Mowing mowing with the bucket on/off

[KennK]

I remove just my bucket whenever mowing - not the entire FEL assembly. I find the tractor bounces (rocks?) from the weight of the bucket, so its more comfortable when off. Besides, its super fast to remove and put back on.

There are times when I get close to objects and need to raise the FEL arms to get in close, but that's easy enough to do.

 

[TripleR]

After owning a BX since 2003 and trying all configurations, we always remove the bucket to mow, actually just leave the bucket off one and use the other to mow now, but with our other tractors we ow with and without depending on the situation.

 

[unbidden]

The original poster is running a BX and I assume that is with a belly mower. Most of the posters here are in agreement to remove the FEL. I run a 60" RFM on my bx and leave the FEL on and I do mow some very steep slopes straight up and down. I could be wrong but I believe the tractor with RFM is more stable with the bucket on. One poster on another thread felt that because the RFM is on the ground it doesn't add to the stability as opposed to using a MMM; I don't agree with this when cresting the top of a slope, I feel I need the stability of the FEL when using a RFM.

I'm also in agreement with using the FEL when bush-hogging. Keeping the bucket low alerts me to rocks and stumps I cannot see when in high grass.

Thoughts are appreciated and welcome, what do you all think?

 

[KYDan]

Yes, I didn't consider a belly mower, I have always used pull behind or 3 point mounted ones, usually brush cutters rather than finishing mowers. I mow the dam on my lake up and down, however, I don't crest the hill, that's why I back up and pull down. I have found the HST makes this much easier than a geared transmission.

 

[Don87]

The original poster is running a BX and I assume that is with a belly mower. Most of the posters here are in agreement to remove the FEL. I run a 60" RFM on my bx and leave the FEL on and I do mow some very steep slopes straight up and down. I could be wrong but I believe the tractor with RFM is more stable with the bucket on. One poster on another thread felt that because the RFM is on the ground it doesn't add to the stability as opposed to using a MMM; I don't agree with this when cresting the top of a slope, I feel I need the stability of the FEL when using a RFM.

I'm also in agreement with using the FEL when bush-hogging. Keeping the bucket low alerts me to rocks and stumps I cannot see when in high grass.

Thoughts are appreciated and welcome, what do you all think?

I think it depends on the operator, lay of the land, tasks being done, location of obstacles that must be mowed around. In short, that's probably why they started making quick attach loaders, because every plot of land is different.

 

[dave1949]

My loader is always off for finish mowing. It's more manouverable and the front tires don't rip things up.

When I did some bush hogging it was always on and set low enough to hit hidden objects before the tractor and rotary mower ran into them. Most of the time it worked, but I did whack a few things anyway.

Same here for bush hogging. The bucket is my rock and stump detector. Usually by the time I bush hog, things are getting pretty thick and hard to see through. I try to keep the bucket about 5" above the ground with the bucket cutting edge curled up about 45*. Then I can feel anything that the bottom of the bucket bumps on without ramming into them with the cutting edge.

Every summer I dig up rocks, and stumps as they rot, but I'll never get all of them.

 

[RBA50]

I have found that with a belly mower, it is much more comfortable without the loader. I mowed with it on a couple times, and my back was killing me by the time I got done. Then I decided to take it off, since I didn't have any plans to use it in the near future. Next time I mowed, my back didn't bother me at all. I realized the ride was a lot smoother without all that weight bouncing around up front, not to mention that it was much simpler to avoid obstacles without it.

 

[TripleR]

The original poster is running a BX and I assume that is with a belly mower. Most of the posters here are in agreement to remove the FEL. I run a 60" RFM on my bx and leave the FEL on and I do mow some very steep slopes straight up and down. I could be wrong but I believe the tractor with RFM is more stable with the bucket on. One poster on another thread felt that because the RFM is on the ground it doesn't add to the stability as opposed to using a MMM; I don't agree with this when cresting the top of a slope, I feel I need the stability of the FEL when using a RFM.

I'm also in agreement with using the FEL when bush-hogging. Keeping the bucket low alerts me to rocks and stumps I cannot see when in high grass.

Thoughts are appreciated and welcome, what do you all think?

The thread sounds familiar and I may well be "the other poster", if so, my point was an RFM "on the ground" has no effect on stability while the MMM being "suspended" will. Obviously once the RFM no longer is ridding with all its weight on the gauge wheels, it becomes suspended weight and will then affect stability. If you can point to the thread, I my be able to see where or if I was wrong or did a poor job of explaining.

 

[SPYDERLK]

The original poster is running a BX and I assume that is with a belly mower. Most of the posters here are in agreement to remove the FEL. I run a 60" RFM on my bx and leave the FEL on and I do mow some very steep slopes straight up and down. I could be wrong but I believe the tractor with RFM is more stable with the bucket on. One poster on another thread felt that because the RFM is on the ground it doesn't add to the stability as opposed to using a MMM; I don't agree with this when cresting the top of a slope, I feel I need the stability of the FEL when using a RFM.

I'm also in agreement with using the FEL when bush-hogging. Keeping the bucket low alerts me to rocks and stumps I cannot see when in high grass.

Thoughts are appreciated and welcome, what do you all think?

No on side slope.
larry

 

[Creamer]

I find the loader on puts too much weight on the front end and the smaller tires push the grass down too much and therefore I do not get a very nice cut. Without the FEL the front end is much lighter and it is a much nicer job mowing.

i also want to echo the points made here that on side slope, the FEL shifts the cg to far forward to a more unstable set-up than the rigidly mounted rear wheels which make sit more unstable.