Reasonable use of FEL

[dirtworksequip]

Above all go straight into the material you are loading.......... don't corner your bucket and put uneven stress on the loader and mounts.

 

[john_bud]

All your FEL tasks are in the Ok to no problem range, except for the last one. Not going to destruct the FEL, just isn't the right tool for the task. Like screwing in a light bulb with a hammer and chisel.

As others have said, a stone boat is the way to go. Old car hoods will work in a pinch. Especially, if you are only going to move a few. Junk yard hood that is already dented and wrinkled will go cheap and work fine.

 

[vallyfarm]

A front end loader is designed to lift and transport loose material. That is all it is designed to do. That being said, if you use some common sense and go slowly into piles, They can take abuse beyond belief. I agree... get some teeth up front. They make a big diference digging out a rock, cutting a berm, etc. My loader is on an Olover 1600, around 10,000 easy. I've dug/moved rocks that make the rearend start to get light. If it can lift it, then it can move it. The only worry is the front spindles and that the mount points are strong enough. Mike

 

[JimMorrissey]

Z,

I'd certainly look into a wear bar for the leaded edge of the bucket to absorb some of the impact. For the cutting work you talk about, I'd look into teeth for the front as well. They make a tremendous difference and give a bit of strength to the lip.

 

[JimMorrissey]

Scotty.....Nice boat. Wondering why you don't rig off the draw bar with your chains instead of putting that pressure on the 3pt linkages??

 

[scott_vt]

Scotty.....Nice boat. Wondering why you don't rig off the draw bar with your chains instead of putting that pressure on the 3pt linkages??

Mornin Jim,
Thats my neighbor Neils' tractor. We were using some 1/4'" steel plate to move that huge hunk of concrete. There was very little weight on the 3pt other than having to pull that thing. He raised the arms up just enough so the plate didnt dig into the ground. If we had something that had a front lip on the front leading edge then we could have just pulled it with the drawbar.

 

[jbrumberg]

Z-Michigan:

I have used old beat up car hoods as stone boats with good success (and they are pretty cheap and/or free ). I chain mine to the TPH to allow for some "lift" to the front of the stone boat. Jay

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Another reason to hook to the 3 point is by lifting the front edge of the skid, you put weight on the tractor thus giving yourself much more traction.

 

[johnk]

Heres one I had made gor my ATV and would work as well with the tractor. Works well for me......

 

[flusher]

Above all go straight into the material you are loading.......... don't corner your bucket and put uneven stress on the loader and mounts.

Here's a couple of photos showing my B7510HST and LA302 FEL (4-ft wide) doing some excavating around my new house.

The first two photos show excavation for a paver block walkway. The last two show the FEL work done for a backyard patio.

The box blade and FEL are a good working combination that makes this kind of job go quickly. I add about 360 lb of concrete weight to the box blade to make it bite better.