C-160 FEL design

[Walnut 37]

And so it begins. Took some basic measurements last night and started laying the frame out on the computer this morning.

Making it somewhat modular and completely bolt in. Haven't decided on the rear hitch design yet.

3 x 4 cross tube with 3 x 3 verticals. Those weld together and will be capped forming the oil tank. I'll position the valves on the left, pump on the right off the PTO, should get good oil cross flow that way, and I like having my right hand for steering and gear selection while my left operates the bucket.

Lower frame will be 2 x 2 tube, 2 x 2 angle for mounting.

 

 

Edited October 12, 2018 by Walnut

[Walnut 37]

Well that's all the damage I can do until I get some more measurements, but the basic design is there.

[chucksterock 15]

I'm liking your design.  What CAD software are you using?  This is a near future project for me that isn't started yet.  But I plan on starting by modeling it also before I cut steel.  Only difference is I want to completely replace the original frame, but now you've got me thinking.  Thank you for a different perspective, that always helps.

[Walnut 37]

AutoCAD Inventor.

After looking at a ton of pictures I decided to make a full sub-frame to take most of the load off the tractor frame.

I'll put some dimensions on the drawings, print everything out and check it against the tractor over the weekend. Might try and sketch the tractor enough to crude model it next week.

It'll be a while before I start cutting but I've already started scrounging steel. I really need to figure out the cylinder dimensions and make sure I have room for the pump below the PTO first.

I'd like to use 2" bore on the mains and 1.5's on the bucket rather than 2's on everything but using all 2's seems to be more common.

[ebinmaine 68,874]

[SylvanLakeWH 26,148]

2 hours ago, ebinmaine said:

[squonk 41,643]

What thickness is the tubing you're going to use? 

 

[Skipper 1,789]

I hear that 2x16 cylinders are what's suggested in the DIY plans.

 

Remember to figure inn the speed of the cylinders, if you mix sizes.

 

Oh and now that you are an Inventor user, I would love to see some stress analysis on your approach

 

Edited October 13, 2018 by Skipper

[RandyLittrell 3,885]

I have a johnson10 loader on a 1277 which is pretty close to a c-160 and would be happy to get any measurments you might want and any feedback if you were interested. 

 

 

[Walnut 37]

Randy, nice loader. I'd like to see some pictures of your bucket cylinder since yours tilts from the bottom.

Also what cylinder and line sizes you went with.

 

I did some mock ups last night, got the usual issues to work through but the basic design didn't change.

3/16 x 2 x 2 frame, 3/16 x 3 x 4 cross and 1/8 x 3 x 3 verticals. It's what I was able to get for free so...

[mmmmmdonuts 274]

Having just completed a FEL build myself (it is located on another GT forum on a GTX18), I just want to point out a few things that I really helped me out and really screwed me up. I don’t know if you’re using the pf engineering plans at all but there are a few things that I wish I did different.

1. Biggest thing I will stress is keep all the plumbing fittings the same all over the place if possible. I transformed all the fittings to JIC (flare) other than the suction line. My cylinders were NPT, and the pump was SAE but I used adapters there to JIC hoses. I did this so I would only need to have one extra long spare hose on hand and it could be used anywhere in the system temporarily, until the hose was able to be replaced.

2. Use weld in tank flanges for your reservoir and try and plan your hose runs early. Use an oil filter and use a shutoff valve right before the filter so you can change the filter without draining everything.

3. Use this Loctite 545 for NPT pipe threads. Well worth the cost and easy to work with and remove and it seals excellent without a mess.

4. Verify that you have zero porous welds on your reservoir by pressurizing the tank with air and using soapy water. I used 30psi. You don’t want leaks later due to this.

5. This I screwed up big time with mine. I used 1”x1/2” DOM steel for the pins. The problem with this is if you want to use 1/2” pins they don’t fit without boring the steel out. Onlinemetals.com has some DOM that specifically is rolled for this and bored out a few thousands so a ½” pin. What I ended up using was ultra long M12 bolts for my pins.

6. I would tie the end of the subframe behind the transmission with another piece of tubing to make it one solid frame.

7. Make it easy to take the subframe on and off. This is a mistake I made and it is a pain to take my subframe on and off when I had a few issues early on.

If I think of more I will add more or if you have any questions let me know.

Edited October 17, 2018 by mmmmmdonuts

[Walnut 37]

On ‎10‎/‎12‎/‎2018 at 8:51 PM, RandyLittrell said:

I have a johnson10 loader on a 1277 which is pretty close to a c-160 and would be happy to get any measurments you might want and any feedback if you were interested. 

 

 

 

I thought it was ironic you posted building and backfilling a tie wall. We've built our wall twice, by hand. They last about 15 years. Our wall goes on forever around our yard, about 300 ties worth. 

One reason we're doing the loader is a fork attachment would help a lot when the time comes to do it again, just back flling the dirt and mulching it would justify a loader.

Edited October 18, 2018 by Walnut