Using the front-end loader as a jack on a BX2200?

[pintodeluxe]

Agree with acedeuce - it is safe to use FEL as a jack, as long as you use jack stands and rear wheel chock blocks. If you don't want to invest in the FEL just yet, simply drive the tractor up on car service ramps. This will allow you to service the deck blades with an impact wrench. By the way an impact wrench is a great tool for this job - no need to block the blade from turning .
Best of Luck!

 

[2002-BX2200]

Sorry about your accident, but ummm, buying a FEL so you can raise your tractor to change your mower blades? Seriously?

Compared to paying somebody else to service your mower, lessee, yeah, that would make sense amortized over about 1000 years.

Compared to buying a floor jack, lessee, yeah, that would make sense amortized over, well, never.

FEL's are great, but c'mon, that's not why ya buy one.

I do not own a vehicle large enough to tow a trailer. I traded my SUV for a fuel-efficient vehicle when gas hit $4.00. Paying someone to service my mower means incurring a $150.00 towing fee in addition to the cost of the service. Heck, if I am going to pay someone to service my tractor, I might as well sell it and pay someone to cut my grass.

Up until the accident, I did all of my own service. However, losing the use of my dominant arm and hand is going to make it next to impossible for me to decouple and recouple the MMM shaft from the PTO. That was a difficult job when I had the use of my dominant hand.

I have a floor jack but it will not fit under the middle of the front axle with the mower attached to the tractor. Trust me, I have already investigated this option. Using the FEL to lift the front of the tractor is a bonus. Up until this point, I have never been able to get the price of the FEL past my wife. However, she may be more amenable to idea considering my new limitations.

 

[2002-BX2200]

By the way an impact wrench is a great tool for this job - no need to block the blade from turning.

Concur! I have been using an impact wrench to remove mower blades for years.

 

[boatyard]

THE MAN WANTS TO BUY A FEL. HELP HIM OUT.
Yes it should work as a jack, don't forget the wheel blocks and the jack stands.

 

[TripleR]

I am also disabled and have used a floor jack as well as a set of car ramps to get to my blades to remove them for sharpening. A FEL will work as well and I have found mine to be invaluable for many things.

 

[Tom_H]

I will accept that many people find attaching the PTO coupling to be hard, but that is not my experience. I found it difficult for only the first few times., but never have any difficulty with it now. It does take the development of skill. There are several secrets to doing it successfully.

Make sure both parts are well lubed. Crawl under the tractor with just the coupling and split shaft (no MMM) and practice getting the feel. Cock the female coupling into its lock-back position. When it feels that it will not connect, try more gently, not harder-this is a matter of finesse, not brute force. With ultra delicate sensitivity, rotate the coupling back and forth about one degree and camber the plane of the face as well. It was, for me, just a matter of developing a feel for it. Repeat attaching this way to break it in a little and to get the feel. When really attaching the MMM, I also camber the dolly so that I have maximum space on the left side of the tractor, between the rear of the MMM and the front of the left rear tire, to partially crawl under the tractor. I almost always have the thing coupled in around three seconds. The dolly allows me to get the rest of the alignment correct after that without problems. I take the MMM on and off frequently and I believe that contributed to getting the parts very well "broken in" when it comes to getting an easy fit.

In absolutely no way do I intend to seem condescending about this, but I wonder if you might become more skilled than before with what was your non-dominant hand. Most of us who played any baseball would probably say that catching a baseball is something we can do better with the other hand than with the dominant one. You might adjust to it more easily than it seems now.

As to the impact wrench, I will have to get the correct size socket and give it a try. I would think that if bolcking isn't used, one still would have to immobilize the blade in some way before torquing with the impact wrench. Still, the idea of laying on my back and detorquing with that thing above me makes me feel rather hesitant.

No one can make the decision for you. Only you can make it. Take the advice that rings true to you and ignore what doesn't. I wish you the very best with making the decision that is best for you. Best wishes.

 

[whistlepig]

The best way to drain the front axle fluid and not make a mess is to raise the front with the FEL and slide a drain pan under the tire to catch the oil. I learned this the hard way. SUDT stays in your hair for a long time.

 

[frank_f15]

sorry for your accident.
is it absolutly necessary to cut with the MMM might it serve you better to switch to a rear finish mower? just a thought.

 

[rdsaustintx]

With ultra delicate sensitivity, rotate the coupling back and forth...

I'm out

 

[whistlepig]

I'm out

So with the PTO shaft between my legs while I'm trying to hump it on to tractor drive spline and cussing like a sailor would that not be considered delicate? Am I being unkind to my equipment?