Is there interest in a DIY Loader Kit for B6100/B7100?

[Sterno]

Not sure if this is the right area of the forum to post this.

After a few years of fruitless searching for a loader for my B7100 that wasn't way too expensive, or just a pile of bent rust, I decided to design my own.

It is a quick-attach loader, with a lifting height of 6 feet and a lift capacity of 500lbs that will fit B6100/B7100 and their grey-market relatives. It could probably be made to fit their descendants (B7200, etc) and the BX line as well.
It is constructed largely from sheet steel, not tubing, and so has nice tapered arms that look very similar to the factory loader (B1640) and others like Allied's products

Here's my questions:
Would there be any interest in a kit of parts for people to build their own Loaders from? All parts would be small enough to ship via Fedex/UPS/USPS and so not require truck freight.

Would people want the works, including Hydraulic cylinders/Hoses/Valves or would you prefer to source these yourselves?

As for the subframe, I can provide one that will fit the B6100 and B7100 but have no pattern to work from for other models of tractor. Would there be interest in a kit with or without subframe, leaving it to you to tie it into the tractor?

I understand interest is going to depend on the quality of the product, so when I start building mine this spring I will be documenting the build and posting pictures.

In the meantime, any advice/feedback is appreciated.

Thanks

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Marketable ability would depend on price.
I think you'll find out really fast that Just the shear weight of the final product and parts will put it in a LTL shipping as It would require too many FedEx boxes.
Also the cost is going to end up pretty high just in components let alone the price of the steel.
You would have to buy all the parts in bulk to get the price down.

Is there a market for a loader for a specific set of 30+ year old tractors, yes, but it's going to be very limited.

 

[Lil Foot]

I would think your market would be limited to those individuals who own a B6100/7100 series, that they are in love with and planning to keep, and have searched everywhere for an FEL, with no luck. The quick attach feature would be a major plus. But just how many of those people are out there? Tough question, not sure how to get that data, other than the question you are asking today.
You might consider floating the question on other Kubota forums, just to survey a larger base.

Kubota Tractors Discussion Forum

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[Sterno]

Thank you Lil Foot and Wolfman. plenty to think about, fair points made.

I've no dreams of getting rich from this, I'm just looking to offer options for the community, knowing there's not much out there for us.

I will update this thread (and start one at TractorByNet.com) when the actual build begins.

 

[DOTMANS-54]

Not sure if this is the right area of the forum to post this.

After a few years of fruitless searching for a loader for my B7100 that wasn't way too expensive, or just a pile of bent rust, I decided to design my own.

It is a quick-attach loader, with a lifting height of 6 feet and a lift capacity of 500lbs that will fit B6100/B7100 and their grey-market relatives. It could probably be made to fit their descendants (B7200, etc) and the BX line as well.
It is constructed largely from sheet steel, not tubing, and so has nice tapered arms that look very similar to the factory loader (B1640) and others like Allied's products

Here's my questions:
Would there be any interest in a kit of parts for people to build their own Loaders from? All parts would be small enough to ship via Fedex/UPS/USPS and so not require truck freight.

Would people want the works, including Hydraulic cylinders/Hoses/Valves or would you prefer to source these yourselves?

As for the subframe, I can provide one that will fit the B6100 and B7100 but have no pattern to work from for other models of tractor. Would there be interest in a kit with or without subframe, leaving it to you to tie it into the tractor?

I understand interest is going to depend on the quality of the product, so when I start building mine this spring I will be documenting the build and posting pictures.

In the meantime, any advice/feedback is appreciated.

Thanks

I'm interested.

 

[Sterno]

Hello Everyone,
Sorry for the long time since the last, life gets busy.

Additionally, the sharp increase in the price of steel has pretty much scuttled the idea of doing a for-sale kit.

Nonetheless, I wanted to share a couple of pictures of my progress:



Fab is almost done, plumbing is done. All that's left is to make stands for detaching it, tie the hydraulics in to the tractor and then take it all apart to prep it for Powder Coating. I'm thinking either black or orange, but am open to suggestions.

There has been some interest in the subframe:


I used mostly the same attachment points as what the B219 loader that originally came with these tractors, bracket to rear axle, the 3 bolt holes just to the rear of the bellhousing, and the four front subframe bolts just over the front axle.

 

[amchammond]

Hello Everyone,
Sorry for the long time since the last, life gets busy.

Additionally, the sharp increase in the price of steel has pretty much scuttled the idea of doing a for-sale kit.

Nonetheless, I wanted to share a couple of pictures of my progress:

View attachment 64227

Fab is almost done, plumbing is done. All that's left is to make stands for detaching it, tie the hydraulics in to the tractor and then take it all apart to prep it for Powder Coating. I'm thinking either black or orange, but am open to suggestions.

There has been some interest in the subframe:
View attachment 64228 View attachment 64229

I used mostly the same attachment points as what the B219 loader that originally came with these tractors, bracket to rear axle, the 3 bolt holes just to the rear of the bellhousing, and the four front subframe bolts just over the front axle.

Wow! That looks amazing! Material prices should be starting to drop now. Any chance of restarting the idea of a kit?
Thanks,
Chris

 

[Sterno]

Hello everyone,

I see there is some interest in B6100/B7100 loaders of late and I've come to a decision. It's just not cost feasible for me to offer a a kit at this time so I intend to do something else

If y'all are OK with giving me some time to get the CAD files tidied up I will publish them here under open-source rules (don't build to sell, and give credit).

I want to get all the components into one file, get everything properly drawn as built as there were some changes during fab that require redrawing much of the loader.

That way, anyone that can arrange access to a Plasma / Laser that can cut 3/8" steel and a sheet metal brake that will bend 30" of 10 gauge sheet will be able to build a loader like this.

***edit for Mods***
It might be best if this thread was moved to Fabrication & Customization.

 

[Backhoe58]

Not sure if this is the right area of the forum to post this.

After a few years of fruitless searching for a loader for my B7100 that wasn't way too expensive, or just a pile of bent rust, I decided to design my own.

It is a quick-attach loader, with a lifting height of 6 feet and a lift capacity of 500lbs that will fit B6100/B7100 and their grey-market relatives. It could probably be made to fit their descendants (B7200, etc) and the BX line as well.
It is constructed largely from sheet steel, not tubing, and so has nice tapered arms that look very similar to the factory loader (B1640) and others like Allied's products

Here's my questions:
Would there be any interest in a kit of parts for people to build their own Loaders from? All parts would be small enough to ship via Fedex/UPS/USPS and so not require truck freight.

Would people want the works, including Hydraulic cylinders/Hoses/Valves or would you prefer to source these yourselves?

As for the subframe, I can provide one that will fit the B6100 and B7100 but have no pattern to work from for other models of tractor. Would there be interest in a kit with or without subframe, leaving it to you to tie it into the tractor?

I understand interest is going to depend on the quality of the product, so when I start building mine this spring I will be documenting the build and posting pictures.

In the meantime, any advice/feedback is appreciated.

Thanks

How do you intend to hook up the hydraulics? I am not sure the factory pump can handle it. I was considering putting a pump on the front of the engine

 

[SonofOrange]

The idea is not bad, but has challenges. I'd love to find a knowledgeable fabricator that could help with old loaders. I'm rebuilding one for my L245 right now. I can do the hydraulic and welding work. But a source for the correct or optional parts would be great. What about the frame parts or gusset plates? And buckets. Things that wear out or are often damaged. I've heard that there is a guide that Kubota Tractor uses that lists interchangeable parts, like buckets. Did I mention that I need a bucket? Looks like I can modify one from a BX to make it fit. Would be awesome someone could sell the parts to make it work.
It seems like someone could start a business if they could blueprint loaders or other implements and provide after-market kits to keep them going.

 

[rgOO6]

From a seller standpoint, I do not think you should sell a kit like this. If you want to give away the design, that is fine, but make sure there are plenty of "at your own risk" statements. Keep in mind that equipment manufacturers spend millions of dollars on testing and R&D so they do not kill anyone. It is fairly straight forward to make a design that simple lifts vertically and has a safety factory of 2 or 3. However, it is much more difficult to make the design safe enough so that "when" it does break, the parts move in a direction that is not towards the operator. So just keep in mind that you need to limit your liability to zero.

 

[Skiirooster]

Hello everyone,

I see there is some interest in B6100/B7100 loaders of late and I've come to a decision. It's just not cost feasible for me to offer a a kit at this time so I intend to do something else

If y'all are OK with giving me some time to get the CAD files tidied up I will publish them here under open-source rules (don't build to sell, and give credit).

I want to get all the components into one file, get everything properly drawn as built as there were some changes during fab that require redrawing much of the loader.

That way, anyone that can arrange access to a Plasma / Laser that can cut 3/8" steel and a sheet metal brake that will bend 30" of 10 gauge sheet will be able to build a loader like this.

***edit for Mods***
It might be best if this thread was moved to Fabrication & Customization.

I am interested in you design for the subframe

Hello Everyone,
Sorry for the long time since the last, life gets busy.

Additionally, the sharp increase in the price of steel has pretty much scuttled the idea of doing a for-sale kit.

Nonetheless, I wanted to share a couple of pictures of my progress:

View attachment 64227

Fab is almost done, plumbing is done. All that's left is to make stands for detaching it, tie the hydraulics in to the tractor and then take it all apart to prep it for Powder Coating. I'm thinking either black or orange, but am open to suggestions.

There has been some interest in the subframe:
View attachment 64228 View attachment 64229

I used mostly the same attachment points as what the B219 loader that originally came with these tractors, bracket to rear axle, the 3 bolt holes just to the rear of the bellhousing, and the four front subframe bolts just over the front axle.

i. Interested in your design for the subframe. Can you share your design

 

[TheOldHokie]

Hello Everyone,
Sorry for the long time since the last, life gets busy.

Additionally, the sharp increase in the price of steel has pretty much scuttled the idea of doing a for-sale kit.

Nonetheless, I wanted to share a couple of pictures of my progress:

View attachment 64227

Fab is almost done, plumbing is done. All that's left is to make stands for detaching it, tie the hydraulics in to the tractor and then take it all apart to prep it for Powder Coating. I'm thinking either black or orange, but am open to suggestions.

There has been some interest in the subframe:
View attachment 64228 View attachment 64229

I used mostly the same attachment points as what the B219 loader that originally came with these tractors, bracket to rear axle, the 3 bolt holes just to the rear of the bellhousing, and the four front subframe bolts just over the front axle.

Thats waaaaaayyyyy better than the B219/B1630/B1640.

Dan

 

[b6100bob]

My cousin has B6100 HST and expressed interest in a FEL, currently has a Kubota snowplow blade set up on it. That may be modified some for a loader. There are probably a few people interested in a project.

 

[B1700_JTs]

I have a B1700 and would like to build a FEL for it. If you are willing to share your design I would appreciate anything you could forward.

 

[Vigo]

I guess i never saw this thread the first time around. That's a nice looking loader. I have a B219 and there's actually not much about it that bothers me, other than the fact that the pin holes are not great nowadays because they are nothing more than holes in some ~3/16" or so thick material. I just redid one for my friend and welded 'repair washers' into basically every pin hole which a little more than doubled the contact area (as well as putting hole back to correct spec).

I think the main thing i would choose to change about my b219 if i could just snap my fingers and have it, is all to do with the loader valve. 1, relocate it a bit so it interferes less with getting on/off the tractor (it's not terrible but could be better) and 2, add 'valve features' like drilled for power beyond and a sleeve is actually available, or sectional and new sections still exist, or internal load check valving, etc. Just for the whole valve situation to be 'nicer'. I don't mind anything about the towers/arms/subframe. It's just my opinion but i think EVERY loader built in the present day should have quick attach, whether it's ssqa or the mini-skid QA. I like the JDQA system but.. we'll speak no further on green matters lol. I bought a mini-skid qa adapter and will be mounting it on my b219 and converting/building my attachments to that format. I already built a rock/skeleton bucket with it but since i never mounted the adapter i haven't used the bucket yet either.

 

[Matt_kubota]

Hello Everyone,
Sorry for the long time since the last, life gets busy.

Additionally, the sharp increase in the price of steel has pretty much scuttled the idea of doing a for-sale kit.

Nonetheless, I wanted to share a couple of pictures of my progress:

View attachment 64227

Fab is almost done, plumbing is done. All that's left is to make stands for detaching it, tie the hydraulics in to the tractor and then take it all apart to prep it for Powder Coating. I'm thinking either black or orange, but am open to suggestions.

There has been some interest in the subframe:
View attachment 64228 View attachment 64229

I used mostly the same attachment points as what the B219 loader that originally came with these tractors, bracket to rear axle, the 3 bolt holes just to the rear of the bellhousing, and the four front subframe bolts just over the front axle.

Hi Id be curious to see the pictures of the finished product.
Impressive work! Well done.
Cheers