FEL for leveling and digging

[jinman]

Lou, you have had some excellent replies and advice from the folks here, but you have to accept one thing: You are going to make a mess of your yard if you try to smooth out sod with a tractor. Anything other than a wheelbarrow and shovel will leave tracks and the dirt will be a mess to work if it's full of sod. The best approach I have found is: 1) remove sod, 2) level soil, 3) replace sod. A tractor isn't "magic" and there are just some things we can't get them to do...at least without making a little mess. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[Anonymous Poster]

<font color="blue"> so that the cutting edge is pointing towards the tractor.. sorta like a make shift boxblade edge.. by lowering the bucket and going in reverse.. </font>

Don't know if this is true with other FELs, but my manual specifically warns against using the bucket in this manner as it may damage the bucket hydraulic cylinder. Not that I haven't done it too /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

Jeff

 

[RobertN]

As others have mentioned, get a tooth bar for digging. Without the toothbar, your loader is more suited to, well, loading not digging.

Look at the digging a Bobcat can do with just a bucket. Most of the time, you'll see those guys with a toothbar. Some, like a friend of mine, have two buckets. One has a toothbar, just for digging. The othere is a plain bucket which is just for smoothing or loading/scooping material.

Without a toothbar, use a scraper with rippers. The rippers can break up, or scarcify, enough so you can scoop with your loader.

 

[AndyMA]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( <font color="blue"> so that the cutting edge is pointing towards the tractor.. sorta like a make shift boxblade edge.. by lowering the bucket and going in reverse.. </font>

Don't know if this is true with other FELs, but my manual specifically warns against using the bucket in this manner as it may damage the bucket hydraulic cylinder. Not that I haven't done it too /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

Jeff )</font>

It is basically true for all small front end loaders, but there much more of a chance of bending cylinders if the bucket cylinders are extended. I'v smoothed many areas over the years by loosing it with the bucket and pushing some extra material to one edge and then backdragging it with the bucket about level to the ground. With a little practice you can do a very good job this way. If I only have a small area to do, this is the way I'll do it even though I have a 7' box blade and york rake. Just drag with the bucket parallel to the ground.

Andy

 

[herbenus]

I've done all my leveling with fel. Not as good as bb, but it's what I have. The post about dragging back is correct, you'll get smoother results. You can do this forward too, but it takes a good touch. Your sod is really the problem. I have a spot on my place that I'm moving. The sod is so tough that when I try to move a load, I wind up just tearing sod a little and getting no dirt. I've learned to first loosen sod by gouging as required, then picking up load. You'll probably have to remove sod (with fel or toothbar) before you'll be real successful at leveling with fel.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I was using my 7308 fel, tc30 with the bucket curled back toward the tractor scraping in reverse and popped the fel off it's front mounting pins. That bucket came 2' up in the air, scared the &%$%#@ out of me. The down preasure plus the pulling caused those two 3/4" thick hook plates with 2 grade 8 3/4" bolts each to shift on there slotted holes. So those hook plates were on top of the pins instead of under them. I loosened the front hook plates and got them back under the fel mounting pins check everything out and it does not appear that I bent anything but there was major concern as the tractor is barly 6 weeks old. This happened Sunday evenig, I fixed it last night , had to stop at Sears after work to get 1 1/8" scocket and wrench, I will be at TCS tonight for that $300 5' box blade. well there is my first bad experience with my new toy/machine. and will not try to cut hard ground that way again.

 

[TC18guy]

If I understand your post right, the FEL came off the subframe? It doesn't sound like the bolts were tightened to begin with. Your FEL should have easilly handled the use you described. If those bolts were loose, you're lucky you weren't carry a load with the FEL!

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Sounds like the hooks were not torqued properly, (but that might not have been a bad thing) /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif You could have bent the curl cylinder rods. You might want to check to make sure you didn't damage them.

 

[rmonio]

I don't have a toothbar for my bucket (although I am getting a HD bucket going forward) and I, too, was having problems leveling material well with the FEL. I recently purchased a BB and that made all the difference. I've used it for everything - leveling ground prior to spreading black dirt, ripping/tilling/leveling my garden, etc. As we say in the dog world, this brace pair (FEL and BB) really rocks!

Go with the BB - I think you'll find it to be perfect match.

-Bob

 

[herbenus]

I do this all the time with mine. Never had parts fall off.