. But I do kind of wish I could mow with it, because I spend a lot of hours mowing (about 2 acres--not a lot by some standards, but takes a few hours on my riding mower) and it would go a lot faster with a 6' mower behind a tractor.
Reply:I wish i had a bucket on the front of my tractor :-(Qualified & experienced at welding scrap metal
Reply:glad teh hooks worked.  off subject question.  a compareable deere or kubota weighed almost half as much as the bobcat/kioti?  that is quite a difference.
Reply:Originally Posted by HOBARToff subject question.  a compareable deere or kubota weighed almost half as much as the bobcat/kioti?  that is quite a difference.
Reply:Don't get too frisky about the hooks just yet. It appears from the photo that the bucket is supporting most of the load. The hooks are providing the securing chain a place to anchor.The hooks will get a real test when it is necessary to drag a log out of an enclosed spot. Like in a grove of trees or the like. Another test is when trying to get a tree to fall a certain way when it is leaning another. A cable and chain, run through a pulley (to keep the tractor out of the direct path of the fall) can be a tremendous stress on welds. The pulley acts like a force multiplier and if the tree happens to go the wrong way it is "hold on" proposition.Not saying your welds won't hold. Just be aware of the stresses.
Reply:Originally Posted by GWDDon't get too frisky about the hooks just yet. It appears from the photo that the bucket is supporting most of the load. The hooks are providing the securing chain a place to anchor.Not saying your welds won't hold. Just be aware of the stresses.
Reply:thanks for the info, josh.  i've looked at tractors off and on for a while and may have to throw kioti in the mix.
Reply:Originally Posted by HOBARTthanks for the info, josh.  i've looked at tractors off and on for a while and may have to throw kioti in the mix.
Reply:funny you should say that.  there is a kioti dealer about 15 minutes from my house.  never really gave them a thougth before
Reply:I am looking to purchase a tractor to maintain the property I just purchased and I am thinking about the bobcat kubota and Deere, any pros cons?Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
Reply:What kind of weight is your bucket/tractor rated for lifting?  I would have thought 1100 would be about maxing it out.
Reply:Originally Posted by OxfordWhat kind of weight is your bucket/tractor rated for lifting?  I would have thought 1100 would be about maxing it out.