Lo-Boy "Swiss Army Hitch" Forks, Boom Pole, and More.

[LFEngineering]

Got to test out the hitch yesterday. I dropped three 40' hemlocks, used the forks to move around my gear pallet as well as carting around some 400-400 lb trunk sections. Finished off the day by using a choker chain and the log tongs to haul all the brush to my neighbors burn pile. Unfortunately I was too busy playing, I mean working to get any good action shots.

[LFEngineering]

Like always customer projects and house work took priority over my projects, but I finally got some time this weekend to fab up the boom pole attachment for the multipurpose hitch. All in all it came out as I hoped. Made from the same tubing as the hitch (2 x 2 x 3/16) I can hang off the without any deflection so it should be good for anything they hydraulics can pick up.

[Rudi]

Andy:

That is awesome You do have a fertile imagination and the fab skills to "make it right !", Wow

[ricky racer]

They don't come much sweeeeeeeter than that!!!!!!

[Smokeycub]

It sure looks good!

I can hang off the without any deflection so it should be good for anything they hydraulics can pick up.

I believe the F Cub hydraulics are designed to lift about 500 lbs. at the rear rock shaft, not sure about a numbered Cub. With that much extension I would be surprised if it will lift much over 200 lbs. I would like to know what the hydraulics can lift on the end of your boom pole. My buddy had a 184 with a 3 point and it can't lift a 400 lb. log splitter that extends 6' past the rear of the tractor. I really like it, great job and the universal applications are well thought out.

[ricky racer]

It sure looks good!

I can hang off the without any deflection so it should be good for anything they hydraulics can pick up.

I believe the F Cub hydraulics are designed to lift about 500 lbs. at the rear rock shaft, not sure about a numbered Cub. With that much extension I would be surprised if it will lift much over 200 lbs. I would like to know what the hydraulics can lift on the end of your boom pole. My buddy had a 184 with a 3 point and it can't lift a 400 lb. log splitter that extends 6' past the rear of the tractor. I really like it, great job and the universal applications are well thought out.

Ray,

I think the manual indicates that the Touch Control unit will or should pick up 300 lbs at the rock shaft. Yes, as you move out further from the pivot point you decease the amount of lift available. When I made my Cheap & Dirty lift for my '53 Cub I did some testing to determine how much it would lift at different points on the lift beam. Below is a link to that discussion.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=69866&hilit=+cheap+dirty

One thing I've found is that even if the Touch Control won't pick up a particular load, if up manually pick up on the beam while the hydraulics are attempting to raise the load and are successful at getting it off the ground, the hydraulics will hold that load once you've got it in the air. Even though the Cub hydraulics have limitations, the boom lift is still a big help around the homestead.





Few are as nicely done as LFEngineering's unit.

[Smokeycub]

Ricky - Thanks for the link, somehow I missed that the first time around.

Even though the Cub hydraulics have limitations, the boom lift is still a big help around the homestead.

Without a doubt, it's way better than picking up and carrying 100 plus lbs. around by hand.

[LFEngineering]

Thanks for the praises. Little more about myself; I’m in my late 20’s and I’ve been building stuff for as long as I can remember. My father bought me a welder for x-mas when I was a sophomore in high-school and I bought my first piece of equipment (a bench lathe) a few years after that. Since then I’ve spent years acquiring all the tools, equipment and knowledge I can. Although I went to college for Mechanical Engineering Tech / CNC & CAD the world of manual machining fascinates me, probably because they don’t teach it anymore. I guess you’re more likely to get a job as a CNC Tech than a manual machinist so the schools go that route. Anyway, I work as a tool designer / process engineer to pay the bills, but my real passion is my home shop. Working nights & weekends I opened my shop in 2010 under the business model that “I love to tinker and build and for years never had the tools to finish the job, there has be more people out there who just need something welded, machined or fixed and don’t want to go to a real full size shop.” I was right, and have been the go-to source for gearheads & tinkers in my area since. Anyway enough about me, back to the tractor talk.

Hydraulic system: I knew the hydros were going to be a limiting factor when I first tried out my pallet carry-all. I had just cut down a large hemlock with a 20-25” diameter trunk. I rolled on a chunk about 18-20” long and grabbed the hydraulic lever, nothing. I was able to sneak the round up towards the pivot and got her to lift up, but the bar had been set. I attempted to somewhat test the system last Friday, my friend (180 lbs) and myself (230 lbs) sat on the pallet while my wife hit the lever, nothing. However if I sit on the edge of the pallet (48” from the lift arm pivot) the hydros have no problem picking me up. I’m going to guesstimate weight limit at 300-350 lbs on a pallet, 250 lbs at the fork tips, 200 on the boo, and 750 lbs at the hitches.

One good thing I did notice is that the hydros can hold more than they can lift. If I leave the carry-all in the lifted position and fill it with 400-450 lbs of firewood and the tractor has no problem moving it around the yard. This is important because I’m toying with the idea of a winch mounted on the boom pole so I can use that for lifting instead of the hydros.

As I lift more stuff with known weights I will collect some more data on the actual lifting capacities for the forks, boom and hitch.

Next project is tapping into the high-pressure hydraulic system, adding a dual action piston circuit and a hydraulic top link to give me on-demand tilt for the hitch.

[Smokeycub]

Nice story about your shop. I know that just by word of mouth I have people knocking on my door regularly for various metal work/fabricating jobs. I wish you much luck and success. It has been said that if you truly love what you do to earn a living that you never have to work a day of your life.

Next project is tapping into the high-pressure hydraulic system, adding a dual action piston circuit and a hydraulic top link to give me on-demand tilt for the hitch.

There are several good links on here about how to do that. Ricky and Rudi have done it to name a couple who have posted about it.

I’m going to guesstimate weight limit at 300-350 lbs on a pallet, 250 lbs at the fork tips, 200 on the boo, and 750 lbs at the hitches.

Interestingly I found a post on Yesterdays Tractor and someone (a reliable source) mentioned an F Cub with good working hydraulics can lift about 600lbs. at the rear rockshaft. I think that would be testing the limits of the hydraulics as well as the tractor, as long as the relief valve is working correctly it shouldn't hurt anything to try. I know when testing the touch control the manuals say to use 300 lbs. on the back but that's not to say that's the limit of the system. I can say for sure that my F Cub has no trouble picking up my Woods 59 with the front rockshaft, it's about 350 lbs. with the guide wheels and is only really lifting about 75% of that. ...and it really struggles to lift a set of discs loaded with about 150 lbs. of ballast.

[LFEngineering]

Like I said I will test it as I find things to pick up of known weights. Originally I suspected the relief valve, but after hooking up a pressure gauge I'm getting the 1600 as I should. Still lifting anything will be helpful.

[turbo84gn]

I know it's been a few years, but I really like your attachment here. Any chance you can share dimensions or the cad file you made? Looking to make this for my 860.

[Bob McCarty]

He hasn't been on the Forum since 2015, so I doubt you'll get any info from him.

[turbo84gn]

Thanks. Was worth a try.

[Lt.Mike]

Did a nice job on that!
The full frame is plus too. I have a flatbed on the back of my ‘46 A that I strapped an engine hoist too. I’ve moved shop tools around with it like my radial arm saw which is clumsy to move by hand even with two people. There’s limits though. I tried doing the tow truck thing with my other A. Nope, too heavy, the front came up.
Without the frame you have on the numbered Cub I wouldn’t risk counterweighting it.
Yours is the perfect yard tug now.

[Barnyard]

Please note, the original post is over 5 years old. While it is likely to get responses, we would prefer you start a new topic.

Forum rule 4h:

Necro's are threads/posts that are more than one year since the last posted message. Resurrecting old topics is discouraged and members should create a new topic, rather than resurrect an old one.
Posting to topic older than one year will likely get your post and the topic locked from further discussion. The simple solution is create a new topic.

Thanks