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As you can see from
the back cover of the booklet, the loader was made by a company in Iowa. I
have attempted to find it with no luck - and I even have friends in the
area. I would guess its a shop that went out of business or was absorbed
years ago. So I do not know of a source for any additional
information. I have "met" one other AL-40 owner through this list.
However, I have never uncovered any more documentation of any
kind.
The main frame is
made of hollow box section, and serves not only to support, but also as the
reservoir for the hydraulic oil. The motor/pump assembly just hangs
off the PTO side of the lift frame and plugs into the 36 volt high
power outlet - where the mower plugs in. As mentioned on my web site,
there is a semi-permanent frame under the footboards that locks onto the back
end of the loader assembly, while the front of the loader frame has "bayonets"
in the corners that slide into the tractor frame like the mower bumper bracket,
making the loader an "easy on" assembly. I use the term "easy on" in
quotes, because the loader doesn't exactly balance by itself, and it still takes
a bit of doing to strap it on. I support the upper rear arms with 2x4s to
hold it up, and I can drive under them and slide the bayonets into place.
It's a challenging 1 man job, but when mastered takes about 10
minutes.
I purchased
the tractor used ( I am the 3rd owner and know its whole history) many years
ago. It was equipped with the loader "since birth" - a small company
purchased it to move buckets of plastic beads from one end of a pipe to the
other when they flow tested custom made valve assemblies. As a result, it
was under stressed for the first several years of its life.
This loader is all
the E-15 (or any large frame ElecTrak) can handle. I have broken 1 spindle
as a result of "plowing" while turning hard with a load in the bucket (I have a
cast iron front axle). Motor power is adequate, but traction is poor when
counterbalanced by a full bucket. I use tire chains and a weight box full
of concrete blocks. I reversed the rear wheels to increae the track for
stability, and wheel weights might be a better option than a weight
box.
If you are thinking
of fabricating one, you are welcome to measure mine if you are in the area
(upstate NY). I would give serious consideration to using 36 volt linear
actuators instead of hydraulic cylinders for lifting if I were to build a bucket
loader from scratch. If you have followed some of the dialog around this
group on the subject, I have expressed a concern that there needs to be
synchronizing of two main arm lift actuators to prevent the lift from
"racking." A driveshaft between the two (under the tractor belly) would do
so mechanically and probably could be done if designed in from the start.
The synch mechanism is designed into some actuators. Once over that
technical hurdle, I think the actuators would be far more efficient that the
hydraulic over electric system used on the AL-40. In addition, I think
actuators might make for a somewhat lighter unit since the resevoir, pump and
controls could be eliminated. I would reduce the overall size of the unit
somewhat too - it's just too big and heavy to handle well.
Also remember that
this is not a digger, just a scoop for loading. I use mine to pick up sand
from a pile (truck dumped) and load 12 cubic ft carts pulled by 4x4 ATVs for
trail maintenance. It works fine in that role.
Hope this is
helpful.
Pieter
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