Anyone try these (BX tractor upgrade)?

[GreX]

I've looked online, but not seeing any actual reviews of how well these things work. One video shows the extra 12" of height and another shows some dude with their "beta" version, but nothing showing how they work in the real world. Seems like a massive upgrade for us BX folks:

HydrosPlus Lift+ HPBX300-BM for the Kubota BX

hydrosplus.com

The two videos:

 

[85Hokie]

be careful - with height - center of gravity increases, and then REAL bad things happen!!!!!!!!!!

 

[GreensvilleJay]

also, watch the weight you put onto the front tires !!!

 

[armylifer]

That looks very interesting. I wonder if they would work on my BX1860?

 

[TheOldHokie]

I've looked online, but not seeing any actual reviews of how well these things work. One video shows the extra 12" of height and another shows some dude with their "beta" version, but nothing showing how they work in the real world. Seems like a massive upgrade for us BX folks:

HydrosPlus Lift+ HPBX300-BM for the Kubota BX

hydrosplus.com

The two videos:

You can buy larger bore cylinders for half that. To get the added height you need a little longer stroke which increased the retracted length. My B7200 had no problem with the longer cylinders I put on it but I cant comment on a BX.

Bottom line is with increased bore and stroke you can put more weight higher in the air which is a good recipe for instability. I have an L3901 with LA525 loader and it already lifts more than I trust even with the much bigger tractor.

If I wanted to do something like that (which I dont) I would roll my own for much less.

Dan

 

[GreensvilleJay]

One problem with the extra height is that bucket is now closer to the tractor. That setup doesn't help dump stuff at the side of a dump trailer. It'd be interesting to see video of it in 'real world' action.

 

[Trimley]

I spied this guy doing the video sometime back. The speal he pushes is luring. Height alone is a strong selling point, safety aside.

He had an introductory "pre-release" sale a while back. Had I not needed to get other things more important done, Idda bought a set. And since finding that Millermatic 211 for a song, my playstash runneth dry.

 

[TheOldHokie]

I spied this guy doing the video sometime back. The speal he pushes is luring. Height alone is a strong selling point, safety aside.

He had an introductory "pre-release" sale a while back. Had I not needed to get other things more important done, Idda bought a set. And since finding that Millermatic 211 for a song, my playstash runneth dry.

According to the WSM the stroke on the stock lift cylinders is 12.8". You can get a pair of off the shelf cylinders with 1.75" bore and your choice of 14" or "16" stroke for less than $400. They will increase lift height and lifting capacity.

With the buckrt lowered and sitting flat on the ground measure the center to center distance of the bucket pins to see what effect those cylinders would have on the lowered operation of the loader. I have no way of knowing but you might be surprised.

Dan

 

[GreX]

According to the WSM the stroke on the stock lift cylinders is 12.8". You can get a pair of off the shelf cylinders with 1.75" bore and your choice of 14" or "16" stroke for less than $400. They will increase lift height and lifting capacity.

With the buckrt lowered and sitting flat on the ground measure the center to center distance of the bucket pins to see what effect those cylinders would have on the lowered operation of the loader. I have no way of knowing but you might be surprised.

Dan

Curious if you could post some links, and provide a bit more details? I am very curious to see your method in action, as well as the product these guys are selling. I understand the safety risks, but I would like both more lift height and more capacity, but understand combining the two at the same time (while in use) could be the area of safety concern. I'm looking for more height to lift only 250-300 lbs about a foot higher, and would like the additional lift capacity for dirt work, where the bucket is a couple feet off the ground.

 

[TheOldHokie]

Curious if you could post some links, and provide a bit more details? I am very curious to see your method in action, as well as the product these guys are selling. I understand the safety risks, but I would like both more lift height and more capacity, but understand combining the two at the same time (while in use) could be the area of safety concern. I'm looking for more height to lift only 250-300 lbs about a foot higher, and would like the additional lift capacity for dirt work, where the bucket is a couple feet off the ground.

There are multiple cylinders to choose from go get me the meadurementvI asked for and I will point you to a specific one.

The actual geometry of cylinders varies by design and different loaders may be more sensitive to differences than others. Several years ago I replaced the cylinders on a B1630 loader and the stroke on the replacement cylinders was slightly longer than OEM. The result is the boom goes a little higher (too high in my opinion) but it still works fine when lowered.

Dan

 

[Trimley]

According to the WSM the stroke on the stock lift cylinders is 12.8". You can get a pair of off the shelf cylinders with 1.75" bore and your choice of 14" or "16" stroke for less than $400. They will increase lift height and lifting capacity.

With the buckrt lowered and sitting flat on the ground measure the center to center distance of the bucket pins to see what effect those cylinders would have on the lowered operation of the loader. I have no way of knowing but you might be surprised.

Dan

The info is appreciated. In my every day norm, higher lift isn't necessary. If I want to lift more, a couple washers can solve that.

On another topic, for as long as the Kubota BX 18/23 series have been in the wild, there sure doesn't appear to be a lot of related "customer" adaptation/customization reference, video type material to be found.

John Deere, I've found is/was completely opposite.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

re: If I want to lift more, a couple washers can solve that.

Not too sure HOW that works... when the ram's at the end of the stroke,it can't go out any further.

What in the way of 'customer' adaptation do you need ? So far, for my BX23S, I've built a lowered canopy for sunshade and garage access, selfpowered SSQA dual snowblower,winter windshield and a 3PH frame/rcvr.

 

[skeets]

Jay, I think he was talking about bumping up the pump for lifting not for the height

 

[ken erickson]

After watching the video the one issue I do not see being addressed with the longer cylinders is how it affects the digging depth. My LA525 on a L2501 is listed at 6.9 inches. As I have dug more than one pond and 100 yards of trench I would hate to lose it over a higher lift height.

 

[Trimley]

re: If I want to lift more, a couple washers can solve that.

Not too sure HOW that works... when the ram's at the end of the stroke,it can't go out any further.

Well, Good Morning Sir!

Do me (yourself) a favor. Put some caffeine in that coffee!!

What in the way of 'customer' adaptation do you need ? So far, for my BX23S, I've built a lowered canopy for sunshade and garage access

See my comments within the above quote.

My garage door height is low enough, I have to drop the ROP, and a roof over my head would be nice. That sounds interesting. Would you mind sharing pictures and what you used for the roof?

 

[leveraddict]

Sounds like some are not happy with the machine they bought? Trying to turn a BX into something bigger? If Kubota wanted a BX to lift more and higher they would call it a B! If you go this route you may also want heavy ply front tires , because the BX tires will squat, more rear ballast for lifting more weight up front and a heavier front axle as the original will break and bigger trans because you will smoke the old one Oh and a larger bucket because you cant get over 1000 lbs in the 48" bucket, maybe a turbo add on for more power to haul the extra weight? If you could lift 1000 lbs or so in a BX could you safely drive it around on uneven ground? I highly doubt it! Were the loader arms designed to lift more than rated? Greensvillejay just had welds break on his! Beware what the You tubers pedal, Its just for more likes and subscribes! I remember Tractor Time with Tim going out of his way to show how much the JD could lift over the BX, but he could only lift it not operate it safely! Go buy a bigger tractor!

 

[armylifer]

Sounds like some are not happy with the machine they bought? Trying to turn a BX into something bigger? If Kubota wanted a BX to lift more and higher they would call it a B! If you go this route you may also want heavy ply front tires , because the BX tires will squat, more rear ballast for lifting more weight up front and a heavier front axle as the original will break and bigger trans because you will smoke the old one Oh and a larger bucket because you cant get over 1000 lbs in the 48" bucket, maybe a turbo add on for more power to haul the extra weight? If you could lift 1000 lbs or so in a BX could you safely drive it around on uneven ground? I highly doubt it! Were the loader arms designed to lift more than rated? Greensvillejay just had welds break on his! Beware what the You tubers pedal, Its just for more likes and subscribes! I remember Tractor Time with Tim going out of his way to show how much the JD could lift over the BX, but he could only lift it not operate it safely! Go buy a bigger tractor!

I don't think that there are many circumstances where the extra weight lifting capacity would be a factor. The bucket can only hold the same amount of weight that it always was capable of holding. The only real gain would be the lift height. That advantage is worth pursuing to me. I can already lift a full bucket of rocks in stock configuration. I have posted several pictures of that through the years. My bucket cannot hold any more rocks so I would never be able to load any more weight in it. I would just be able to lift the load higher to be able to dump into the side of a truck or trailer.

As for the tires, you could load the front tires with WWF and that would increase the load carrying ability of the front tires. I have done that and the front tires do not flatten out like they did before I loaded them.

As for your concern about the loader arms being able to handle the weight, I doubt that would be much of a concern because you are not going to be able to put any more material in the bucket than you could before.

 

[GreX]

Sounds like some are not happy with the machine they bought? Trying to turn a BX into something bigger? If Kubota wanted a BX to lift more and higher they would call it a B! If you go this route you may also want heavy ply front tires , because the BX tires will squat, more rear ballast for lifting more weight up front and a heavier front axle as the original will break and bigger trans because you will smoke the old one Oh and a larger bucket because you cant get over 1000 lbs in the 48" bucket, maybe a turbo add on for more power to haul the extra weight? If you could lift 1000 lbs or so in a BX could you safely drive it around on uneven ground? I highly doubt it! Were the loader arms designed to lift more than rated? Greensvillejay just had welds break on his! Beware what the You tubers pedal, Its just for more likes and subscribes! I remember Tractor Time with Tim going out of his way to show how much the JD could lift over the BX, but he could only lift it not operate it safely! Go buy a bigger tractor!

I'm quite happy with the BX actually, and I wasn't looking to lift 1,000 lbs, I think the actual lift weight is somewhere around 500 lbs, I have only had issues when trying to dig from a pile, which is where it'd be nice if it could do slightly more, but not a deal breaker for me. The additional height however, would be a great addition as I lift the mower deck on to scaffolding and with the bucket at max height, I'm still about six inches too low, so I have to ask a neighbor for help (which I don't like to bother with such. simple 1st world problems). I for sure don't need a B for an acre, that would be overkill. I saw a possible solution, for a few set backs I have, and was asking to see real world examples of it working.

 

[Trimley]

I justify everything "I do" for "my" needs. The BX18/23 series is a sub-compact, the smallest type in tractor form when I bought my 23S.

Those without the need for a small tractor have larger. They cannot be compared.

It's no different what some choose to do, compared to buying a truck, boat, motorcycle, atv....etc...no one is happy with "stock". We all have our own visions in self reliance.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

See my comments within the above quote.

My garage door height is low enough, I have to drop the ROP, and a roof over my head would be nice. That sounds interesting. Would you mind sharing pictures and what you used for the roof?

here's the one picture I could find... Original ROPS top section is in the garage 'annex',just in case I decide to sell. Verticals are 2x3, thick wall, 1.5x3x 3/16 for cross piece, 1x1 tubing for roof support. roof is 3/16" aluminum. LEDS are controlled with 4chnl RF relay unit(stock headlights are useless with loader). At 6'2" I can use BH no problem and yes it's about 3/4" shorter than the door.