Another One Saved, 312-8 Loader Project, FEL

[Rexemouse 88]

This horse was found upside down in a dumpster by my friend(tunaslayet).  He brought the oil-covered 312-8 to my house with a crushed hood, broken steering wheel, and crushed center console.  The hour meter read around 1000 hours, but the engine ran with little effort and the transmission shifted smoothly.  I quickly began disassembling the horse and fixing/replacing any damaged parts.  Sourcing a steering wheel proved to be a challenge, so i retrofitted a boat steering wheel which came out great and was very inexpensive.  I cleaned up and repainted the entire tractor and freshened it up with throwback redo-your-horse stickers and fresh turfsavers.  I initially began to set this up as the mower that it once was, but shifted my focus to creating a front end loader after my friends father hooked me up with a great selection of hydraulic equipment in exchange for a custom cabinet.  I quickly found a loader on craigslist in Maine.  The loader was properly sized, in great shape, missing most of the hydraulic  components, and well built from PF engineering plans.  I quickly picked up the required steel and began fabricating.  


Here is the 312-8 the day I got it.  


The loader on the day I bought it in ME.  It is nested with a Kwikway that my friend (tunaslayet) purchased on the same day.  We both sourced loaders in ME and took the road trip from Southeastern MA to pick them up.  Very exciting weekend.


Initial mock up of the loader on the 312.  


I sacrificed the attach-a-matic and welded it directly to the frame. 

 
I decided to  modify the support trusses to allow for better PTO clearance and maintainability.  I added a slight bend and welded a support gusset to add strength.  The PTO and belts are completely serviceable without removing any components from the loader.

The back of the frame is supported by 3/8-16 carriage bolts around the rear axle.  


The weight box is small, but designed to tightly hold a 220lbs stack of exercise cable weights.  The weight box alone adds another 40lbs.  Wheel weights will soon be added.


Here are all of the loader parts painted and ready for assembly. 

 
Upgraded to a 520 swept forward front axle with gear reduction steering (Thanks Dennis!).  I used trailer hubs instead of the 520 rims.  



After countless hours of wire-wheeling, grinding, welding, painting, and day-dreaming, my re-rehabilitated 312 is ready to do work for me.


I just had to lift something for fun, so i threw my troybilt commercial walk behind mower in the bucket and took it for a ride.  The loader lifted the mower with no effort at all..  I may try to lift my 416-8 for fun.


Thanks everyone for the help. 

-Justin

Edited August 6, 2015 by Rexemouse

[CRE1992 135]

Sweet project! Hopefully someday I will have something like that. Looks great.

[Aldon 4,827]

I like the steering wheel. Very nice looking tractor!

[WNYPCRepair 1,921]

Looks great!

[slammer302 2,155]

That's great Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk

[roadapples 6,983]

Great job! You`ll wonder what you did without it. What size front tires and what width wheels? Thanks, jay.

Edited August 6, 2015 by roadapples

[KC9KAS 4,741]

You really did a great job on rebuilding the tractor and loader.
Thanks for the photo's.

Did you say you had the set-up to make hydraulic hoses? Maybe you are already listed I the vendors section for replacement hoses!

[AMC RULES 37,134]

Appears all your day-dreaming...
has really paid off.     

[jackhammer 546]

I really like that set up  - - hope it does what you need it to .~!!!

But I have 2 questions  1 for you and 1 for tunaslayet

1st   3rd picture down - -  have you finished up that tile work ???

2nd  Need to know how tunaslayet got that out of a dumpster upside down ..  would take 2 men and a boy.   Just messing with you guys.

[doc724 925]

Very nice.  I remember the post when Tuna fished that machine out of the dumpster

[Ken B 3,164]

You did a real nice job on that, well done!

[Pullstart 63,058]

That's an impressive story!  Nice work rebuilding the tractor, I wonder what made someone want to toss it?

[wrightorchid 261]

Wow.  I'd love to find a loader down here.
 

[Lane Ranger 10,979]

Very nice save, rebuild and improvement job on your Wheel Horse tractor Rexemouse!  A real show stopper !
 

[Kelsey 91]

When I first saw the photo, I thought the WH had a new pivoting hand controller for a steering wheel
then I read the thread. Outstanding renewal job on the tractor!

[JC 1965 1,530]

WOW !!   Nice job, really looks great.          

[CasualObserver 3,408]

Excellent rescue and build-up. Looks like a perfect little loader tractor! Nice job, and thanks for sharing.  

[TunaSlayet 88]

Well, I actually dragged the horse out of the 40yd dumpster with the door open. I used my F150, 100' of rope, and a wire pulling pulley.(I am a sparky by trade). It crashed and banged onto the asphalt, then I flipped it and winched it onto my flat bed trailer. Oh, it was snowing bad too. This could literally have been a wheelhorse commercial. All I can say is hats off to the engineers that built these. Bravo! I had plans of keeping this tractor, and in hindsight, wish I had. This tractor had zero rust issues. Every bolt and nut was factory fresh. So the only person I know that would have seen the potential is Rexymouse. And now the 312-8 and the pf engineering loader live happily ever after! Great job on the hood man. That bad Larry should lift the 416-8....next wheelhorse Wednesday. Maybe just to pressure wash the undercarriage? 

Edited August 6, 2015 by TunaSlayet

[gsummers 236]

Great job doing some dumpster diving, I would have been in there without air tanks if I would ever see something like that!!!!!!!

[slammer302 2,155]

That thing looked better than most of the horses ive paid good money for. And to think someone threw it away just boggles my mind Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk

[boovuc 1,090]

That is one of the best saves I've seen. Great job both of you! I love the setup on the PF FEL. (Controls). 
What's in the weight bucket?

[Rexemouse 88]

Thanks everyone for the positive feedback!

The front tires are 4-ply turfsavers 16x6.5 8.  I believe they are factory size for 400 series.

I had to have 4 hoses made to get the loader running.  I re-used some hoses that I got from my friends dad along with a fresh 6GPM pump and control valve.  The deal also included a nice hadex pump, large hydraulic motor, diverter valve, throttling valve with foot pedal, and an aboxious amount of hoses (1/2 JIC).  Tuna and I are thinking about using the pump and motor for a loader-mount 2-stage blower for his 420LSE.  I have no idea what machine these components were stripped from, but it was definitely something homemade.



The weight box uses exercise cable weights.  I eventually plan on welding a nice cap to cover the weights.  


And i did finish tiling... It just took me 2 months because I couldn't keep my mits off the horse.  My girlfriend thinks I have a problem.

 

 

 

Edited August 7, 2015 by Rexemouse

[Kelsey 91]

That's a beautiful thing.

[DennisThornton 4,769]

Great story with great pictures!
Thanks!
Dennis Thornton

[boovuc 1,090]

Just an awesome restoration! The weight box is sweet and yes......you have a problem! In her mind! Your normal to us!