Mirror on front end loader

[quicksandfarmer]

I've had my tractor for about 30 hours now, and it is driving me crazy that I can't see the cutting edge of the FEL if I'm sitting in the driver seat. So I'm thinking of putting a mirror somewhere so I can see the ground in front of me. Has anyone done this, or is it a stupid idea? Of course, I have to figure out a spot where it won't get knocked off the first time I move something.

Thanks.

 

[thcri]

Of course, I have to figure out a spot where it won't get knocked off the first time I move something.

Thanks.

I think that is the tough part. I have never heard of anyone doing it.


murph

 

[Deerlope]

It may not last long but go for it. Learn by feel and judgement where the cutting edge is. The is the sign of a true operator. There are tractor drivers and there are tractor operators.

 

[patrick_g]

I can't see the cutting edge of the FEL if I'm sitting in the driver seat. So I'm thinking of putting a mirror somewhere so I can see the ground in front of me. Thanks.

Go for it, so what if no other folks do it. I have a convex mirror on a temp holder that will sit on my tailgate and allow me to see the ball hitch and when I get close to the coupler on the trailer I can see that too. I can watch the ball get close to and directly under the coupler, making lateral corrections as needed and typically get a perfect alignment.

There will always be some good ole boy who will tell me that a truck DRIVER instead of a truck USER doesn't need any such and can back up at 30MPH and slide to a stop perfectly aligned with his eyes closed (think Pinball Wizard, that deaf dumb and blind kid playing by intuition and sense of smell.) Well that is really nice but it works for me. Yes I can back up and get as close as the next guy (sometimes dead on) without the mirror but why not use the mirror? It is cheap, works very well, and is always fast and accurate, not just sometimes.

The above rant having been vented... I don't have a mirror on my FEL and with my short wheel base I find adjusting the blade to try to "peel the apple" is a frustrating thing till you get considerable experience and it still isn't easy, especially with varying ground texture. What has made me consider a mirror on the FEL is my pallet forks. You can't see very well at all what your forks are doing. Experience helps but a mirror just might make it easy, maybe too easy for the personal preference of some of the good ole boys who insist that no marksman would ever carry a semi-auto. Of course on TV we see an ex SEAL shooting a semi-auto at targets in excess of a mile and hitting them.

Pat

 

[tlbuser]

So I'm thinking of putting a mirror somewhere so I can see the ground in front of me. Has anyone done this, or is it a stupid idea? Of course, I have to figure out a spot where it won't get knocked off the first time I move something.

Not totally a bad idea, but it does get easier with lots of practice. How about using a backup camera system instead ?
VR3 Wireless Backup Camera w/Monitor - Wal-Mart

 

[patrick_g]

Not totally a bad idea, but it does get easier with lots of practice. How about using a backup camera system instead ?

I built a back up camera system in '97 when I put the largest camper Lance sold onto my 1 ton Dually Dodge/Cummins with service body. Bought a 5 inch B&W monitor and CCD camera for $40. I rewired the CRT yoke to reverse the scan and mounted the monitor upside down. The effect was to give me a mirror view (left right reversal) instead of a standard camera view. It came with a plug in the wall power supply (18 VDC) but it worked fine on 12VDC. It worked like an electronic rearview mirror. The camera mounts under the rear roof overhang of the camper.

I have nearly 50 years experience backing up to trailers. It has gotten about as easy as it is going to get. I am pretty darned good at it without the mirror. I am a pretty good marksman without sights on the gun too but way better with them. Likewise, the mirror is a sure kill and easily gets you dead on first time nearly every time. I have relatively poor visibility without it on the 1 ton. Just bought a draw bar and ball for the new 3/4 ton but haven't backed it up to a trailer yet. Remains to be seen how easy it will be. As it is a crew cab 4x4 (taller) the visibility is not so great.

Thanks for the link, I was blissfully ignorant of the inexpensive Wally World unit. I'll have to take a look. I purposely did not get the back up cam on the truck because I want to do my own. Ditto the nav system. I want to choose my own GPS unit which may ba a laptop with GPS card. The Super Duty F-250 has a neat rectangular depression in the center of the top of the dash that looks to be just about perfect for some custom equipment and will only obscure the view of the hood, not the road as I am not vertically challenged. There is room above the rear view mirror to place an LCD screen.

Thanks again for the link, I gotta check that out.

Pat

 

[sasquatcher]

I say go for it. The mirror may last long enough for you to get a feel for where the loader's edge is. If it works for you, then that's not a bad idea for getting to know your machine faster. That's of course, if you're willing to give up 7 years to bad luck.

 

[LoneCowboy]

It may not last long but go for it. Learn by feel and judgement where the cutting edge is. The is the sign of a true operator. There are tractor drivers and there are tractor operators.

yep
you'll quickly learn how far you need to go down to make it work like you want it.
MOST tractor buckets (not all) have a top edge (that you can see) that matches the bottom edge (that you can't)
every tractor is slightly different but it's mostly experience.

 

[daTeacha]

You might have some problems with vibration from the engine making the mirror shake so much as to be useless. I tried mounting rearview mirrors on my little Kubota for road use and could only see out them if I wasn't moving.

Mount them temporarily with duct tape or something before you get real serious about it. I'd say go to a junkyard and try to find some trailer towing mirrors or school bus mirrors. I wouldn't think you'd have much success with small ones.

 

[patrick_g]

Larger diameter convex mirrors like used for bumper views on Postal vans and school buses should work well. Duct tape may not secure the mirror as vibration free as a properly executed permanent mount, so don't be mislead by a duct tape prototype.

My FEL bucket has a pair of tabs with high vis striped tape on them. when the tabs are level to the world then the lower plane of the bucket is level with the world. Observing changes in the "tilt" of the bucket by watching the "leveling tabs" helps. Going slow with the controls helps too.

Another system that works really well uses a device like an old time choke or throttle cable (although it might be two concentric plastic tubes or similar.) The outer covering of the "indicator" is secured to the fixed portion of the FEL assy. The moving part, the bucket, is connected to the center part of the indicator. The indicator cable is led to a position where it is easily seen by the operator. The center portion of the indicator is cut long so it sticks out of the outer "sheath" by a greater distance than it retracts at the end of the bucket's range of motion. You can put markings on the part that sticks out (like a ruler.)

As you curl the bucket up and down the center portion of the indicator runs in and out. As you lift and lower the entire bucket assy of the FEL the indicator remains steady. Only changes in curl are indicated. This gives you an easily seen indicator of bucket tilt/curl and allows you to make known changes in easily referenced increments. The indicator doesn't "know" level as all its indications are made relative to the position of the FEL arms. It gives good repeatability and lets you set the blade quickly and easily to the position you have experienced to work well for whatever you are doing.

Take a walking tour through an equipment sales lot and you will probably find some of these indicators. One brief look will do more for you than pages of written descriptions. They are dead simple and do help.

Pat