Add to Cart
Pin-on Mini Payloader Build Plans
Upgrade your tractor with an easy-to-use payloader attachment
OUR new Pin-on Mini Payloader is ready! This attachment is designed with a self-leveling bucket, a feature that distinguishes it from our mid-mount front-end loader design.
We call this payloader “pin-on” because it’s a cinch to mount or dismount on your John Deere tractor’s front quick-attach implement brackets. We call it a “mini payloader” because it has a single boom lift cylinder and a single bucket cylinder connected to the self-leveling bucket linkage. This allows very high angles of rotation for bucket curl and dump.
The payloader was originally built for the older John Deere 300 Series garden tractors, which have on-board hydraulics — four plug-in hydraulic ports on the front of the tractor and two levers to control these ports. Because of this attachment’s light weight (230 lbs), however, it is a good match for many other garden tractors.
The Pin-on Mini Payloader Build Plans come with a list of parts and specs to set up an external add-on hydraulic system if needed, along with hydraulic schematics. A small belt-driven hydraulic pump will run this loader from the same engine pulley that is used to run the mower deck on your tractor. There is an example of a pump mount bracket included in the plans. The plans also include a list of online suppliers for compact hydraulics, which you can use to compare prices.
Features of the Pin-on Mini Payloader
- Weighs 230 pounds (104 kg)
- Has a self-leveling 44-inch-wide bucket (1.12 m)
- Can be used simultaneously with the mower deck
- Includes 12 grease fittings
- Inner bushings on all the pivot points are replaceable
- Bucket rollback at ground level is 45 degrees, and its dump angle at full lift is around 75 degrees
- Clears 55 inches (1.4 m) under the bucket when level and 59 inches (1.5 m) at full lift (to the pin)
- Able to lift 350 pounds (159 kg)
| Imperial | Metric | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall weight: | 230 pounds | 105 kg |
| Lift capacity: | 350 pounds | 159 kg |
| Lift height under a level bucket: | 55" | 1397 mm |
| Lift height to the pivot pin: | 59" | 1498.6 mm |
| Bucket width: | 44" | 1117.6 mm |
| Bucket capacity: | 0.25 cubic yards (yd³) | 191 liters (L) |
| Bucket curl (roll back) angle: | 45 degrees | |
| Bucket dump (roll down) angle: | 75 degrees | |
| Self-leveling bucket linkage | ||
| Estimated cost to build: | $500 (Before COVID*) - using tractor’s on-board hydraulic system $1000 (Before COVID*) - using an external add-on hydraulic system |
* Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, prices for steel vary considerably from one place to another place.
Photos of Payloader Builds
