In Dec 2012 I bought a new, custom ordered from the factory, L220 SSL. I chose this brand/model as the "best" for my purposes in the 60 hp class after a hard look & try out of units from Cat, John Deere, Volvo/JCB, & Case. Because of my intended uses on my property's turf & woods, often on wet areas with clay/underneath, I chose to put Camoplast rubber over-the-tire tracks (OTT) with the Life Master tread over standard pneumatic 10x16.5 tires. I would have preferred 12x16.5 tires, but they didn't leave enough clearance for the tracks. If JCB hadn't put a hold on production & sale last fall of their small frame machines, I might very well have bought a JCB CTL. I was in love with that side-entry cab!! Also, if Cat had made their MTL's (ASV-style suspended track system) units in the much improved C series, rather than the B series (the B cabs were a turn-off), I might have chosen Cat. Of course, the Case units are almost identical to the NH units, as they are all made in the same factory in Witchitaw, KS. So, it came down to minor details of the units & dealers, & I had by far the best relationship with my New Holland dealer (Capital Tractor) & their sales rep, Drew, who has been patient & outstanding ever since I have known him. Before I go any further, here is a picture shortly after delivery: ...and one "cleaning the woods" in the winter. New Holland did a lot of things right & unique to them e.g., in-cab operated boom lock, boom stops at the bottom position, option for side lights, option for rear drawbar, option for 4-pt lift kit, option for cloth suspension seat (heated even). Of course, there was the usual stuff (some was standard): boom float, ride control, self-leveling, 2-speed, high-flow auxiliary hydraulics, block heater, pressurized cab w/ heat, ac, & radio, full E-H controls, foot & hand throttle, turn signals/hazard lights, & a low profile extended (LPE) bucket with a bolt-on reversible cutting edge (BORCE). While I like my L220 a lot, after having used it in my woods during this past winter, it became evident to me that there were certain "improvements" I could make to greatly increase my satisfaction.
Did you make the mirror setup or buy them??? Are they magnetic mounted or bolted?
Continuing with my Post #1... New Holland could have made all these "improvements" if they were more concerned about details. I'm a firm believer that "the devil is in the details". I think it comes from my German heritage & my combination Civil Engineer then Computer Systems Mgr. career. Of course I'm now retired, so I've got the time to be a little "anal" about my equipment. Oh, before I forget, before I bought a NH, I also investigated Bobcat, ASV & Kubota, but ran into various problems: Bobcat didn't have any of their new models to look at/try & didn't know when they were going to get any, & the dealer didn't impress me; ASV/Terex had lots of short comings in the cab area, & local dealer support was dismal; & Kubota was just new to the CTL game, & while I liked the unit I sat in (particularly the slide-up door), the particularly dealer wasn't very responsive & the units were bigger & more $$ than I thought I needed. Now to my improvement #1 - External Rearview Mirrors The inside rearview mirrors (one on each side) are OK, but they don't help you see the back lower corners. After working in the woods, & plowing snow (where I inadvertently backed into the front bumper of my own truck ) I considered a backup camera system, but that had problems: where to mount it, I did NOT want it on the roof, it didn't help with the lower back corners, & there were screen visibility/sun glare issues in the cab. NH did not have an external mirror option. So, I built my own low-tech external reaview mirrors. The arms are 1/2" steel rod (I'd use 3/4" if doing it again), with steel tabs welded to them. Bolts thru the tabs go into existing holes in the boom that I tapped. The mirrors are std. 8"x10" at NAPA. Even though the mirrors move with the boom, most of the time when traveling the boom is all the way down or very close to it, & I can see the lower back corners of the machine. Perfect...haven't backed into anything since, & greatly increases my feeling of visibility. Total cost about $135.
Improvement # 2 - Drawbar Receiver Hitch One of the big reasons I chose a NH unit was the availability of the rear drawbar option. ASV is the only other one that offers it. Other manufactures dealers I talked to gave me a blank stare when I asked them about a rear drawbar. Bobcat's response was "if you can't see, you shouldn't be pulling it". Does that speak to their rear visibility, or lack of it....?? But, even though NH (& Case) offered a drawbar, they didn't take the next logical step & add a reciever hitch. So, I welded over & under 2" hitch receiver tubes (from Curt) to the drawbar. In the bottom one I usually insert a large tow ring for general pulling. In the top one, I insert a slightly modified Darby Extend-A-Truck 944 to carry my chain saw & other hand tools (rakes, shovels, pruners, etc.) The handles go thru 2" U-bolts on the bottom end & are held with screen door catches on the top. The yellow ratchet straps add side-to-stability. It works great!! Total cost about $147 for the receiver tubes & eye nuts & welding on the drawbar, & about $128 for the hand tool carrier.
Oh wow! Great idea for carrying tools, one of the usual drawbacks to using a ss for trail work. I like the mirrors but I expect I would break them off while working in the woods.
Improvement # 3 - Relocated Inline Fuel Filter The NH unit has 2 fuel filters. The primary one is a cartridge filter inside the rear door, & very easy to access & screw on & off. The 2nd one is a small inline one that was located down on the right side of the engine, about halfway between where you could reach it from the rear hood & where you could reach it from the front with the cab tilted up. And that was with just one hand!! You really needed to get at it with 2 hands to undo the compression clamps & pull the hoses off both ends, not to mention reattaching the hoses!! Oh, and did I mention that the inline fuel filter has the most frequent replacement interval of any filter on the unit, while at the same time being the most difficult to access . Brilliant...the engineer who designed that should be forced to change that filter a couple of times...things would be different. In the midst of trying to change it even the first time, I decided to buy 6' of hose from NAPA & relocate the damn thing up on top where I can easily get at it thru the rear hood. Total cost about $30, only because the diesel hose I was able to get had a pressure rating way more than the 50 psi I really needed.
Improvement # 4 - Seat Belt Defeat Toggle The NH unit is one of the only units to use a shoulder belt restraint rather than a restraint bar. Both can be a PITA when working alone & having to get in/out often, as I do. I found that the only easy way I could defeat the seat belt interlock was to pass the belt around the seat back & keep it buckled. There is a micro switch in the seat belt latch receiver that closes the interlock circuit when the belt is buckled. But, the belt still needs to be unbuckled & rebuckled each time you get into the seat to properly operate the interlock relay. You then must press the "operate" button on the control panel. Otherwsie, the electric brake remains engaged & the hydraulics remain inoperable. I was getting REALLY weary of fighting this system. I'm sure that there is a service code that disables this system, but good luck prying it out of any NH person's cold dead hands!! And then there is the safety police.... So, I finally made a Y connection in the 2-conductor cable behind the seat, ran a cable up into the switch column on the left front of the cab (a bit of a chore), bought a real NH rocker switch (part # 87634134) that would fit into one of the blank positions that NH so thoughtfully left, & wal-la!! Now the machine is once again a joy to use, just sit in the seat, toggle the defeat switch on (located at the bottom of the left switch column just above the control stick), press the "operate" button on the right switch column, & we're off!! And I can still use the seat belt & interlock normally when I really need it. Total cost about $30. Even though the switch has a light built in, it was too difficult to rout a separate power connection to the 3rd terminal to make it work. Also, during the work I quickly blew the 5-amp micro fuse that controls the interlock power, so I had to remove the fuse cover, which leads to my next improvement.
Improvement # 5 - Fuse Cover Changes The fuse cover on the NH unit looks easy to use, located on the left lower part of the cab. The cover includes a cup holder & rubber pocket for stuff. But when you try to remove it, you discover that there isn't really room to get your fingers around either of the 2 thumb screws that hold it on. And you really need to be standing in front of the unit, boom locked up, door open. And when you get the screws out, you find that the plastic cover needs trimming on the front edge so it's not so wedged in there. Imagine blowing a fuse while plowing snow at night with the wind blowing...Your fingers will be so cold that you couldn't feel the thumbscrews even if there was room & you could find them...in the dark!! Again, the engineer that designed this should be made to try it in the winter, in the dark, when it's windy & snowing....ah, revenge is sweet!! So, I first sawed a groove on the top of the thumbscrews to get a long screw driver in, & then trimmed/ground the plastic on the front edge of the fuse cover so that it slid in/out more easily. That was better. Now, I'm trying just simple Phillips-headed screws with trim washers or flat washers, which may be even better because the Phillips heads are sort of auto-centering for the screw driver. Total cost negligible. Below, the red arrow points to the 2nd screw under the front lip of the cab. Below, the top red ellipse shows the general area of trimming/grinding the front edge of the plastic cover. Of course, you still have to flex the cover a little to get it to clear the large bolt/nut in the foreground. The bottom red ellipse shows my experiment with Phillips-headed screws.
Improvement # 6 - Side Light Wire Routing Another useful option NH had was sidelights. Think working in the dark, snow plowing for example, you need to see what's on either side of you before turning or pivoting. The light kit was easy to add, & it just plugs into a socket already installed thru the upper back right corner of the cab. The socket is intended for a beacon, but I like having the side lights controlled by the separate beacon switch. The light kit came with a second socket that could be drilled thru the cab next to the beacon socket, & the wiring harness is already there to wire the side lights into the main front/back light switch. But why bother. The wire routing across the back of the cab, though, was supposed to be done with a "fir tree" wire tie fastener inserted into a hole drilled into the back of the cab. But why drill holes when there are already screw studs sticking thru the back holding on the cab air intake shroud?? So, I fashioned metal wire retainers on these existing studs. Works great!! Total cost about $7. Flat piece is a 2" U-bolt strap, with a rubber lined single cable clamp bolted to it. Stay tuned....more to come.
Improvement # 7 - Front Step I find that I often need to get in/out when the boom is locked up. It's a high step up & over the front lip of the cab. So to ease that a little, I devised a plastic pipe "step" that mounts in the front lift points. The lift points came as part of the 4-pt. lift kit option, & I originally wanted them so that I had a convenient front point for pulling stuff. The "step" can be easily removed/installed because of the unions in it. It's plastic so it doesn't scratch the paint, & yes, it does flex a little, but not bad. It's made of 1.25" solvent welded Sch. 40 pipe, with the center section between the unions beefed up with 2" Sch. 40 PVC solvent welded around the union collars. The collars had to be ground down just a little to slip inside the 2" PVC. It clears the boom being down, so I leave it in all the time. It works fairly well. Total cost about $15. Since I've made this, I have thought of some improvements on my design. Perhaps I'll try them & post them in the future.
Improvement # 8 - Boom Stop Drainage NH had the design sense to put boom stops on the unit. They cushion the boom when it is lowered, & help support it when pushing with it when fully down. My unit came with the 63 mm high stops because of the 10x12.5 tires. After I put the Camoplast rubber tracks on it, the unit was higher, & I needed to have the boom go lower, more like if the unit had 12x16.5 tires on it. So, I replaced the stops with the shorter 40 mm ones. But, because the bolt that holds the stop on is recessed into the top of the stop, the recess hole fills with water. Because I didn't want this occasional water rusting the bolt I drilled a 1/4" drainage hole thru the wall of the stops. The view below shows a 1/4" drift punch inserted thru the drainage hole. Total cost $0 for drilling the holes, about $18 for the 40 mm stops. Yes, I could have just cut the 63 mm stops shorter, but cutting that hard rubber neatly without a band saw is not easy. Using my chop saw or table saw might have worked, but would have risked my fingers w/o a jig. Hard rubber is dangerous to cut on such saws, because the blade sticks & binds....don't ask me how I know!!
Improvement # 9 - Edge Trim There is a need for some edge trim here & there. One area is on the bottom of the hood handholds, that rest on top of the rear door lip. They keep the paint from chipping on the handholds & the handholds from marring up the top of the door. Total cost about $1. Another area is on the front cab lip....Stay tuned, I'm still working on that.
Improvement # 10 - Hole Washers There are areas where slotted holes are used that are exposed. The flange headed bolts that are commonly used don't completely cover these holes, allowing water to leak in. So, I add stainless steel fender washers sized as req'd to copletely cover the slots. Here are some on the back engine cover... ... and on the cab roof. Flanged headed bolts are used all over the unit. They're fine until you loosen & re-tighten one...then the paint under them gets ripped off to eventually be replaced by rust. So, to avoid this on flange headed bolts, & in fact on all bolts, I install a flat washer, preferably stainless steel if it is exposed. Below are typical examples on the front of the unit. Total cost about $10.
Improvement # 11 - Belly Pan The belly pan of the unit has probably 10 or so holes in it. Most are 1" or less for drainage, a couple are slightly larger for access, & by far the 2 largest are closed with bolt-on covers. The largest one about in the center is supposed to be held on by 4 bolts. When I removed it, I discovered that 3 of the 4 bolts had been sheared off (I don't know how...maybe I hit some ice in the winter). Luckily, I was able to pretty easily get the busted ends threaded out of the belly pan, & I cleaned out the holes with a M10x1.5 tap (contrary to the parts list which shows the bolts to be 3/8"-16. The smaller rear cover is held on by only 2 M10x1.5 bolts, why not 4 I don't know, but maybe I'll drill & tap 2 more holes someday. Anyway, I like to replace all belly pan cover bolts with stainless steel, so they don't rust in place over time. Furthermore, I prefer to put a SS flat washer between the cover & the belly pan to gap the cover from the pan so that water will drain around it & not just collect on top of it & rust. Total cost about $10. This view is of the center cover... ...and here is the rear cover.
Improvement # 12 - Oil Drains The remotely mounted engine oil filter & oil drain in a cutout in the left rear counterweight make changing the oil & filter a breeze. However, the metal end of the oil drain rubs against the inside of the metal cover, thereby scratching the paint off the cover, again to be replaced by rust. My solution was to slip a 1" black rubber chair leg tip over the end of the oil drain hose, as shown in the lower red ellipse below. Perfect!! Total cost negligible. The spin-on hydraulic filter is conveniently mounted horizontally on the top left of the engine compartment. NH thoughtfully provided a small plastic tray under the filter to catch oil as the filter is unscrewed. The tray drains thru a hose that passes into the same opening as the remote engine oil filter & drain. The only problem is that NH made the drain hose only long enough to reach to the top of the battery tray just above the oil filter. So, when I first opened the battery/remote oil drain/filter cover, I found the bottom of the battery "bathed" in hydraulic oil from me having just changed the hydraulic filter!! Of course it's SO useful to have your battery fully lubricated!! So, my solution was to make a hose splice out of a scrap of 1/2" copper pipe & a worm-gear hose clamp, and add about 10" of hose thru a hole in the battery tray to drain below it. In the photo above, the upper red ellipse locates the hose clamp splice. Works great. Total cost negligible.
Improvement # 13 - Boom Antislip I maintain that the worst, & most dangerous, thing about all front door SSL/CTL's is getting in & out, especially when it's wet or icy or muddy, or all three, like in the woods in the spring. It's an accident waiting to happen, especially when you're tired & you're getting in and out often. It's not always convenient to step where you are supposed to. So, IMO, every surface that you could reasonably step on should be non-slip. To that end, I added anti-slip tape to the top of the horizontal member just below the manual quick attach handles on my NH unit. See the red ellipse in the photo below. I have some much better, coarser anti-slip material coming from AntiSlipTapeShop.com that I have used before on my excavator. It works well. The coarser the better when you're dealing with mud. Total cost is negligible compared to getting hurt.
I like the drawbar / tool carrier however in my opinion defeating the seat belt switch is not wise. A lot of people were crippled or killed by skidsteers before these safety sytems came along.
Agreed on both counts. Vey clever tool carrier. Unwise move on the seat belts. As an aside, documenting the seatbelt lockout online can/will shift the entire burden for any negligence/responsibility onto Wally in the case of any mishaps that are affected by the change. Hopefully nothing will ever crop up in that area, but if it did, that could be the most expensive modification ever made to one of those machines.
Sorry you feel that way...I expected some comments like this, but I don't think you have ever had to get in/out of your machine REAL often. I have, & fighting with the seat belt every time was making me really dislike using the machine. I'm talking about very low speed moves, like in the woods, to load something by hand, then move 50' & repeat the process. Try that for a couple of hours... Most of my work is like that, stop & go. For any extended work, like repetitive lift & carry, or snow plowing, I think the seat belt is a good idea, & that's why I put a "Y" in the cable. With my defeat toggle off, the seat belt interlock works as originally designed. But I want the decision to use the belt to be MINE. Keep in mind that I'm an owner/operator on my own property...I don't hire operators. The closest analogy would be a small farmer. StumpWally
Oh, I almost forgot, even with the seat belt interlock defeated, there is STILL the seat pressure interlock & the cab door interlock. If your weight comes off the seat, OR the door is unlatched, the brake comes on automatically & all the hydraulics are disabled. StumpWally
Nice mods Stumpy!
Wow! I wonder if any engineers are checking this out. I agree "the devil is in the details". If all makers would take a little extra time, we could ALL put out a better product! Nice job Stumpy.
caterpillarmech: In the spirit of improvement, I've already sent a link to this thread to my NH sales rep at Capital Tractor, & encouraged him to forward it to his contacts at NH, or anyone else he wants. That's one of the main reasons I documented what I did using a thread on this HEF. StumpWally
Addition to Improvement # 9 - Edge Trim The bottom front edge of the cab door opening is a square edge of 1/8" thick steel. The more I looked at it every time I get in/out, I could just visualize myself sometime slipping on anything wet when getting in & falling over that edge!! So, I put a piece of rubber edge trim over the edge as shown below. Getting the front of the rubber back behind the steel plate front of the cab on either side of the opening was a little tough. I first tried to unscrew & pry out slightly that steel front, but it appears caulked to the cab front (which is otherwise great). So, plan B was some WD-40, a block of wood, & a dead-blow hammer - amazing what that will do!! And yes, those are stainless steel washers that I put under the flange-headed cab front screws thru the left & right bottom of the cab front (refer to my comments previously under Improvement # 10 - Hole Washers). StumpyWally
Improvement # 14 - Handle Sleeves It may seem foolish, but I get a huge kick out of re-purposing things, i.e., using common, everyday things in new, unusual ways. Saves money, too. Because I find myself stepping on anything handy when getting in/out, I thought the operating handles to the manual quick-attach could use anti-slip properties. My solution is a pair of medium-sized cookware handle sleeves slipped over the handles. You can find them in rubber or silicone, & often in colors, like black, red, green, blue. My first try, as shown below, is yellow rubber. Total cost about $8. The yellow looks a little more "Cat" than NH, but it's close.
Improvement # 14 - Handle Sleeves I'm a great believer in grab hooks on the top lip of a bucket. You never know when you might need to pull something or chain something in the bucket. So, I had my dealer weld 2 - 3/8" grab hooks to the top lip of my bucket even before I took delivery. Also, in order to make it easier to get in/out of the machine without having to climb over the bucket, & what might be in it, I had 2 steel plates 1/2" thick welded to the back of the bucket, thru each of which I first drilled & tapped 2 - 1/2" holes. Then, I mounted cast iron steps from SkidSteerSolutions.com. Each step is held with 2 - 1/2" socket-headed bolts. They work great, & I can always remove the steps if I want to. Total cost about $98, including the welding for the steps. Stay tuned for pallet fork improvements...
Nice Improvements Stumpy! Really like #14
Correction to the Last Improvement # 14 The last "Improvement # 14 - Handle Sleeves" should be titled " Improvement # 15 - Bucket Hooks & Steps " Please excuse my mistake in my haste... StumpyWally
Did you figure out all the improvements you wanted and do them all before you ever used your machine or is it always in pristine codition. Nice to see something this well taken care of. Very nice workmanship on the improvements as well. regards d.d.
Donkey Doctor: Thanks for the compliment on workmanship & improvements. I took delivery of the machine in Dec. 2012. I used it during the Winter to plow snow & work in the woods in ice & snow. Came up with ideas for the improvements during that time. It was too cold & nasty then to do much about them. I don't (yet) have an equipment shed, so I just tarp the machine when I'm not using it. I started on the improvements this spring during my annual spring equipment maintenance mode when the weather got agreeable. The only improvement I planned from the beginning, even before I got the machine, was the receiver hitch & hand tool carrier addition to the rear drawbar. As I said before, the availability of the rear drawbar was an important factor in my choice of the NH unit in the first place. I usually keep my machines looking pretty good. I take pride in them, & since they're for my own use, I consider them an investment. The skid steer looks great in most of the pics because I just finished pressure washing & cleaning it after the winter. It was a bit of a mess, because during my woods work in the winter, it broke thru ice over a muddy ditch & I buried it in the mud at least halfway up the tracks. It got out by itself (thanks to the tracks), but the mud is clay-based & it was everywhere!! Worst part is that it comes up into the belly of the machine thru the various small holes in the belly pan, then dries there. My "dream" SSL/CTL would have much more ground clearance, say at least 12" or even 16"!! StumpyWally
Nice work, how long did it take to do all of this?
Liking your mods, on a quick note. Cat does offer the MTL in the C series. Currently only the 277C2, previously (pre 2013) they offered the 277C,287C,and 297C. Looking through your mods brings back a lot of memories, It seems like you encountered many of the things I disliked about the machine and came up with a fix. That fuel filter and fuse box aggravated me a lot for two items that need to be serviced often. I like the side lights and it was something I mentioned to the Cat engineers when they were out the other day asking questions. While I don't like seeing seat belt/bar defeats, it sounds like you are only using it when the boom is down and you are moving from place to place. It sounds like you still have it setup to apply the brake and lockout the hydraulics when you leave the seat. Also sounds like you use the belt whenever operating the boom. Furthermore it is your machine on your property and you are the only owner. I could see it being handy for getting in and out picking things up just driving around. Something many people in my area who have held onto these machines (not many as Cat and Bobcat are aggressively taking the business) have wanted to see someone retrofit a case lap bar into one? Any interest in attempting this? Looks like you made the machine much nicer for your uses. Nice work.
Calendar time about a month on & off. I think the MTL's in C series must have been larger (more hp & weight) than I was looking for. Or it could have been the Cat reps failure to inform me. I didn't know at the time to ask him specifically about the C series cabs on the MTL's, but I did tell him that I did not like the B series cabs he was showing me. While the Cat rep was fairly responsive, certainly more than the John Deere rep, he still was very reluctant to quote me on a machine to order. It seemed he only wanted to sell me one that Milton Cat had already & had ordered to "their" specs, because as he stated, "they" knew what options people wanted, never mind what I wanted. That was the only part of his attitude I didn't like...it was Milton Cat's way or the highway. I don't have any interest in a lap bar at this point. It would just clutter up my cab. But I would think the easy way to do it (but not necessarily the cheapest way) would be to order the parts from Case (CNH). The basic cabs are the same. Might have to cob some holes in cab liners, & maybe some wiring. Good luck. But why?? Do they like lap bars better than shoulder belts?? I haven't had any real experience with lap bars, but of the ones I've seen I think I like the split ones that hinge to the side, like in the Cat C series. Case uses the one-piece, lift-up style I think. StumpyWally
Wow nice modes and looks great. You need to let the factory know so they can improve their design.
Not too many people like the seatbelt over the lap bar. It is nice when you do finally crash one or tip one over, but otherwise a lap bar is leaps and bounds ahead. Yours is defeated, but give them 3,000hrs of use and you will really hate the seat belts. Always fighting them, they are not cheap, on our older machines you had to buy the entire assembly for just shy of $500. Lap bar is fast. We have both the split bars and single bars and I think they are both as quick but the C series cab overall is just quicker to get in and out of. I know of at least one person who bought the case because of the lap bar. The same dealer sells both case and NH in his experience.
Any more improvements stumpy?
Improvement # 16 - Pallet Fork Additions I didn't buy a set of pallet forks with my SSL, because I didn't think I'd need them. Very soon I needed to move some brush piles. So, I added a Bradco signature series set of pallet forks. After moving the brush, I also discovered that I could move all my other attachments around, including my excavator buckets, using the forks without having to actually hook the attachments up. I just put everything on pallets. And the forks are great for moving logs & wood. Now, I consider the forks my "standard" attachment that I have mounted most of the time. But, to make the forks much more versatile, I added eye nuts, D-rings, grab hooks, & a right-hand step (to match the left) as shown in the pic below. Note the large 5/8" D-ring already in the lower center of the pallet fork frame (at the red arrow). That is one of the unique things included with the Bradco forks. Total cost about $102, including the welding. Below is a close up of one of the eye nuts near the top. The eye nuts give me a way to carry a chain slung around the top of the pallet fork frame. They also hold on a fold of heavy clear plastic (from an old door flap) that cushions the frame from contacting the handles on the loader boom. This is caused by the high rollback angle of the NH machine (about 34 degrees), which is otherwise a good thing. Below is a close up of one of the 1/2" D-rings, welded to 2"-wide by 3/8" stock, then bolted thru the side frame, such that the assembly will pivot. Below is a close up of one of the 3/8" grab hooks, welded to 2"-wide by 3/8" stock, then bolted thru the the side frame, such that the assembly will pivot. Below is a close up of the right-hand step that I added to match the left-hand one. Even though the door on the NH machine opens to the left, I found working in the woods & in the mud that there are times I wanted to mount the forks from the right & step across them to get in/out of the machine. I was able to order the matching step parts from Bradco, which are included in the total price I reported above.
Nice pallet fork mods. We were working on a project last summer and we used our pallet forks to move wood.
Improvement # 17 - Fuse Cover Diagram The diagram on the back of the fuse cover did NOT correspond to the fuse layout. It was upside down & backwards from the fuse layout!! It made identifying fuses a real challenge...it gave me a headache!! So, I created a corrected diagram in Visio, printed it out on heavy paper, trimmed & taped it over the original diagram. Total cost about zero...just my time. Below is a pic of the back of cover with the original incorrect diagram. Just below it is my corrected diagram before I taped it over the original one on the cover. Below is a PDF of my corrected diagram if anyone needs/wants to download it. View attachment L220-New Fuse Cover Diagram.pdf
Improvement # 18 - Radiator Cap Cover Every time it rained on my machine, I found that the depressed center section of the radiator cap filled with water, & then started to rust. I hate rust... So, I found that a plastic cover for a soda can was exactly the right size to fit snugly over the cap ears, & still allow the cap to vent as intended. Total cost neglible (my wife had some unused ones lying around), & they even come in colors!! Below is a pic of the radiator cap before the cover... ...and with the plastic cover over the cap.
Seems like you really pay attention to detail. You should head over to adamsforums.com Its a user forum for high ends detailing products
Improvement # 19 - Battery Disconnect Switch My battery got drained by a stuck relay. Turns out that this is a problem that occurs every once in a while, according to my NH service tech. And while the relay is stuck, a battery minder will not ever completely recharge the battery. You have to disconnect the battery in order to unstick the relay and/or to completely recharge the battery. And, in order to check for a stuck relay, you have to check for a trickle current with a micro-amp meter hooked in series with the battery. So, to solve all these problems, I installed a battery disconnect switch on the negative side of the battery. This is actually a NH accessory kit, total cost about $178. Here is a pic of the installed switch: To allow easier checking with my multimeter, as well as easier attachment of battery minder or jumper cables, I installed a small L-bracket to the battery side of the switch on its back. The front of the bracket sticks out past & under the switch handle, and I flipped the handle so it points up to make more room. In hindsight, I should have ABSOLUTELY ordered the machine with this switch factory installed (if possible), because it requires the negative cable to the engine block to be changed. Removing & then reinstalling the 14mm bolt in the side of the engine block is a certifiable Bi%?h !! The bolt head is behind the 2 remote oil filter lines with only about 1" of clearance. I was able to just get a box end wrench on it by feel!! The best way to see it is by removing the battery completely & sticking your head in where the battery was. Below is a pic from the back of the machine that tries to show the bolt head enclosed by the red ellipse: Of course it would have been much easier to get at that bolt if I had removed the 2 remote oil filter lines. But that's a project in itself, & it would have required that I drain the engine oil, which I had just changed 4 days before. So, as usual, I chose the hard way...but the switch works great!!
here i thought all this time that i was too demanding in the perfection of my machines, now i do not feel so bad about it
Dave: I take your comment as a compliment...thank you! StumpyWally
Any more mods Stumpy?
I've collected a Grote 12" LED light bar & another CNH switch so that I can add a much brighter cab light...& one that I can turn on before I try to get into the machine when it's dark. In conjunction with that, I'm thinking about getting a solenoid-operated battery disconnect, like ones used to isolate winches, & substituting it for the manual battery disconnect I now have. I could then add another CNH switch in the cab, so that I can remotely connect/disconnect the battery from the cab. I would then re-purpose the manual battery disconnect to become a winch disconnect. Unfortunately, these mods may have to wait until spring, since I'm not excited about tearing apart the cab liner, the switch panel, & doing the wiring outside in the cold. Currently, my garage door openings are too short by about 1" to allow the machine inside. Tarping outside is OK for storage, but not for working on it in this winter climate. Finally, I'm thinking about adding a receiver-mounted winch to the back. I need one with at least 100' of cable on it to allow fetching of logs from within trees that I don't want to cut a path to. From what research I've done, that means I'll have to be in the 8,000 lb & up winch class, even though I don't really need that much pull. A 4,000 lb ATV winch would probably be enough, & lighter & easier to carry on the receiver mount, but they only hold about 50' of cable. So, I'm coming down to maybe a Warn M8000 winch on a Warn multi-mount, with 100' of 5/16" cable & a roller fairlead, plus a wireless control. What do you think?? Any other ideas??
That would be cool and definitely useful.
Can you provide a schematic for this mod? I am buying a new L220 and this would be of real interest to me as I also have to frequently dismount in my projects in working around our acreage. Thanks in advance.
Which specific mod are you asking about?? I'm very interested in your decision to buy a new L220,...I see very few other owners of NH on this forum, & no other L220 owners that come to mind. Can you provide some background on your decision, your uses, what do you do, etc.?
The seat wiring mod was the main one of interest that was not clear as to detail. I have had a NH Boomer 3045 compact tractor since 09 (new) and have been pretty satisfied with it, but its size and maneuverability in tight places was a drawback. I had a machine shed built this past year and after witnessing the speed, versatility and maneuverability of skid steers we were using, I decided to trade. I very seldom ever used my tractor as a implement pulling machine, always using the bucket or fork attachment on the front, it seemed the skid steer would be more versatile and take up much less space. Since I have a very good relationship with a local NH dealer and I was offered a very good trade, I went with the NH skid. Felt the L220 was a good size for me with more than adequate power and lift. Just hope it will be as dependable and trouble free as my tractor as been. There are a lot of NH Skid Steer units in my area (Brookings, SD) and are used a great deal for snow removal. I am getting it with a snow bucket and a front mount trailer receiver as I used my tractor to move various trailers around and hope the skid steer will be even more maneuverable.
Improvement # 4 - Seat Belt Defeat Toggle - Addendum 1 In reply to SD Carl, attached is a simple wiring diagram for the Seat Belt Defeat Toggle. I did not bother to hook up a ground so that the pilot light would work. Maybe I'll try the next time I remove the left hand column cover to do some wiring in the spring when it's warm.
Improvement # 17 - Fuse Cover Diagram - Addendum 1 I've improved on the fuse cover diagram by printing it in color, to match the fuse colors. I've also added a listing of the fuses as a 2nd page. Both pages are attached. Because both of these would not fit on the back of the fuse cover, I decided to remove everything from the back of the fuse cover, & just print out both pages, put them back to back, & laminate them. I store them in the plastic document holder on the back of the seat. Of course that's when I discovered that NH made the plastic document holder smaller than 8.5"x11", so the pages just hang out the top a little. Why they couldn't have made it big enough to hold 8.5"x11" (which is the size of the Operator's Manual anyway), is anybody's guess!! There is room enough on the seat back.
Back in 1990, I bought a Ford/NH 1320 4wd compact diesel hydrostatic drive, with a front end loader, & a JD rear-discharge 60" mower. I've used it all these years to mow my property, to plow snow, & to work in the woods. I still use it & love it, & it has been virtually trouble free. But as I got older, I got tired of being cold when I was plowing snow, & working in the woods in the winter, but I needed the maneuverability of the small tractor. Hence, my decision to go with a NH L220 SSL with OTT. It's working out great, especially with the improvements I've made. Have you gotten your new L220 yet?? Let me know what you like & dislike. If you've gotten your L220, be sure that it has the latest firmware for the EH controls so that you have the "EZ-EH Speed and Control Settings". Just before my warranty was up, I had my NH dealer do the upgrade on my machine (to v4.0 for control panel (IC) & to v5.1 for UCM (universal control module).
Great thread. Like those little mods that make life easier. You may like this from Holland. 110 pages of excavator mods. Most common being somewhere to put you clogs on the outside of you machine to stop the carpet getting dirty! http://www.bouwmachineforum.nl/forum/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=5751&sid=88a6cd225670a47d708f6dfdd852568f Google translate dutch to English works pretty well.
Graham1, well I looked at all 110 pages!! Wow...lights, mirrors, backup cameras, & tilt-rotators everywhere!!! Most of their modification work is beautiful & well thought out. It seems to me that you UK & European guys are WAY ahead of us in innovative & purpose-built attachments. And the popularity of wheeled excavators is interesting, where it seems you hook on or pull all your tools and attachments onto your machine & just drive to the job!! The boot racks & concern for cleanliness in the cabs was also very interesting. The grated foot boards outside the cab are a great idea...but I didn't actually see any CLOGS (wooden ones) anywhere...??
Glad you liked it. It is mainly the Northern Europeans who have the full spec machines. We are starting to go that way, but there are still a lot of people who think an excavator is just for digging. I have a Volvo EW140 wheeled excavator with a tilt rotator and loads of attachments. Trailer hitch on the blade is my next project. I think with the wheeled excavator popularity everything is much closer together than in the US and Belgium and Holland are very flat. They treat them like cars, taking them home at night and polishing them with car wax. Also haulage is very expensive and highly regulated, so only big operators can afford to haul their own plant. The rest of us have to pay haulage contractors to move their gear. That was why I bought my rubber duck. The racks are for clogs or boots. It was from somewhere else on the site that there was a discussion about clogs and whether in the 21st century they were still appropriate work wear. There are a lot of operators who think that leaving muddy footware outside the cab and operating in your socks is the way to go.You still see, mainly older guys, in the wooden soled, leather upper, style clogs on a regular basis. It appears the general consensus that an operator should only leave his machine to go to the bathroom or to connect hydraulic hoses on an attachment and that is now being sorted by the Oil-quick system that connects the hoses and electrics on attachments automatically. If you get out to do something by hand you are not that good an operator! It is amazing how differently excavator use has developed in UK compared to USA. Here not many people use skid steers apart from tarmac gangs. Most people use 360 excavators and nearly everybody has a hydraulic quick hitch, apart from very small mini excavators. What you don't see here is thumbs. I've only ever seen one hydraulic thumb and the only people to use fixed thumbs are old school demolition. We tend to use a selector grab or struggle with just a bucket. Graham
Graham1 - I enjoyed your explanation & it confirmed what I thought. I've been to Belgium & Holland (& the London area) once about 10 yrs ago, so I understand the flatness you speak of. And I remember being impressed with the neatness of everything in Belgium & Holland, & the pics in the link you provided echoed that. And I have waxed my excavator & skid steer, so I can identify!! Maybe I'm in the wrong country...!! Before I got my ditching bucket, I switched to a manual Klac coupler, from Werk-Brau, I couldn't justify even the hydraulic version, but I definitely wanted the close-coupled design. Of course, I then had to replace my pin-on trenching bucket with one set up for the Klac. (I still have the pin-on bucket for sale in another thread on this forum.) The Klac is very simple & works well. But I can certainly see the usefulness of a tilt-rotator setup with a built-in quick coupler. But they are so expensive, I would presume that guys invest in a good one, then keep it & transfer it to a new machine if they can when/if they replace their machines. What intrigues me is the Scandinavian/European bucket style that I guess has been developed to work best with a tilt-rotator. The bucket style seems to be sort of lower profile, curved in a different way. I don't see buckets like that in this country, & don't even find any on-line or represented in the US. They seem useful, even without a tilt-rotator. All our buckets are deeper & heavier. As for thumbs, even I have a hydraulic one, a stick-mounted Geith. It is very useful, & I've modified it a little with an extension. I've always thought that if I did it again, I'd get a progressive-linkage, bucket-pin mounted thumb. But I can see where going with a hydraulic grapple set up for a quick coupler would probably be more useful (and maybe not too much more expensive), & I wouldn't be swinging the weight of thumb all the time vs. the few times it is essential. And I'm also intrigued with the wheel-mounted excavators, but all my conditions are too wet & soft for such a rig.
The tilt rotators are big money as you say, but they are mainly Scandinavian made, so top quality. The story is they should last at least 20,000 hours, so if you have the right type of work you should be able to get your money back easy enough and as as you thought, they can be adapted to fit other machines easily enough. Also, should you damage it, everything is replaceable. The buckets tend to be low profile to help with the breakout force. With a quick hitch you are obviously increasing the height under the pins so reducing the breakout force. The tilt rotators are even higher, hence the lower profile. The Scandinavian buckets tend to have a long front, but I'm not sure why. Having used them, I find they produce a nice flat bottom to trenches and for grading etc, easier than traditionally shaped buckets, so I think it is all about the finish. Graham
Well its spring time now, have you gotten around to these mods yet?
Well, yes, it's spring here...some days...it must come sooner in Nebraska!! I haven't done the planned mods yet, but I will be soon. I do have the cab light I'm going to add, as well as the Warn winch, Warn winch hitch mount, power interrupt kit, & Warn wireless control (thanks to Christmas & my birthday happening). So, be patient a while longer...
SW, I have read your great series of improvements. We are contemplating moving from a tractor to a skid steer and I am in "learning mode" about SS's... Our needs are similar to yours, except we have 3 horses and colossal sums of manure to till and move (composting constantly to spread)... Thank you !
Improvement # 5 - Fuse Cover Changes - Addendum 2 I decided that the fuse cover still needed further adjustment in order to allow easier removal & replacement. So, I ground off more plastic on the upper right corner, & ground a clearance notch for the nut on the back of the front bulkhead that the cover has to clear. See the area inside the red ellipse on the following 2 photos. Now, I can insert the rear edge behind the rubber liner, push the front of the cover down to allow the bulkhead nut to clear thru thru the notch, then raise the front of the cover into position. It's much better & it's almost painless...but I still feel that the basic cover & its location is still a poor design.
Improvement # 21 - Add Winch & Electrify Battery Disconnect My Christmas present to myself was a Warn M8000 winch (100' of 5/16" cable & a roller fairlead) plus a Warn multi-mount receiver hitch mount (#26370). The winch was about $590, less $100 rebate, & the multi-mount was about $214, both from Amazon. Aside from the decent price, capacity, & cable length, I chose the M8000 because it had a fairly low profile so that there was a chance that the rear door could swing open over it. More on this a little later on... Then, for my birthday I asked for (& received) a Warn Power Interrupt kit (#62132, about $72)) & a Warn Wireless Control (#90287, about $118), again from Amazon. Why did I want all this, you might ask? I work in my woods to retrieve dead trees, & I wanted to be able to pull out some of those from a distance, without having to cut a road all the way to them. Also, a winch on the rear would be handy to pull myself out of the mud when I get stuck. My ground can be very wet in spots. And finally, if the winch is mounted on a multi-mount, I can easily remove it & put it into the receiver hitch of my pickup truck for double duty. Warm spring weather finally arrived in upstate NY, & "presto", this is what I ended up with... The red ellipse encloses the wireless receiver, which inserts into the top of the control box. To open the back door, the wireless receiver must be unplugged, & then the door will just clear the top of the control box if I lift up slightly on the door when swinging it. To help with clearance, I shimmed up the door on its hinge pins by one washer thickness (not quite 1/8"), & that helped a lot. The power cable is still a little tight under the door. I removed the weather stripping along the inside bottom of the door to help (after all, what purpose is the weather stripping when the entire back door is full of holes!). For any further cable clearance I suppose I could grind a slight notch for the cable in the bottom of the door or on top of the sill (counter weight). I'll think about it... With the back door open & the winch power cable unplugged, the next photo shows the power cable stowed under the radiator, with the cable dust cover (on a lanyard) inserted. But, it was anything but "presto" to get here!! Every time I work on my skid steer, I have to keep reminding myself that I didn't buy it because of it was easy to work on & it had a spacious engine compartment!! But. I digress... First, here is the wiring diagram I came up with. Note the following from the diagram: 1. The electric battery disconnect breaks the negative circuit. This was the same way that the manual NH disconnect worked. 2. The manual winch disconnect breaks the positive circuit. 3. Because the winch disconnect is manual, I can plug a set of jumper cables into the winch connect & either jump the skip steer or jump another vehicle. 4. Because the battery minder connect is wired direct to the battery terminals, the battery minder will trickle charge the battery with all switches off. Now, following are some photos showing what I did. Here are the plates I fabricated showing their back side, with the original manual NH battery connect mounted on the bottom (now repurposed as a winch connect), & the new Warn electric battery connect mounted on top. The manual NH switch is part # 87458467, & is stamped Cole-Hersee 24025-04 442M. The electric Warn switch is stamped SAS 4214 12V 129, & according to SAS literature is rated at 100 amp continuous duty. That should be enough. Here are 2 more views of the switches... (continued on next post due to limit of 5 attachments per post)
Improvement # 21 - Add Winch & Electrify Battery Disconnect (continued) Here is a view of the finished switch installation, just to the left of the radiator. The horizontal bar with the 2 bolts thru it is where the original NH battery disconnect was mounted (see my previous Improvement # 19.) Here is a view on backside (as best I could get given the "spacious" engine compartment) Its worth noting that I replaced the original braided body ground cable with a slightly longer insulated cable that came with the original battery disconnect kit from NH. That cable was included in the kit for a side discharge battery, but I removed the side discharge bolt & repurposed it as a body ground. Also, the original NH kit included installing a short battery cable from the negative terminal to the switch. I removed that & reinstalled the original negative battery cable, which is about 3' long & has an auxiliary bolt connection on top of the negative battery clamp. I needed the extra length to reach the higher-mounted electric battery disconnect (the unused extra length is looped back in the engine compartment), & the auxiliary bolt connection on top matches the one on the positive cable & both are necessary to connect the winch power circuit. (continued on next post due to limit of 5 attachments per post)
Improvement # 21 - Add Winch & Electrify Battery Disconnect (continued) Here is a view from the back again, with the red arrow pointing to the cover over the positive battery cable. Here is a view of the negative end of the battery (visible with the side access door removed). Next is a view with the cab raised of the red & yellow wires passing from the engine compartment on the left to the left front of the cab on the right. Note the service loops in the wires at the tip of the red arrow. Finally, here is a view of the lower switch pillar at the left front of the cab. There were 3 unused switch positions. The lower one I previously installed my seat belt defeat switch in per my previous Improvement # 4. In the next blank position up, I installed a duplicate switch (CNH part # 87634134) to activate the new electric battery disconnect. In the 3rd blank position, I installed another duplicate switch to control the new cab light that is covered in my next improvement. You will notice in the photo above that all 3 switches are on & their pilot lights work when on. I finally figured out the internal wiring of the 3-terminal switches so I could ground the proper terminal to achieve this. But, I have run into an anomaly that I can't explain & haven't solved yet. That is, when all the switches are off, & all their pilot lights should be off, the pilot light on the battery connect switch is still on dimly. The small indicator lights on the keyless ignition panel on the right hand switch column also appear to be on very dimly. This would indicate that the battery is really not completely disconnected. As a test, I physically disconnected the negative battery cable from the negative battery terminal, & I can measure a 12 volt potential between the two. But there is NO amp draw between the two, at least as measured by my digital multi-meter down to the milliamp. All I can think of is that there is some weird back feed from the digital controls (which are wired to the positive battery terminal). So far it does not seem to drain the battery, which is even more strange. I have to keep an eye on this & think on some more. Also, removing the switch column cover (to rout the wires) & getting it back on is a real PITA!! The front edge of the cover is tight up against the back of the grab handle that you can see in the photo, but the cover needs to come slightly further forward still in order to slip off of its mounting studs (note the acorn nut between the bottom 2 switches that threads on the stud). My idea of the switch placement & functionality is this...I open the door, feel for the 3rd switch up (2nd new switch), turn it on - which connects the battery , then if it's dark, turn on the switch above it - which turns on the cab light, so I don't break my neck getting into the cab. The additional purpose of the new remote battery disconnect is so I don't have to remember to connect the battery with the original manual switch in the engine compartment before getting into the cab. OK...you can stop laughing now, but I found that most of the time I did forget, & then I would have to get back out of the cab, turn the switch in the engine compartment, & then scramble back in the cab. And in my opinion getting in & out of the cab of a conventional two-arm skid steer, particularly when it's wet & maybe even dark, is one of the most dangerous aspects of operating the skid steer. This final photo shows the wireless winch remote in its holder which I mounted on the lower end of the grab bar at the right front of the cab. The remote is stated to have a range of 50', but I'm hoping it will do somewhat more. Not including the Warn winch, the Warn winch mount, & the Warn wireless remote, the cost for the above work for the Warn power interrupt kit, wire, connectors, & hardware was about $118. To this should be added the cost of the original CNH battery disconnect kit of about $178, for a total of $296.
Improvement # 22 - Add Switch Operated Cab Light The original cab light is feeble...it's too small & weak, its light has a yellowish tint, its position on the left side of the cab liner doesn't help when trying to read something, & having to turn it on using the tiny switch on the light is awkward. Of course my tired old eyes & nubby fingers don't help either. So, as described in the previous improvement, I added a rocker switch on the left switch column to solve the turn-on problem. To fix the other problems, I added a 12"-long LED Grote slimlite coutesy light (#60581) to the center of the cab liner just a little back of the skylight, as seen in the next photo. Note the nice, white light from the Grote LED slimlite compared to the yellowish light from the existing cab light to the left. Also, the tiny switch on the existing light can be seen inside the red ellipse. Approximated cost was about $64, including $43 for the light, $14 for the switch, plus miscellaneous. Incidentally, KSSS on this forum (post #33 at ) reported that he found the poor performance of the speakers in the Case/NH machines was partially due to un-cleaned-out steel shot from blasting the cab for paint prep at the factory being stuck to the magnet on the back of the speakers. When I had the cab liner partially removed, I did NOT find that problem on my speakers.
Improvement # 23 - New Hood Lock Bracket As mentioned in post #63, the rear door just barely cleared the winch cable & the top of the winch. On further examination, I discovered that the door hinge pins allowed for some door adjustment. So, I adjusted them to give the door some more bottom clearance for the winch cable & the top of the winch. Then I discovered that my adjustments caused the hood lock bracket, which is bolted to the top of the door, to not align properly with the cutout in the hood. The bracket needed to be moved further back on the door, but the bracket base was not big enough to allow larger or oblong mounting holes. The cheapest & best solution turned out to be to fabricate a new bracket with a larger base that would permit the correct mounting. And I made it out of stainless steel, too, to eliminate the painting & rusting issue. Total cost about $8. Here are pics of the installed bracket.
Improvement # 24 - New Front Step In post #10 I describe a front step that I fabricated early on. I decided to improve it by re-making it out of larger PVC pipe, Schedule 80, so that it was stronger & matched the machine gray color better. Finding the pipe became much easier recently, as a new branch of F.W.Webb opened just 5 miles from me. They stock virtually everything pipe as relates to heating, A/C, & some process piping. Plastic, copper, brass, iron, steel, stainless steel, etc. It's like living next to the "candy store"....but, they are not cheap. So, total cost for my new step was about $63. Here are some pics:
Stumpwally, I admire your modifications and skill, however I have to give my $.02 on the step. I'll preface this with saying I am not the safety police, have the scars to prove it, but you should never climb in and out of a skid loader with the arms raised unless the boom lock has been installed.
I agree...& fortunately that's easy on a NH, because of its unique sliding-pin boom lock that is operated from inside the cab . That is one of the great features of NH's vertical lift linkage, IMO.
Still looking in super condition. How many hours do you have in it now? Graham
Only about 50 hrs...it's still a "baby"...I use it mainly in the winter to plow my snow, plus work in the woods when the wet ground is frozen. I'd use it spring & fall, too, ground conditions permitting...but it's been pretty wet here all spring & summer, so far. When the ground is too wet & soft, it causes too much damage, despite the rubber OTT's. They help a lot, but I wish they were wider, like 18" or so, just for flotation. But even if such OTT's were made, the spacers on the axles to provide track clearance would probably have to be 4", & then I suspect the axle bearings would be over-stressed & would wear excessively. So, in the summer I resort mainly to my compact diesel tractor with turf tires, for mowing & woods work.
Gotcha!:thumbsup Not familiar with the NH machines, thanks for clarifying that. For machines that do not have this feature, none of my Bobcats do, folks do not get in and out of a skid with the arms raised unless the boom lock is installed. Bobcat machines require two people to install the boom lock, one on the cab and one to install the lock. Like I said, not the safety police but it's extremely dangerous to this without the feature Stumpwally described.
Can't tell you how many times I needed improvement number 21. I work in the woods on a daily basis, Wet conditions are the norm. You would not beleive how bad it can be as far as wet goes and very rugged conditions. I think your improvements are very well done, except the PVC step....Very dangerous in my opinion. I have a few scars to prove ky point on that one...Wish I had the time do a few of them but my machines only sit still long enough fuel up and maintenance..all quality workmanship and thanks for taking the time to share it
Thanks for the compliments...I have read many of your other posts on HEF with interest. Sounds like your a Cat guy all the way...and I will say that the new D series Cat SSL/CTL's are very well done compared to previous series, all except the radio location, that is. Where are you in the "Mountains of PA"?? Send me a PM with your answer if you prefer. I grew up in the southern Catskills on the NY side of the NY/PA border...
Not to be contentious, but I would add the words "could be" to your statement to be a little more accurate of reality, imho. I've lost track of how many skid steers/compact loaders I've owned/operated (well over a 100, no junkie pieces either) and have climbed out of them with the boom up with no safety lock. Of course, I don't hang out and dilly dally underneath it either, but I think the risk of getting severely injured or killed in a car accident is much higher. We all take varying degrees of risks each day. Life is one of them. I've enjoyed your mods, StumpyWally.
Anything new Stumpy?
Yes...see my next post.
Improvement # 25 - Winch Electrical Mod & Add to Tractor & Truck In post 63, the second photo shows the winch power cable unplugged. The next photo shows a corrosion proof safety boot (black) & a different dust cover (red) that I have since added to better seal the end. Both items are standard accessories for Andersen SB175 Powerpoles, & are available from Powerwerx.com ($4.49 for the safety boot & $3.25 for the dust cover). In order to make my receiver-mounted portable winch even more useful, I added the ability to use it to my Ford 1320 4wd diesel utility tractor & my GMC pickup. The next photo shows the receiver & electrical hookup on the back of my tractor. I already had the draw bar, & I got the receiver hitch from Omni-mfg.com. It's called a "heavy duty combo draw bar trailer hitch", for $75. Its design, fabrication, fit, & finish were outstanding. I recommend it & Omni highly!! The next photo shows the winch power cable hookup to the battery under the hood at the front of the tractor. The positive power cable to the winch is interrupted by a manual switch mounted through the silver plate in the foreground. I used the same model switch as I did on my L220 skid steer (a Cole Hersee Master Disconnect switch # 75904-01-BX) but I saved some money by buying it from FleetPride truck parts for about $62 rather than as a part from CNH for about $82. (continued on next post due to limit of 5 attachments per post)
Improvement # 25 - Winch Electrical Mod & Add to Tractor & Truck (continued) The next photo shows the receiver & electrical hookup on the back of my pickup. Under the hood at the front of the pickup it looks like the following: The battery is in the foreground, & the red & black winch power cables run along the back edge of the hood opening. The red power cable is interrupted by a manual disconnect switch shown in the background in front of the left hood hinge, & in a close up in the next photo. I used the same model Cole-Hersee switch as I did on my L220 skid steer & my tractor.
That is so totally BEAUTIFUL.
Quote: Not to be contentious, but I would add the words "could be" to your statement to be a little more accurate of reality, imho. I've lost track of how many skid steers/compact loaders I've owned/operated (well over a 100, no junkie pieces either) and have climbed out of them with the boom up with no safety lock. Of course, I don't hang out and dilly dally underneath it either, but I think the risk of getting severely injured or killed in a car accident is much higher. We all take varying degrees of risks each day. Life is one of them.* A word of caution. I have done the same thing, it is probably ok if your safetys all work and the joysticks do not move if you leave the seat. I of course bypassed all safetys on one of my machines and jumped up to get out. The boom was down which is lucky for me cause my pant pocket caught the joystick and holy **** it was all I could do to get back up right and stop the merry go round. I try to get out slower now and always try to throttle down.
Any new mods to share? How is the skidsteer holding up? How many hours do you have on it?
This summer I made a minor mod - added boom guides to help center the boom when it is in its full down position. Haven't photoed or written it up yet. It currently has only 62 hrs on it...just a baby...it turns out I use it mainly in the winter to plow my snow. Warm cab & all, you know...The rest of the year I find I still use my 1990 Ford 1320 fwd diesel tractor/loader much more. Probably because it's SO much easier to mount/dismount & the visibility (no cab) is unequaled. It's still the handiest piece of equipment I ever bought!! Except for some battery/starting/electrical problems I'm currently having with the SSL, it's fine. You can read about my current issue here:
I figured I would post this over here, rather than over in my wiring thread. Stumpy had inquired as to my opinion of the NH l220. We bought the 2012 220 this summer with about 500 hours on it from the great craigslist. In the past we had a lx465 (1997) that we ran from 900 hours to 6000 hours(~?) where the screen stopped. It has been rock solid and still is. Just small and cab-less. We also have a LS160 that we bought new and is now pushing 5600 hours. Also has been a rock. One cracked weld on the arms and minor repairs (hoses, etc). Thus my fathers desire to stick to NH. I drove a few JD, and a lot of gehls, just liked the NH. So far, and we have only put about 100 hours on it, its been fine. The hydraulic quick attach is the best improvement over the LS160 and as usually the ride is nice. The cab is much nicer than anything else I've been in, larger, taller, better visual and a better seat. I'm looking forward to snow removal this year in that cozy cab, but I'll let you know when we get some serious hours on it. Also, I stopped at a dealer in norther WI for something else, they had a massive collection of 220s on the lot and said they have been there best seller. So, must be somewhat popular. Here is a very random pic I took after mixing feed last night: I promise that photo is right side up when I uploaded. Perhaps my computer drank my drink? Really perhaps I should just get a 'brief history of my poor farm skid steers' thread.....
Improvement # 26 - Boom Guides I noticed that the boom was not exactly centered on the boom stop brackets as the boom is lowered all the way. So, I got 2 metal plates, put a slight bend on the top 1/3rd, & bolted them to the outside of the boom stop brackets. Total cost was less than $10, & they work great. Here are photos of the guide on each side.
Nice work stumpster ! Getting some mileage and alternate usage out of your winch. I like the tractor drawbar mount best.. May have to steal that one from you for my Johnny deere...well done, quality workmanship...
Just incase you were wondering. Found the real lift capacity of these machines.... The cement blocks are 2x2x6. about 3600lbs. Actually handed them ok. Just don't lift to full height.
"Stumpster"...I like it!! By all means, feel free to copy. Since my original posting of the drawbar mount, I've added to it to carry counterweights, since I've drained the brine out of the loaded tires of my tractor. Here are some pics I just took today... It turns out I've used the winch almost exclusively on my tractor, "cleaning the woods" as I call it...I should call it "swamp logging" because of the wetness & mud...I'm sick of mud!! The winch allows me to pull out deadfall that I can't get close to because of the mud. I'm enjoying this unusually warm December weather, but if the mud would freeze hard it would be a lot easier & I'd stay a lot cleaner!!
LyonsFarm - I agree...I've picked up & moved a full pallet of used bricks I stacked, which must have been well over a ton...keep in mind that the tipping load of a L220 is 4,000 pounds, so I'm not surprised, but glad to hear that you just about proved it!!
I have a L 250 Its now just over one year old with aprox 600 hours Its been trouble free and I really like it Mainly use it fo snow removal an some landscaping I traded in my 2012 L250 cause of elec issues that could not be resolved before my warranty ran out Ican see that im going to have to have some of these improvements Thanks for these ideas
Interesting modifications. This has sure been an educational thread. Brian
Could you be more specific about the "elec issues" you had with your 2012 L250?? Some detailed info from you could maybe save me some headaches with my Q4 2012 NH L220, as well as maybe shed some light on an intermittent cranking problem I've experienced ( )
in cold weather it would set fault codes you would lose boom and bucket control would have shut off eng an restart to continue Dealer then reprogramed computer it worked ok for a day or two then it came back NH then installed new elec control valve for aprox 4500 on warranty no more issues warranty dies at one year but seems ok In November we get acold snap an its back drive it out of heated shop works for while then starts all over It would sometimes every time you touched the boom or bucket controls set the fault codes We put in ultra thin arctic synthetic oils which helped but did not totally cure it Ended up trading it in to original dealer New one has three year warranty but no issues at all
Gary - Thanks for the info...boy, sounds like you really got a "lemon"....I haven't gotten a single fault code yet. Given your bad experience, I'm surprised you stayed with NH & traded for a newer model, rather than go to another brand. Any reason?? But, I'm glad your newer one is working OK.
Nice write up! Couple things I thought of: 1) Is there a fire extinguisher bracket inside your loader? That might be a good mod if there isn't, and keep an exstinguisher with you (that leads to my next point) 2) I would be VERY concerned about installing a cheap plastic fuel filter, maybe I'm just overly cautious. Please don't take this as disrespect, but IMO, I think it could be a 'weak link' in your system and a potential 'future' fire. Diesel's vibrate, skids get knocked around, and should the filter crack and leak due to age or poor mfgr, which I think is a very real possibility, all your hard work would go up in smoke before you could do anything about it. With the cab and all, you wouldn't even know if there was a fire back there until the unit quit working and by the time you saw it and got out of the cab, it would be too late, probably even with a fire extinguisher. I don't even know if a regular homeowner's insurance policy would cover a burnt skid loader, unless it is specifically added?? Anyway, that would be a shame given all the work you've put into it. Maybe it's just me but I've seen more than a couple fairly new NH skids that were burned up for sale on the internet (for parts), maybe that plastic filter was the cause?? I even looked at a burnt NH in person as a possible rebuild, priced up the parts, etc. The one I looked at didn't look too badly burnt, but given the cost of parts, and the amount of electronics, major re wring, and all the half-melted aluminum engine parts, even if I did all the work myself, it was plain to see a small fire renders a modern skid cost prohibitive to repair. I would consider hard-piping a separate remote diesel-rated canister filter in an easy to get to location away from the top of the engine, and ensure all your new electrical work is secure and well protected. Hard-piping projects are fun too, to get all the lines bent and looking nice. After seeing that burnt skid loader I looked at, I keep a fire extinguisher in mine all the time. 3) Rear Door Hinge Mod - I don't recall what the rear door hinges look like on your NH model, but for most skid loaders, the rear door hinges seem to be poorly engineered and due to the weight of the door, they wear funny and sag after time and look like crap. Is that a possible future problem with the NH 220? Other than that, great work. I like the Mirrors idea. Something I'm going to replicate on mine. I don't work around trees too much.
Jeepwalker: Thanks for the write up compliment... No, it doesn't have a fire extinguisher bracket anywhere. Having never had a piece of equipment have a fire, that wasn't on my mind, but your suggestion is good. I'll think about it. As to the plastic fuel filter on top of the engine, I never gave that a thought either. I guess I felt that it was so visible that I would see any problem it had. Also, it's the most often replaced filter on the whole machine, so it stays in good condition (except for getting dirty). But I just checked inside the box of the last spare in-line fuel filter I bought & discovered that they are now all metal, no plastic. So, I guess NH shared some of your concern. As to the rear door hinges, I don't think they are going to be a problem.
stayed with NH cause they only local dealer
Improvement #27 - Front Step v3.0 In post #68 I describe my 2nd attempt at a front step using stronger plastic pipe. Unfortunately, last year I broke the plastic pipe when I carelessly ran it into a large stick stuck in frozen ground! So, I finally decided to come up with a better design & one that was made out of steel so it couldn't break so easily. This is what I came up with... It's made from 1/8"x1-1/2' steel flat, 1/8"x1-1/2"X1-1/2"S steel angle, & a piece of scrap steel grating, all held together with bolts. Total cost was about $30. The step is about 11" wide x 9" front-to-back. And this design doesn't block the holes in the tie-down/lift brackets. I should have done it this way to begin with!
There have been a lot of updates to the machines since inception. I have a very early 2012 TR320, which has some electrical problems with the handles and some other things. I have a 2014 SV300 and it has been very solid (only the AC lines have been replaced under warranty). That machine has 800 hours on it now. It has been one of the most solid machines to 800 hours I have had. The first couple years had some issues that they should not have had, but I think they have been good about updating and fixing the issues that the first machines had.
Improvement #28 - Extension Cables on Diode Connectors Recently I had problems with the interlocks on my machine (see this thread ). In the course of finding the cause of the problem (mouse chewed wire!!), I learned that there are 4 diodes in-line in the wiring harness under the cab on the left side. According to others on HEF, they have been the source of many electrical problems, since they are prone to corrosion & otherwise failure. See this members experience here . The connectors are in an almost impossible location to get to & work on. Even though they turned out NOT to be my problem, I decided to put extension cables on the connectors for future serviceability. Here is a photo of the 1st 3 diode sockets with the extension cables plugged in & the diodes plugged into the end of the extension cables, labeled, & wire-tied to an adjacent harness: The 4th diode socket is about 8" to the rear of the above 3, & is even worse to get at. Here is a photo showing the socket with the extension cable plugged in & wire-tied to the loom. Here is a photo of the other end of the 4th extension cable with the diode plugged in, labeled, & wire-tied to the top of an adjacent harness more in the open: Each of the extension cables is a 2-prong trailer connect cable, about 16" long, from NAPA, part # 784640. Cost for all 4 was about $22.
Hey Wally, Nice Mods! I just recently purchased a used 2012 L223 and mine came with the battery cut-off installed. The dealer i bought it from said there was a battery drain and didn't know why but there was a cut-off switch. I'm glad to hear that my troubleshooting may be shortened drastically since you indicated the cause of the battery drain on yours is a common thing due to a stuck relay. I would be very interested in knowing more about the stuck relay, it's location, is it fixable? or is it a happens so regular to not bother? Any info you can pass along would be greatly appreciated. Patrick
Patrick...I've never been able to verify a stuck relay, or in fact the source of the very small battery drain. So, I use my battery cut-off switch to save the battery when the machine is not being used. Incidentally, I think I have to replace my battery cut-off solenoid switch, as it doesn't seem to pass enough current anymore to allow the machine to start. I need one more heavy duty, rated for continuous load. In the meantime, I have the cut-off switch by-passed & I leave a battery minder on the machine when it's not used.
i too have a cut-off switch in in place. was just wonderin if i had to replace a relay to be the best solution. if so i am interested in the part number of the relay. thank you for the reply