Another Bucket Level Indicator Thread

[Kirt]

How about a proximity / level indicator?
A two part device, one in the cab and the other on the bucket.
Unless you are on perfectly level ground the level indicator itself won't be of any use.
But knowing the angle of the bucket in correlation to the angle of the machine would be useful.
A level bucket on a 10° slope is useless.

For your bucket, I completely agree.

Note that as a merchant, I would raise no objections to someone who wants a second one for the cab as you suggest. Maybe a bundle with a 2" for the cab and a 3" one for the bucket? Then you match the bucket one to the one in the cab if you're on a slope.

Of course, it depends on what you're doing on that 10° slope. if you're going down it with something on your forks, best to keep the forks level relative to gravity, not the slope.

<sigh> There's probably an instruction sheet in my future.

 

[bird dogger]

Based on the concerns of a potentially interested party in North Dakota, I left one with the new bearing design in the freezer for roughly 10 hours. Worked fine. Moved immediately when I picked it up. Obviously if it were full of water, the results might have been different, but I didn't do anything but pick it up off the counter and put it in.

I've been continuing to use the original prototype and I'm pretty pleased with the utility of the thing for my usage.

One more design fix is required for the 3" version, and waiting on feedback from the second beta tester before I remove the "BETA" label from the listing. Not too late to chime in with any questions or wants/needs.

Kirt, is your new bearing design now incorporated into the products listed on your Etsy account?

From your description of that design vs. skateboard bearings, I'd be tempted to prefer trying that up here in the Great White North of northeastern ND!!

Hopefully the snow will hold off for another month in order for more fall work to get done, so I could easily wait. But if your new bearing design is already in the indicators (or you build them when ordered), I'll jump in on one of the Beta models right away.

As nice as your new and improved Unifence cursor is, I'm anxious to put your level indicator to good use this upcoming winter!!

David

 

[Joisey]

My L47 has a bucket leveling feature which works from ground level to max height. That, along with the leveling rod that Kubota uses works fine for me. With that being said, I have been known to spend weeks making something that I find useful and other people just shake their head at. But it IS my time and my money. I say go for it.

 

[Kirt]

Kirt, is your new bearing design now incorporated into the products listed on your Etsy account?

From your description of that design vs. skateboard bearings, I'd be tempted to prefer trying that up here in the Great White North of northeastern ND!!

Hopefully the snow will hold off for another month in order for more fall work to get done, so I could easily wait. But if your new bearing design is already in the indicators (or you build them when ordered), I'll jump in on one of the Beta models right away.

As nice as your new and improved Unifence cursor is, I'm anxious to put your level indicator to good use this upcoming winter!!

David

You're too kind, thank you. I've got a dream of making a version of that cursor with a built-in magnifier over each line. Still working through that. Hopefully I'll get it done before I can't get along without it.

If you want a 2" version of the level indicator, that one is basically ready to go. If you'd like to wait till early next week I think I'll have the last bugs worked out of the 3" one. The biggest issue has to do with flex in the side pieces being a bigger problem than in the smaller version. The ugly way to fix that is to just beef it up, but I'm looking for something a little more elegant than that.

 

[Kirt]

My L47 has a bucket leveling feature which works from ground level to max height. That, along with the leveling rod that Kubota uses works fine for me. With that being said, I have been known to spend weeks making something that I find useful and other people just shake their head at. But it IS my time and my money. I say go for it.

My 23s has neither, so color me jealous. Also, SWMBO (She Who Must Be Obeyed) asked enough questions about the need for the 23s. That said, she's a keeper.

Like my books, I doubt this thing is going to be a huge seller, but I'm retired* and I enjoy the process.

And once in awhile someone like @bird dogger comes along and throws some appreciation my way. Makes for a good day.

*Worked long enough to be able to fail at small business until I die.