Snowmobileaddict 403 #76 Posted November 25, 2015 Thanks doc did you find that 280lbs was too little counterweight for the 5xi? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wrightorchid 261 #77 Posted November 25, 2015 If you use flat black paint, it will hide many of the welding sins. Gloss exposes everything. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
roadapples 6,983 #78 Posted November 25, 2015 The set up instructions for my Ark loader say 250# with wheel weights and 350# without. More could cause damage to transaxle. Don`t think a different brand would make any difference. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Snowmobileaddict 403 #79 Posted November 26, 2015 (edited) Front Brackets are DONE!!! Had to oblong the mounting holes to move them up... I swear I checked it with the cardboard mockup but at full steering lock with the front axle pivoted to max articulation, the brackets would rub..err "shave" the top of the outside tire. Yeesh... I don't think I'd ever be using the loader with the steering turned all the way in one direction, at the same time that the front axle is totally pivoted. But, this going together the way it should be, so it needed to be done. Oh well. The difficult ugly work is done. Edited July 1, 2017 by Snowmobileaddict 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Snowmobileaddict 403 #80 Posted November 26, 2015 (edited) Finally finished my rear hub puller. I made this from 3/8" plate. I drew up the lug pattern in Auto CAD printed it out and transferred the holes to the plate with a center punch. The center hole is 3/4" fine thread. Now I just need a long tap bolt (fully threaded) about 5-6" long. None of the stores have them, I think I'll need to order from McMaster Carr. I made this because one of my hubs wouldn't come off with my big 3-jaw puller. The left side came off fine, but the right side felt like if I went any tighter with the puller, I'd crack the hub. This should do the trick. I just wanted to take both sides off and hit the axles with anti seize as preventative maintenance. Edited July 1, 2017 by Snowmobileaddict 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slammer302 2,155 #81 Posted November 26, 2015 I use anti splatter spray when welding with flux core it helps alot and doesn't seem to effect the weld. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
doc724 925 #82 Posted November 27, 2015 On 11/25/2015, 10:15:19, Snowmobileaddict said: Thanks doc did you find that 280lbs was too little counterweight for the 5xi? I have not used anything more than that. I am pretty careful though, keep the bucket low when traveling and avoid side slanting. If you think about it, it's pretty hard to get a full bucket of anything except maybe mulch and the density of mulch is low. Gravel and loam is tough to get a full bucket because forward progress of the tractor often limits how full you can get the bucket. The exception is boulders/rocks that you have to throw in (I live in an area where the glaciers left lots of rocks and stone wall are everywhere) and you can more easily gauge when you are exceeding capacity. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Snowmobileaddict 403 #83 Posted November 27, 2015 Sounds good to me. Ill be using mine for mulch mainly and perhaps a topsoil delivery every once in a while. We get about 8 yards of mulch almost every spring. My wife already has designs on me finishing this project an selling it for $!!! I put a stop to that though. These things are too cool to not hang onto! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Snowmobileaddict 403 #84 Posted November 27, 2015 (edited) Got it the front brackets mounted up and a diagonal brace hanging there for reference. It's looking like it's supposed to. Edited July 1, 2017 by Snowmobileaddict 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WNYPCRepair 1,921 #85 Posted November 27, 2015 Looking good. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
doc724 925 #86 Posted November 27, 2015 Andy, your winglets look to be a bit further out than stock-hard to judge from pix. Not enough to be a functional difference though. Make sure the steering mechanism does not interfere when turning. Mine interfere a bit but after a while all the interference is worn away. That is what grinding wheels are for! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Snowmobileaddict 403 #87 Posted November 27, 2015 (edited) 22 minutes ago, doc724 said: Andy, your winglets look to be a bit further out than stock-hard to judge from pix. Not enough to be a functional difference though. Make sure the steering mechanism does not interfere when turning. Mine interfere a bit but after a while all the interference is worn away. That is what grinding wheels are for! Zero interference. I raised the front end with a floor jack and turned the front steering lock to lock while articulating the front axle pivot completely through its range of motion. Nothing hits anything . They feel pretty beefy to me. I stood on each one and bounced on them. I'm happy with how they turned out. Edited November 27, 2015 by Snowmobileaddict Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
doc724 925 #88 Posted November 28, 2015 Good to hear that! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Snowmobileaddict 403 #89 Posted November 30, 2015 (edited) Well, I ended up throwing down today on this "Cyber Monday" for the second-most expensive part of this loader build, the pump. After much research, I found out that the pump that Kwik-Way shipped with these loaders isn't actually a hydraulic gear pump by name at all. Its actually a hydraulic gear motor. What's the difference you might ask? Well, not that much provided its a gear-type unit with check valves. The primary difference has to do with how the shaft is supported in the power unit housing and the number of bolts that are used to fasten the unit to an assembly. Most all hydraulic gear motors have ball-bearing supported shaft that make side-loads acceptable in the assembly. Most run of the mill gear pumps do not have this and are only supported by sintered bronze journal bearings and will not tolerate much side-load force. Side load force is imposed on this application because it is belt drive, not a shaft mount love-joy or flex coupling as shown below: Having a ball-bearing supported input shaft is why Kwik-Way chose to spec the MTE B304 Pump unit for these loader applications. Wait, I just called it a pump, when its not actually a pump. That's right. today, when you source a pump built by MTE, you actually source it through their distributor, Delta-Power http://www.delta-power.com/ and of course, Delta changes the name and the model number and calls that particular "pump" a gear motor. In the Delta catalog, the stock "pump" that came with the 5xi loader is actually a model DM21 which is the B304 MTE unit. It is pictured below. And yes, the way they are made, you could hook it up to a pressurized line at it would work as a hydraulic motor. This unit does about 6 GPM at 1500 psi at target application RPM with a 6.5" pulley. This represents running the unit on a 5xi at 1:1 ratio. It's available at a couple of sites for sale for about $230 plus shipping: https://www.hydraulicstore.com/index.php?loc=items_detail&data[catalog]=1&data[itemcode]=6104031 http://www.airlinehyd.com/webpages/orderonline/manufacturersearch.aspx?item_number=D21 Ever on the bargain hunt, I knew that with more than one pump option available, I might realize some savings, especially if I can score something discounted new or even good used condition on ebay. After careful review of the pump specs at Delta's website, I found that the D21 pump has basically identical specs, physical size, ports, psi, displacement, etc. It even has a ball bearing supported shaft. Really the only difference is that it is 2 bolt mount instead of 4-bolt mount which is why I had a pump mount laser cut with my order earlier this month in case I lucked out and sourced one. Lo and behold, there was a new D21 for sale out of Maryland on ebay. The auction was buy it now for $200 plus $16 ship, but had a make offer option. We went back and forth a couple times and settled at $185 plus $16 ship. Here is a photo of the pump: And here is a spec sheet This pump will fit right into my pump carrier assembly and will have plenty of room for adjustment for belt tension and routing of input and output hoses. Most importantly, it will be durable in a belt driven, side loaded environment. I'm sure many readers will breeze through this post and say, "Whoa! this guy overpaid for his loader pump. Ha! Guess he didn't know about www.surpluscenter.com ." Yes, there are more than a few pumps for sale at surplus center in the $100 - $135 range. They might even meet the spec of the ~5-6gpm @ 1500 PSI with the target RPM. However, without an outboard ball bearing supporting the input shaft, the pump will not last as long as the manufacturer intended it to. The journal bearings will wear in a side-load situation, and eventually the pump will start to leak at the shaft. If you try to reduce side load to limit that wear, the belt will slip on the sheave and overheat or wear grooves into them. That is a trade-off I was not willing to accept for this build. Anyhow, I'm looking forward to my pump showing up later this week via UPS. Also, I think I'm picking up my uprights tomorrow. Its been 2 weeks since I dropped them off for sandblasting and I haven't gotten call. I think the guy blew me off and they are still just sitting there with a couple of old rims waiting to be sandblasted. Oh well I'll find someone else to do it I guess. I want them back so I can continue building the subframe and I need them for fitting and tacking together the "pockets" that the uprights slide into. Edited July 12, 2017 by Snowmobileaddict photos added 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Snowmobileaddict 403 #90 Posted December 2, 2015 (edited) The $25 was well spent at the sandblaster shop. The uprights turned out great and look even better in primer. I don't know how long they had been done and sitting there waiting for pickup, they never gave me a call to say they were done. Go figure. For comparison, here are the pre-sandblast pics: Edited July 12, 2017 by Snowmobileaddict 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Snowmobileaddict 403 #91 Posted December 2, 2015 (edited) Getting the "pockets" for the uprights mocked up for welding tonight. The uprights are nearly identical. However manufacturing QA/QC limitations at Kwikway allowed for the reservoir upright to be just a touch wider than the other one. I'll have to fine tune the fitment on that one to be just right. Not too tight, not too loose. The leading edges of the pockets get bent outward too to facilitate mounting the loader. I'll have to warm mine up and bend them over a bit in the bench vise before welding these together. Edited July 1, 2017 by Snowmobileaddict typo 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Snowmobileaddict 403 #92 Posted December 2, 2015 (edited) here's the updated dimensions drawing Edited July 1, 2017 by Snowmobileaddict 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
doc724 925 #93 Posted December 3, 2015 I never noticed that my uprights were different-though they might be. Your fitment of the pockets to the uprights looks pretty tight to me. Do you want me to go measure mine? (tomorrow-no electricity in the shed.) BTW, following this journey is getting addictive. Kind of like Martin's "416 adventures" series Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Snowmobileaddict 403 #94 Posted December 3, 2015 (edited) On the older loaders from Kwikway, the tops of the uprights were shaped a bit differently. Mine is from 1982... This is what the tops of the modern kwikway uprights look like As for pocket fitment, im just going to set up up and clamp it for welding with a 1/16" of room on each side. That will allow for easy mounting and dismounting. I'm also going to use flat paint on the mating surfaces and keep a coating of grease on them as well. Edited July 1, 2017 by Snowmobileaddict Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Snowmobileaddict 403 #95 Posted December 3, 2015 (edited) Got some more fab work done! It's hard right now with a 3 year old with walking pneumonia, a 4 year old with a bad cold and my wife with the flu to get some shop time in. Today I stayed home from work just to tend to the "patients" here in the sick ward. With them all hitting the sack early, I got out to my shop determined to get one of the "pockets" for the uprights welded up. I kind of like calling these things horse shoes instead of "pockets". I'm pleased with how it turned out. This took about an hour for me to put together. The fitment is primo, with a tad under 1/16th of an inch gap on each side and the same at the tail where the upright slides into the horse shoe gap. Here are a bunch of photos: For reference. Here is a photo of a factory kwik-way "horse shoe". Photo is courtesy of doc724 from his loader. Thanks!!! Edited July 12, 2017 by Snowmobileaddict 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
roadapples 6,983 #96 Posted December 3, 2015 Nice work Snowmo`, an I could burn up that weldin` table in no time. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Snowmobileaddict 403 #97 Posted December 3, 2015 4 minutes ago, roadapples said: Nice work Snowmo`, an I could burn up that weldin` table in no time. EXACTLY!!! Thanks! I never did pop for that Harbor Freight welding table. I've been using a rummage sale metal cart/rolling table thing that I got a while back. It works good enough. But I did need to use that 3/4" plywood on some sawhorses to get my work hanging right off the edge in order to get it tacked. I was a little worried about it catching fire, but all worked out. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WNYPCRepair 1,921 #98 Posted December 3, 2015 8 hours ago, Snowmobileaddict said: EXACTLY!!! Thanks! I never did pop for that Harbor Freight welding table. I've been using a rummage sale metal cart/rolling table thing that I got a while back. It works good enough. But I did need to use that 3/4" plywood on some sawhorses to get my work hanging right off the edge in order to get it tacked. I was a little worried about it catching fire, but all worked out. It rarely actually flames, it just kind of smolders...... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Snowmobileaddict 403 #99 Posted December 3, 2015 The plastic quick clamp shown in the photo actually took the worst of it! Couple of spatter turds landed on it and it was smoking some. Who'da thought a plastic clamp and 3,000 degree melted steel couldn't get along. One thing I know for sure now with this project, having nearly all the necessary parts cut, for me, was critical. There's no way on earth I could have gotten this far without them. The thought of having to cut all those pieces myself... yeeesh. Game over. The other thing, having generous folks here at Red Square to share part dimensions, manuals etc, is invaluable. Thanks!!! 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WNYPCRepair 1,921 #100 Posted December 3, 2015 It's looking good. Really nice work. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
