Homemade Front-End Loader Adds New Life To Garden Tractor

2026 - Volume #50, Issue #4, Page #29

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Michael Heron enjoys expanding his collection of older John Deere tractors. One such unit, a JD 140 garden tractor, had a bad engine that couldn’t be rebuilt, so he replaced it with a Chinese-made Honda clone engine.
“These engines are a bit different and created a few problems,” Heron says. “They don’t have a charging system adequate to hold in the electric PTO, so I had to add an alternator to the rear of the tractor.”
After considering what could be done with the tractor, he found that two discarded hydraulic cylinders might accommodate a different take on a double-cylinder front-end loader system.
“I didn’t want to spend a lot on expensive new steel, so I designed it to make use of what I had, only two cylinders rather than the usual four,” he says. “Most systems have one on each side, but if the stroke is long enough on a single cylinder, it’ll do the same thing. The lifting cylinder is trickier as it must be fastened in the center, where the engine components are.”
To address this issue, Heron moved the existing fuel tank to make room for the bracket and cylinder. Fortunately, the replacement engine had its own tank, so this wasn’t a big problem.
The 40-in. bucket was made from an old hydraulic tank he cut down. The supporting arms are 1 1/2-in. square tubing, as he again used what he had available. He reinforced the outer arms in places and the crossbar on the lifting cylinder to add strength.
Heron tried to use AI to determine the optimal upper placement for the lift cylinder to maximize lift and ensure adequate bucket height, but found it unhelpful.
“I ended up using trial and error, as was my custom,” he says.
The loader tractor works well for moving snow in the winter. It can still be used as a mower in the summer.
Heron was able to keep the cost to about $350 by using materials from his junk pile.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Michael Heron, RR1, Site 1, Box 1, Main Station, Lloydminster, Sask., Canada S9V 0X6 (ph 306-307-8632; m.heron@sasktel.net).

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Homemade Front-End Loader Adds New Life To Garden Tractor Michael Heron enjoys expanding his collection of older John Deere tractors. One such unit, a JD 140 garden tractor, had a bad engine that couldn’t be rebuilt, so he replaced it with a Chinese-made Honda clone engine. “These engines are a bit different and created a few problems,” Heron says. “They don’t have a charging system adequate to hold in the electric PTO, so I had to add an alternator to the rear of the tractor.” After considering what could be done with the tractor, he found that two discarded hydraulic cylinders might accommodate a different take on a double-cylinder front-end loader system. “I didn’t want to spend a lot on expensive new steel, so I designed it to make use of what I had, only two cylinders rather than the usual four,” he says. “Most systems have one on each side, but if the stroke is long enough on a single cylinder, it’ll do the same thing. The lifting cylinder is trickier as it must be fastened in the center, where the engine components are.” To address this issue, Heron moved the existing fuel tank to make room for the bracket and cylinder. Fortunately, the replacement engine had its own tank, so this wasn’t a big problem. The 40-in. bucket was made from an old hydraulic tank he cut down. The supporting arms are 1 1/2-in. square tubing, as he again used what he had available. He reinforced the outer arms in places and the crossbar on the lifting cylinder to add strength. Heron tried to use AI to determine the optimal upper placement for the lift cylinder to maximize lift and ensure adequate bucket height, but found it unhelpful. “I ended up using trial and error, as was my custom,” he says. The loader tractor works well for moving snow in the winter. It can still be used as a mower in the summer. Heron was able to keep the cost to about $350 by using materials from his junk pile. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Michael Heron, RR1, Site 1, Box 1, Main Station, Lloydminster, Sask., Canada S9V 0X6 (ph 306-307-8632; m.heron@sasktel.net).

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