Lets talk Loader Plans....
 

Hi again....

So working my way through getting the 149 dialed in... Headlights now working, now re-wiring the tailights and making them LED.

My question this time is, which "loader plans" are better?

PF Engineering:

http://pf-engineering.com/

OR...

https://www.cadplans.com/cadloaderlt-model-507.html

Any input from those who have used either of these plans would be much appreciated.

If you know of any other plans or maybe someone who sells a prebuilt loader for a 149 let me know?

Thanks again for your help... This is fun, and everyone has been so helpful...

---- My Personal Opinion ----

I am NOT a fan of the "single arm" loader. Been watching this for a number of years now, and have read numerous (twisting, distortion, and balance) issues.

The traditional (two arms) are better.

Hmmmm,, zero customers have told me of a single issue of twisting etc,,,
it is an emotional thing some people have to get over,,

How can a machine (GT) that only weighs 1,000 pounds twist or bend a piece of steel that is bigger/thicker than the trailer hitch on a truck that can pull/haul 14,000 pounds? :bigthink:

When someone bends a CADLoader, the big three will have to do some speedy redesign on their towing systems,,, :bigeyes:

The purpose of the single arm is to keep unneeded weight off the spindles of the garden tractor.

The less the loader weighs, the greater the payload,,,

Now, if you are only taking the machine to tractor shows,, then build a two arm loader.:biggrin2:

CAD:

This was NOT aimed at you.

My opinion was based on what I seen on another website where someone home made one. I read the issues this guy was having. This was years ago. I remember it was on a 147. That's all.

Little company in Peoria makes a single arm loader it's called a Cat 992G, seems to work for them. :bigthink:

I've got the pf plans. We built one for a buddy of mine and he loves it. Zero issues

Did you fabricate it, or have someone do it?

About how much did you have in materials cost?

I just purchased a set of the PF Plans, I like the dual arm style better myself...

Thanks again,

Steve

It's been a couple years and we got some stuff out of the scrap yard. But iirc it was somewhere around 1000.

A buddy and I did all the cutting and welding ourselves. He sourced most of the stuff.

CAD's one armed loader looks to me as if it would put a lot less stress on the Cub, costs less to build, and is still more than adequate to lift or push anything that the tractor itself is big enough to lift or push, plus the weight of the missing arm. If you need a heavier loader, you might want to think about a bigger tractor.

Noting that when you had a question, CADplans answered it in this forum within a couple of hours, and that really says a lot to me about what kind of tech support you would get if you've got a question or a hiccup along the way.

I have always thought the one arm loader on the Cubs looked pretty cool.