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Combine Converted To Front-End Loader
Ken Schroeder was in the market for a loader tractor to handle hay, but he didn't want to spend the money for a new one. So he converted an old International Harvester 815 combine, mounting a Great Bend front-end loader on front of the combine. The loader is equipped with a small square bale grabber that'll pick up 10
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Combine Converted To Front-End Loader TRACTORS Loaders 27-2-40 Ken Schroeder was in the market for a loader tractor to handle hay, but he didn't want to spend the money for a new one. So he converted an old International Harvester 815 combine, mounting a Great Bend front-end loader on front of the combine. The loader is equipped with a small square bale grabber that'll pick up 10 bales at a time.
"I use it in the field to load bales onto wagons. It's well-balanced and works like a loader mounted on the back end of a big farm tractor with reversed controls," says Schroeder.
He bought the 1970's combine from a neighbor for $500 and stripped it down to the frame, which he shortened by 2 ft. He used the original engine and hydrostatic transmission from the 815 but moved the engine down and back for better ballast and so that the loader would clear the cab as the bucket is raised. He welded channel iron onto the frame to strengthen it, then welded steel tubing crosswise and bolted the engine onto it. The clutch linkage was modified, from rod to cable, to compensate for the repositioning of the engine.
He made new brackets for the loader, bolted them onto the combine, and mounted the loader on them. After the loader was mounted he removed the cab, narrowed up the operator platform, and set it down between the loader arms.
The combine's existing hydraulic pump is still used to operate the loader. Schroeder installed a 3-spool control valve on a post in front of the steering wheel. One valve is used to raise and lower the loader, one to tilt the bale grab, and one to operate the grapple hooks. The rig still has the original tires, seat, and steering wheel.
Schroeder says IH combines work best for conversion into loaders because they have a hydrostatic transmission that's connected directly to the engine, which allows you to set the engine anywhere you want.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ken Schroeder, 27883 E. 2300 N. Rd., Emington, Ill. 60934 (ph 815 934-5508).
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