Automating SSQA

[ctfjr]

Best make sure your attachment is picked up correctly! If something isn't lined up right, you just going to bend something. Honestly you guys take all the fun out of owning a tractor, such as hooking up implements! Its part of the whole tractor experience! Is it a need or a want? Maybe next will be a remote controlled tractor? You can work it while having coffee from the kitchen table! LOL!! Alas maybe you work construction with your tractor and time is money??? Working production??? I guess then Its a good idea!

Reminds me of some discussions I've been part of on motorcycle boards before.
In 55 years of riding and owning a whole bunch of bikes I've never owned a Harley or a BMW. Some of my biker friends rode 2000 mi/yr where my bikes were more likely to put on 40-50K. I was never one to keep a garage queen. I couldn't really consider a crotch rocket, it just wasn't for me. Bar hopping on a bike didn't have much appeal. I tried motorcycle clubs, meh.
One thing I really never did was judge those who did. Everyone one I knew had a bike for very personal reasons. Not my reasons.

Farkling a motorcycle is its own end. . .

 

[GreensvilleJay]

When I wired mine up, I used the 2 leftover pushbuttons on the 4 chnl RF relay unit. The others ... 1 controls the LED ROPS light, another the GDO... The 'fob' sits on the dash ,ringed to the 'cruise control' lever.
'C' made it clamp, 'D' disconnected it.
In the end it was wayyyyyy tooooooo sloooooow for me.

 

[fried1765]

Best make sure your attachment is picked up correctly! If something isn't lined up right, you just going to bend something. Honestly you guys take all the fun out of owning a tractor, such as hooking up implements! Its part of the whole tractor experience! Is it a need or a want? Maybe next will be a remote controlled tractor? You can work it while having coffee from the kitchen table! LOL!! Alas maybe you work construction with your tractor and time is money??? Working production??? I guess then Its a good idea!

I have found that bending "something" has not been an issue.
When not "picked up correctly", the locking pins just seem to slip by, and a re-attach/align then becomes necessary.

 

[bmblank]

Best make sure your attachment is picked up correctly! If something isn't lined up right, you just going to bend something. Honestly you guys take all the fun out of owning a tractor, such as hooking up implements! Its part of the whole tractor experience! Is it a need or a want? Maybe next will be a remote controlled tractor? You can work it while having coffee from the kitchen table! LOL!! Alas maybe you work construction with your tractor and time is money??? Working production??? I guess then Its a good idea!

I wanna spend time ON the tractor, not hooking crap up to the tractor!
A remote controlled tractor? F&*k yeah! Hook me up, I want one of those!

 

[GreensvilleJay]

If your current tractor has EPS ( Electronic Power Steering ) ,it's pretty easy to 'computerize ' for 'remote control'.Takes less than 1,000 Canucks and some code cutting
or
just buy the 'green' machine for megabux.

 

[woodman55]

I make no claim for originality but this seemed like a fun small winter project to do. Just decided to do it my way.

View attachment 91298

I am going to use a 200mm linear actuator (just shy of 8"). 1-1/4 od X 3/4 id aluminum tubes will connect to the screws on the levers. The screws are M12's. I need the tubes to be able to rotate around the screws some as the levers turn. I am drilling 20mm holes in the tube for the screws then inserting a 20mmx14mm sleeve that will be slightly longer than the diameter of the tube. The screws will then tighten down on the sleeves leaving a 14mm hole for the 12mm screws.

The distance the screws move apart appears to be about 7.25" so I may have to slot the pin holes in the actuator ends of the tubes to allow for 'dead space'. It all depends on how much free movement there is in the whole drive train.

I have the tubes coming in from ebay in the next week or so and just need to pick up a couple of M12X1.25X60 bolts (originals were 25)

I just checked my LA1055 loader on my 6060, and the travel seems to be about 8 inches. So a 8 inch actuator should work pretty well.

 

[woodman55]

There's a guy on U-Tube that has a video of how he did it: Part 1

and part 2

I like the removable pins in his, that way if something fails, you can easily revert back to manual.

 

[fried1765]

I wanna spend time ON the tractor, not hooking crap up to the tractor!
A remote controlled tractor? F&*k yeah! Hook me up, I want one of those!

My used L48 TLB came to me with hydraulically actuated lever locks, actuated with a diverter in the 3rd function system.
Actuated from sitting in the seat.
Completely hydraulic!
No electric anything!

I love it!

 

[Donystoy]

Going to put a simple linear motor on mine as well. Just installed one for the chute deflector for my new blower so I already have the switch and wiring installed. Could use my third function but no good when using grapple. Still have to get off of my bum to hook up hoses.

 

[ctfjr]

Slooo progress. Tonight I am expecting a delivery from Amazon and another tomorrow, That should complete what I need to finally finish.
Not having much to do I mounted the switch:

It was almost a perfect fit. Had to take off about 1.5mm on one side. Just used silicone rubber to hold it in place.

I test fit my 'super bright' bi color led in the dash. UH Oh! The plastic dash is thicker than I didn't measure thought. The bulb isn't tall enough to make it through. It's a 9W surface mounted led. 3 watts per color (red, blue, green). I am only using 2 colors. I adjusted the dropping resistor so each light is 1w - still super bright. So plan B. I am waiting for a conventional panel mounted 2 color 12v led indicator.
JUST AN IMPORTANT NOTE! I ended up not using the 12v led panel light - it was too wimpy weak. Instead I went back to my original design with the very bright surface mounted leds. THAT REQUIRES A DROPPING RESISTOR. I used a 30 ohm 10 watt resistor. It goes between the flasher and the leds. It is not shown on the diagram.
I was asked how I am going to wire it. It's a very simple wiring diagram if you leave out my flashing panel light monitor (in the dashed lines in the diagram below).

I have an added rear fuse block that is my 12v source. Then a DPDT center off switch to the motor. The switch reverses the 12v polarity to the motor which has its own built in limit switches.

The shaded ellipse is the 2 color panel light. The flasher is a small cheapie electronic box. To get to the negative side of the battery from the "-" side of the flasher (without running a separate ground wire) I use 2 diodes (D1 and D2) to go to either side of the motor leads. When activated ONE of the sides will be the ground. When reversed the other side will be ground. Sneaky way not to have to run another wire.

The monitor lights are totally unnecessary for basic operation. With any luck will finish in a couple of days.

 

[fried1765]

Going to put a simple linear motor on mine as well. Just installed one for the chute deflector for my new blower so I already have the switch and wiring installed. Could use my third function but no good when using grapple. Still have to get off of my bum to hook up hoses.

Why..... "no good when using grapple"?

 

[Donystoy]

Why..... "no good when using grapple"?

I have to physically hook up the hoses for the grapple to operate so still have to get off the tractor.

 

[ken erickson]

Nope!
You don't!
You just need to buy yourself a hydraulic diverter valve!
Push-pull....you select either the locks hyd. circuit, or the grapple hyd. circuit.
Simple use!

What Donystoy is saying is if say the bucket was attached to the SSQA and one wanted to drop it and attach a grapple the quick connect hoses for the grapple still have to be connected. This would require getting off the seat Unless there was also an automated way for the hydraulic hoses to connect or disconnect like some skid steers etc have.

 

[ctfjr]

It's essentially complete I just want to add some retractable coiled 18ga wire where the bucket pivots when it curls. I really don't want a loop of exposed wire - nothing good could come of that. With retractable cable it should remain trained against the side of the FEL.

It is fully operational now - I just have to remember not to fully curl the bucket down until I add that wire.

The led worked out great. The washer serves as a trim piece. Each color is rated at 3 watts. I adjusted the dropping resistor so they are only dissipating 1 watt. Actually only 1/2 watt because the flasher is 50% duty cycle. I'm hoping they will last with no external heat sink running at 1/6 their rating.

Again, this is not an original idea but its my version. I used aluminum tube mounted to the release arm bolts directly. I also routed my wiring differently (better?) than what I have seen.

Demo of Automated SSQA

 

[DustyRusty]

I noticed a small amount of deflection as it closed. Do you anticipate that this might become a problem at a later date? Overall it appears that you did a great job of engineering the project, and your LED is a genius thought to keep you from forgetting what position the switch is in.

 

[ctfjr]

Yes, a little IO error (intermittent operator). When I was hooking everything up I had the bucket resting on a jack stand, taking the load off the hydraulics. After hooking everything up and doing the initial tests I didn't see that when opening the latches the fel actually dropped slightly on one side and disengaged on the top. So. . . when I engaged the actuator to close the pin missed the slot
Suddenly I heard the actuator really bogging. I think that caused some deformation on the pinned connection on the left side. I'm pretty sure I can just insert a 20mm washer between the actuator and 1-1/4" tube and it will straighten it out.

To remove the whole assembly takes 2 or 3 minutes. Just pull the 12mm bolts, disconnect the wiring (insulated butt connectors) and put back the bolts with the aluminum sleeves.

 

[Kennyd4110]

Very cool! Great job

 

[Springer]

I like the idea and it is my kind of project.
Then I got to thinking that there has been more than one time that the pins were not going through the slats, and I didn't notice. And is with me standing right over the dang thing! LOL
I flipped my bucket and realized it was just hanging from the top.
It is probably not a bad idea for me to get out of the seat and see what is going on, up close and personal.

 

[fried1765]

I like the idea and it is my kind of project.
Then I got to thinking that there has been more than one time that the pins were not going through the slats, and I didn't notice. And is with me standing right over the dang thing! LOL
I flipped my bucket and realized it was just hanging from the top.
It is probably not a bad idea for me to get out of the seat and see what is going on, up close and personal.

"It is probably not a bad idea for me to get out of the seat and see......"
BTDT !