FEL frame mounting pin fell off!

[retiree-urgency abandoned]

Originally posted this in Fab/Mod section attached to an older posting, but decided it really belongs here as it was a pretty urgent repair.

Had a serious pucker moment on Monday, so I decided to add to this post. The other day I was moving some concrete slabs with forks on the FEL. As I was stacking them, I had the forks at max height (fortunately empty), when I heard a creaking sound and it wasn't a good creaking. Discovered that one of my FEL frame mounting pins had fallen off. Couldn't lower the FEL, because they wanted to twist across the hood, so pulled up to a tree and rested them (at full height) against the tree to support them in proper alignment. I lucked out, the renegade pin was not under the pile of slabs, so I found it and reinstalled it.

After my slab cleanup and hopped onto OTT to look for a solution - never want that to happen to me again. Found the original post (below) and decided to tweak it a bit for my B3350. Photos show original pin, then mods. The hole for the retaining bar on the B3350 is much larger than the retaining bar - so there's too much play there.

I cut 2 pieces of reinforced rubber tubing I had laying around (1" OD x 2.5" long) as inserts to eliminate some of the play from the oversized hole.

I drilled a hole in the flattened part of the retaining bar on the pin to accept a hitch pin.

I slipped the rubber tube over the lower end of the retainer bar, put a 1-3/8" OD x 9/16" ID washer under the rubber tube and then inserted the hitch pin to hold it all in place.

Now I can see the washer when I'm in the seat - if I can't see the washers on both pins, it's time to drive back to the barn.

 

[jimh406]

Gravity should keep that loader pin in place. The only way to displace it is probably to hit it by running into something or really bouncing the front end. Fwiw, the hole that my pin fits in is also larger, but that's to make it easier to put the pin in.

Do you have any idea how yours got displaced?

 

[retiree-urgency abandoned]

I know that the retaining bar was in place when I left the barn, since I hop onto the seat from that side of the tractor. Had to drive over some bumpy parts of a field to get where I was working, so maybe that did it? If I wasn't pretty lucky, the result wouldn't have been pretty - not going to risk letting it pucker me twice ...

Also, credit to Maine Farmer who came up with the original version of this mod - https://www.orangetractortalks.com/forums/threads/simple-kubota-loader-mounting-pin-mod.55939/.

 

[fried1765]

I know that the retaining bar was in place when I left the barn, since I hop onto the seat from that side of the tractor. Had to drive over some bumpy parts of a field to get where I was working, so maybe that did it? If I wasn't pretty lucky, the result wouldn't have been pretty - not going to risk letting it pucker me twice ...

Also, credit to Maine Farmer who came up with the original version of this mod - https://www.orangetractortalks.com/forums/threads/simple-kubota-loader-mounting-pin-mod.55939/.

Lynch pins are supposed to be locking pins also.
I have had them come out MANY times!

 

[retiree-urgency abandoned]

I should have added that I've never had a need to remove the loader frame and probably never will. I think the only time it was taken off was when the dealer had to replace the DPF (but that's another string of posts). If I ever lose one of those new lynch pins, I'll take a heavy-duty cotter pin or piece of high-tensile fence wire and twist it on - that will probably last longer than me.