ericj 1,578 #1 Posted June 4, 2019 So I've been trying to get some projects done while I'm off work. Yesterday's project was to take down the chain link fence that's been here since we've bought the house 23 years ago. I like mow a little to close to the fence and the mower deck wheel like to jump out and grab a hold of the fence, or maybe the fence jumps out and grabs the deck wheel. Either way the fence was in bad shape along the bottom and I was tired of trimming around it. When I went to take it down I noticed that the squirrels had made lunch out of the aluminum wire that hold the fence to the cross bar. I'll have to get a picture of that. Any how I used the loader to load the fence onto the back of the truck to haul in for scrap. So I thought it would be a good idea to use the loader to pull fence post out. That went very well, in fact so well I decide to try and pull some small trees out that had come up in the flower beds. That even went pretty well till I tried to pull an older mimosa tree. I think me and that tree have tangled in the past. Well the tree won I couldn't even budge it. Today then me and my son finished loading up the fence on the truck and I decide to pull some more fence post. He chained me up to a post and was struggling to pick it up when all of a sudden the loader arms started moving forward when I raised the bucket. I knew that this was not good so I got off and tried to see what was pivoting that was allowing the up rights to move forward like that. I couldn't see anything underneath moving but the front quick attach gave up it's ghost and had sheared off the front edge that holds the rod in place. The guy I had bought the tractor from had told me he had problems in the past with the loader shearing off the bolts that hold the front quick attach the the frame, so he welded everything together. All well and fine till I broke it again. I had to grind off his welds and he even had welded the axle center pin in. The C channels that hold the upright had twisted allowing them to move. I took some 2" ratchet binders and hooked them onto the weight box and to the uprights and pulled the upright back up right LOL. It fought the good fight trying to keep me from putting it back together again but I won in the end and got the loader all back together again. I really need that loader to get ready for the big show to help load everything up. After the show I'll pull it back down and try and reinforce the C channel that bent allowing the uprights to twist forwards. Just not to much heavy lifting till that can be done 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JAinVA 4,629 #2 Posted June 4, 2019 Looks like you found the weak point.I doubt that the Wheel Horse engineers ever envisioned that amount of load on the front attachment point. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ZXT 2,401 #3 Posted June 4, 2019 I've often wondered what the maximum strain you could put on a WH FEL was, and looks like you found out. How big was this mimosa tree? Looks like that loader is handy as all get out.. I need to find one for my GT 14! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ericj 1,578 #4 Posted June 4, 2019 8 hours ago, ZXT said: I've often wondered what the maximum strain you could put on a WH FEL was, and looks like you found out. How big was this mimosa tree? Looks like that loader is handy as all get out.. I need to find one for my GT 14! only about 3" in diameter. I hooked my 93 W2500 Dodge Cummins to the tree and had to lock it in 4x4, and even then couldn't get it all out. It broke off 2 places still leaving part of the root in the ground. I know now to keep an eye on that front mount. Here are more pictures I took after I got it back together eric j Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
