Back dragging with bucket

   / Back dragging with bucket #21  
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I can't see how it would damage the cylinder unless you sheared off the stop tabs. Maybe I'm missing something )</font>
When I mentioned cylinder pressure, I was talking about backdragging with the cutting edge, not going forward. Going forward, with the bucket in full dump may not put pressure on the cylinders, but it could stress the bucket and loader arms if pressure were encountered unevenly, bending something. To me, the bucket in that position is at about it's weakest point. I may be wrong, but I'm not taking any chances either!
Backdragging with the cutting edge, in float, will allow the bucket to lift up over an encountered obstacle and not allow the pressure to follow up the bucket to the cylinder rods and bend them. I'm probably not explaining this very well, so I hope you get what I mean.
John
 
   / Back dragging with bucket #22  
The very first thing the dealer showed me how to do as he unloaded my MH 2300 was how to bust up 2-3" of ice in drive.
Put the bucket in dump position and slam it down,back up,repeat as necessary.
Works great, nothing breaks, removes ice pefectly (gravel drive), breaks up 1 to 3 ft of ice at a time, then just pick it up and dump it.
 
   / Back dragging with bucket #23  
No John, Your explaining it fine. I get the part about the backdragging in float. Makes sense to me. Although I am guilty of being much harder on mine. I think weight of the tractor, traction, and power all have a factor in this. I love My bx, but it hasn't got much of the above mentioned compared to some of the other machines. I can stall out mine going forward or reverse. I have many times in clearing my property and haven't noticed anything amiss with the loader. Like I said. I may have been lucky so far. Hope the luck holds, though I am done with all the rough work now. Just normal loader work from here on out.
 
   / Back dragging with bucket #24  
I broke one of my cylinders and seriously bent the other one back dragging with the bucket fully dumped. I had made several attempts to drag a pile of brush and small limbs away from the top of a steep hill using the bottom of the bucket, but the bucket kept riding up on top of the pile. I was getting frustrated and dumped the bucket all the way, put the tractor in 4X4, shoved the bucket all the way down and started backing up. I forgot about the stump that was buried under that pile and when I hit the stump things flew apart. Over $1000 in broken and bent parts had to be replaced....lesson learned.
 
   / Back dragging with bucket #25  
I went back and looked at what my FEL owner's manual has to say about this. It doesn't say anything at all about backdragging but it DOES expressly say not to use the FEL with the blade all the way down in the dump position as a bulldozer for pushing material.

I had forgotten that and I have to admit that I have sometimes done this, at least with the blade most of the way down, and luckly haven't caused any apparent damage. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Maybe they don't say anything about not backdragging with the blade down because it is obvious that if you shouldn't "doze" going forward, you shouldn't going backward either. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

I guess I'm going to quit while I'm ahead and stop doing both, at least unless it is very shallow and I know that there aren't any hidden obstructions. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
   / Back dragging with bucket
  • Thread Starter
#26  
<font color="blue">Take what Henro just posted and also think of using your float postion (joystick pushed all the way forward, locked into float) so that the bucket follows the contours of the ground and takes some pressure off the loader. </font>

I wasn't aware of a "float" position. Please explain the float position. When you push the joystick forward until the bucket is on the ground, is the bucket in float position? Does that mean that it will follow the contour of the ground or objects on the ground, i.e., rocks, stumps etc.?

This brings me to another thought. I used to have an old Ford 4000 tractor with a FEL. I could lower the bucket to the ground and keep lowering until the front of the tractor rised off the ground. This was handy in changing front tires because you didn't need a jack. I noticed the FEL on my new tractor will not raise the frontend. Is this because of float?
 
   / Back dragging with bucket #27  
Correct! You feel a click or detent in the joystick near the full forward position, and the stick sticks forward and must be manually pulled backward.

My technique for back dragging is with the bucket level, stick in float position. That way, there is a ~3/8 step behind the bucket lip that helps pull the dirt. If this is not enough medicine, I simply scoop a little dirt to add weight to the bucket.

To add the ultimate smoothness to my back drag, I do as above except tilt the bucket forward about 4 or 5 degrees, still in float.

To "pack" the dirt as you drag, try curling the bucket all the way up, and push instead of pull... still in float position. I try to avoid do ing this, as it winds up the loader arms like a cheap watch.
 
   / Back dragging with bucket
  • Thread Starter
#28  
<font color="blue">To "pack" the dirt as you drag, try curling the bucket all the way up, and push instead of pull... still in float position. I try to avoid do ing this, as it winds up the loader arms like a cheap watch.
</font>

have blue.......What do you mean when you say that pushing in the float mode "winds up the loader arms like a cheap watch"?
 
   / Back dragging with bucket #29  
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( have blue.......What do you mean when you say that pushing in the float mode "winds up the loader arms like a cheap watch"? )</font>
I would venture to say that he means you put a lot of pressure on the loader arms. Think about it, while pushing forward with the bucket like that, you're lifting the loader arms up into their bushings, putting a lot of pressure on them. Get an uneven hit against something and putting all the pressure to one side, you may bend/break some part of the loader.
When you want to lift your tractor, you need to curl the bucket down some as most won't lift with the bucket in the fully retracted position. Roll the cutting edge down, and power the loader down without pushing the stick all the way forward. Going all the way forward, past the slight "click" of the detent puts the bucket into float, and that will follow the contours of the ground. Most, but not all tractors have the floating valve on the loaders.
John
 
   / Back dragging with bucket #30  
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( <font color="blue">To "pack" the dirt as you drag, try curling the bucket all the way up, and push instead of pull... still in float position. I try to avoid do ing this, as it winds up the loader arms like a cheap watch.
</font>

have blue.......What do you mean when you say that pushing in the float mode "winds up the loader arms like a cheap watch"? )</font>

Haven't really figured it out. All I know is the bucket is hard to push, and it packs the dirt down really good. I can hear the bushings creaking. Seems like it would simply lift up in the float position, but it loads up really good. That's why I avoid doing this. I'll have to try it with the bucket only slightly curled up and in float position.
 
 
 
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