How to Install Your Own Quick Attach

Here’s a do-it-yourself quick attach tutorial on how to install your own quick attach instead of taking it to a welding shop. It does take some time, of course, but if you know how to weld, it can save you money. Let’s take a look at each step of the process.

Step 1: Remove Bucket Pins and Install Face Plate

When you’re changing from a pin-on bucket to quick attach, the first step is easy if the bucket pins have been greased on a regular basis. Put the tractor on a level surface and remove the pins that hold the bucket on. Back the tractor up while not changing the height or angle of the loader arms. Position the quick attach faceplate where the bucket was and reinstall the pins.  It helps to have two people working on this project.

Step 2: Maintain the Back Sheet Angle

At this point, any attachment that will fit a skid loader will fit your tractor, but the bucket will no longer go on.  It’s time to make it quick attach compatible with the weld-on plate that comes in all conversion kits.  Before you start, note the angle of the faceplate. That same angle is what the weld-on plate on the bucket should maintain. All modern skid loaders have a back sheet angle that is 20-degrees off of vertical, and most implements that go on them have that same forward tilt.  On some attachments, that angle is not critical, but it is on pallet forks.

Above is a photo of the bucket with the weld-on plate lying next to it. Some buckets (like this one) have a brace across the back. You may need to remove some of the brace to accommodate the length of the weld-on plate, but leave as much as you can to maintain the structural rigidity of the bucket.

Step 3: Measure Faceplate Location

Now it’s time to get the tape measure to see exactly where the new faceplate will go. The old pin-on brackets will have to be torched off and the quick attach weld-on bracket welded on. Remember, measure twice, cut once!

Step 4: Removing the Old Pin-On Brackets

As you can see in our pictures, one old pin-on bracket has been removed and the remaining material is being removed with a grinder. The other pin-on bracket is being removed with a cutting torch.

Step 5: Placing and Welding the Weld-On Plate

The weld-on plate has been stabilized with clamps and tack welded. Note how the angle iron support brace has been maintained inside the weld-on plate.  It won’t be in the way of the quick attach.

Now that everything has been fitted up and tacked on, it’s time to complete all the welds for the new bracket.  As soon as this job is done the installation is almost complete.

Step 6: Applying a Finish

With the welding done, it’s time to shoot some paint on the new bracket and the back of the bucket to prevent rust and oxidation.

 

Step 7: Finished and Ready For Work

The job is done, and the new quick attach feature is ready to go!

A quick attach is the best option you can add to a tractor.  It opens the door to many attachments that make you more productive, and it allows you to remove the bucket when in tight quarters or when brush hogging.  The only thing you may not like about it is if you could have done it sooner!

Pallet Forks: One Final Note

Beware of cheaper fork frames that don’t have that same angle. They may not work on this quick attach and THAT’S NOT THE FAULT OF THE FACEPLATE!  True skid loader design pallet forks have that same 22-degree angle, and that’s what you want to purchase.

 

Obviously, this is what we don’t want.  It is cheaper to manufacture pallet forks that don’t have the 20-degree angle the rest of the industry adheres to. These forks will have to be modified to work, and the customer would have been better off buying a set with the right angle in the first place.

On some tractors the angle is not as critical, but on many utility tractors made from 1970 through 1985, the correct angle is essential. The biggest offenders tend to be the Deere 100-series and 48 loaders, and some International and Massey loaders. We maintain the 20-degree angle that all skid loaders and reputable attachment makers adhere to, so if you have forks like these that do not work, that’s the fault of the pallet fork manufacturer.

 Unfortunately, we cannot compensate customers for a fix or provide a modified faceplate.

Click here to download a copy of the steps.