FEL’s—fun, foolishness, fabs, and fails

[PeacemakerJack 10,743]

Many of you have owned these for years with lots of success and some failures.  I am brand new to this attachment as I purchased my first one for the 523Dxi last Saturday.  It is a two owner Kwik-way in really good shape.  It has some nicks and chips and scratches from use but has always been stored under cover and seems to be solid throughout.  I did a search for a thread dedicated to this attachment and nothing solid came up and so I decided to start one where we can gather information.  Tell stories, share pics, talk about the positives and negatives of the different brands available, and of course show home built designs.  I also want to see ingenious ways of using them to make life easier.  Has the statement, “Huh, I never thought of using it that way!” Ever entered your mind?  😉

 

 

 

I like the idea of fabbing up some pallet forks for mine as the bucket comes off quickly and easily with four clevis pins.  I have about 200# of counterweight used to balance out the deuce and I suppose that I’ll fluid fill my new rear tires when I finally get some for extra ballast.  Any other recommendations will be noted and appreciated.   I’m tagging a few of you that I know have FEL’s already... @Shynon @prondzy @elliot ness @squonk @pullstart To generate some initial thoughts and pics of your favorite setups...

[squonk 43,206]

Many of my loader exploits are locked up in Al Gore's locker. I don't use my loader much, mostly to remove snow piles as my neighbor's plow guy insists on filling my sidewalk with about 5 feet of snow every snowfall.  Prolly my favorite job the loader did was move this concrete basketball hoop base last year when I was out with back surgery. (I wasn't moving it 20 years ago either! ) 

 

 

I rigged up a WH blade on it with hitch pins to help push piles. Worked quite well

 

Edited June 22, 2020 by squonk

[ebinmaine 71,594]

This is going to be interesting. I also want to call Jim into this.

@JCM

 

He's had one on a horse in the past and has a bigger one now on another brand.

 

 

[WHX?? 51,319]

Something you are goin to want to do is weld some grab hooks on the bucket for lifting. You can also get/make a quik attach for a ball mount for moving trailers.   https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200587033_200587033

Forks would be must have at J&C ranch. Stay away for the clamp on forks, very easy to put too much weight to far out front.

 Northern Tool catalog has lots of other ideas.

 

I see a problem in your future Jack. You are going to want to put this on the Dxi and not want to take it off That means another xi for the blower and deck!   That would have been my problem if I would have snagged it! 

 

Maybe let me know when you are going to fit it up. I'll see if I can run over and get in your way to see how it's done. Sub frame should be a bolt up deal since it came off an xi.  

Edited June 22, 2020 by WHX24

[prondzy 3,888]

BUCKET HOOKS are a must! I added lighys to the tops of my towers so you can see while driving with the bucket up. Always keep. Log chain in the ballast box you will use it more than you think.

 

And 6ply v61s for the front!

Edited June 22, 2020 by prondzy

[PeacemakerJack 10,743]

18 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

This is going to be interesting. I also want to call Jim into this.

@JCM

 

He's had one on a horse in the past and has a bigger one now on another brand.

 

 

Thanks for inviting him on board...feel free to tag others into this.  I know that @roadapples mentioned in one of the threads that FEL’s are one of his favorite implements.  

 

17 minutes ago, WHX24 said:

 

Something you are goin to want to do is weld some grab hooks on the bucket for lifting. You can also get/make a quik attach for a ball mount for moving trailers.   https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200587033_200587033

Forks would be must have at J&C ranch. Stay away for the clamp on forks, very easy to put too much weight to far out front.

 Northern Tool catalog has lots of other ideas.

 

I see a problem in your future Jack. You are going to want to put this on the Dxi and not want to take it off That means another xi for the blower and deck!   That would have been my problem if I would have snagged it! 

 

Maybe let me know when you are going to fit it up. I'll see if I can run over and get in your way to see how it's done. Sub frame should be a bolt up deal since it came off an xi.  

Once I get the buggy running and out of my shop, the big D is coming in next. I need to get a couple of general maintenance issues settled first, then attach the bucket and get to work removing the sand box, leveling the gardens and preparing for seeding, filling and adjusting some other uneven ground situations in the yard. 

 

Regarding a second xi...I can see that being a “problem” already😉. 

[JCM 10,100]

I hate to say it but Jim is correct, you will NOT want to remove it and will need a dedicated WH loader tractor. In one of my older post I mentioned I had pics of the 93  520-H that I sold and did recently find them I just need to scan them and get them on this thread, great idea by the way. The only thing I would have liked to try was dual wheel adapters on the 417-8 and not so much needed I believe on the 520's. You just need to plan your moves when carrying close to the max weight rating of the KW and keeping the bucket low during transport of material. I do miss mine but because of the property we now have and some of the heavy , wet snow with a long driveway and a large area I like to keep plowed I chose a larger 4 wheel drive diesel powered tractor to take its place. Your 523 dxi by looking at one may be better suited for an FEL than a 520 or 417 is ?   You will be inventing things to use it for which is part of the fun.   Good Luck Josh 

[lynnmor 7,673]

Yes, I dug out that cherry stump as well as the locust stump in the foreground, I need a backhoe.

 

[WHX?? 51,319]

47 minutes ago, JCM said:

4 wheel drive diesel powered tractor to take its place.

Pics of that Plunge? That another reason I passed on this fel ... saving it for marriage to a sub. 

[JCM 10,100]

@WHX24    I do have pics of the 417-8 with FEL and it's replacement side by side but the other one is a different color so not sure  where to post it so I don't get banned. Other brands even though one is a WH ?

Edited June 22, 2020 by JCM

[WHX?? 51,319]

Billy @WVHillbilly520H had a thread we was yakin about scuts and such. See if I can find it. 

46 minutes ago, JCM said:

so I don't get banned.

Is that yer way of telling us it's green an yellow!?!?!?

 

BTW two rules around here:

1) Jim is ALWAYS correct.

2) When Jim is wrong see rule # 1. 

Edited June 22, 2020 by WHX24

[squonk 43,206]

9 minutes ago, WHX24 said:

Billy @WVHillbilly520H had a thread we was yakin about scuts and such. See if I can find it. 

Is that yer way of telling us it's green an yellow!?!?!?

 

BTW two rules around here:

1) Jim is ALWAYS correct.

2) When Jim is wrong see rule # 1. 

[elliot ness 1,916]

Peacemaker Jack, you could think about build it so as to run your deck at the same time, here are two that I did, a 312A and a 520H w/ a 60in deck. I built the loader for the 520H.

[prondzy 3,888]

6 hours ago, WHX24 said:

Billy @WVHillbilly520H had a thread we was yakin about scuts and such. See if I can find it. 

Is that yer way of telling us it's green an yellow!?!?!?

 

BTW two rules around here:

1) Jim is ALWAYS correct.

2) When Jim is wrong see rule # 1. 

Jim I think you forgot rule

#3 if you dont agree with rules #1 & 2  go see CINDAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!

[WVHillbilly520H 10,376]

4 hours ago, elliot ness said:

Peacemaker Jack, you could think about build it so as to run your deck at the same time, here are two that I did, a 312A and a 520H w/ a 60in deck. I built the loader for the 520H.

I can do that too and use the 3pt as well. @PeacemakerJack Josh here's a couple shots that shows my xi with my eMax size wise (not much bigger) I had chain hooks welded to my bucket when I bought it... My Kioti has a 4" D ring welded to the center and that comes in handy as well.

[DET 109]

I made a quick attach for mine, search FEL quick attach for the thread.

I also adapted a tiller and snow plow. I have since added a hyd. cylinder for blade angle on the plow. Now I just have to adapt these to the quick attach.

[PeacemakerJack 10,743]

A couple of FEL exploits from the last couple of months...

the first thing that I used the FEL to do was to remove the kids sandbox which had denigrated down to a king size litter box for the cats🤢.

It was fun to play with the new toy but like my buddy @Shynon told me, “you will find a ton of uses for that outside the normal usage!” 

Next up was to move an old dilapidated couch from the back yard to the trailer...

Most recently...removed the play house from the back yard.  You can’t see it in this picture but the back right tire is clearing the ground by about 2”.  I put blocks under the house and then we pulled it up on to the trailer with straps and winches.

Then it was time to clean up the area where the house use to reside.

 

Please add pics and stories of all the stuff that you have used your FEL’s for and cool attachments on to the FEL to make it even more versatile... 

[ebinmaine 71,594]

5 hours ago, PeacemakerJack said:

like my buddy @Shynon told me, “you will find a ton of uses for that outside the normal usage!” 

Super handy!

 

'magine if my Paint Department had one.....

 

[953 nut 58,995]

I know that @fast88pu has a few pictures of hid FEL with forks moving a parts tractor around. Mine is a real back saver.

[fast88pu 3,349]

On June 22, 2020 at 9:34 PM, WVHillbilly520H said:

I can do that too and use the 3pt as well. @PeacemakerJack Josh here's a couple shots that shows my xi with my eMax size wise (not much bigger) I had chain hooks welded to my bucket when I bought it... My Kioti has a 4" D ring welded to the center and that comes in handy as well.

Emax 22? 

[Shynon 7,476]

I like mine, quick detach forks and bucket.  Super easy to do a front tire change. 

[fast88pu 3,349]

11 minutes ago, 953 nut said:

I know that @fast88pu has a few pictures of hid FEL with forks moving a parts tractor around. Mine is a real back saver.

Then I moved up from the gt14 to a new mahindra emax 22L

[WVHillbilly520H 10,376]

2 hours ago, fast88pu said:

Emax 22? 

Yes 22 gear they also have eMax 22 hydro and a 25 hydro, then there's one smaller the 20s hydro.... Then they jump up to the Max xl/xlt

[fast88pu 3,349]

10 hours ago, WVHillbilly520H said:

Yes 22 gear they also have eMax 22 hydro and a 25 hydro, then there's one smaller the 20s hydro.... Then they jump up to the Max xl/xlt

I bought the hydro. How do you like the gear? 

[WVHillbilly520H 10,376]

Just now, fast88pu said:

I bought the hydro. How do you like the gear? 

I got a better deal on this one as it was 2 year left over, I love it but the overrunning clutch on the PTO took a bit to get used but I have 3 acres of hills to mow put in gear set the hand throttle (has foot throttle too) and set back... Got a 56" Snow blower and 62" plow coming (estimated delivery Dec-Feb) for it this winter as well as a soft cab.