Using a front end loader effectively

[daTeacha]

I've been having to remove extra gravel from a driveway lately. I use the back blade to move the excess to the center, then set the bucket at level or slightly downward. I drive up the driveway slowly, very slowly lifting the bucket to compensate for the weight being added in front as it fills. I've manged to load the 60" bucket with enough limestone that I could see it over the top of the unrolled bucket.

I then roll it back, lift it a bit, proceed up the hill, and slowly dump it forward, spreading a pretty nice even layer of gravel on the upper part of the drive.

If I don't get the lift part just right, it tends to dig too deep and leave a bare patch in the middle of the drive, but I can usually fill that with a couple passes from the back blade or back drag the bucket.

On the back dragging topic -- my Case loader seems to almost float with respect to it's angle when back dragging unless I keep working the valve a little. The 'bota didn't do that, it was just solidly in position. Any else notice anything like it? It can move toward the rolled back position, but not toward the dump position.

 

[KJO]

Last year I had a project at home in which I needed to load and move about 300 yards of dirt mixed with concrete, pieces of cinder block and rocks, left over construction material. It has been setting there for several years and was packed pretty well. My loader tractor isn't real heavy and I don't have any additional weight on the rear other than fluid in the tires. The technique described by several here...level the bucket, then when you get close drop the cutting edge just slightly and when you reach the material begin to curl the bucket as you raise it. Do both simultaneously. It works pretty well, but what really helped is when my uncle showed up with a D4 cat and pushed the packed material loose while I loaded it on the truck. Took 89 truck loads but we got it finished!

 

[KJO]

Last year I had a project at home in which I needed to load and move about 300 yards of dirt mixed with concrete, pieces of cinder block and rocks, left over construction material. It has been setting there for several years and was packed pretty well. My loader tractor isn't real heavy and I don't have any additional weight on the rear other than fluid in the tires. The technique described by several here...level the bucket, then when you get close drop the cutting edge just slightly and when you reach the material begin to curl the bucket as you raise it. Do both simultaneously. It works pretty well, but what really helped is when my uncle showed up with a D4 cat and pushed the packed material loose while I loaded it on the truck. Took 89 truck loads but we got it finished!

 

[tjhowell63]

On a different but similar note, I have no problems picking up stuff from piles or rocks. Now don't call me lazy, but I find a lot of times I need to pick up stuff that is loose and level with the ground. Let me give you some examples. After I have drug the pine needle rake through the yard, I have a pile of pine needles. Very light stuff. How can I scoop this into the bucket? During back dragging and other times I have large diameter tree limbs or other items that I end up just pushing rather than scooping. Now I know I can get my butt up and push or rake stuff into the bucket or get off and usually pick stuff up. My problem is I'm 67 yrs. old and it's not easy to get on/off/on/off etc. plus I have a bad back.

Any suggestions?

 

[Diggin It]

^^ Despite the 13, going on 14 year old thread, that could be a perfect use for a version of a grapple that will fit your machine. There are several different types and I seem to recall at least one that doesn't need front hydraulics. Some kind of manual lever, but I can't remember where I saw it.

 

[tjhowell63]

^^ Despite the 13, going on 14 year old thread, that could be a perfect use for a version of a grapple that will fit your machine. There are several different types and I seem to recall at least one that doesn't need front hydraulics. Some kind of manual lever, but I can't remember where I saw it.

I do have a root grapple with 3 top jaws and a whole row of bottom teeth. I was just maybe looking for a solution without changing implements and hooking up the hydraulics for the grapple. Just wondering if there was a technique I wasn't aware of. Thanks for your response, it was very much appreciated.

 

[Diggin It]

The only other way I can think of is to push up against something (wall, timber, etc.) but I don't know what you might use to accomplish that in an open area.

 

[MossRoad]

Welcome to TBN.... (13 year old thread revival, but good info).

Scooping up light, fluffy, loose material is next to impossible if there's nothing to force it against to get it over the lip of the bucket. Think of using a dustpan with no broom on your kitchen floor... it doesn't work unless you either press the dust up against a baseboard or toe-kick under a cabinet, or, you move the dustpan very, very fast and scoop and lift at the same time..... it just doesn't work well.

A grapple won't work on pine needles unless there's large enough sticks to bind with the material to engage the grapple teeth.

A 4-in-1 bucket would work pretty well, I'd guess. Open it up, set it down on the pile of pine needles, then close it to scoop them up. But that's just a guess, since I don't have a 4-in-1 bucket.

 

[JohnMacca]

Welcome to TBN.... (13 year old thread revival, but good info).

Scooping up light, fluffy, loose material is next to impossible if there's nothing to force it against to get it over the lip of the bucket. Think of using a dustpan with no broom on your kitchen floor... it doesn't work unless you either press the dust up against a baseboard or toe-kick under a cabinet, or, you move the dustpan very, very fast and scoop and lift at the same time..... it just doesn't work well.

A grapple won't work on pine needles unless there's large enough sticks to bind with the material to engage the grapple teeth.

A 4-in-1 bucket would work pretty well, I'd guess. Open it up, set it down on the pile of pine needles, then close it to scoop them up. But that's just a guess, since I don't have a 4-in-1 bucket.

Yes, a 4-in-1 bucket works well for picking up the last bit of dirt / gravel / whatever, instead of chasing it all around the yard. I often clean up the remains of a burn pile using a stick rake to create a small row and then run along the row with the bucket open and close it and the end. The dustpan analogy is pretty close - you can get almost all of it by repeating this from a couple of different angles.

(Just "pinching" up the last little bit without gouging the ground by coordinating the curl and the grab is the skill that I am still working on).

 

[SmallChange]

Lotta good stuff here. Practice is great, but so is other people's experience to learn from, so the combination of the two is best of all.

I've always engaged the differential lock on my little Kubota on the fly, and so far have done the same on my new NH. But "on the fly" in this context means moving at less than walking speed. I don't want to hit the pile at any faster speed than I'd want to walk up to a wall. It's never broken anything, made any noises, felt weird, or anything. I think the advice about not using it at high speeds or in turns has more to do with having the tractor unable to negotiate a curve, and tipping or going straight and hitting something.

One thing that helps, when you're driving a 4WD further into the pile and curling, is that you're putting downforce on the front wheels which adds traction and forward force. I think for this reason it's good to keep the bucket angled so that there's a gap under the bucket everywhere but the cutting edge. Too much curl and too little lift will have the bucket trying to lift the front wheels instead, so you're turning wheel traction into bucket drag. You want the planing action of the bucket bottom to drive your front wheels down, never up.