Remote Control Hydraulic Boom, Bucket

Remote Control Hydraulic Boom, bucket TRACTORS Loaders 14-3-7 "It works great for checking grain bin levels, painting barns, and other high-up chores because I can control the tractor and boom right from the bucket," says Harry Zacher, Maddock, N. Dak., who used a pair of lift arms off an old front-end loader to build a "remote control" 3-pt. hydraulic boom and bucket that he mounted on his 1965 International 504 utility tractor. The 17 ft. 9 in. long boom, which can be raised 20 ft. high, supports a 37 by 19 in. bucket that's 40 in. high and open on one end where it's equipped with a safety panel. The bucket is raised and lowered by an 8-ft. long hydraulic cylinder, and moved sideways by a 2-ft. long cylinder. Both cylinders operate off tractor hydrau¡lics. Zacher uses a pair of hydraulic levers outside the bucket, one to raise and lower it and the other to move it sideways. "I got the idea after I fell off a 12-ft. ladder while trying to reach the roof on one of my grain bins," says Zacher. "I escaped serious injury, but I thought there had to be a safer way to reach high places. I modeled it after a cherry picker used by a local electric utility company. It's much safer than a ladder and the tool tray attached to the bucket is really handy. The bucket self-levels as it's raised. When I reach the top, a ratchet automatically locks it in place. The tractor has to be running in order to raise and lower the bucket or to move it sideways. However, I can start the tractor from the bucket with a remote switch. I can let the bucket down without the tractor running thanks to a restriction valve designed to allow the bucket to come down slowly in case the hydraulics fail." Zacher used both lift arms off an old front-end loader. He cut both ends off one arm and used it for the lower end of the boom. He cut off the bent front end of the other arm and used it to support the bucket at the upper end of the boom. The bucket, built from sheet metal welded to an angle iron framework, is mounted to the boom with two pins. To reduce the amount of hydraulic hose needed, Zacher ran con¡necting rods from the hydraulic levers outside the bucket to hydraulic controls at the bottom of the boom. The boom is fitted with stabilizer legs that must be raised with the 3-pt. hitch before the tractor can be moved. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Harry Zacher, RR 2, Box 81, Maddock, N. Dak. 58348 (ph 701 438-2454).

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