Ford One arm loader

[Yenshu]

Has anyone had or heard of tip over issues with the one arm loaders? It looks centered properly, but I have friends that have said the one arms
are no good? Also what other models of loaders would work with a Ford 4000 gas tractor?

 

[michford]

The best loader for a Ford 4000 will be what you happen to find in the distance you are willing to travel to get one. With antique tractors, you may have to settle with what is available at the moment and keep your eyes open to switching out if you find something you think you might like better. If there is a one arm loader available near you, go ahead and get it. Any loader can be dangerous if you drive around with a heavy load up in the air whether it is a one arm or a two arm loader. Keep the load as close to the ground when in motion, and only raise it up when you get where you need to go.

 

[Lynn Patrick]

I believe the 0ne Arm Loaders came w/a weight for inside the opposite side rear wheel. I say I believe that, but I have yet to see one actually in place!

 

[Sean in PA]

Lots of folks think with their instincts about things like that and are convinced that since the loader is only attached to one side of the tractor that lifting a heavy load will cause it to roll over on its side.

Once the loader is mounted to the tractor, the tractor frame becomes part of the loader frame, and as long as the load in the bucket is somewhat centered, and the tractor has sufficient ballast that is also centered, there is no tendency to roll sideways because the downward force on the bucket from the centered load is directly forward along the center line of the tractor from the center of mass of the tractor itself. It does not matter that the downward force of the bucket load is being transfered via the loader arm on one side, it is the locations of the centers of mass of the bucket load and the tractor that matter.

 

[Sean in PA]

I forgot to add that yes, the weight of the loader arm itself will move the center of mass of the tractor slightly to the left, but it weighs at most couple of hundred pounds which is not a lot when compared to the several thousand pounds of the entire tractor, so it should shift the center of mass of the tractor to the left by only a few inches. Maybe that is what the wheel weight that Lynn mentioned was intended to counter.

 

[Gaspump]

You are thinking 501 offset models. They had the required weight to keep the tractor stable. One arm loaders did not come with a weight. I have one on my 960, no wheel weights, only air in the tires and it is
very stable. Rear will get light with a load that is too heavy but at that point it is running out of lifting power. I picked up many tall 12" X 70' pine logs with it and any tipping danger was due to the load
being off center.

 

[Yenshu]

My first thought when I saw it was that it actually looked very stable and was a nice piece of engineering. But like me most of my buddies have never really seen one before and they' were all were convinced it would roll right over. It does have loaded tires but I will still probably add a rock box. I am also considering fabricating a tilt mechanism for the front, unless I find a replacement loader.

 

[Tom in TN]

I have a one-arm loader, a 711 model, on my 1963 Ford 4000 diesel tractor. I have liquid in my rear tires. I haven't lifted any REALLY heavy loads with it, and I never lift it completely up, but I've never noticed any balance problem with it. The real problem with it is that it is very difficult to mount and dismount. I do not have power steering so that's a big part of the difficulty with mounting and dismounting. If I had it to do over, I think I would look for a two arm loader just because of the difficulty with mounting and dismounting.

Tom in TN

 

[michford]

Tom, do you have the stand designed for the loader, or use a substitute stand of some kind? I could see where it would be very difficult without a stand. The one arm loader was supposed to be a quick and simple on and off type of design.

 

[Lynn Patrick]

I had a Ford 19-124 on a 960 & found it to mount/dismount in about 5 minutes when parked on level ground or pavement.

 

[Yenshu]

(quoted from post at 03:55:25 08/20/20) The best loader for a Ford 4000 will be what you happen to find in the distance you are willing to travel to get one. With antique tractors, you may have to settle with what is available at the moment and keep your eyes open to switching out if you find something you think you might like better. If there is a one arm loader available near you, go ahead and get it. Any loader can be dangerous if you drive around with a heavy load up in the air whether it is a one arm or a two arm loader. Keep the load as close to the ground when in motion, and only raise it up when you get where you need to go.

Sorry should have mentioned I already have the 711 loader, so I can wait and look. I know there is an one arm loader with tilt (722), but was hoping for some idea about the two arm loaders were designed for the 4000.

 

[Yenshu]

Can any one post some pics of the stand? Mine did not come with one,the stands were likely the first things lost on those loaders.

 

[Tom in TN]

Mich,

The only "stand" that I know anything about is a leg that supports the big mechanism that contains the hydraulic cylinder for the loader. I don't have that but I do have a pneumatic jack that I use to raise and lower the big arm to align the mounting brackets. The difficult part that I struggle with is getting the tractor close enough to the loader to make the attachments. The procedure for mounting the loader in the manual shows driving the tractor into the loader and turning the front wheels one way and then another to align the attachments. Then you're supposed to pull the bucket around to provide a closer fit to the tractor. I know what the procedure says, but I just have to jockey the tractor back and forth trying to get it near the loader. Even then, I end up manually pushing the loader around to try to get it closer to the tractor.

In any event, I find it to be very difficult to get the loader attached to the tractor.

Tom in TN

 

[michford]

I dont have the stand for mine either, but here is a picture of the actual Ford stand that would have come with each one arm loader. Picture credit to KirkNJ.

 

[Colin King]

A loader will make any tractor more unstable. Ford recommended operating the one arm loader with fluid filled rear tires or adding pie weights to the right side to offset the loader.

From personal experience, I feel the one arm loader is pretty stable, even with a heavy load in the bucket on my narrow front. But like all things, go slowly and carefully.

Colin

 

[Kirk-NJ]

The "friends" who say they are no good. How many have actually had one? Or is it a "you'll shoot your eye out Ralphie." They are well balanced for a light duty loader. As with any loader you will need some kind of counter weight to offset the weight you put in the bucket. They also suggest configuring the rear right wheel out for a better stability. I have a bunch of them and switch from tractor to tractor. As said EZ on EZ off with a hydraulic quick disconnect. Without a counter weight and trying to move too much weight you can get the rear wheel off the ground like the photo with my 9n with the walnut log. As I said they were not meant to be a Heavy Duty loader.

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