ARK Loader on a 520 H.....Done!

[boovuc 1,090]

Well the Grange Fair was a short visit!

 

Started uninterrupted work on the loader at about 1:30 this afternoon. Finished at 8:20! It was worth it. After some cutting, grinding, filing and minimal cursing because I had no time constraints, I got it on. Thanks to my Karen who slid the tractor under the mount while I held the frame up. (Never made the stands. Used the brace arms to get it off the blocks). No leaks, no seeps, no noises, and full function of everything. Pump is very quiet and barely moves the vacuum gauge on the tractor. Much less work for the motor than my 48 inch mower deck. 

 

I didn't put the rear weight on so I took it easy and made sure everything was primed in the lines. Plenty of down pressure and fast movement. A big thank you to Malmac, Scott, Wallfish and the others who offered advice and posted pics of their loaders. The biggest pains in putting this on a 520 since it wasn't factory designed for any of the Onan powered tractors was the pump mount and the lever release/lock Attach a matic that is used on the newer tractors and the 1991 520-H. (My 1992 416-8 didn't have the lever design). 

 

It required cutting out a long skinny triangle from the thick metal original sub frame to allow alignment of the frame holes and shortening the actual lever. (The frame cut took three cutting disks and a good portion of a fourth). I also had some issues with the nut/bolt used on the front mounting bracket. The first frame hole on each side has VERY little room to start a nut. (Because of the gear reduction steering assembly). On the positive end, the factory brace arms leave plenty of clearance around the Onan and hood. My suction line to the pump will need moved since it is in harms way. I think the pump is OK where it is at with a guard to be made soon. I'll work it harder on Monday and really heat the oil up and check again for leaks or seeps again. I do have to weld a wallowed loader lift cylinder pin hole but even it isn't too bad. The others are real tight. Not bad for as old as it is and for 500 bucks.

 

This was always a real want for me so please excuse my over exuberance. This makes the beginning of the work week a joy! It might take until noon at work tomorrow to wipe this grin off my face! 

[cheesegrader 433]

Oh, that's nice!

And for only $500, what a great deal.

There is a Kwik-way for sale here for $1700, and it looks beat.

You are going to find a thousand uses for that loader.

I use mine for everything--I'd bring groceries in from the car with it if my wife would quit teasing me about it!

[zanepetty 117]

That looks amazing! You should be proud of that! I would be. Congratulations on you tractor and loader!

[dennist 139]

 

This was always a real want for me so please excuse my over exuberance. This makes the beginning of the work week a joy! It might take until noon at work tomorrow to wipe this grin off my face!

I do Not think the grin will be off your face that soon! They are great fun, I am sure you will enjoy it for a long time.

[JackC 616]

Great deal and nice setup.

[Dieselcowboy 210]

Is the hyd pump the factory one?  Mine I just had laying around and I believe it is a slow rpm pump. More i rev it the slower and louder it gets. Should probably change to a different one but it works for now.

[boovuc 1,090]

That is the factory pump that came with the ARK loader. It is manufactured by Cessna.

Thanks for the comments. By the way, I still had the smile on my face when I got home today. Not even my work place could level my lips today.

 

However..................my neighbor who is just as enthusiastic as I was about landing this loader pointed out that I had installed the subframe and the loader without taking off the hitch on the rear of the 520. For those who know how the ARK's subframe is and how the weight bar attaches, the only way to mount the weight box is to remove the stock hitch and the subframe blocks the pin through the tranney housing on both sides! 

 

I have another pin so I might be contemplating just cutting the pin off rather than taking everything off to get that hitch off. I guess I was a little overanxious in getting it on there and should have taken a step back to look at the whole picture! I took my time with the pump mount and the other mods to get it on there but once the subframe was able to mate up, I lost all common sense! 

 

This is a job for Tuesday night. Or Wednesday. I have to take the big 12.50 AG tires off my C-175 with weights and put them on the 520 anyway so it isn't like I won't have more to do with it. Again, once I run it through it's paces and really get the oil hot and put it under load to see if anything needs rebuilt or hoses replaced, it is coming off anyway at some point for a paint job plus a cylinder pin repair.

[cheesegrader 433]

If you load your Ag's with rimguard, and add #50 weights to the outside of your rims, and add #35 weights to the inside of your rims,

YOU DON'T NEED NO STINKIN' WEIGHTBOX!

[boovuc 1,090]

Well I didn't need to take off the hitch. The weight box comes within a half inch of it. Once again I lucked out! I know what your saying cheesegrader but I have the hunk of concrete and I starting singing soprano after moving it 35 miles with the loader so I'm going to use it!

 

Moved tires around on the tractors to get the wide 12.50 AG's on the loader tractor. No wheel weights or weight box when I took the picture but they look nicer than the turf tires that were on it! Heavier tire by far.

These are Daco's.

 

 

 

 

[brandonozz 168]

Now you got it going on!  Them tires look great on your tractor.

[MalMac 1,328]

You have to watch using that weight box. It so low on the back that it is very easy to hung up. I have suit case weight hanging off a bracket on the back to raise them up so I can run up on piles or load on ramps on my trailer. Just remember when you do run up on a pile don't stay there long because of the motor oil level. Good way to blow one up.

[boovuc 1,090]

Never thought of that MalMac. Thank you.

[doc724 924]

Nice job.  I am envious

[953 nut 51,736]

If you load your Ag's with rimguard, and add #50 weights to the outside of your rims, and add #35 weights to the inside of your rims,

YOU DON'T NEED NO STINKIN' WEIGHTBOX!

 

The reason for a weigh box is to counter balance the weight in the bucket and take a load off the steering, the only thing you get with wheel weights and filled tires is more traction.

 

 

 

[cheesegrader 433]

953,

 

That is not true.  Too much weight in the loader will lift the back end, with the fulcrum at the front wheels.

Any weight behind the front wheels will help balance this.  A lot of weight just behind the front wheels.  Less weight on a longer lever arm further behind.  It's all good.

I prefer the weight on the wheels.  It doesnt put any stress on the transaxle case.  I can still get to my hitch, and I can assemble and move the weights easily.

The weightbox is further back, so it can balance a larger load, BUT, it blocks my hitch, it puts a big load on the transaxle case,

and it is just too heavy and bulky to lift (unless I use the loader, but then I need to balance the weight of the weightbox ...)

[boovuc 1,090]

I agree that any weight behind the front wheels does help balance the load. (Having run forklifts the majority of my life it's easy to see). I do believe you need more weight on the wheels than you do in the weight bucket due to the bucket being farther back. Think of a see-saw at the local park. The fat kid can counteract the two kids on the other end by sitting where you normally do but a lighter kid can counteract the two kids by getting farther away from them at the very end of the board.

The original owner of this loader poured CONCRETE in the bucket. Needless to say, I think this is too much weight or minimally, more than is needed for what the loader is rated at. (ARK Manufacturing says is a mere 350 to 400 lb. bucket load. (The D series loader that ARK made for WH was rated at 500 lbs. Maybe 600 lbs max).

I don't doubt that loading the tires and putting 50 lb weights on the outside of the rims and inside rim weights would suffice, I really plan on jack hammering the concrete out of this bucket and replacing it with sandbags. The sandbags and my 50 lb each wheel weights should then do the trick and removing the sandbags individually makes removing the ballast bucket very easy.

 

PS.............the weight bucket does have a hitch attached to it so you don't lose that functionality. Not sure if that is factory or if the PM added it. (Because I didn't want to turn that asteroid upside down to find out)! The concrete is autographed with the name "Floyd Mertz". I'm assuming Floyd was the original owner. He had to have taken good care of it since it was made in the 70's.The loader itself was bought at a dealership or small engine business in Millville, PA.

 

 

[ramairformula74 1]

Hey that looks familiar! I hope you got all the wasps out of the weight box mount. Nice job all finished.

[boovuc 1,090]

Thanks, Mike!

Only the carcass of the wasp nests were left in each tube! I did get the concrete out. "We" had to angle grind three of the sides off the weight bucket then drop it off a 4 foot bench to a concrete floor twice before it came loose. Next came welding up the corners again.

I have stones coming to make an extended driveway for "Sweet Pea" to park her school bus on. After that is moved and leveled, it comes off the tractor for a much needed paint job. Going to try to save the big WHEEL HORSE decal on the front left bar. We'll see how that goes!

[Stigian 1,234]

Your giving me ideas about making a loader for my GT 14 now!!..      I may be having to deal with more pallets than normal in the near future, so a loader would be a great thing to have..