[dcollard88]

Hi All,

New to the forum and first post. I am currently looking to add a 140 H, 300 or 400 Series tractor to my home as I am increasing my landscaping projects daily. I currently own an E130 lawn tractor but it's not going to get the job done moving dirt, ripping bush stumps / roots & doing some light ground engagement work after tilling.

I've been researching very deeply my options on loaders for the above mentioned tractors and seem to have narrowed it down between the Little Buck loader or the Marric Products 54in Plow Conversion. I feel as though the Marric offers way much more versatility with the root bucket, forks and grapples but doesn't have the lift heights that the Little Buck does. Is sacrificing the lift height a mistake?

My current plans for the loader are, material movement as I am redoing a flower garden in my yard, lifting with some forks my picnic table and snow removal (if we ever get any) in the winter time. I also have around 15 smaller bush stumps and roots I need to remove.

The Little Buck seems to be very popular online but I haven't seen much Marric. Does anyone else here use one, and how do they like it?

-Dave

 

[chuckv]

Welcome Dave !

I have no familiarity with the Marric conversion...but had a couple of Johnny Bucket SRs on tractors previously (one on a 322 and one on a 318...) For our uses on small acreage for just moving materials, the lift height constraints were not very much of a limitation. We moved lots of wood chips for path paving, lots of gravel for driveways and parking areas, plenty of stones/bricks for building walls and small paved areas, etc.

We never had a 'real' FEL, since I was concerned about my wife tipping the machine over on our mostly sloped property. The low center of gravity of the JBSR and similar front attachments made a sensible tradeoff for lift height, for us anyway.

Here are some pictures:

These buckets are easily taken off and don't interfere with the versatility of the tractor like a full frame mounted FEL might.

Chuck

 

[mopar65pa]

Not that I need one as I have a CUT with a FEL, but I'm watching to see what people have to say about each one.

 

[mark]

I have a little buck loader and noticed it is not very well built as far as bucket. rest of it is ok but I've bent bucket bottom just back dragging drive way. also is really slow lifting and lowering even warmed up. I think if it had separate pump and resivior it would be better. if you plan on removing stumps I would go with a 54 blade with scoop attachment. I have a 54 blade but not the attachment. I noticed it is better for back dragging and I've used it to break stumps loose.

 

[dcollard88]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I too worry about tipping as my yard has a decent size slope into my flat back yard. I'd venture to say it's a twenty degree or so angle down. I believe a low height would be ok but carrying anything at the hood height or higher might get dicey even with weight. I learned the hard way when I put my first raised bed garden that having materials delivered directly into my backyard means getting the dump truck stuck. Nursery wasn't too happy with me!

I need to weigh out the possibility of needing enough lift height to get some forks into a truck bed or being able to scoop and place New England snow where I want it in the winter time.

Cost wise I priced out each unit and Marric comes in way cheaper at $1100 or so for the base conversion and around $1900 with a dual cylinder addon plus root bucket. Little Bucks around $2400 after shipping. We've got a ton of 318's and some decent 140's with 54in plows included in the package in the tri state area.

 

[minisub]

I have a little buck loader and noticed it is not very well built as far as bucket. rest of it is ok but I've bent bucket bottom just back dragging drive way....

You might want to consider adding a toothbar. I put a BxEpanded piranah tooth bar on my model 27 bucket and it significantly increased the rigidity of the bucket and made it way more useful for all tasks. Dave, sorry for the thread derail. 😄

 

[TomManson]

I have a Little Buck on a 316K and have not used it much. I did recently add ballast of 250 lbs to the rear plus wheel weights. I tried using it to go through my woods to make paths and it did nothing for me. So I am also contemplating adding a tooth bar. Tom

 

[chuckv]

Tom,

Building paths in our woods on the Oregon property started with 'hand work' of cutting saplings and then removing stumps if needed. These pathways were made by the 322 by first rough mowing, then scraping with the front 54 blade, then adding wood chips with the Johnny Bucket SR. No one attachment ever seems to do it all for the jobs of this type that I attempt. However, the result was pretty good...just have to invest the initial hard work.

These paths were sized to allow the tractors and carts to get to all the property, plus allow the golf cart to 'tour' it as well...without spilling any champagne...

Chuck

 

[N2 Tractors]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I too worry about tipping as my yard has a decent size slope into my flat back yard. I'd venture to say it's a twenty degree or so angle down. I believe a low height would be ok but carrying anything at the hood height or higher might get dicey even with weight. I learned the hard way when I put my first raised bed garden that having materials delivered directly into my backyard means getting the dump truck stuck. Nursery wasn't too happy with me!

I need to weigh out the possibility of needing enough lift height to get some forks into a truck bed or being able to scoop and place New England snow where I want it in the winter time.

Cost wise I priced out each unit and Marric comes in way cheaper at $1100 or so for the base conversion and around $1900 with a dual cylinder addon plus root bucket. Little Bucks around $2400 after shipping. We've got a ton of 318's and some decent 140's with 54in plows included in the package in the tri state area.

140 does not have power steering. The 318/322/332/420/430 came with power steering. 332/430 are diesel and if cared for correctly can last a lifetime. It is said that if you ballast the tractor correctly it won’t be as hard to steer a tractor with a heavy front end load as well as taking some of the weight off of the front axle so it don’t brake or wear out as quick. Don’t get an early model 140, they did not have 1” spindles and would be more prone to braking as well as being more difficult to find parts for.

 

[TomManson]

My 316K does not have power steering but it has always steered well even before installing the Little Buck and the rear weights. I have another 300 that steers like a bear/cow/whatever, it is a workout. I have not yet attacked the steering on it but it could be a case of old dried out grease like I found on my little R70. Tom

 

[N2 Tractors]

I’ve broken 2x steering lineage rods from the Ross gear box on the 317 with the Johnson 12 Workhorse FEL. I’ve been wanting power steering since modifying and adding the loader to the 317. The 316 Onan’s seem to have some pretty beefy manual steering components.

 

[dcollard88]

I'm leaning more towards 318 at this point. Unless a later 140 popped up with Ag's it's tough to beat the power steering. We had an old D200 Wheel Horse with no power steering and the blower and it was a chore to maneuver.

 

[Dog Doctor]

Hi All,

New to the forum and first post. I am currently looking to add a 140 H, 300 or 400 Series tractor to my home as I am increasing my landscaping projects daily. I currently own an E130 lawn tractor but it's not going to get the job done moving dirt, ripping bush stumps / roots & doing some light ground engagement work after tilling.

I've been researching very deeply my options on loaders for the above mentioned tractors and seem to have narrowed it down between the Little Buck loader or the Marric Products 54in Plow Conversion. I feel as though the Marric offers way much more versatility with the root bucket, forks and grapples but doesn't have the lift heights that the Little Buck does. Is sacrificing the lift height a mistake?

My current plans for the loader are, material movement as I am redoing a flower garden in my yard, lifting with some forks my picnic table and snow removal (if we ever get any) in the winter time. I also have around 15 smaller bush stumps and roots I need to remove.

The Little Buck seems to be very popular online but I haven't seen much Marric. Does anyone else here use one, and how do they like it?

-Dave

I've never even heard of Marric before but looking it up, they seem to have a pretty well designed product on their hands. It looks very versatile with the Grapple attachment. I would be interested in hearing about any experiences with this bucket.

 

[JD54Plow]

I would definitely go with the 318 with power steering! Power steering with a load in the bucket is a breeze. Especially if you’re working all day maneuvering around tight places like flower beds, landscaping, fences and all the other stuff in the yard. I have a 140, 300, 318 and 400. The 318 is the weapon of choice! Similar features as the 400 but it’s a little smaller and still has a decent amount of weight to counterbalance the bucket load.