I purchased a 1987 John Deere 318 that was repowered by a 22hp Vanguard Briggs and Straton engine. This yard tractor is an awesome little powerhouse with onboard hydraulics and power steering. I decided I wanted to build a front-end loader for it to help around the property. I am proficient at welding, which is a requirement of this job.
Tools Needed:
-Welder (Miller 215 is what I use)
-Metal cutting device, chop saw or angle grinder with a diamond cut off disc.
-Metal grinding (angle grinder or similar)
-HVLP paint gun (I use a Sharpe FX3000) or aerosol paint
-Drill press (optional, but highly suggested)
Parts:
-Hydraulic cylinders (lift cylinder and tilt cylinder)
-Misc. bolts and nuts to attach
First thing to do it compile all the metal needed.
Once that is done then the next step is building the mount. I wanted mine to be easily removable, so I attached it with four bolts to existing mount locations on the front of the 318.
All of this is completed with 2" square tubing (1/8" thick). Secured to the frame with the largest bolts I could fit.
Side note, if you don't have a chop saw, this is a really hard job. It is really tough to make straight cuts with an angle grinder. I was not willing to spend the money on a chop saw, so I just bought a cheap miter saw at Home Depot and installed a metal cut off blade. Next, I added a fan speed controller to slow the blade down for metal cutting. This was much cheaper than a chop saw and worked well for me.
Next, I had to weld the posts onto the mount where the arms for the bucket would attach. I planned to use 2" wide by 3/8" thick steel with a solid metal rod in between to be the pivot point for the arms.
After that it was time to build the loaders arms. I did this off the tractor, making sure the width was the same as the support arms and the forward angle was correct for what I wanted.
Next, mock it up on the support arms to check for fit and the correct angle.
For the bucket I cut out a large piece of 1/8" thick steel plate and used angle iron for the corners as well as a 3/8" thick cutting blade on the front.
Next, before I got into hydraulics, I wanted to paint it. I know that the welding to finalize the hydraulic mounting points would ruin the paint, but I figured it would be easier to touch up then to try and spray it all with the cylinders on and taped off.
I used my HVLP gun and John Deere green paint I got from Menards (Rust-Oleum paint) after a coat on Rust-Oleum primer.
No clear coat needed. The John Deere green paint is very glossy and durable.
Next was to bolt it all up to the 318 and fit the hydraulic cylinders. Any 3/8" hydraulic line will work with adapter to fit the specific connectors on the front of the 318 (John Deere hydraulic line fitting - AM37983)
One fitting I ran it through its full movement. Oddly I did not have to make any adjustments and movement was smooth.
It was quickly apparent that this was heavy and being a rear-wheel-drive tractor I would need rear weights. As I did not have weights and just planned to create a cement weight for it, I quickly welded up a holder for a rear weight.
Now, Time to put it into service!!!
Here are some pictures of it in action:
Here are some videos of it in action:
Here are some pictures of the 318 with the front-end loader removed:
I found this YouTube video (not mine) very helpful as well as a few others when I made mine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phqNyn4I3Ms&t=857s