EXCELLENT! I love your solution. In using my bucket to gravel a driveway this past weekend I did find it hard to determine if the bucket was level when scooping up gravel from a pile. At one point I leaned too far out to see the bucket and opened the seat kill switch. Don't want to be doing that! And I'm glad you're feeling better and able to get out and "play" again.
That seat kill switch is a pretty common mod too. Most people zip tie it down because of that very issue. I know it's there for good reason, but I found it to be more distracting to my overall work and safety to have the tractor shutting off every time I lifted up to look at my bucket.
Thanks for the video. I put a similar system together for my 1723 this weekend. I couldn't find a pipe hanger like you used at a hardware store within 500 miles of my place, so I used a 3/4 inch fence rail clamp. This gave me the opportunity to use any size eye bolt, so I went with 1/4 inch for top and bottom. I used a 1/4 inch aluminum rod that I drilled for pins similar to what you show, but used rubber faced washers and drilled the holes a little short. After compressing and getting the pins in there is zero rattle. I opted to bend the rod at the upper eye to indicate level. With a 4 ft. length it would have hit the windshield of my cab when fully curled and lifted. Works great since I don't plan to use many other front implements. Thanks for the great idea!
I've made a few of these n have same machine. I used a conduit hanger on shaft close to the bucket with a 90 degree small tie rod end facing up. Then threaded a 1/4 x 35"rod in. Mounted a 30"square tube to top of outer cylinder by using a wrap of rubber by the welds to space it even and not scratch cyl. And attached 2 tie wraps top n bottom. Your round rod now inside square tube sits perfectly parallel on top of cyl. Top of my square tube i cut at 45 then cut 2 shallow slots in rod for level 1 for bucket 1 for forks. A dab of paint makes slots easier to see,it is precise, where i think your eye bolts will be sloppy and what ever you put on rod will rub or move. Painted everything black and it looks like it was always there. I put mine on right side cause i always get on n off from left also no drilling involved. I am not mocking your work just giving other options
Thanks for the comment Bruce. Your design sounds pretty solid. It's one of those things that can be done several different ways. My goal was no welding, no cutting metal, and no rust. I ended up using a 1/4" aluminum rod in my final version and of all things I place a pencil gripper on it. I'll get a video up soon showing that and some other tractor stuff. Thanks for watching.
@@Redneck_Ed looking forward to it ,by the way does your bucket and 3pt bleed down?i found out the hard way,had a few parts hanging of my forks. I painted them late at night and the next morning i had shiny black parts bent under my forks
@@brucebennett8475 Yes, mine does. Good Works Tractors has a video where they measured it over several hours and I believe he said the model Deere he had was spec'd for like 1" per hour bleed down, but don't quote me. My Massey seems to be in that ballpark from a test I did, but under normal conditions I wouldn't find out because the FL1805 loader manual (pg 20) says to depressurize under the After Work section which means to move the joystick to all end positions for about 3 seconds. I lower the ballast box and depressurize the loader every time I park it.
Nice bucket level indicator build. I never had an indicator before but purchased a new Massey tractor which has a level indicator and I use it a lot since I can't easily see over the nose of my tractor to see how level my forks or bucket is (depending on what attachment I'm using). The indicator you built is perfect and does the job. I enjoyed a full-watch and also am a NEW SUBSRIBER!! 👍🏽😀 Have a fine weekend, Ed.
Oh, I just checked out your channel and I had already watched your ballast video a few weeks ago. Great video. I almost went that route but mixing concrete isn't in the cards for me now so I went with a box which I'll stack with bricks.
Love the video !!!! looks like a great idea !! Have you had any issues of it loosening up during or after operation ? Also, Kinda off topic but what do you know about sheer pins ? do you use any implements that have them ?
The clamp did slip off the cylinder rod once, but I just threw another piece of gorilla tape around the cylinder and it's fine now. The only hardware I have that uses sheer pins is a standalone gas engine powered snowblower. I don't know much about sheer pins other than the obvious which is that you want the pins to sheer off so it doesn't destroy the snowblower internal gears when you hit a rock. Some people use Grade 2 bolts instead of sheer pins, but the sheer pins I have on my snowblower have unique break points designed into them. For me it's not worth using anything except the exact OEM sheer pins.
Thank you. The 1/4"x4' aluminum rod arrived today, so I'm going to replace the fiberglass pole with that sometime this weekend. I won't make a separate video of that, but I'm sure you'll see it in a future video. Thanks for watching.
Thats a little easier than the one I made I may switch to that.. good luck with your back I have had two surgeries on my lower back and two on my neck.. and trust me you dont want to go through that..
That would probably work. The method I show in the video still works for me, so I'm still using it that way right now. If or when that fails, it might be time for me to try paint. Funny, I was just watching a Norm Macdonald video last night. That guy is hilarious.
Awesome. Best DIY bucket level indicator that I have seen yet. Definitely bests the $50 MF solution that's for sure. What about running that top eye bolt thru both holes on the loader frame instead of just the one? Would the aluminum rod not be aligned parallel with the loader if you did?
You could run it through both holes, but you'd have to size it just right so the end of the eye bolt doesn't stick out the side and jab you every time you get close. It would also possibly create stress on the metal if you double bolted it through each opening. Can't see why you couldn't make it work, but it wasn't needed.
Thanks for the suggestion. Check out my last video at 7:10 to see what I did with the aluminum rod. Kept it pretty simple. ruclips.net/video/Np0RlOPvwrI/видео.html
Ed, I looked at the indicator from MF after I watched your video. Sure I can think of some things to improve your indicator but in the end, your design works well. I like the fact that yours is higher than MF's. Do you seem to have a problem with your bucket digging in after you start skimming the ground? I can put my bucket on the ground level and if I hit a hump of dirt the bucket will tilt more and dig deeper than I wanted to. It is kind of like the cylinder has air in it instead of being full of oil. Sorry about your back, I have degenerative disk disease and I know your pain. I have only 10% of my disk in L2, L3, and L4. I take a supplement called Hyaluronic Acid (500 mg) every day and it really seems to help.
My bucket might dig in on occasion, but if it does then I just pitch it back a hair. I don't think I've ever had the same problem you described. I also got a pair of edge tamers (check out that recent video). They should be a big help when moving snow this winter. Also appreciate the hyaluronic acid tip. I looked it up and that does seem to be a thing. I'll have to do a bit more research, but again I appreciate the tip!
@@Redneck_Ed Yes I watched your video on the Edge Tamers. Unfortunately, we don't get much snow here where I live ( just south of Dallas Tx). I have been thinking about a Tooth Bar though. Thanks for taking the time to make your videos. Not too many people make videos that have Sub Compact Massey Ferguson tractors. I have the 1723E and it continually surprises me on what it can do. I am about to put liquid in the rear tires.
Instead of tape or paint how about using heat shrink? It comes in all colors. Your vid got me motivated to make one for my '63 massey. Thanks for the vidios!
Thanks for the video Ed. I took your idea and modified it a little bit. I just posted a short video to RUclips showing what I did. ruclips.net/video/v_HCWAYfIxg/видео.html
They perform similar but different functions. I have the edge tamers and bucket level is still relevant even with the edge tamers installed. This is especially true on uneven turf. It's also nice to have the level indicator for other SSQA attachments.
EXCELLENT! I love your solution. In using my bucket to gravel a driveway this past weekend I did find it hard to determine if the bucket was level when scooping up gravel from a pile. At one point I leaned too far out to see the bucket and opened the seat kill switch. Don't want to be doing that! And I'm glad you're feeling better and able to get out and "play" again.
That seat kill switch is a pretty common mod too. Most people zip tie it down because of that very issue. I know it's there for good reason, but I found it to be more distracting to my overall work and safety to have the tractor shutting off every time I lifted up to look at my bucket.
Thanks for the video. I put a similar system together for my 1723 this weekend. I couldn't find a pipe hanger like you used at a hardware store within 500 miles of my place, so I used a 3/4 inch fence rail clamp. This gave me the opportunity to use any size eye bolt, so I went with 1/4 inch for top and bottom. I used a 1/4 inch aluminum rod that I drilled for pins similar to what you show, but used rubber faced washers and drilled the holes a little short. After compressing and getting the pins in there is zero rattle. I opted to bend the rod at the upper eye to indicate level. With a 4 ft. length it would have hit the windshield of my cab when fully curled and lifted. Works great since I don't plan to use many other front implements. Thanks for the great idea!
That's awesome, thanks so much for the comment and feedback. The bend is the better method for sure. I'm going to do that to mine one of these days.
Built one. Works great on Kubota thanks for you idea
I've made a few of these n have same machine. I used a conduit hanger on shaft close to the bucket with a 90 degree small tie rod end facing up. Then threaded a 1/4 x 35"rod in. Mounted a 30"square tube to top of outer cylinder by using a wrap of rubber by the welds to space it even and not scratch cyl. And attached 2 tie wraps top n bottom. Your round rod now inside square tube sits perfectly parallel on top of cyl. Top of my square tube i cut at 45 then cut 2 shallow slots in rod for level 1 for bucket 1 for forks. A dab of paint makes slots easier to see,it is precise, where i think your eye bolts will be sloppy and what ever you put on rod will rub or move. Painted everything black and it looks like it was always there. I put mine on right side cause i always get on n off from left also no drilling involved. I am not mocking your work just giving other options
Thanks for the comment Bruce. Your design sounds pretty solid. It's one of those things that can be done several different ways. My goal was no welding, no cutting metal, and no rust. I ended up using a 1/4" aluminum rod in my final version and of all things I place a pencil gripper on it. I'll get a video up soon showing that and some other tractor stuff. Thanks for watching.
@@Redneck_Ed looking forward to it ,by the way does your bucket and 3pt bleed down?i found out the hard way,had a few parts hanging of my forks. I painted them late at night and the next morning i had shiny black parts bent under my forks
@@brucebennett8475 Yes, mine does. Good Works Tractors has a video where they measured it over several hours and I believe he said the model Deere he had was spec'd for like 1" per hour bleed down, but don't quote me. My Massey seems to be in that ballpark from a test I did, but under normal conditions I wouldn't find out because the FL1805 loader manual (pg 20) says to depressurize under the After Work section which means to move the joystick to all end positions for about 3 seconds. I lower the ballast box and depressurize the loader every time I park it.
Nice bucket level indicator build. I never had an indicator before but purchased a new Massey tractor which has a level indicator and I use it a lot since I can't easily see over the nose of my tractor to see how level my forks or bucket is (depending on what attachment I'm using). The indicator you built is perfect and does the job. I enjoyed a full-watch and also am a NEW SUBSRIBER!! 👍🏽😀 Have a fine weekend, Ed.
Thanks for the kind words and for subscribing!
Oh, I just checked out your channel and I had already watched your ballast video a few weeks ago. Great video. I almost went that route but mixing concrete isn't in the cards for me now so I went with a box which I'll stack with bricks.
Love the video !!!! looks like a great idea !! Have you had any issues of it loosening up during or after operation ? Also, Kinda off topic but what do you know about sheer pins ? do you use any implements that have them ?
The clamp did slip off the cylinder rod once, but I just threw another piece of gorilla tape around the cylinder and it's fine now. The only hardware I have that uses sheer pins is a standalone gas engine powered snowblower. I don't know much about sheer pins other than the obvious which is that you want the pins to sheer off so it doesn't destroy the snowblower internal gears when you hit a rock. Some people use Grade 2 bolts instead of sheer pins, but the sheer pins I have on my snowblower have unique break points designed into them. For me it's not worth using anything except the exact OEM sheer pins.
nice job on the Indicator looks great
Thank you. The 1/4"x4' aluminum rod arrived today, so I'm going to replace the fiberglass pole with that sometime this weekend. I won't make a separate video of that, but I'm sure you'll see it in a future video. Thanks for watching.
Thank you for this video.
were you have tape showing when your bucket is level. how would pc Electrical shrink tubing work??
I haven't tried that, but it sounds like it would be a great idea.
Thats a little easier than the one I made I may switch to that.. good luck with your back I have had two surgeries on my lower back and two on my neck.. and trust me you dont want to go through that..
I also added mirrors since i cant turn my neck so well.
Could you mark the pole with different color markers?
That would probably work. The method I show in the video still works for me, so I'm still using it that way right now. If or when that fails, it might be time for me to try paint. Funny, I was just watching a Norm Macdonald video last night. That guy is hilarious.
Awesome. Best DIY bucket level indicator that I have seen yet. Definitely bests the $50 MF solution that's for sure. What about running that top eye bolt thru both holes on the loader frame instead of just the one? Would the aluminum rod not be aligned parallel with the loader if you did?
You could run it through both holes, but you'd have to size it just right so the end of the eye bolt doesn't stick out the side and jab you every time you get close. It would also possibly create stress on the metal if you double bolted it through each opening. Can't see why you couldn't make it work, but it wasn't needed.
You might think about treading the aluminum rod and put a couple of nuts at the bottom where they go through the eye bolt.
Thanks for the suggestion. Check out my last video at 7:10 to see what I did with the aluminum rod. Kept it pretty simple. ruclips.net/video/Np0RlOPvwrI/видео.html
Ed, I looked at the indicator from MF after I watched your video. Sure I can think of some things to improve your indicator but in the end, your design works well. I like the fact that yours is higher than MF's. Do you seem to have a problem with your bucket digging in after you start skimming the ground? I can put my bucket on the ground level and if I hit a hump of dirt the bucket will tilt more and dig deeper than I wanted to. It is kind of like the cylinder has air in it instead of being full of oil. Sorry about your back, I have degenerative disk disease and I know your pain. I have only 10% of my disk in L2, L3, and L4. I take a supplement called Hyaluronic Acid (500 mg) every day and it really seems to help.
My bucket might dig in on occasion, but if it does then I just pitch it back a hair. I don't think I've ever had the same problem you described. I also got a pair of edge tamers (check out that recent video). They should be a big help when moving snow this winter. Also appreciate the hyaluronic acid tip. I looked it up and that does seem to be a thing. I'll have to do a bit more research, but again I appreciate the tip!
@@Redneck_Ed Yes I watched your video on the Edge Tamers. Unfortunately, we don't get much snow here where I live ( just south of Dallas Tx). I have been thinking about a Tooth Bar though. Thanks for taking the time to make your videos. Not too many people make videos that have Sub Compact Massey Ferguson tractors. I have the 1723E and it continually surprises me on what it can do. I am about to put liquid in the rear tires.
Instead of tape or paint how about using heat shrink? It comes in all colors. Your vid got me motivated to make one for my '63 massey. Thanks for the vidios!
That is a terrific idea. I have a pencil grip on there right now, but I like your idea better. Thank you and good luck with yours.
Thanks for the video Ed. I took your idea and modified it a little bit. I just posted a short video to RUclips showing what I did. ruclips.net/video/v_HCWAYfIxg/видео.html
Yours looks great! One day I might get the nerve to bend mine instead of using tape since it's much easier to see with a bend.
Just get a set of edge tamers and problems solved.
They perform similar but different functions. I have the edge tamers and bucket level is still relevant even with the edge tamers installed. This is especially true on uneven turf. It's also nice to have the level indicator for other SSQA attachments.
A
Lol, is that my grade?