Building a Loader for a Garden Tractor - Phase 2: Final Axle Modifications

Part 2 of a multipart series covering the entire process of designing, building and installing a quick-attach front loader for a Case/Ingersoll garden tractor.
Phase 2 covers the final modifications and fine tuning of the new front axle, and the deck mounting and deck pully modifications required to make room for steering tie rod to be mounted aft of the front axle.

[@phillims1]

Keep it coming! Love it.

[@JourneymanRandy]

Quite the feat of engineering. All our farm tractors have a subframe from the rear differential housing to the loader attachment in the middle of the tractor. One on each side. The Kubota L2850 has a simple flat bar for this. I think it's there to handle the impact of the bucket cutting edge and break out force. You may want to do that. Looks great Bob.

[@TheBuildist]

Thanks for the kind words and the advice Randy! I'm putting the video together now on what amounts to being the subframe. Though it's not a traditional sub frame. I'd love to hear your opinion after you've seen the next video...

[@genesloan3175]

Excellent use of your noggin!

[@TopCat2021]

Again great work I'm looking forward to the next one. 👍

[@TheBuildist]

Thanks for your compliments!

[@anthonyrespass3090]

Well done

[@mikebracht9261]

Nice work, very interesting to watch.

[@rodneykiemele4721]

Great series , Thanks

[@AndrewHCann]

Excellent video and turn out very good also nice!

[@homemadetools]

Coming along nicely. We posted this video (and the first one) in our homemade tools forum this week :)

[@metric5188]

great work

[@timhutchinson6583]

My grand father ownes used to sell case Ingersol for over 60 years

[@ryandee8543]

Love your videos keep up the good work. I have a 1972 case 444 and am contemplating building a loader, axle, and 3pt hitch for mine. Just haven't decided yet really. I'm on the fence as to build or look for a slightly larger old tractor with a loader already. Curious to see how the stock hydraulics work with the loader or what you do there.

[@TheBuildist]

Yes I've learned a lot about hydraulics in the process. I have mostly installed one configuration that will not work. And here in the next week or two I'm going to install a configuration that will. The big unknown is still the capacity of the hydraulic tank. I don't know if I have the 3-point fully extended and the bucket lowered and the boom raised which is to say maximum hydraulic volume, I don't know if there's enough in the tank to do it. I'll find out by experimentation. And if I have to I will find a way to add volume to the tank.

[@ryandee8543]

Also I was told to get your Ackerman you should run a string line from the center of your kingpin to the center of your rear axle. If mounting in front of the kp just extend the line. I have found this to be true in most cases except dirt track cars on a circle track.

[@timhutchinson6583]

They made a bucket loader and a backhoe for case

[@randyw.846]

As the front axle pivots on its center point, do you have any issues with tie rod interference with the hole in the frame?

[@TheBuildist]

Nope, not at all. At the very fullest tilt either way the tie rod rests gently on the lower sill, but hardly enough even to wear the paint off of it. Nowhere near binding. Other than that it never touches at all.

[@timhutchinson6583]

You are definitely going to have to put weight on the back my experience without the backhoe on back rear end came up easily

[@joewojo3911]

Why didn’t you just mount the steering cylinder to the tie rod in front of the axle parallel to th tie rod and make 2 new hydraulic hoses

[@TheBuildist]

I considered that, but I didn't think I could do it in a way that gave me sufficient ground clearance and avoidance of damage to the steering cylinder by running into things. A regular hydraulic steering rack would work, but it would need to be of the correct dimensions. I didn't really know how to track one down I didn't really want to spend the money. So I went this route which was a little trickier but I knew would work. To some degree I'm following the pattern of how case did it on their 646 so I knew the basic approach was workable.

[@stevelecain886]

I don't think you will have much strength in that steering system, those drop downs really take away a lot of rigidity in that system, I could be wrong but I did something similar a few years back and it didn't hold up.

[@jeffmeier9284]

Dont you think it much easier, better and stronger if you get rid of that weak ass angel on the front tie rod then mount the hydraulic cylinder behind the axel going right to left and reverse the hoses on the cylinder !!! DUH !

[@TheBuildist]

Thanks for your observation. There's no room behind the axle unless I can move the PTO belt, and to move that I have to move the engine.

[@jeffmeier9284]

you need to talk less and think more !!!

[@TheBuildist]

That's what my wife says too!