Shop-Built Skid Steer Quick-Attach Converter

2024 - Volume #48, Issue #5, Page #33

[ Sample Stories From This Issue | List of All Stories In This Issue | Print this story | Read this issue]

Charles Bowen’s 30-year-old Mustang skid steer still works great, but it won’t work with the broad array of Bobcat-style attachments. Mustang quick attachments have a single locking pin in the center instead of a locking lever on each side.
    “I have a welding business and do a lot of repair work on skid steer buckets and other attachments,” says Bowen. “I needed to be able to move them around the shop, and I couldn’t do it with the Mustang. So, I decided to build a quick-attach conversion plate.”
    Bowen designed the conversion plate to slip over the top of the Mustang’s quick-attach unit. He started with a 43-in. length of channel iron and welded tabs at either end and 1/2-in. flat plates to its front edge. A 4-in. wide crossbar between the plates provides a mount for the Mustang’s locking pin. It slips through a 2-in. hole in a square plate welded to the rear edge of the crossbar.
    “I sized the flat plates for the Bobcat-style mounts, welding them in place to match standard Bobcat-style attachments,” says Bowen. “The crossbar and mount for the Mustang locking pin were sized and located to match the Mustang plate. You could build a conversion plate for any brand this way.”
    Bowen admits the conversion plate is a “beast to lift on and off, but I can do it.” He prefers overbuilt to what he sees on many attachments brought in for repair. At one time, he built buckets for Bobcat and has a lot of respect for how they’re made.
    “People with heavy-duty skid steers will go to a discount place and buy buckets at half the price of a Bobcat bucket and then have to get them repaired,” says Bowen. “I have one customer who’s brought his bucket in three times to have the mounts rebuilt.”
    Bowen isn’t worried he’ll have to rebuild his quick-attach conversion plate.
    Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Charles Bowen, 3175 117th Ave. SE, Valley City, N.D. 58072 (ph 701-840-7678; dakotadeuce46@yahoo.com).

Click here to download page story appeared in.

Click here to read entire issue

Shop-Built Skid Steer Quick-Attach Converter HITCHES Charles Bowen’s 30-year-old Mustang skid steer still works great but it won’t work with the broad array of Bobcat-style attachments Mustang quick attachments have a single locking pin in the center instead of a locking lever on each side “I have a welding business and do a lot of repair work on skid steer buckets and other attachments ” says Bowen “I needed to be able to move them around the shop and I couldn’t do it with the Mustang So I decided to build a quick-attach conversion plate ” Bowen designed the conversion plate to slip over the top of the Mustang’s quick-attach unit He started with a 43-in length of channel iron and welded tabs at either end and 1/2-in flat plates to its front edge A 4-in wide crossbar between the plates provides a mount for the Mustang’s locking pin It slips through a 2-in hole in a square plate welded to the rear edge of the crossbar “I sized the flat plates for the Bobcat-style mounts welding them in place to match standard Bobcat-style attachments ” says Bowen “The crossbar and mount for the Mustang locking pin were sized and located to match the Mustang plate You could build a conversion plate for any brand this way ” Bowen admits the conversion plate is a “beast to lift on and off but I can do it ” He prefers overbuilt to what he sees on many attachments brought in for repair At one time he built buckets for Bobcat and has a lot of respect for how they’re made “People with heavy-duty skid steers will go to a discount place and buy buckets at half the price of a Bobcat bucket and then have to get them repaired ” says Bowen “I have one customer who’s brought his bucket in three times to have the mounts rebuilt ” Bowen isn’t worried he’ll have to rebuild his quick-attach conversion plate Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Charles Bowen 3175 117th Ave SE Valley City N D 58072 ph 701-840-7678; dakotadeuce46@yahoo com

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.

SUBSCRIBE OR RENEW NOW