Questions RE Converting L681 Loader to SSQA

[Mr Haney]

I am new here. Thanks for this forum.

I have an L3710. It has an L681 loader and an old-style bucket. I want to change it to SSQA. After that, I want to take my annoying chain-on brush forks and turn them into an SSQA attachment.

I'm trying to get a Kubota adaptor, but I may have to get an ATI Tach-All if I can't find one. I am considering getting a new bucket, because welding up the old one is a hassle, but if I convert the old one, I will need some information so I don't screw up.

What thickness should the new mounting plate be? I have seen them in 3/8" and 1/2". Can I just grab a cheap Titan from Amazon and get good results?

I was thinking of ordering a Wicked Bucket from Everything Attachments and selling my old bucket, but I'm afraid there is no market for old-style buckets. Are they hard to sell?

 

[Dieseldonato]

My uncle got a bunch of tomahawk ssqa blanks. 1/4" and 3/8" only issues they have had is on their big skid loader with the 1/4" plates. They did attempt to make a palet fork set and tweaked that. Ended up with 1/2" plate for them. But so far as I know, and what they've done on their lower lift capacity equipment the lighter plates have done just fine. I used one of the 1/4" adapters on my bucket, but it's a good bit smaller then what your looking at. Seems it's just as important to welding them on right then just the thickness. The Plate I used has a big cut out in the center and came with instructions that it needed stitched every so often and where it needed welded solid. Both around the outside and the center.

 

[Mr Haney]

I decided to order an ATI Tach-All. The local Kubota people failed to return my call, and when I called to remind them, they said it would take at least two days to figure out whether a comparable Kubota part existed and could be provided. I suspect they were just blowing me off because they didn't want to deal with a little $1000 sale, so I am going ahead with ATI.

Now I have to figure out which plate to go with. I may just go to Everything Attachments and order a Wicked Bucket.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

google founds this... 3rd hit...

kubota-la401-la402-la452-la452s-la480-la480c-la481-la482-la680-la681-la682-loader-quick-attach-conversion

Converts any Kubota LA401, LA402, LA452, LA480, LA480C, LA481, LA482, LA680, LA681, or LA682 Loader to Skid Steer Quick Attach.

asktractormike.com

is it what you need ??

 

[Mr Haney]

That's exactly what I ordered.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Yea Kubota doesn't make a factory SSQA for the LA681 loader

And a 1/4 or 3/8 plate is plenty for a tractor.

 

[Mr Haney]

They make another SSQA which works when you add spacers.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

great...now I have the Green Acres song in my head, thanks......

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

They make another SSQA which works when you add spacers.

They might, but all of the add on Kubota parts are as rare as hens teeth right now.

 

[Mr Haney]

I wonder if it's true that it takes two days of research for a dealer to find out if a part exists and can be shipped. That would make a shortage seem even worse.

I can search for a John Deere part myself and get answers pretty much instantly. One would think a top Japanese company's employees would be able to do that.

 

[Mr Haney]

I asked about an EA bucket, and they are 4 months out, so I have to get an adaptor plate for the old one. I think I'll order a new bucket anyway, since it's a better bucket.

Does anyone here have a recommendation for a plate that will go on an LA681 bucket without too much cutting? I don't see any point in ordering an expensive one, since steel is steel. They are available in 3/8" for as little as $150, delivered.

Tractor Mike sells a plate that looks different from the ones on Amazon. His plate has two rectangles at the ends, with a big, empty rectangular space between them to allow keeping most of the angle-iron brace on the back of a Kubota bucket. The Titan plates on Amazon have smaller cutouts. I can cut more metal out, but I would like a plate which is as close to ideal as possible when it arrives.

 

[Dieseldonato]

Honestly a plate is a plate. If it doest really matter which one you get. I prefer the ones that you can weld in the middle of, but the solid one can have a hole cut in them just as quick.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Retro fits usually work better with full plates

But that's not a bad plate to work with.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

You don't 'need' the material in the center, as the weight is on the loader frame 'arms'.
My plates are about 7" wide just to the locking pins, then I weld 'whatever' is needed between them.
You can fab a 'full' sheet style from a 24x48 sheet, cut in 3 , main is 16.5, then 3" top rail, 3" btm rail
more or less....

 

[Mr Haney]

I took the easy way out and ordered the solid 3/8" plate. Whatever I cut out, I can use for a pizza steel or some other project. Once I get the bucket converted, I'll have a better grip on the way this works, so I'll know exactly what I need next time.

Thanks again.

 

[Mr Haney]

My ATI SSQA and Titan 3/8" solid mount plate arrived, and today I installed the adaptor.

Taking the bucket off the tractor wasn't too bad. The bolts on the pins were pretty fresh, so the nuts came right off. I put the bucket down on a couple of cinder blocks.

Putting the adaptor on the tractor was not all that much fun. I decided it was smarter to move the part to the tractor instead of trying to nudge the tractor to the part to make it line up, so I put the adaptor on a Harbor Freight lift table. That was a great idea, but unfortunately, I decided to line up holes on the hydraulics first instead of the rigid FEL holes. After wasting maybe an hour in the burning sun, I started over, installing the pins on the arms first. After that, the job was merely unpleasant, not terrible.

ATI does not leave enough room to put a socket wrench on the pin bolts, and the Kubota bolts are ridiculously long, so I had a lot of fun turning slippery bolts with a box wrench.

I have seen people complain about the condition of their old pins when installing things, but mine looked very good. The tractor has about 1200 hours. I grease it pretty regularly, but I don't recall seeing the zerks in the pins before, so they have probably not been greased since 2017.

I had to use a rawhide hammer, three different drive punches to line the pin holes up, and a massive Nupla deadblow hammer. I can see why people hate old-style pin attachments. I could see spending three hours switching attachments the old way.

The mount plate I ordered feels like it weighs over a hundred pounds. I think about 70 pounds will be cut out and set aside, so I wasted some money there, but maybe I can use the scrap to make mount plates for the fork attachment I'm going to build.

The black marks in the photos are pin grease, which I got all over everything.

The tractor is leaking hydraulic fluid somewhere between the front wheels, so I have to figure that out.

Really looking forward to using multiple attachments instead of being crippled by my brush forks.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

looks good to me, as long as you've got your 10 fingers and toes, where they should be,it was a good day !

 

[Mr Haney]

looks good to me, as long as you've got your 10 fingers and toes, where they should be,it was a good day !

Yeah, I was really nervous, poking around to see if holes lined up. I started using an iron bar instead of my fingers. I was also careful not to stand under the loader when it wasn't supported.

 

[D2Cat]

Mr Haney, all the grief and frustration will soon be forgotten when using your tractor. A skid steer quick attach makes it a different machine, and you'll ask your self over and over why you didn't do it sooner !!!!!

 

[Mr Haney]

Maybe I should sell one to Mr. Douglas.