[joshhm]

Thanks to all of you who reached out with answers to my earlier questions. Here is the PK I was looking at. She needs a bit of love but seems to be in good shape to spruce up.

 

[KennyP]

Looks like a great survivor!

 

[Christoph from Germany]

This is a cutie....
I like the horn!

 

[Ambush]

Nice tractor, looks pretty capable! And it really looks just like a tractor. Some interesting geometry on the rear lift and the bucket tilt cylinder placement. What year?

 

[MNGB]

Good looking PK Josh, I think your going enjoy it they are very capable tractors are the rear tires ballasted, you may want to look for rear wheel wts with the loader

 

[ericforster]

That is a beautiful machine. I hope you get many years of enjoyment from it.

 

[joshhm]

Hi, Ambush it is a 72. Thinking I may need to look for a larger bucket and yes I will be adding weights.

 

[MNGB]

Hi, Ambush it is a 72. Thinking I may need to look for a larger bucket and yes I will be adding weights.

Maybe a bit bigger on the bucket don't go to large as loaders can cause the front axles to break and the spindles to bend, that loader is a Pony loader they are ok but the buckets and curl system leave some to be desired so I can understand a redesigned bucket. The later PK loader has a much better bucket the standard one is 36" wide and deeper than the Pony one Here's a couple of pictures I do not abuse or over load the tractor was just pushing some tree tops together when the axle snapped

 

[Ambush]

I built a FEL for my Cub 149 and made the bucket 42" wide and 22" deep. I wanted the width for back blading dirt and you just have to be careful not to overload it if you're hauling wet dirt or gravel. I did break an axle with a load of gravel and a real good accidental bump! Although that axle had some damage already. If your handy, building a quick attach is great

 

[joshhm]

Thanks, I was going to buy the standard oem bucket second hand. Most of what this machine is going to be used for is mulch and lighter gardening materials. Thanks for the info. It is very helpful to me. I am a first time FEL owner.

 

[MNGB]

Thanks, I was going to buy the standard oem bucket second hand. Most of what this machine is going to be used for is mulch and lighter gardening materials. Thanks for the info. It is very helpful to me. I am a first time FEL owner.

I don't think a PK OEM bucket will fit on the Pony loader with out mods may be just as easy to fabricate one from scratch

 

[joshhm]

OK, thanks for that info. It's not the end of the world if I keep this bucket.

 

[joshhm]

It would be harder for me to break the tractor with this bucket

 

[Ambush]

Pretty easy to lengthen the bottom and add a triangle on each side. A couple of grab hooks welded on top of the bucket for chains is another handy feature. You'll wonder how you ever lived without one.

 

[Vigo]

I was wondering if i would come off wrong commenting on the bucket design but glad im actually in good company on that. 😂

I agree modifying it will be fairly easy. If you look at old trip bucket loaders from the 50s and back it seems it was pretty common to add ‘bucket extensions’ some of which were bolted and removable. If the bucket doesn’t have the breakout force to tear them up you might consider adding some 8-18” rods to extend only the bottom, something like whats usually called ‘debris forks’. It will make breaking into old dirt/gravel piles easier, let you rake while backdragging, pick up brush piles, and depending on spacing may act more like a ‘solid bottom’ and let you carry more of anything that wont fall through it. Just an idea.

Anyway that’s a super cool tractor, with the loader, rear hitch, and dual trans its already near the top of the PK heap!! Congrats!

 

[Mark 149 J.]

Great looking tractor!
After looking it over closely I noticed that your loader arms are built like my Danco loader on my Cub 149. You'll notice on your arms how they are welded down the center line. Mine is too. Unfortunately, that is a weak spot. When I removed my loader arms I found that the bottow side were cracked very badly.
You can see the weld on the arms from this picture.

Mine Before on the bottom side.

After grinding down the weld.

I would suggest that you inspect the bottom, top, and center brace for any cracking. It's an easy fix and I haven't had any problems with mine sense I welded it up.
Would love to see more pictures when you get it running. We always like a good story around here.