LA302 FEL - How To Detach?

[NoJacketRequired]

This is my second question of the night regarding our "new to us" tractor - thanks for your patience with this Kubota newbie!

Our B7510 came with an LA302 loader installed. I've used quick-attach loaders before on heavy farm tractors; their fold-down support legs seem to have been located a little further up the loader arms from the bucket. This makes me think that I had better ask the right way to detach this loader from the frame, rather than risk having it fall over after I back the tractor away from it.

I'm assuming the order of operations is:
- find a hard flat surface (our paved laneway, in this instance)
- curl bucket until its bottom is flat and parallel to the ground
- drop the two loader jack legs
- lower bucket to ground, then "float" the loader control valve
- shut tractor off and wiggle the FEL control in all 4 directions to bleed off any residual pressure
- pull the two quick disconnect pins
- pull the 4 hydraulic connections and cap open connectors
- start tractor and back away from the loader

What am I missing in this sequence?

 

[chim]

Check this video. Note that the weight of the tractor is lifted by the bucket's edge and not the stand's arms. Also, I think your loader has a bar that crosses the hood at the rear of the frame like my B7500 had. When I sold mine the guy said it was nice to see one without a kinked hood. Apparently some people have a problem getting the back end of the frame in the right position.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93-pJxLLaSw

 

[scdeerslayer]

Not sure how much difference there is (if any) in the procedures but on mine, after lowering the stand arms you tilt the bucket down slightly and lower until it lifts the weight off the pins, then remove the pins and roll the bucket back until the loader frame clears the mounts. There should be detailed instructions in the loader's owner's manual.

 

[NoJacketRequired]

Thanks for the help. Unfortunately I don't have the manual for the loader, hence the question.

 

[NoJacketRequired]

Check this video. Note that the weight of the tractor is lifted by the bucket's edge and not the stand's arms. Also, I think your loader has a bar that crosses the hood at the rear of the frame like my B7500 had. When I sold mine the guy said it was nice to see one without a kinked hood. Apparently some people have a problem getting the back end of the frame in the right position.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93-pJxLLaSw

After watching that video a couple of times, I think I've got this figured out! Don't know why I never think to go to youtube for this info...

Thanks again for the great help!

 

[NoJacketRequired]

I spent a good part of the evening messing with this loader... I just can't see how the geometry will work. I got it off the tractor and back on again, but only after putting 6x6 blocks under the loader support legs. To follow the instructions in the youtube video resulted in the loader support legs never coming close to touching the ground, irrespective of how the bucket was curled.

What an interesting experience, but frustrating, too.

Gotta find the operator's manual for this LA302-1 loader. If anybody has one they want to part with, please let me know!

 

[chim]

It's only been 4 years since I used an LA302 but some details are a little foggy. If someone wants to jump in and point out inaccuracies, please do.

I THINK I recall the support legs only reaching the ground after having the pins pulled. With the pins removed, you should be able to curl the bucket.

The bucket and frame assembly are only ever supported at two points. Initially the bucket edge will be on the ground and the tractor end of the loader frame will support it. As you curl the bucket, the frame will lift out of place at the tractor and the legs will come in contact with the ground as the frame leaves the tractor.

After that happens you can shut the engine down and keep moving the joystick even after the loader movement stops so all pressure is relieved. When the loader comes to rest, the bottom of the bucket and legs will support it. At that time, the bar that crosses the hood shoud be well above the hood and the tractor end of the arms are clear of the tractor.

When reinstalling the loader you need to go slowly and carefully. Pull up to it, connect the hoses and use the joystick to navigate the arms into place. You'll become proficient at using the joystick to get the arms to "rub their way" down into place on the tractor. If you miss, the loader frame will continue downward till the crossbar crushes the hood, so take it slow.

 

[scdeerslayer]

Do you have a factory bucket? Aftermarket buckets or other attachments may make it not work right.

I haven't done it yet but next time I take mine off I'm going to use some 2" thick paver blocks to get the loader a bit higher for better tire clearance.

First time I took it off I was just experimenting without even disconnecting the hoses and I found out quickly that if it's not flat the loader will come off but not go back on. I had to put some blocks under one side of the bucket to get it lined back up.

 

[NoJacketRequired]

Thanks for the great suggestions.

When I was playing with it last night I noticed that even with the bucket (it's the factory bucket) sitting flat on the ground the support legs weren't touching the ground - that's what gave me the inspiration to use the 6x6 blocks to effectively lengthen the support legs. Once I had the blocks in place, I raised the loader, curled the bucket so its cutting edge was pointing downward, lowered the bucket so the front wheels came off the ground, then started to un-curl the bucket toward the flat position. This is when the loader frame popped up out of the quick attach mount.

I say "popped up" because it looks like there could have been some "stick-tion" on the two lower support pins in the quick attach frame as they were coated with rust. The actual removable pins came out with no trouble at all. For this reason I suspect the next time I do this little gymnastics act things will go more smoothly. I'm also going to try doing it on a softer surface, grass rather than asphalt, as it looks like overcoming the stickiness would be easier if there was a bit more friction between the bucket and the ground.

One thing is certain, it's really convenient being able to stand on the ground and operate the loader controls and the hydrostatic drive pedals to make tiny adjustments. The last quick attach loader I played with required either two people or lots of running up and down the steps to the cab.

 

[kckndrgn]

While I don't have the LA302, try posting pictures of your process to remove yours. Maybe the previous owner shortened the legs so the loader would fit on a custom stand?

 

[NoJacketRequired]

I exchanged emails with the previous owner - he indicates he was able to remove the FEL without the aid of blocks etc, so I'm definitely doing something wrong. Will give it another go sometime next week when I get a bit more free time. Oh the joys of being on the steep side of the learning curve!

 

[NoJacketRequired]

Should have updated this some months ago... To make a long story short, the loader is easily detached from the tractor now that I have broken the "rust weld" on the lower loader attachment points. These look like a cross-pin in the vertical loader frame and an inverted half pipe on the detachable portion of the loader. Man, were they stuck together with rust! Now they are covered in grease and are not likely to be problematic again.

 

[WFM]

I've had my tractor 3 1/2 yrs and have never had the need to remove the FEL.
And I hope I don't.

 

[Benhameen]

Glad you got it figured out. Once I started taking mine off, it's very easy to take it off and put it back on, its off the tractor now more than it's on it. No need to carry around the extra weight on the front end if I know I won't need it. Also makes the tractor a little more comfortable while mowing.

 

[NoJacketRequired]

I'll second Ben's comment - our loader is off for the winter, replaced by the front-mount blower.

I do wish I could more easily leave the front mount blower harness on the tractor and run the loader at the same time. The dimensions of the blower harness aren't quite right - the tongue of the harness ends up binding against the loader cross bar as the bucket gets close to the ground. I could take those great big nuts off the cross rod that acts as the pivot point for the front mount harness, but that looks like a lot of work with big tools that I'm not sure I own...

And yes, now that I've got those rusty spots greased, the loader goes on and off quite easily.