Mowing mowing with the bucket on/off

[TripleR]

All you fellows with 'modern' tractors make me envious, my 1986 755 does not have 'quick-tach' anything. So the FEL stays on, period. Just getting the mid-mount mower off at start of winter and on again in the spring is more work than I like to think about. Big plus one on being in 4wd while tackling your slopes. I have a couple steep enough that the tractor ran away when I came down slope in 2wd. Luckily I had the FEL on and a big brush pile at the bottom of the slope. I only did that twice, early on, now it is instinctive to double check that I am in 4wd. side slope going, on milder slopes, it is a tradeoff, stability vs front wheels chewing things up a bit. But the bucket stays low. ON the flat, 2wd only, for tighter and smoother turnings. I never operate in high range, low range only, except when travelling over the road to a nearby park where I mow trails, then it is 2wd high range.

I feel your pain, we have a Massey Ferguson 375 bought new in 1986 and the loader hasn't been off of it in years.

 

[brin]

I'll be honest with you, it looks darn steep to me, even in the picture. I think you have every reason to be nervous on the hill.

Beautiful property.

I agree, scary steep...watch out for any rocks or depressions and never, ever go sideways - only up and down...those would be my rules...

 

[Grandad4]

Yes I definitely mow up and down. The terrain I am use to, been here 13 years. The tractor, not so much just yet. Those trees have stopped me once or twice on my old riding mowers! :ashamed: The rest of the property is pretty much woods that I plan to brush hog if I can ever find a deal on a 4 footer before it sells.
Thanks for the compliments on the house and thanks for all the input!

Nice place you have there, Howie. Please forgive this late comment... this thread sort of got away from me but you've gotten great advice from everyone else, as usual. Once you establish a mowing routine that works well for your place, try to stay with it. For example, I much prefer mowing with the FEL removed whenever possible, but occasionally the mowing gets done with it still on the tractor. That certainly increases the pucker factor with some ditch banks that are ordinarily mowed, which are just avoided til the next mowing. Best wishes with your "tractoring" experience!

 

[tamara14]

MY little BX 25D well it has a mid mower, and FEL, and Backhoe, so It is simewhat of a toss up on removing the FEL, because, the stability of the Backhoe weight bslances it out. Bestides to cut the acerage, I would have to take off both. Not sure if this is good or not, and advies would eb great.

 

[kub0]

Just got my BX2370 with FEL & MMM. I have read a couple posts on here stating that it is best to remove the loader when mowing to make it more stable. I have a few grades that I will be mowing and in my feeble mind I was thinking the added weight of the FEL would help out. I know it can/will be an annoyance when navigating through my trees, but I am more concerned about stability. Can someone explain how removing it makes it more stable?[/QUOT

I have relatively flat land but I remove my loader just for maneuverability around trees and fences. The loader on my L3240 comes off in minutes. Just be sure you park it on level ground. Also be aware that hydraulic fluid in the cylinders and hoses expands when warm so if it is parked in the sun you may have a problem reattaching them.

 

[RaydaKub]

Welcome to TBN, tamara14.
I don't have a BX25D, but my understanding is the BH sits pretty high, so unless you swing it uphill, it isn't going to help a lot. The FEL by itself will definitely be a disadvantage.
I would recommend you find your hillside, try it with the BH and FEL. Go drop the BH and try it again. Go add the BH and drop the FEL and try it again. Then drop both and try it out one last time. My guess is that for an hour of experimentation, you'll convince yourself of the most stable configuration. And I'd bet that it will be the bare tractor.

 

[howie70]

All you fellows with 'modern' tractors make me envious, my 1986 755 does not have 'quick-tach' anything. So the FEL stays on, period. Just getting the mid-mount mower off at start of winter and on again in the spring is more work than I like to think about. Big plus one on being in 4wd while tackling your slopes. I have a couple steep enough that the tractor ran away when I came down slope in 2wd. Luckily I had the FEL on and a big brush pile at the bottom of the slope. I only did that twice, early on, now it is instinctive to double check that I am in 4wd. side slope going, on milder slopes, it is a tradeoff, stability vs front wheels chewing things up a bit. But the bucket stays low. ON the flat, 2wd only, for tighter and smoother turnings. I never operate in high range, low range only, except when travelling over the road to a nearby park where I mow trails, then it is 2wd high range.

I know the feeling from when I had my 9N and my Massey. I had loader envy since I had no loader on them. And...everywhere I went on them it was uphill both ways...barefooted.

 

[gfhdhr]

Here's my 2 cents. I mow a lot using an L3010. Central Florida pastures, very sandy soil. We have gopher turtles and gophers that make mounds of sand everywhere. The front bucket set 1 or 2 inches above the ground levels the mounds and saves the mower blades from premature dulling. I had an L3750 in CA for about 25 years. Never took the loader off. Never noticed any "premature" wear.

 

[RaydaKub]

Just got my BX2370 with FEL & MMM. I have read a couple posts on here stating that it is best to remove the loader when mowing to make it more stable. I have a few grades that I will be mowing and in my feeble mind I was thinking the added weight of the FEL would help out. I know it can/will be an annoyance when navigating through my trees, but I am more concerned about stability. Can someone explain how removing it makes it more stable?

I have relatively flat land but I remove my loader just for maneuverability around trees and fences. The loader on my L3240 comes off in minutes. Just be sure you park it on level ground. Also be aware that hydraulic fluid in the cylinders and hoses expands when warm so if it is parked in the sun you may have a problem reattaching them.

Here is an explanation I put together last fall.
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...6-does-weight-fel-give-you-5.html#post3007695

 

[hawkeye08]

I have looked at this from every angle and at the end of day, I generally mow with my FEL on just because I might need to fill in a gopher hole or clean out a ditch or use the FEL to get unstuck... but then again, I have never needed to use it to get unstuck (yet) and I can certainly come back after mowing to fill in a hole or clean a ditch (or do it before I mow)... I was going to add a spray tank to the loader bucket so I could spot spray along field edges or fences but have decided to build a platform on the back for the spray tank...

My conclusion is that for me, it gives me peace of mind regarding getting stuck (I have something I can try before calling a neighbor). I am very careful and go very slow when raising the FEL while mowing, it makes it unstable real fast if there are bumps or holes with the loader raised up.. but I very much like the way my tractor feels when mowing with the FEL off so will probably start mowing with it off... I know where to avoid so I don't get stuck (generally getting dryer now, not wetter so should be safer each time I mow) and I have filled most of the holes I wanted to this spring already so it is just extra weight and size... that and I am lazy and don't want to spend the extra 5 minutes to remove it...