Didn't Even Grunt

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Love the beef in a Branson. Would have bought one but the dealer distribution was abysmal 7 years ago. Hope it's better now. I agree abut not using the fel to tug with but your tractor was built with a creeper gear and I'd use the thing as needed.

 

[k0ua]

Well, I would have pulled from the fixed drawbar for a load that size, yes, and for all the reasons that you all suggested. AND I really like a hydro. but he got er done without damage and that's all to the good. It did look like it hooked up pretty good to the ground. Branson is no lightweight tractor. I like a hydro because you can go dead slow if you need to, and there is some "cushion" as there is no mechanical connection between the engine drivetrain and the wheels. Just a liquid one.

 

[Deere Dude]

I understand the physics in why pulling from the drawbar vs the FEL is important but I find pulling trees slowly with a hydro and a FEL is a very handy way to pull stuff out.

You can raise the base of the tree off the ground making pulling easier because it is not digging into the ground. That makes for a cleaner tree for bucking. Hooks on a bucket make it so easy to hook to the tractor without bending over and maneuvering around the ballast box, although I have pulled from the hitch on the BB.

You can see what is happening while it is happening while looking straight ahead at the project. If the rear of the tractor feels light you can just take your foot off the gas and lower the FEL to a more comfortable pulling angle. It is nice pulling up to a tree and lift the truck and back out.

I have pulled hundred of trees using both FEL and the drawbar and never had a problem either way although I am alert and cautious pulling from either. Not one style of pulling is appropriate for all trees though.

 

[CobyRupert]

Yes, like a lot of things, life is not always a series of "absolutes". As in: "absolutely NEVER do this or that". Never is a big word.
Often things work out fine.....until that time they don't.

It's like working around a rotating PTO with no guards, or folding down the ROPS, or using clamp on bucket forks, etc...it'll work out fine....until it doesn't.

Today's word of the day: "Mitigating".

 

[k0ua]

I understand the physics in why pulling from the drawbar vs the FEL is important but I find pulling trees slowly with a hydro and a FEL is a very handy way to pull stuff out.

You can raise the base of the tree off the ground making pulling easier because it is not digging into the ground. That makes for a cleaner tree for bucking. Hooks on a bucket make it so easy to hook to the tractor without bending over and maneuvering around the ballast box, although I have pulled from the hitch on the BB.

You can see what is happening while it is happening while looking straight ahead at the project. If the rear of the tractor feels light you can just take your foot off the gas and lower the FEL to a more comfortable pulling angle. It is nice pulling up to a tree and lift the truck and back out.

I have pulled hundred of trees using both FEL and the drawbar and never had a problem either way although I am alert and cautious pulling from either. Not one style of pulling is appropriate for all trees though.

Well, those are "light" pulls. and we have all done that. Pulling a log by raising its front and sliding it is ok fro the FEL as far as I am concerned. but the log in the water was something of an unknown, It worked out for him, but the idea was that It might have gotten hung up and could have been an issue. I pull grape vines out of trees with my grapple after I put the clamp attachment plate on it too. But pulling a grape vine out of a tree and say trying to pull stump over are two different things.

 

[npalen]

I've read that the low gear(s) on large 4WD tractors pulling earthmoving pan scrapers are sometimes locked out to prevent use. There is a tremendous amount of torque and resulting geartrain stress generated when filling the pan combined with the traction from the weight of the pan. Special heavy duty drawbars are usually required on the tractors for this application.

 

[zilla24]

I have used tractors in creep gear. If the tractor gets stuck, or has to pull heavy, I would take it out of creep and put it in low gear. In creep when tires get good grip you risk braking gears or shafts. In low gear the engine will die.
What does your manual say? I think I know!

OP - Glad it worked out for you but I had exactly this happen to my MF 1035 some years ago. Tried to pull a post out in reverse with the chain hooked to the loader. Angle of pull put extra load/traction on the front axle and I blew the ring and pinion. Cost me $700 to fix with me doing the work.

 

[npalen]

OP - Glad it worked out for you but I had exactly this happen to my MF 1035 some years ago. Tried to pull a post out in reverse with the chain hooked to the loader. Angle of pull put extra load/traction on the front axle and I blew the ring and pinion. Cost me $700 to fix with me doing the work.

That's a very good example of what could happen with the pull putting almost all of the load on the front wheels and trying to lift the rear wheels off the ground. Better shifting to 2WD in this case.
Gave me pause to rethink my comment in post #10 above even though the tractor may not have been in 4WD.

 

[Texasmark]

Absolutely. Never pull backwards hitched onto the FEL. A serious failure in the making!!!

What kind of serious failure? I can show you just how the loader is mounted to this tractor and you won't believe me when I show it to you.....1" thick steel plate for a material source before they start bending, cutting, welding and drilling (holes for mounting to the tractor frame). Pin holding the loader frame to the tractor mounted receiver is Cat III (removable loader). Loader is rated at 2000# at pin fully raised. Accessory to loader attachment is standard skid steer quick change and the chain was wrapped around the rear of the attachment meaning that 4 Cat II bolts were holding the frame to the loader arms. I can double stack heavy, 5x6 rolls of hay on a semi trailer without grunting.....the loader and mounting design was another reason for buying Branson. I doubt that I was exerting 2000# of force......the chain was 3/8 and didn't break, or even stretch the links.

 

[Texasmark]

Well, I would have pulled from the fixed drawbar for a load that size, yes, and for all the reasons that you all suggested. AND I really like a hydro. but he got er done without damage and that's all to the good. It did look like it hooked up pretty good to the ground. Branson is no lightweight tractor. I like a hydro because you can go dead slow if you need to, and there is some "cushion" as there is no mechanical connection between the engine drivetrain and the wheels. Just a liquid one.

Agree on hydro and infinite speed. Nice but I didn't want a hydro, this is shuttle shift synchro geared and is best for my kind of normal usage. The creep and all the gears just let you connect the gear train with your desired ground speed. For this job I wanted dead slow speed so that I didn't have to ride the clutch and if things started going in the wrong direction, I could stop it before I tore something up. Besides, it reduced the stress on the pulling elements.