LA525 loader wear

[mdhughes]

I had the loader off my L3901DT today to do some cleaning on the tractor and noticed some wear on the brackets that the loader connects to. This is the first tractor that I have had that has a loader on it and I'm not sure if this is normal or not. I have 38 hours on the tractor and have used the loader mostly for moving logs and firewood. But I have done some leveling around our place. I just seems to me to be uneven wear on the parts. I noticed that the pins aren't really tight when there is no weight on them. I have attached some picture of the loader and brackets to show what I'm seeing. Thanks for anyone's help in advance.

 

[ShaunBlake]

Disclaimer: I don't have your machine, nor your loader.

First thing I notice is absence of grease. However, I hasten to acknowledge to acknowledge that wear is greatest on the opposite side of where force is exerted. So, in general, it is common that the first observance of wear is in a specific location.

As for fit: this kind of attachment is designed to be removed and re-installed. Doing that wouldn't be a pleasant chore if the clearances were designed to very close tolerances. (Well, typically, they are designed to close tolerances, but not to nearly identical dimensions. Hope that my meaning comes over!)

Since I'm first on the scene, take my comment as a general 'all is well in Festus' rest well tonight, and check in tomorrow. The gurus will have better information.

 

[Tooljunkie]

That pretty much sums it up, pins being a smaller diameter will wear paint in a strip just like photos show. As mentioned, precise fitting parts it would be difficult if not impossible to attatch. My advice- lubricate loader often,as reccomended by manual.that will keep wear to a minimum.

 

[tcrote5516]

No worries there, mine are worse (220 +/-) hrs. I bought mine new and those spots didn't come greased at all from the factory but I'm going to put a thin layer on them. I don't think it will make much of a difference but it won't hurt either. At the rate they are wearing most of the tractor will fall apart long before these get out of spec and sloppy.

 

[Fro65]

Mine has about 10 hours on it and looks very similar. I keep the pins well greased but am reluctant to grease the hook or cradle attachment points. The way I see it, these are not pivot points and grease would attract dirt and grit and make the wear worse...am I off base?

 

[koja]

Mine has about 10 hours on it and looks very similar. I keep the pins well greased but am reluctant to grease the hook or cradle attachment points. The way I see it, these are not pivot points and grease would attract dirt and grit and make the wear worse...am I off base?

I was thinking the same .

 

[Tooljunkie]

Ya, dont grease the bucket mounts. Clean and dry if possible. Snapping hydraulics back and forth to clear bucket will wear mounts over time, keepin that to a minimum will keep wear down too. As things wear, the play increases, more dirt gets in and it gets worse.

 

[mdhughes]

Thanks for everyone's replies.

 

[CaveCreekRay]

A very thin layer of grease on both mating surfaces nearly wiped off would just minimize corrosion and minimize dirt attraction. Would that be a bad thing?

I think one of the main reasons Kubota recommends loader lubing every 10 hours is they know people will probably go 20 between lubes.

On open pin bearings like the loader joints, one of the main reasons to lube frequently is to move contaminants out of the joint with regular lubing. With my air-powered zerk, I can do the whole loader in five minutes. It takes another 30 to chase all the "over-spooge" (that is a technical term) With WD-40 to clean up the joint areas. I do that to minimize dirt attraction between lubes and to keep the loader cleaner. Keeping the zerk nipples clean after each lube makes it really easy to clean them before the next lube.

With my bucket at rest and the weight off the loader arms, I can wiggle my loader arms back and forth. They slide very easy on the grease at those rear hinge pins. I haven't had my loader off yet but so far, there is only slight movement at the attach points.

 

[Tooljunkie]

The one machine i was looking after for parks wasnt bad til last year, machine was out of yard all summer and worked daily. Operator refused to grease it. "I dont have time" 725 dollars worth of parts to repin the loader brought it back to half as bad as it was. Bushings were pricy to have redone. Price of a tube of good grease and a little time will save you loads of money later down the road.