# Bent Boom Lift Arms



## Eron (May 4, 2020)

I bought a tractor that has bent boom arms. The lift works fine but I can see the bucket tilts right to left. I am guessing it is bent 5-10 deg. 

Are there any suggestions on how to bend it back?


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## pogobill (Jan 31, 2012)

If it is out of alignment, it must have had some weight applied to the left corner of the bucket. I'm having trouble with my box blade frame being twisted and not having much luck.... Apart from hooking the other corner to try and straighten it, I can't be much help. 

Perhaps placing a block under the low side, and then applying weight or force to the high side would give you more control of the repair. Using the tractor hydraulics to apply the force can only cause undue strain and stress on your tractor, and lead to more damage. Do you have a neighbour or friend with a piece of machinery that can help with the down force... a backhoe or tractor/loader for example? You may want to shut the tractor off and take the pressure off the cylinders before you try anything
Just a thought.


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## Redlands Okie (Nov 5, 2017)

Are the boom arms actually bent ? Often times the stabilizing tube that runs between the boom arms, behind the bucket gets tweaked and similar symptoms. Usually shows up pretty noticeable when trying to swap implements. The tube can be cut and welded back.


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## BigT (Sep 15, 2014)

Check that your left lift cylinder is actually working. Years ago, I bought a tractor that had a quick connect components loosened internally to prevent flow to the left lift cylinder. Working with only the right cylinder gradually bent the frame similar to yours.


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## BigT (Sep 15, 2014)

What model tractor is your loader mounted on? Are you operating on internal hydraulics or a front-mounted hydraulic pump? Was the frame bent when you bought it, or did it gradually bend after you bought it?


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## pogobill (Jan 31, 2012)

It may very well not be bent. Great suggestions to tackle before any undue force is used, for sure. That's never a very good idea.
Maybe the bucket isn't latched on properly on one side?!?.


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## Eron (May 4, 2020)

pogobill said:


> If it is out of alignment, it must have had some weight applied to the left corner of the bucket. I'm having trouble with my box blade frame being twisted and not having much luck.... Apart from hooking the other corner to try and straighten it, I can't be much help.
> 
> Perhaps placing a block under the low side, and then applying weight or force to the high side would give you more control of the repair. Using the tractor hydraulics to apply the force can only cause undue strain and stress on your tractor, and lead to more damage. Do you have a neighbour or friend with a piece of machinery that can help with the down force... a backhoe or tractor/loader for example? You may want to shut the tractor off and take the pressure off the cylinders before you try anything
> Just a thought.


Thanks for the input


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## Eron (May 4, 2020)

Redlands Okie said:


> Are the boom arms actually bent ? Often times the stabilizing tube that runs between the boom arms, behind the bucket gets tweaked and similar symptoms. Usually shows up pretty noticeable when trying to swap implements. The tube can be cut and welded back.


The bend is in the two vertical 1/4” steel supports on top in the image the right has a slight bow in it and this where i think it bent, not the booms. From the cab looking down the boom to the brackets, two on each boom arm, i can see a slight bow to the left on the right boom.


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## Eron (May 4, 2020)

It is bent here. The red braces are bent, going to the connection point. All they needed to do was add a brace between these and it would have never happened.


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## Eron (May 4, 2020)

Redlands Okie said:


> Are the boom arms actually bent ? Often times the stabilizing tube that runs between the boom arms, behind the bucket gets tweaked and similar symptoms. Usually shows up pretty noticeable when trying to swap implements. The tube can be cut and welded back.


I think it is just the brackets that are bent


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## Eron (May 4, 2020)

BigT said:


> What model tractor is your loader mounted on? Are you operating on internal hydraulics or a front-mounted hydraulic pump? Was the frame bent when you bought it, or did it gradually bend after you bought it?


Bent when i bought it. It works fine but i would like it straight. RK 55 which is a Yanmar i believe. I figure if it was bent to the left i might be able to bend it back to the right.


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## pogobill (Jan 31, 2012)

Looks like a bit of crashing the bucket into something stationary, or plenty of backblading with the front wheels well off the ground! I never noticed that bend in your first post. Someone here was wondering about using a bigger hammer on their repair, maybe you could use one. First on the tractor boom, then on the previous owner!


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## pogobill (Jan 31, 2012)

I think the RK55 is a TYM tractor with a Yanmar engine. If you whack those ears back to straighten them, make sure the cylinder fits back in the gap.


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## Redlands Okie (Nov 5, 2017)

Thanks for the picture.


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## BigT (Sep 15, 2014)

An auto frame straightening shop might be able to straighten it for you.


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## Hoodoo Valley (Nov 14, 2006)

Bill, I prefer a good Estwing. Has a nice ring to the head when you hit stupid! 



pogobill said:


> Someone here was wondering about using a bigger hammer on their repair, maybe you could use one. First on the tractor boom, then on the previous owner!


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## The 203 (Apr 27, 2020)

Slip a big cresent wrench over flange and pry them back one at a time. You may need a cheater bar.
Then weld in that brace that they should have

Hoodoo Valley
Your signature statement about dogs sense the bad in people is so true.


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## John Mavros (Apr 11, 2018)

Eron said:


> It is bent here. The red braces are bent, going to the connection point. All they needed to do was add a brace between these and it would have never happened.


Don’t spend time Mikey mousing.
Take it to a bodyshop with a frame machine and you will be done in 1 hour


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## Rodgerm (Aug 28, 2019)

Eron said:


> View attachment 57789
> I bought a tractor that has bent boom arms. The lift works fine but I can see the bucket tilts right to left. I am guessing it is bent 5-10 deg.
> 
> Are there any suggestions on how to bend it back?


If you have a local welding/fabrication shop, assuming it is the brackets, they would be able straighten and reinforce the existing bracket. Just straightening it will leave it prone to bend again in the same manner. Good luck. Rodger


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## xxxjd950xxx (May 11, 2017)

It looks like your hood might be mounted wonky giving the appearance of a unlevel bucket. I would confirm the loader frame is bent. Park the tractor on a flat surface(concrete) and measure the height of the bucket at each side. Best to measure at the pins in order to eliminate bent bucket or mounting. Be sure to have proper tire inflation.


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## pogobill (Jan 31, 2012)

You're right... the hood does look a bit wonky!


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## DanielCT230 (Apr 17, 2018)

you need to park the machine on a level concrete slab, perfectly level the machine by reference to the machine chassis and then take reference measurements to the frame that you think is bent. Then tension the bent frame to get it straight and weld in brace(s) to keep it straight. This way the frame will be pre-tensioned and far stronger than original. The brace should be able to have the pre-tension released so that dismantling is facilitated in the future.


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## Eron (May 4, 2020)

BigT said:


> An auto frame straightening shop might be able to straighten it for you.


An auto body shop would have the expertise. Thanks


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## Eron (May 4, 2020)

DanielCT230 said:


> you need to park the machine on a level concrete slab, perfectly level the machine by reference to the machine chassis and then take reference measurements to the frame that you think is bent. Then tension the bent frame to get it straight and weld in brace(s) to keep it straight. This way the frame will be pre-tensioned and far stronger than original. The brace should be able to have the pre-tension released so that dismantling is facilitated in the future.


I was thinking along the same line.


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## Eron (May 4, 2020)

xxxjd950xxx said:


> It looks like your hood might be mounted wonky giving the appearance of a unlevel bucket. I would confirm the loader frame is bent. Park the tractor on a flat surface(concrete) and measure the height of the bucket at each side. Best to measure at the pins in order to eliminate bent bucket or mounting. Be sure to have proper tire inflation.


The hood is straight. That is a shadow across it. If the hood is straight, you can see the bend in the bucket. 


pogobill said:


> Looks like a bit of crashing the bucket into something stationary, or plenty of backblading with the front wheels well off the ground! I never noticed that bend in your first post. Someone here was wondering about using a bigger hammer on their repair, maybe you could use one. First on the tractor boom, then on the previous owner!


Previous owner bent it root ranking with a brush grapple.


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## DanielCT230 (Apr 17, 2018)

Eron said:


> An auto body shop would have the expertise. Thanks


"expertise" to straighten but not to ensure that it stays straight. An "auto body" is not a working machine subjected to external working loads. You need an machinery engineering shop to do this job if you do not have the equipment to do it yourself...


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## Eron (May 4, 2020)

xxxjd950xxx said:


> It looks like your hood might be mounted wonky giving the appearance of a unlevel bucket. I would confirm the loader frame is bent. Park the tractor on a flat surface(concrete) and measure the height of the bucket at each side. Best to measure at the pins in order to eliminate bent bucket or mounting. Be sure to have proper tire inflation.


The hood is straight. There is a shadow across it. Knowing the hood is straight, you can see the dip to the left in the bucket.


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## Harold Hadaller (Feb 5, 2020)

Eron said:


> View attachment 57789
> I bought a tractor that has bent boom arms. The lift works fine but I can see the bucket tilts right to left. I am guessing it is bent 5-10 deg.
> 
> Are there any suggestions on how to bend it back?


Yes - cylinders most likely out of sync. You can remove on end of each cylinder and then retract them. Then refasten and should be ok. Neighbor Orange Kabota tractor did this.


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## Groo (Jan 17, 2020)

Harold Hadaller said:


> Yes - cylinders most likely out of sync. You can remove on end of each cylinder and then retract them. Then refasten and should be ok. Neighbor Orange Kabota tractor did this.


So the hydraulics are not just T'ed and it has a flow diverter? Not what I'd have guessed.


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## John Liebermann (Sep 17, 2018)

I would park that on a flat driveway facing a building that had good horizontal lines and then see if the frame is bent and where. The way you have it in the pic there is not a reference line in sight. 

It is hard to believe the boom(s) are bent.


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## Eron (May 4, 2020)

Took this photo to show the bend. I took it in for regular service and they said they will see what they can do. If they cannot fix it, i saw a collision center right down the street.


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## Eron (May 4, 2020)

Harold Hadaller said:


> Yes - cylinders most likely out of sync. You can remove on end of each cylinder and then retract them. Then refasten and should be ok. Neighbor Orange Kabota tractor did this.


The dealer said that was the first thing he would try. I dont need it perfect, just good enough not to trigger my OCD.


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## John Liebermann (Sep 17, 2018)

there is no doubt the bucket is not level back to the flat driveway measure the pivot point of the arms from the ground they should be the same measure the length of each cylinder that should be the same starting from that level ground position you should be able to tell where this discrepancy begins


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## John Liebermann (Sep 17, 2018)

John Liebermann said:


> there is no doubt the bucket is not level back to the flat driveway measure the pivot point of the arms from the ground they should be the same measure the length of each cylinder that should be the same starting from that level ground position you should be able to tell where this discrepancy begins


 also from a fixed Point somewhere on the tractor measure the pivot point of the booms front to back is correct the problem could very well be the frame to the Tractor mounting not the booms


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## BigE38 (Apr 17, 2021)

Redlands Okie said:


> Are the boom arms actually bent ? Often times the stabilizing tube that runs between the boom arms, behind the bucket gets tweaked and similar symptoms. Usually shows up pretty noticeable when trying to swap implements. The tube can be cut and welded back.


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## BigE38 (Apr 17, 2021)

Redlands Okie said:


> Are the boom arms actually bent ? Often times the stabilizing tube that runs between the boom arms, behind the bucket gets tweaked and similar symptoms. Usually shows up pretty noticeable when trying to swap implements. The tube can be cut and welded back.


*I’m have same issue, was fine until a friend was working my property removing a huge fallen oak with grappler. It’s a RK55 tractor so I know not toughest, lol. The bucket and grappler now are very hard to change on and off, and off level 3 to 4 inches with right side 3 to 4 inches lower. Boom arms aren’t bent, and cylinders look fine, but the left side bracket that hooks onto boom arm on left side looks bent inward about inch and a half as compared to right side. Not sure what bracket is called but looks to be bolted to tractor body. Could that cause the bucket or grappler to be off kilter this much? Tractor newbie btw.







*


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