Just finished making a zero turn loader myself.used an older simplicity zt mower. Made the bucket out of heavy gauge steel and the rest with metal that was hanging around.I did it with hydraulic cylinders and a electric hydraulic pump, like what is used to tilt truck beds. Like your loader this thing is alot more powerful than I thought. Your video and others inspired me to make one. Each of my hydro drives are rated to take 800 lbs of weight so I'm not worried about stress on the drive system. It was a challenge but it was fun making it. Learned alot on this project. Thanks for the inspiration.
Bought this for my small back deck in the Eastern Sierra. ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxoHYZbq5g9fkcAtinlTqstNlje-UQkCHN We get A LOT of HEAVY snow so I was a bit skeptical but it was worth it! After the first storm of the year this has exceeded expectations! It throws snow very well, even 10-12” + that said the more it piles up the harder it is to maneuver the machine. It is exceptionally light weight and overall exactly what I was looking for. If you have a large amount of snow and a lot of area to clear, you may consider something with a drive engine to help maneuverability, but for decks, second stories, roofs etc, you can’t beat the light weight to great snow throwing ratio. Side note, the chute rotator is a bit flimsy and it initially didn’t seem to work, after a few uses it seems to have loosened up.
I got this mower specifically to be able to drive it through a 36 inch door ua-cam.com/users/postUgkx1VWTrayKBdCKAjzAcZ_Eg4dhHTae3LkN also recommend or gate It is a little tight with the grass deflector installed but has more clearance with the deflector replaced by the recycler/mulcher. This model appears to be popular and a little harder to find for that reason. I can't judge the dependability as I have only mowed the yard twice but everything else on the mower is very nice and working fine so far. I added options for the run hour timer, arm backrests, recycler/mulcher, towing bracket, deck lift assist and cover.
Unbelievable I bought the same zero turn mower without the front deck and I was wondering if I could do the same and I found it on UA-cam and here we go now !!!
Darn it I just bought one those toro zero turns for 200 bucks. Pepaired the deck and sold for 800 bucks. If I'd seen this before, it would have been converted to this. Great job!
I’m glad you like it! Most people think this was built to replace a full size skid steer which of course it wasn’t. This was built for fun mostly but to also have a tool that is versatile for around the yard
Cool idea. I suggest upgrading that little trailer plug connector as it will overheat with 40+ amps. Anderson powerpole 50amp would be good. They make rubber boots to cover when not in use.
Nice. IF i didn't live in an apartment, and IF i already had a zero turn and the spare funds, I would definitely do this :) You did a good job working with what you had, and I really like that it can be easily removed and put back on.
Technically the hydrostatic motors for the drive wheels is a hydraulic system. I wouldn’t ever try to run anything auxiliary off of them due to the massive amount to modification that would be required. Also the hydro drives are usually what fail on these mowers so I wouldn’t want to put any additional stress on them.
@@ChadMees hmm perhaps I can run a separate pump off of a belt or an electric one with an alternator. Thinking of a backhoe attachment too but at that point it might be cheaper to hit the auctions lol
@@andrewk8636 if you were to go all hydraulic you could ignore the alternator. There are a few guys with videos on UA-cam showing a power steering pump being used with a control valve to accomplish a similar thing.
@@ChadMees alternator makes it way simpler because I don't need to figure out clutches or find room for a huge pump under the mower. I plan to keep it all removable so I can still mow. I got a ton of research to do on the various systems.
Love innovation.. I modded my SW4200 to be a super vaccuum leaf collector. The ZT can go near anywhere.. mine is a wannabe tractor, thinking a bucket might be in order. BTW.. you can install bigger tires and wheel spacers for even better Traction.
I have actually done this already. I installed 1in spacers and put slightly wider and taller mud tires on the rear for more control. It made a big difference with handling especially on loose surfaces like gravel
This is an awesome setup. Great job! When trying to balance tractor attachments, lots of folks add calcium chloride to the rear tires. Especially on a zero turn, the rear weight setup you have is probably a much better choice - the added rotational inertia from weighted wheels would rob you of the "flickable" nature of turning the mower.
Thanks for the kind comment. I looked pretty heavily into adding weights within the tires and found a few companies that will fill them with different materials. The issue I had with this was mostly the cost. Some of the research I did showed people filling the tires with water but again I didn’t feel comfortable with doing that. I also prefer having just air in the tires because playing with the pressure is very helpful in different situations. I went with the cheapest route by using the gym weights since they are relatively cheap and easy to come by. Another reason I think adding weight like this is that it is behind the hydros therefore I can use less weight compared to if the weight was added 1-2ft further forward.
Im surprised this made it a whole month without me seeing it. I looked into this a little bit before I just went ahead and bought some 'regular' equipment (albeit old and decrepit, but as a master auto tech it's manageable) and put this idea on the way back burner. Ironically I just fixed a Toro 4225 (nearly identical) for a customer, so this is particularly enticing having the memories of that machine fresh in my head. I'd really like to see more video of it in use, especially maneuvering while carrying something heavy. I did somewhat recently convert an old riding mower into a tiny crane truck with a truck bed crane and a 150cc push mower engine in place of the ~500cc original. I had to do all kinds of stuff to make that work, but none of it was much money (probably
How do I get in touch with you? 1) Do these actuators come with any owners manuals? 2) How do you check hydraulic levels? 3 Have you had any problems with your actuators?
You can leave comments here or message me through email or Instagram chat. To answer your question. 1 no owners manual they are technically a generic Chinese made unit. 2 while I’m sure it is possible to check the level I have no idea the correct way of doing so. I don’t think these are intended to be serviced even though I’m sure they could be. 3 no issues so far mechanically. Only issue I had was the screws around the valve body and the reservoir are steel and they started to get surface rust. A little paint and a q tip and that problem has been solved!
@@dwightlittle6576 I was just about to say the biggest problem is those electro-hydraulic cylinders were basically unavailable since this video was posted but i see they are now available again! Time to resume goofy ideas..
I love this, me and my father had been looking at mini skid steers dingos etc. My father owns a small business where we clean out a lot of houses, do mulch, remove trees to have a small machine to help with labor would be awesome. I think i might make a different system for mine but i think ill give it a shot. great idea!
It is awesome! Especially when you can get a mower with a ruined deck cheaply because everyone thinks they are useless. We have been using this like crazy to move sod, gravel and even plants! Definitely wish we would have built it years ago! Feel free to reach out if there’s anything I can help with!
@@ChadMees Do you by chance have where you bought the actuators? I've been looking for the past 30min trying to see if i want to build my own hydraulic system or not. sadly I think i'd rather go the simple route
Here is the link to the exact ones I bought. It says they are out of stock at the moment but they were the only ones I could find selling them in the US besides a hydraulic company that wanted $800 per cylinder. I suggest trying to message them, they were actually very responsive when I needed them. www.ebay.com/itm/143915018875
I will respond to this comment so you get a notification. I may just upload the part files and some sketches for the time being since engineering school is killing me at the moment! I do plan to try and annotate everything to make the plans easy to understand. It is going to take me a bit to do it though!
Good to hear! I wanted to use linear actuators too but they are a lot slower and also quite expensive. The ones at northern tool were the most likely to work when I was looking. The ones on Amazon and eBay say they can lift 6000N but they are very slow.
@@ChadMees also how much weight ability do u think I would need. I mean the bucket and arms would be about 100 to 150, I'm building a bucket so it will be lighter prob.
Sadly those Hydraulic Actuators you used are sold out there, can't find any other ones like them anywhere, guess I gotta build a hydraulic system then lol
Definitely, the hard part for me was even finding these to start with. They are not very popular (yet) I think projects like this will change that and more sellers will stock them. Unfortunately for the time being this seller is the only one in the US that even is getting them. You can source them directly from China through alibaba but they are a bit pricey. I’m hoping this seller is getting a bunch because I have had a ton of people trying to build these and they are hung up on acquiring the cylinders
My last message from them was saying they will be in stock July 15th. I really hope they have a lot of them but I would keep checking the link because I expect they may not have them very long. I will probably buy a few for some other projects too just so I have them!
@@ChadMees That would be great! My wife says I can't get started or even order the bucket (which I found on Amazon btw, thank you for that) until we get the plans from you. Big confidence booster.
Awesome it should be almost identical then. I started to put together the drawing files last night and I reached out to the seller for the hydraulics since they show they are out of stock right now. I was able to get them to tell me that they are expecting a shipment in July 🙄 which is annoying but they had the best price.
Check alibaba. I don’t know how much their prices will differ for you but you might get a decent price since the shipping isn’t as far. Of course all the taxes and import duties may make it not worthwhile though. The only company that makes them here in the US wants over $800 per cylinder and they have a terrible reputation
This is pretty cool. The only thing is I realize the hydraulic actuators are convenient, but wouldn't it be so much cheaper and higher performing if you just built a hydraulic unit and used conventional cylinders? Then you could have an auxiliary valve for a grapple or anything else you wanted on there. Also it would be cool if you added a quick attach so you could put forks on for moving pallets around. Not trying to be a downer, love the ingenuity just throwing out ideas.
My main reason for going with the electric cylinders was to make the entire thing easy to replicate. Connecting a few small wires and routing them through the mower is easier than dealing with a hydraulic pump, manifold and hoses. The only reason I could see the hydraulic setup working better would be for the speed. As far as price goes it would end up costing almost the same amount from what I priced up. As for the quick attach feature, I wanted to include this but the quick attach plate that would be required was very expensive and heavy. I didn’t want to lose anymore of the payload capacity by throwing another roughly 100lb plate up front. In the future I hope to try and build something with hydraulics because the cylinders are much cheaper/efficient but that will be a learning curve for me since I’ve never messed with it before. DC stuff has always been my go to!
The capacity of the bucket is comparable to a small wheelbarrow which can easily be operated with muscle power so you don't need hydraulics. I would use 12 volt electric linear actuators. They are available with various stroke lengths and weight capacity. I would just use a lead acid car marine/deep cycle battery or two of 6 volt golf cart batteries which I would mount on the back as counterweights.
I looked at linear actuators and unfortunately they are extremely slow when dealing with large weights. Also I believe you are underestimating the capacity of this. It can lift 600lbs in the bucket above waist level. If you can find comprable actuators that can move at the same rate and support the same weight I’d be more than happy to check them out.
@@ChadMees What power is required? (Assuming 100% efficiency.) (600 / 550) x (3 / 10) = 0.33 HP which is 250 watts. Since there would be an actuator on each side of the bucket that is 125 watts per side, or 125/12 = 10 amps per side. That seems reasonable. Now let's see if we can find an actuator, keeping in mid that we will use the arm as a lever so a short movement of the actuator causes a large movement in the arm.
with rubber tires like that it can go on the highway with the SMV triangle because it has a top speed of 25 miles an hour or less therefore it's a slow moving vehicle like a skid loader or farm tractor I use a slow-moving vehicle sign on my Craftsman gt6000 because a tractor is a tractor no matter how big it is and that's fact's
Nice, I've looked at similar in the past with typical ride ons and it's the extra weight on the steering that has turned me off them. So how's your hydrostatic steering system copping with the extra weight. And cheers for the great video,much appreciated
I would also be worried with the standard rider loaded because you already have the weight of the engine up front. While the zero turn isn’t designed for this weight on the front I haven’t had any issues. I would be more worried about bending the casters than anything on some of these mowers. If you notice on this model the casters seem to be more sturdy than some of the others since mine has 3 sides rather than only 2. My concern with the 2 sided casters is when you try to turn with a load it may fold/ bend the bracket. I actually was using it last night to move more gravel around. I haven’t noticed any issues with the hydros, they seem to operate the same loaded or unloaded. I am sure using it like this will shorten their life a bit but I just have been trying to pay attention that I am not forcing them to try and move when they don’t have enough torque to do so. As with anything you have trade offs. I bought my mower for $140 so if I blow one of the hydros I will either rebuild or replace it with another used unit.
Jeremy here can you tell me where to buy the individual electric over hydraulic cylinders I can't find anything on Amazon or eBay maybe I'm not typing the right name. Any help would be appreciated thank you
I just did a brief search and it looks like they are out of stock again. There are only a couple sellers that are importing them and then selling them on Amazon and eBay. You can find them on alibaba with a bit of patience. I don’t know why they are difficult to find/ keep in stock.
Hi there Chad !! Hey thanks for making this video and yes you have helped me a lot. I have a bunch of linear acuators from hospital beds i have gotten but i dont know if they are 12 volt or can be used as 12 volt because as you probably know the hospital beds plug in the wall outlet, so not sure about that but yes i want to build one of these and i like all the things you did , your very smart and creative and its great that your helping people all over the world probably with your great ideas : ) well have a nice day and let me know if you think the hospital bed acuators might work from 12 volts straight ? not sure myself. well have fun on your well deserved cool innovative loader there : )..Mark
Mark, I am almost 100% certain your actuators will run on a lower voltage. They probably run off of a transformer that changes 110v (220v if overseas) to something around 12v-36v DC. The issue you will probably run into is how much weight you can move with those actuators. Each of my actuators can lift a maximum of 2000lbs. You might be able to get around this if you change how close to the bucket you mount them. The close your actuators are the to bucket the less weight they will need to lift. It is exponentially more weight the closer you get to the pivot point! The hardest part is finding a happy medium between the lifting capacity and stroke length. Hopefully this is somewhat helpful and not too difficult to follow my rambling.
@@ChadMees love the rambling i am old school, words are wisdom to me anymore : ), thanks Chad, next time i go out to my shop i will see what is on the actuators themselves and let you know. keep up the great work too ! that thing looks just perfect for mulching and other things filling in holes and swales you dont want in your lawn . : )
I believe rob with ZTMA may have a patent on something like this but his is intended as a factory feature not a bolt on kit like mine. Mine is intended to be easy to remove like a plow or other tractor accessory
Before putting the additional weight on it I did not test the lift capacity. The loader was not at its limits but I would have trouble because even though the rear wheels were still on the ground, I wasn’t able to steer or move around. The wires would slip/spin because there was t enough weight on them.
You mean it won't turn because the shopping cart wheels are buried into the ground and bound up🤣 I hope you don't get hurt on this but that is the only thing I can see happening if you ever use this for more than a few pebbles
Here is the link to them. Unfortunately they are out of stock for now and they were the only ones selling them in the US. You can find them on alibaba but they are more than what I paid. I did reach out to this seller and they told me they should have more in by July. Not ideal but at least they will be getting them again. www.ebay.com/itm/143915018875
I am not building any of these as units. I also don’t know what would need to be changed dimensionally to accommodate the ryobi frame since I do not have access to one. There is another guy that I spoke to and he is working on setting up his ryobi to run this attachment. I am more than happy to answer and questions and help any way that I can!
I will double check the actual height I get out of it but I think it would be pushing it to dump into a truck bed. I have an F150 so I will try this out in the next few days and get back to you but I want to say it would be mostly level with the bed. You would be able to scoop material off the bed into the bucket for sure. It does work very well with our 5x8 trailer though!
Oh yes I’m sorry. I did try it out. I cannot dump into the bed of the truck. It is just shy of being level with the tailgate so I can scoop material from the bed into the bucket but from the bucket to the truck would be a little more difficult. This could be fixed by adjusting the dimensions of the frame or starting with uprights to move the hinge point higher. This currently is a limitation by my own requirement of being able to get on the mower from the side rather than climbing over the bucket. Hope this answers your question and sorry it took me so long to test it out!
@@ChadMees so I’m no engineer, so to get it to lift an extra foot to throw into the truck bed what would you have me do before I build? Please if you don’t mind so I understand without messing up?
I got them on ebay. The seller is out of stock for now but they are supposed be be getting more. The link should be in at description. You can also get them on AliExpress but eBay was the cheapest
Very thankful I found this video, thank you for your willingness to help out the community! I am very interested in your electro-hydraulic cylinders, this has been what compact lawn tractor FEL have needed! How did you go about finding these actuators? I am trying to do some research myself to see what else is available and haven't come across much.
The exact actuators I used are linked in the description on eBay. Unfortunately they are the only sellers I could find for these actuators that weren’t ridiculously priced but they are currently out of stock until July. Similar cylinders can be found on Alibaba but they are not quite as affordable. These cylinders are very specific and I don’t think the demand is there for them YET. I think as more people discover this video and the use of these cylinders we will be able to source them easier. I want to get more of them because they are such powerful actuators in such a small form that can’t really be beat unless you run a full hydraulic system. I really hope the seller on eBay gets a lot in stock because they are the only ones that I could find and they were extremely fair on their pricing
@@ChadMees Thank you very much for your quick reply! Have you been able to get an idea of how much weight the loader will pick up? Is the limit the counterbalance in the rear or the force of the cylinders?
I don’t have an exact number. I have easily lifted 400lbs but I would expect the max would be around 500-600. The issue I have found is that the narrow casters start to dig into the ground. Adding more weight as a counterbalance does help though
I agree. It is definitely not the intended use of a 11 year old mower. However it truly has been a workhorse. We used it to move a ton of gravel, dirt and dig for our garage additions and it never skipped a beat! I myself am also impressed with how it has held up since the hydros were a big concern of mine
@@ChadMees No problem with ingenuity or creativity. I like the idea but will be interested to hear a future update. You and I both well know how well these foreign made goods are in regards to "quality." Made just well enough to surpass the warranty period usually.
Yes that was with both. The bucket weighs about 150lbs on its own. Keep in mind there is a lot of mechanical loss in my design with where the actuators are positioned!
@Lex Man there is a reason you don't see loaders with caster wheels... I think it could make more sense with the loader on the back but idk it's just a whacky idea to me I've made a hydraulic drive zero turn into a 4wd skid steer and it worked great as a plow but I fried a pump pretty fast... They're not made to push loads like that at low speeds it takes an incredible amount of torque to push a blade through snow nevermind scooping up rocks or dirt...it also seems like it could be dangerous?
Odd that you blew the pump so easily. Maybe it was fighting itself? I’ve seen attachments for zero turns like plows that bolt on and people seem to use them pretty hard! Obviously this is not the ideal use case for the hydros but as I’ve mentioned before I haven’t had even the slightest hiccup. That’s doesn’t mean I won’t blow one but I’m impressed nonetheless
@@ChadMees it's not the tires; it's the fact that they are caster wheels... If one of those hits a dip at the right time as you're changing direction the lateral forces on that spindly little...spindle are incredible.. I got 1½ seasons out of mine which wasn't worth it... It's a heat issue hydraulics get really hot and when pushed too far it ruins parts
Great video! I've been wanting to do this with my club cadet zero turn. Looks like you nailed it! Btw, the amazon link to the solenoid doesn't seem to work
Typical amazon lol. They have been changing their links randomly.Thanks for letting me know. Here is an updated link. I will add it to the description as well! amzn.to/39AghX3
In order for that to work It would require a ton of weight to counter balance the bucket and whatever you are trying to move. It would make the entire system extremely heavy but I do agree that having the load on the larger wheels would be beneficial in several ways
@@kdrapertrucker I agree, I wanted to do that but looking at the way the zero turn is built would have made that much more difficult. It would have also used much more material and could interfere with the drive controls. My main constraint with building this was to be as simple as possible and still be able to get on and off from the sides rather than stepping over the bucket like a bobcat.
That was the idea I had when mulling over ideas for a 'non-skidding skid steer'. Put the loader/lift arms on the back over the drive wheels to carry the weight and have it become 'the front', with the caster wheels now being 'the back' - would navigate like a forklift I think. The weight distribution is all wrong as @Chad Mees says - it would be a complete rebuild. That led to the idea of making it an EV conversion where you can put the batteries at the back as part of the ballast. Fun to think about, but probably not worth the effort. If you can find a free junker ZTR though......
Not quite complete yet. I am compiling them into a pdf with explanations. If you are wanting to see a preliminary version I can upload the pdf as it is now for you to check it out. I need to make some adjustments to it and sketch a few other parts but the main frame is finished. Let me know if that interests you, otherwise I can respond to your comment once I finish compiling everything!
I have finished the plans. I'm sure I missed something but they should show you everything you need to replicate what I have! Link is also in the description drive.google.com/file/d/1JcPkj4Lhr23_iJGDis35VCqq6RTUMc2j/view?usp=sharing
![Attachments to Make Your Mower More Efficient! [Do More with Your Mower!]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/azGP_dc43hg/mqdefault.jpg)
Just finished making a zero turn loader myself.used an older simplicity zt mower. Made the bucket out of heavy gauge steel and the rest with metal that was hanging around.I did it with hydraulic cylinders and a electric hydraulic pump, like what is used to tilt truck beds. Like your loader this thing is alot more powerful than I thought. Your video and others inspired me to make one. Each of my hydro drives are rated to take 800 lbs of weight so I'm not worried about stress on the drive system. It was a challenge but it was fun making it. Learned alot on this project. Thanks for the inspiration.
That’s awesome! Do you have any videos of it? I’d love to see your design
Still a work in progress but overall works great.Don’t have a video on it.I may do a quick video of it and put it on UA-cam.
Bought this for my small back deck in the Eastern Sierra. ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxoHYZbq5g9fkcAtinlTqstNlje-UQkCHN We get A LOT of HEAVY snow so I was a bit skeptical but it was worth it! After the first storm of the year this has exceeded expectations! It throws snow very well, even 10-12” + that said the more it piles up the harder it is to maneuver the machine. It is exceptionally light weight and overall exactly what I was looking for. If you have a large amount of snow and a lot of area to clear, you may consider something with a drive engine to help maneuverability, but for decks, second stories, roofs etc, you can’t beat the light weight to great snow throwing ratio. Side note, the chute rotator is a bit flimsy and it initially didn’t seem to work, after a few uses it seems to have loosened up.
I think you could build it cheaper but you have to find the stuff instead of buy it! LOVE IT
I got this mower specifically to be able to drive it through a 36 inch door ua-cam.com/users/postUgkx1VWTrayKBdCKAjzAcZ_Eg4dhHTae3LkN also recommend or gate It is a little tight with the grass deflector installed but has more clearance with the deflector replaced by the recycler/mulcher. This model appears to be popular and a little harder to find for that reason. I can't judge the dependability as I have only mowed the yard twice but everything else on the mower is very nice and working fine so far. I added options for the run hour timer, arm backrests, recycler/mulcher, towing bracket, deck lift assist and cover.
Unbelievable I bought the same zero turn mower without the front deck and I was wondering if I could do the same and I found it on UA-cam and here we go now !!!
Darn it
I just bought one those toro zero turns for 200 bucks. Pepaired the deck and sold for 800 bucks.
If I'd seen this before, it would have been converted to this.
Great job!
And ruined a good mower...
Dude. Not just the video but that you included the plans. Sick. Very nice.
Man for the price of an actual skid steer this is perfect for a diy build. Nicely done. It seems to help weight distribution.
I’m glad you like it! Most people think this was built to replace a full size skid steer which of course it wasn’t. This was built for fun mostly but to also have a tool that is versatile for around the yard
Reguarding the rear tires, you could try liquid ballast in the tires instead of adding weight to the frame of the skidsteer/ztr.
Super cool idea. When I finally upgrade mowers, I may try to convert my current Kubota to this.
Chad Mees, great job building ur homemade skid steer. works for small jobs.
Thoroughly impressed my friend! Now if you could design and engineer it to be self-loading like a piggy back on dump trailer!!
That would be pretty sweet! Maybe a 2.0 is required simply for this feature!
Your ingenuity on this is awesome! Definitely a specialty interest but I absolutely love the projects that different and still useful. 👍
Cool idea. I suggest upgrading that little trailer plug connector as it will overheat with 40+ amps. Anderson powerpole 50amp would be good. They make rubber boots to cover when not in use.
Nice. IF i didn't live in an apartment, and IF i already had a zero turn and the spare funds, I would definitely do this :) You did a good job working with what you had, and I really like that it can be easily removed and put back on.
I wish lawn tractor frames were built as well as most zero turn frames. Well done.
I have the same Zt mower awesome idea kudos
Very nice. Those cylinders solve the problem of installing a hydraulic pump and reservoir and running hoses. Thanks so much for sharing.
Don't zero turns already have them built in? That's how the wheels are powered. I'm trying to find a way to get auxilary hydraulics to work on mine
Technically the hydrostatic motors for the drive wheels is a hydraulic system. I wouldn’t ever try to run anything auxiliary off of them due to the massive amount to modification that would be required. Also the hydro drives are usually what fail on these mowers so I wouldn’t want to put any additional stress on them.
@@ChadMees hmm perhaps I can run a separate pump off of a belt or an electric one with an alternator. Thinking of a backhoe attachment too but at that point it might be cheaper to hit the auctions lol
@@andrewk8636 if you were to go all hydraulic you could ignore the alternator. There are a few guys with videos on UA-cam showing a power steering pump being used with a control valve to accomplish a similar thing.
@@ChadMees alternator makes it way simpler because I don't need to figure out clutches or find room for a huge pump under the mower. I plan to keep it all removable so I can still mow. I got a ton of research to do on the various systems.
Love innovation.. I modded my SW4200 to be a super vaccuum leaf collector. The ZT can go near anywhere.. mine is a wannabe tractor, thinking a bucket might be in order. BTW.. you can install bigger tires and wheel spacers for even better Traction.
I have actually done this already. I installed 1in spacers and put slightly wider and taller mud tires on the rear for more control. It made a big difference with handling especially on loose surfaces like gravel
@Chad Mees would love to see a update of the 0turn fel
I’ll see if I can put another video together in the next week or so. The weather has been pretty poor lately
@@ChadMees That would be great. Thank you so much
I have an extra zero turn needing a deck. And I need a bucket loader. If I move forward w/ the conversion I will be donating to your pay-pal
Pallet forks would be cool and a way to add a small brush/log grapple.
This is an awesome setup. Great job! When trying to balance tractor attachments, lots of folks add calcium chloride to the rear tires. Especially on a zero turn, the rear weight setup you have is probably a much better choice - the added rotational inertia from weighted wheels would rob you of the "flickable" nature of turning the mower.
Thanks for the kind comment. I looked pretty heavily into adding weights within the tires and found a few companies that will fill them with different materials. The issue I had with this was mostly the cost. Some of the research I did showed people filling the tires with water but again I didn’t feel comfortable with doing that. I also prefer having just air in the tires because playing with the pressure is very helpful in different situations. I went with the cheapest route by using the gym weights since they are relatively cheap and easy to come by. Another reason I think adding weight like this is that it is behind the hydros therefore I can use less weight compared to if the weight was added 1-2ft further forward.
Great video good job on your budget build 👍
I wish I had seen this before I bought my setup. I would rather have this than my garden tractor and Johnny Jr loader. Yours reaches much higher.
This was a really neat project. Looks very clean and well thought out.
Well said.
thank yo so much sir for this video. i think i have a few ideas on how to modify the arms a little bit. you got a life long subscriber out of me.
I can only imagine if it had rear tracks oh man it would be a beast for anything especially hills my biggest fear on 0 turns
Im surprised this made it a whole month without me seeing it. I looked into this a little bit before I just went ahead and bought some 'regular' equipment (albeit old and decrepit, but as a master auto tech it's manageable) and put this idea on the way back burner. Ironically I just fixed a Toro 4225 (nearly identical) for a customer, so this is particularly enticing having the memories of that machine fresh in my head. I'd really like to see more video of it in use, especially maneuvering while carrying something heavy.
I did somewhat recently convert an old riding mower into a tiny crane truck with a truck bed crane and a 150cc push mower engine in place of the ~500cc original. I had to do all kinds of stuff to make that work, but none of it was much money (probably
How do I get in touch with you? 1) Do these actuators come with any owners manuals? 2) How do you check hydraulic levels? 3 Have you had any problems with your actuators?
You can leave comments here or message me through email or Instagram chat. To answer your question. 1 no owners manual they are technically a generic Chinese made unit. 2 while I’m sure it is possible to check the level I have no idea the correct way of doing so. I don’t think these are intended to be serviced even though I’m sure they could be. 3 no issues so far mechanically. Only issue I had was the screws around the valve body and the reservoir are steel and they started to get surface rust. A little paint and a q tip and that problem has been solved!
@@dwightlittle6576 I was just about to say the biggest problem is those electro-hydraulic cylinders were basically unavailable since this video was posted but i see they are now available again! Time to resume goofy ideas..
bought 2..
They are truly amazing little units. I am trying to justify buying another set for some other projects!!
I love this, me and my father had been looking at mini skid steers dingos etc. My father owns a small business where we clean out a lot of houses, do mulch, remove trees to have a small machine to help with labor would be awesome. I think i might make a different system for mine but i think ill give it a shot. great idea!
It is awesome! Especially when you can get a mower with a ruined deck cheaply because everyone thinks they are useless. We have been using this like crazy to move sod, gravel and even plants! Definitely wish we would have built it years ago! Feel free to reach out if there’s anything I can help with!
@@ChadMees Do you by chance have where you bought the actuators? I've been looking for the past 30min trying to see if i want to build my own hydraulic system or not. sadly I think i'd rather go the simple route
Here is the link to the exact ones I bought. It says they are out of stock at the moment but they were the only ones I could find selling them in the US besides a hydraulic company that wanted $800 per cylinder. I suggest trying to message them, they were actually very responsive when I needed them. www.ebay.com/itm/143915018875
@@ChadMees Thank you, and please let me know when you have your plans up
I will respond to this comment so you get a notification. I may just upload the part files and some sketches for the time being since engineering school is killing me at the moment! I do plan to try and annotate everything to make the plans easy to understand. It is going to take me a bit to do it though!
lol right before u lifted the trailer i thought to my self, "itd be cool if he tried to lift the trailer" haha. nice
Quite impressive. I’ll be in touch with you soon.
Pretty cool machine.
already planning on making one as we speak on my john deere zero turn. really appreciate the plans! im going linear acuators though
Good to hear! I wanted to use linear actuators too but they are a lot slower and also quite expensive. The ones at northern tool were the most likely to work when I was looking. The ones on Amazon and eBay say they can lift 6000N but they are very slow.
@@ChadMees see i saw the 6000n ones thats what i was planning on getting, they say 14mm/s what were yours pushing in speed for comparison?
@@ChadMees also how much weight ability do u think I would need. I mean the bucket and arms would be about 100 to 150, I'm building a bucket so it will be lighter prob.
also its 5mm/s i stant corrected
i found some that are 14 but they can only hold about 1000 newtons, maybe 2 on each side? and the 6000 newton one on the bucket?
This thing is really cool.
Is the loader still working without damage to the frame and front axles .looks really good just wondering how it holds up over time
Used the hell out of it during our garage construction. It has held up great!
I'm building one now with a presto forklift same mower and I have about $65 into so far
Hell yeah. Well thought out design there.
BadAss Man!! Thanks for the video
Sadly those Hydraulic Actuators you used are sold out there, can't find any other ones like them anywhere, guess I gotta build a hydraulic system then lol
They have been telling me they should be in stock mid July. I will reach out to them again but they had a big run on them initially.
@@ChadMees Fair enough, I mean the whole world is having shortages on everything it seems, but I'll keep my eye out so I can snag a few of them!
Definitely, the hard part for me was even finding these to start with. They are not very popular (yet) I think projects like this will change that and more sellers will stock them. Unfortunately for the time being this seller is the only one in the US that even is getting them. You can source them directly from China through alibaba but they are a bit pricey. I’m hoping this seller is getting a bunch because I have had a ton of people trying to build these and they are hung up on acquiring the cylinders
My last message from them was saying they will be in stock July 15th. I really hope they have a lot of them but I would keep checking the link because I expect they may not have them very long. I will probably buy a few for some other projects too just so I have them!
It's October & they are back on Ebay.
Good Work ! I want one !
Thanks for making the video !
Mike
Thank you very much I download it to files Will be making my own creation and I will be hooking you up in PayPal
I appreciate it! Feel free to reach out with any questions you may have. I’m more than happy to help!
Cool project u made great job
Nice work.
Good job!
what can I say. good helper 👍
That would be great for horse stalls
Works but I wouldnt quite have done the loader arms that way and also how they're mounted on the machine
Pretty neat.
How well has this held up?
Works great
Well done! I hope to do something like this someday as well!
I’m very much looking forward to these plans. As soon as they are out I’m gonna get started on it!!
I will try and get them put together as soon as I finish up my midterms!
@@ChadMees That would be great! My wife says I can't get started or even order the bucket (which I found on Amazon btw, thank you for that) until we get the plans from you. Big confidence booster.
Do you have a toro time cutter? If not you will likely need to make some minor adjustments to the design to make it work!
@@ChadMees yes I do. It’s the SS 5500.
Awesome it should be almost identical then. I started to put together the drawing files last night and I reached out to the seller for the hydraulics since they show they are out of stock right now. I was able to get them to tell me that they are expecting a shipment in July 🙄 which is annoying but they had the best price.
In the event that you need to go on the road with the SMV sign you will be legal to do so
its an amazing idea, please teach how we can build it
In the description I have a link to all the plan files and explanations as well. Hope this helps! Also feel free to reach out with questions
Nice job.
Thanks for the vid been wandering how this would go for years just can't get these cylinders that cheap or at all in Australia
Check alibaba. I don’t know how much their prices will differ for you but you might get a decent price since the shipping isn’t as far. Of course all the taxes and import duties may make it not worthwhile though. The only company that makes them here in the US wants over $800 per cylinder and they have a terrible reputation
This is pretty cool. The only thing is I realize the hydraulic actuators are convenient, but wouldn't it be so much cheaper and higher performing if you just built a hydraulic unit and used conventional cylinders? Then you could have an auxiliary valve for a grapple or anything else you wanted on there. Also it would be cool if you added a quick attach so you could put forks on for moving pallets around. Not trying to be a downer, love the ingenuity just throwing out ideas.
My main reason for going with the electric cylinders was to make the entire thing easy to replicate. Connecting a few small wires and routing them through the mower is easier than dealing with a hydraulic pump, manifold and hoses. The only reason I could see the hydraulic setup working better would be for the speed. As far as price goes it would end up costing almost the same amount from what I priced up. As for the quick attach feature, I wanted to include this but the quick attach plate that would be required was very expensive and heavy. I didn’t want to lose anymore of the payload capacity by throwing another roughly 100lb plate up front. In the future I hope to try and build something with hydraulics because the cylinders are much cheaper/efficient but that will be a learning curve for me since I’ve never messed with it before. DC stuff has always been my go to!
The capacity of the bucket is comparable to a small wheelbarrow which can easily be operated with muscle power so you don't need hydraulics.
I would use 12 volt electric linear actuators. They are available with various stroke lengths and weight capacity. I would just use a lead acid car marine/deep cycle battery or two of 6 volt golf cart batteries which I would mount on the back as counterweights.
I looked at linear actuators and unfortunately they are extremely slow when dealing with large weights. Also I believe you are underestimating the capacity of this. It can lift 600lbs in the bucket above waist level. If you can find comprable actuators that can move at the same rate and support the same weight I’d be more than happy to check them out.
@@ChadMees How quickly (number of seconds) do you need to raise the full 600 pound load to a height of 3 feet?
Roughly 10 seconds from memory
@@ChadMees What power is required? (Assuming 100% efficiency.) (600 / 550) x (3 / 10) = 0.33 HP which is 250 watts. Since there would be an actuator on each side of the bucket that is 125 watts per side, or 125/12 = 10 amps per side.
That seems reasonable. Now let's see if we can find an actuator, keeping in mid that we will use the arm as a lever so a short movement of the actuator causes a large movement in the arm.
Very nice job. 😎
very good video
with rubber tires like that it can go on the highway with the SMV triangle because it has a top speed of 25 miles an hour or less therefore it's a slow moving vehicle like a skid loader or farm tractor I use a slow-moving vehicle sign on my Craftsman gt6000 because a tractor is a tractor no matter how big it is and that's fact's
The title should be " I paid 2000$ to wreck a perfectly good mower 🤣🤣
So yes... They are really hydraulics
Can you come and install this attachment for me please?
Subbed and liked.
It's an ass skid steer but much better than a shovel so I'd call that a win. Nice fabrication skills.
Nice, I've looked at similar in the past with typical ride ons and it's the extra weight on the steering that has turned me off them. So how's your hydrostatic steering system copping with the extra weight. And cheers for the great video,much appreciated
I would also be worried with the standard rider loaded because you already have the weight of the engine up front. While the zero turn isn’t designed for this weight on the front I haven’t had any issues. I would be more worried about bending the casters than anything on some of these mowers. If you notice on this model the casters seem to be more sturdy than some of the others since mine has 3 sides rather than only 2. My concern with the 2 sided casters is when you try to turn with a load it may fold/ bend the bracket. I actually was using it last night to move more gravel around. I haven’t noticed any issues with the hydros, they seem to operate the same loaded or unloaded. I am sure using it like this will shorten their life a bit but I just have been trying to pay attention that I am not forcing them to try and move when they don’t have enough torque to do so. As with anything you have trade offs. I bought my mower for $140 so if I blow one of the hydros I will either rebuild or replace it with another used unit.
Jeremy here can you tell me where to buy the individual electric over hydraulic cylinders I can't find anything on Amazon or eBay maybe I'm not typing the right name. Any help would be appreciated thank you
I just did a brief search and it looks like they are out of stock again. There are only a couple sellers that are importing them and then selling them on Amazon and eBay. You can find them on alibaba with a bit of patience. I don’t know why they are difficult to find/ keep in stock.
Can you just build me one? Tell me what you want for it I’m in upstate New York and I run a small lawn care business. I would love this for mulch
Whats the height of the bucket going up?
Nice
Hi there Chad !! Hey thanks for making this video and yes you have helped me a lot. I have a bunch of linear acuators from hospital beds i have gotten but i dont know if they are 12 volt or can be used as 12 volt because as you probably know the hospital beds plug in the wall outlet, so not sure about that but yes i want to build one of these and i like all the things you did , your very smart and creative and its great that your helping people all over the world probably with your great ideas : ) well have a nice day and let me know if you think the hospital bed acuators might work from 12 volts straight ? not sure myself. well have fun on your well deserved cool innovative loader there : )..Mark
Mark, I am almost 100% certain your actuators will run on a lower voltage. They probably run off of a transformer that changes 110v (220v if overseas) to something around 12v-36v DC. The issue you will probably run into is how much weight you can move with those actuators. Each of my actuators can lift a maximum of 2000lbs. You might be able to get around this if you change how close to the bucket you mount them. The close your actuators are the to bucket the less weight they will need to lift. It is exponentially more weight the closer you get to the pivot point! The hardest part is finding a happy medium between the lifting capacity and stroke length. Hopefully this is somewhat helpful and not too difficult to follow my rambling.
@@ChadMees love the rambling i am old school, words are wisdom to me anymore : ), thanks Chad, next time i go out to my shop i will see what is on the actuators themselves and let you know. keep up the great work too ! that thing looks just perfect for mulching and other things filling in holes and swales you dont want in your lawn . : )
Could you install a hydraulic pump that uses that pto?
Technically yes. Some people have used power steering pumps that are driven by the pto to then have a fully hydraulic setup.
Unless this is already made.....patent it right away!!!!!!!!!
I believe rob with ZTMA may have a patent on something like this but his is intended as a factory feature not a bolt on kit like mine. Mine is intended to be easy to remove like a plow or other tractor accessory
@@ChadMees yeah I see what your saying brother! I'm just saying you should talk with some legal people about getting this patented because it's awsome
U think i can make it on my mower?
Where did u get the weights from in the back?
The weights I used were for a home gym. I found them on Facebook marketplace but there are a lot of options for adding weight to the rear
Cool
Have you tested the lift capacity Before lifting the rear tires?
Before putting the additional weight on it I did not test the lift capacity. The loader was not at its limits but I would have trouble because even though the rear wheels were still on the ground, I wasn’t able to steer or move around. The wires would slip/spin because there was t enough weight on them.
You mean it won't turn because the shopping cart wheels are buried into the ground and bound up🤣 I hope you don't get hurt on this but that is the only thing I can see happening if you ever use this for more than a few pebbles
Where do I find your plans for this?
There is a link in the description
ممتاز جدا
كيف احصل على هذا المنتج
How high can it go, like the bucket
Current setup allows it to lift about 3.5ft
Where or how can I download your plans.
Link is in the description
Link to the cylinders? Can't seem to find them anywhere? Thanks!
Here is the link to them. Unfortunately they are out of stock for now and they were the only ones selling them in the US. You can find them on alibaba but they are more than what I paid. I did reach out to this seller and they told me they should have more in by July. Not ideal but at least they will be getting them again.
www.ebay.com/itm/143915018875
@@ChadMees Thanks!
How much would you charge to build one for a Ryobi zero turn
I am not building any of these as units. I also don’t know what would need to be changed dimensionally to accommodate the ryobi frame since I do not have access to one. There is another guy that I spoke to and he is working on setting up his ryobi to run this attachment. I am more than happy to answer and questions and help any way that I can!
What's the max height you could dump into? Could you load/dump into a pickup truck bed?
I will double check the actual height I get out of it but I think it would be pushing it to dump into a truck bed. I have an F150 so I will try this out in the next few days and get back to you but I want to say it would be mostly level with the bed. You would be able to scoop material off the bed into the bucket for sure. It does work very well with our 5x8 trailer though!
@@ChadMeesDo you have an update for the lift height? Did you try dumping into a pickup bed?
Oh yes I’m sorry. I did try it out. I cannot dump into the bed of the truck. It is just shy of being level with the tailgate so I can scoop material from the bed into the bucket but from the bucket to the truck would be a little more difficult. This could be fixed by adjusting the dimensions of the frame or starting with uprights to move the hinge point higher. This currently is a limitation by my own requirement of being able to get on the mower from the side rather than climbing over the bucket. Hope this answers your question and sorry it took me so long to test it out!
@@ChadMees so I’m no engineer, so to get it to lift an extra foot to throw into the truck bed what would you have me do before I build? Please if you don’t mind so I understand without messing up?
I have a craftsman ztl8000 zero turn mower
Where did you get your cylinders
I got them on ebay. The seller is out of stock for now but they are supposed be be getting more. The link should be in at description. You can also get them on AliExpress but eBay was the cheapest
Very thankful I found this video, thank you for your willingness to help out the community!
I am very interested in your electro-hydraulic cylinders, this has been what compact lawn tractor FEL have needed! How did you go about finding these actuators? I am trying to do some research myself to see what else is available and haven't come across much.
The exact actuators I used are linked in the description on eBay. Unfortunately they are the only sellers I could find for these actuators that weren’t ridiculously priced but they are currently out of stock until July. Similar cylinders can be found on Alibaba but they are not quite as affordable. These cylinders are very specific and I don’t think the demand is there for them YET. I think as more people discover this video and the use of these cylinders we will be able to source them easier. I want to get more of them because they are such powerful actuators in such a small form that can’t really be beat unless you run a full hydraulic system. I really hope the seller on eBay gets a lot in stock because they are the only ones that I could find and they were extremely fair on their pricing
@@ChadMees Thank you very much for your quick reply!
Have you been able to get an idea of how much weight the loader will pick up? Is the limit the counterbalance in the rear or the force of the cylinders?
I don’t have an exact number. I have easily lifted 400lbs but I would expect the max would be around 500-600. The issue I have found is that the narrow casters start to dig into the ground. Adding more weight as a counterbalance does help though
I wonder how much of an adverse effect this use of a zero turn has on the hydraulic transmissions.
Fingers crossed, I haven’t had any issues at all!
@@ChadMees A lot of extra weight, loads, and stresses on this machine now that it was never designed for are my thoughts.
I agree. It is definitely not the intended use of a 11 year old mower. However it truly has been a workhorse. We used it to move a ton of gravel, dirt and dig for our garage additions and it never skipped a beat! I myself am also impressed with how it has held up since the hydros were a big concern of mine
@@ChadMees No problem with ingenuity or creativity. I like the idea but will be interested to hear a future update. You and I both well know how well these foreign made goods are in regards to "quality." Made just well enough to surpass the warranty period usually.
Was that with two actuators?
Yes that was with both. The bucket weighs about 150lbs on its own. Keep in mind there is a lot of mechanical loss in my design with where the actuators are positioned!
Where can I obtain ur plans Chad??
The link should be in the description. It should be a pdf with links and everything
How much do you think those front wheels will hold up?
@Lex Man there is a reason you don't see loaders with caster wheels... I think it could make more sense with the loader on the back but idk it's just a whacky idea to me I've made a hydraulic drive zero turn into a 4wd skid steer and it worked great as a plow but I fried a pump pretty fast... They're not made to push loads like that at low speeds it takes an incredible amount of torque to push a blade through snow nevermind scooping up rocks or dirt...it also seems like it could be dangerous?
Odd that you blew the pump so easily. Maybe it was fighting itself? I’ve seen attachments for zero turns like plows that bolt on and people seem to use them pretty hard! Obviously this is not the ideal use case for the hydros but as I’ve mentioned before I haven’t had even the slightest hiccup. That’s doesn’t mean I won’t blow one but I’m impressed nonetheless
Solid tires are rated for about 600lbs
@@ChadMees it's not the tires; it's the fact that they are caster wheels... If one of those hits a dip at the right time as you're changing direction the lateral forces on that spindly little...spindle are incredible.. I got 1½ seasons out of mine which wasn't worth it... It's a heat issue hydraulics get really hot and when pushed too far it ruins parts
Hi,
I have the same Toro mower. Could you please help me to build one just like yours? I would really appreciate it!
I put all the plan files in the description. I am more than happy to answer any questions you may have
Thank you so much, Chad!👍
what's the maximum lift height?
Roughly 4ft
Those are not trailer connectors. they are batter tender connectors.
Great video! I've been wanting to do this with my club cadet zero turn. Looks like you nailed it! Btw, the amazon link to the solenoid doesn't seem to work
Typical amazon lol. They have been changing their links randomly.Thanks for letting me know. Here is an updated link. I will add it to the description as well!
amzn.to/39AghX3
Product link to cylinders
Links in the description and pdf with the plans
Would work better if you'd set it up with the loader to the rear and mount the seat at the "front" that way he weight is on the big tires.
In order for that to work It would require a ton of weight to counter balance the bucket and whatever you are trying to move. It would make the entire system extremely heavy but I do agree that having the load on the larger wheels would be beneficial in several ways
Or mount the arm at the rear like a bobcat so that more of the weight transfers to the rear tires. But that involves more fabrication and design.
@@kdrapertrucker I agree, I wanted to do that but looking at the way the zero turn is built would have made that much more difficult. It would have also used much more material and could interfere with the drive controls. My main constraint with building this was to be as simple as possible and still be able to get on and off from the sides rather than stepping over the bucket like a bobcat.
That was the idea I had when mulling over ideas for a 'non-skidding skid steer'. Put the loader/lift arms on the back over the drive wheels to carry the weight and have it become 'the front', with the caster wheels now being 'the back' - would navigate like a forklift I think. The weight distribution is all wrong as @Chad Mees says - it would be a complete rebuild. That led to the idea of making it an EV conversion where you can put the batteries at the back as part of the ballast. Fun to think about, but probably not worth the effort. If you can find a free junker ZTR though......
Whats the capacity of the bucket?
Tossing the dimensions in the calculator I’m getting about 25gal or .14cuyd
Do you have a link for the plans yet?
Not quite complete yet. I am compiling them into a pdf with explanations. If you are wanting to see a preliminary version I can upload the pdf as it is now for you to check it out. I need to make some adjustments to it and sketch a few other parts but the main frame is finished. Let me know if that interests you, otherwise I can respond to your comment once I finish compiling everything!
@@ChadMees I'll wait until you have the whole thing complete. Thank You.
I have finished the plans. I'm sure I missed something but they should show you everything you need to replicate what I have!
Link is also in the description
drive.google.com/file/d/1JcPkj4Lhr23_iJGDis35VCqq6RTUMc2j/view?usp=sharing
@@ChadMees Thank a million, I look forward to trying this.
do you have someone interested in manufacturing a kit that could be installed without having to weld the frame?
I do not. This would be a very specific kit and only fit certain mowers. Given it could be adapted to many but would take some time.