Angle of the Dangle

[Machold]

I've read the threads on floating the FEL. On my B3030, I know it's in float with the joystick pushed all the way forward; if the bucket is up, it will float down when I do this; and when it's down with the wheels off the ground, it will float up. The stick stays locked forward until I disengage. Does the bucket just float up or down, or is it self-levelling?

D I have a self-levelling FEL? No matter what angle I put the bucket into, it does not skim the surface but digs in when going forward. Going backward, it seems to stay on top.

Am I missing something here? I would like to bucket in float position to be self-levelling as it goes over the surface of the ground, and not dig in at any angle. Or am I expecting too much?

 

[TripleR]

I have no experience with the B3030, but I have found the "float" to be good on some tractors going forward and not so much with others. Going forward with my L5030 HSTC and LA583 is pretty useless no matter how I angle the buck, it will lift the front wheels, so I only use float in reverse. My BX2660 works in any direction and my Case CX80 works better than my L5030.

Maybe someone with your model can provide more insight.

 

[RayCo]

I've gotten lots of practice driving forward in float using my loader to clear snow. On my BX, anyway, there is no magic that makes the bucket stay level or anything like that. As the terrain changes, I have to make small bucket tilt adjustments to keep it from digging in or skidding over everything. But, just keeping an eye on the level indicator is usually enough.

Just keep at it. With some more time, you should be able to drive along just skinning the ground without much conscious brain activity between your eyes on your hand adjusting the bucket angle.

 

[nspec]

When you float the bucket, you are generally backblading to smooth something or with a steeper angle, to drag something. I grade everything I do by floating it with the loader bucket (b2630) and I can get it spot on. I do have lot of practice however from bigger machines. I would never consider wasting my money on a box blade. Loader is way quicker and much less hassle. I can work circles around a box blade with a loader and you would not know the difference in the finished product. I know I'll get an argument on this, but I'll stand my ground!

Your 3030 is the same as mine. The float works just like any full size machine. I floats whether you are going forward, or reverse. The only time I float when going ahead is when I'm on an asphalt or concrete surface and want to scrape it clean. If you float going ahead on dirt, the bucket will either dig in or ride up - you'll never go level. Much easier to set it, go real slow, then feather the bucket as you go to maintain your grade.

To answer the rest of your questions, your loader is not self leveling, and the loader floats up and down, whichever way it is "pushed".

Summary: Float at about a 45 degree angle or better to drag material in reverse. Decrease to about a 30 degree angle and you will start to smooth/spread in reverse. As the amount of material behind the bucket starts to wain, just keep rolling back the bucket until just about flat and you will just taper it right down and have a pretty smooth spread. May have to repeat a couple times to get it just right. I never float going ahead on dirt to dig.

 

[RayCo]

I would never consider wasting my money on a box blade. Loader is way quicker and much less hassle. I can work circles around a box blade with a loader and you would not know the difference in the finished product. I know I'll get an argument on this, but I'll stand my ground!

Alright, no sense in arguing then. My guess is that you don't have a gravel driveway to maintain, though.

 

[_RaT_]

When you float the bucket, you are generally backblading to smooth something or with a steeper angle, to drag something. I grade everything I do by floating it with the loader bucket (b2630) and I can get it spot on. I do have lot of practice however from bigger machines. I would never consider wasting my money on a box blade. Loader is way quicker and much less hassle. I can work circles around a box blade with a loader and you would not know the difference in the finished product. I know I'll get an argument on this, but I'll stand my ground!

Your 3030 is the same as mine. The float works just like any full size machine. I floats whether you are going forward, or reverse. The only time I float when going ahead is when I'm on an asphalt or concrete surface and want to scrape it clean. If you float going ahead on dirt, the bucket will either dig in or ride up - you'll never go level. Much easier to set it, go real slow, then feather the bucket as you go to maintain your grade.

To answer the rest of your questions, your loader is not self leveling, and the loader floats up and down, whichever way it is "pushed".

Summary: Float at about a 45 degree angle or better to drag material in reverse. Decrease to about a 30 degree angle and you will start to smooth/spread in reverse. As the amount of material behind the bucket starts to wain, just keep rolling back the bucket until just about flat and you will just taper it right down and have a pretty smooth spread. May have to repeat a couple times to get it just right. I never float going ahead on dirt to dig.

I seriously doubt it. I blade and box blade. I rarely if ever use float to back blade. You are not well versed in a box scraper if you think it is not as or more effective than a front loader used to back blade. I am also assuming a hydraulic TnT for the box scraper.

 

[CurlyDave]

...Am I missing something here? I would like to bucket in float position to be self-levelling as it goes over the surface of the ground, and not dig in at any angle. Or am I expecting too much?

The float is working fine, the problem is that pushing a sharp-edged bucket over even slightly uneven surfaces is inherently unstable, the edge always catches on something and wants to dig in. Pulling the bucket backwards is much more stable and the bucket follows the ground nicely.

You can demonstrate this for yourself. Try pushing a pencil across a table from the back. As soon as it twists to one side or the other you must correct the direction of push, or it will just go off in the wrong direction.

Now pull that same pencil across the table and see how it tracks the fingers doing the pulling.

 

[/pine]

JMHO, but if he learned to use a box blade as good as he can an FEL bucket...he wouldn't ever need the FEL except for loading...!

like just about any tool (especially power) unless we know how to use them properly we remain mostly ignorant of their value...

I can do just about anything mentioned with my FEL but I would not even think about working on a gravel road without a box blade...

BTW...how in the heck can you fix a big pot hole with a FEL? you can't...you can fill it in time after time after time but that's not "fixing" it...!

 

[_RaT_]

JMHO, but if he learned to use a box blade as good as he can an FEL bucket...he wouldn't ever need the FEL except for loading...!

like just about any tool (especially power) unless we know how to use them properly we remain mostly ignorant of their value...

I can do just about anything mentioned with my FEL but I would not even think about working on a gravel road without a box blade...

BTW...how in the heck can you fix a big pot hole with a FEL? you can't...you can fill it in time after time after time but that's not "fixing" it...!

I must admit, I'm a little spoiled with not only TnT but hydraulic rippers on my box blade. The Gannon (now owned by Woods) box blade weighs about 1400lbs and that helps me do things the loader in a back drag setup could never do except very fine finish work and even at that, so can my box blade. I end up ripping my gravel drive with the rippers so I can get back to a homogeneous consistency on the gravel, then I box blade the entire road way. Once you get the correct angle on the top link and set the height, you just drive forward. You always know where your going, you have complete steering control and high and low spots are instantly taken care of. My last pas is often with the top link almost fully extended. This compacts the gravel because only the rear cutter rests on the gravel putting a sizable load on it.

 

[/pine]

I'm a little spoiled with not only TnT but hydraulic rippers on my box blade

It's going to be a few more weeks before I get to install my T&T hardware...I can hardly wait...unfortunately power rippers are just a pipe dream for my little box blade (BushHog CBX60)...

I am considering an additional ripper of some sort that I can use to get burried rocks up with...

my mountain gravel road was originally bedded with river rock and later covered with different grades of crushed gravel...evey now and then I run across an "iceberg" rock where the top is sticking up just enough to push my bb up and the bulk of the rock is burried...I am thinking of some sort of ripper I can lower and dig around both sides of said rock until I can roll it out of the hole...right now I have to use a pick-mattock and dig them by hand...

 

[_RaT_]

It's going to be a few more weeks before I get to install my T&T hardware...I can hardly wait...unfortunately power rippers are just a pipe dream for my little box blade (BushHog CBX60)...

I am considering an additional ripper of some sort that I can use to get burried rocks up with...

my mountain gravel road was originally bedded with river rock and later covered with different grades of crushed gravel...evey now and then I run across an "iceberg" rock where the top is sticking up just enough to push my bb up and the bulk of the rock is burried...I am thinking of some sort of ripper I can lower and dig around both sides of said rock until I can roll it out of the hole...right now I have to use a pick-mattock and dig them by hand...

Oh man, you are going to love that hydraulic top link, its GOLD! The tilt comes in handy as well.
Order of preference;
1. hydraulic top link
2. hydraulic tilt
3. rippers, hydraulic or other.

 

[magicheater]

Loader is way quicker and much less hassle. I can work circles around a box blade with a loader and you would not know the difference in the finished product. I know I'll get an argument on this, but I'll stand my ground!

I'm with you on that point and do it often myself with my loader buddy.

 

[Reg]

I've read the threads on floating the FEL. On my B3030, I know it's in float with the joystick pushed all the way forward; if the bucket is up, it will float down when I do this; and when it's down with the wheels off the ground, it will float up. The stick stays locked forward until I disengage. Does the bucket just float up or down, or is it self-levelling?

D I have a self-levelling FEL? No matter what angle I put the bucket into, it does not skim the surface but digs in when going forward. Going backward, it seems to stay on top.

Am I missing something here? I would like to bucket in float position to be self-levelling as it goes over the surface of the ground, and not dig in at any angle. Or am I expecting too much?

Just about ALL buckets can be rolled in enough to give an angle between the floor of the bucket and the ground that will skim the ground when driven forwards, at least on level wet grass (-:
According to the nature of the surface the tractor might ride up onto the loader until it hits a stop, at that point you are hardly "floating" the bucket, the front wheels are off the ground and you are steering with the turning brakes.
It probably digs in if you are on deeply tilled soft soil, maybe deep sand.
It can be useful, for example when you need to return some of the material that back dragging has moved.

 

[Usta]

I can work circles around a box blade with a loader and you would not know the difference in the finished product. I know I'll get an argument on this, but I'll stand my ground!

I totally agree with you. I also can can do good leveling with just the bucket.
ALTHOUGH... I like the box blade for the quick tilling of the material prior to the final leveling.

 

[Usta]

I've read the threads on floating the FEL. On my B3030, I know it's in float with the joystick pushed all the way forward; if the bucket is up, it will float down when I do this; and when it's down with the wheels off the ground, it will float up. The stick stays locked forward until I disengage. Does the bucket just float up or down, or is it self-levelling?

D I have a self-levelling FEL? No matter what angle I put the bucket into, it does not skim the surface but digs in when going forward. Going backward, it seems to stay on top.

Am I missing something here? I would like to bucket in float position to be self-levelling as it goes over the surface of the ground, and not dig in at any angle. Or am I expecting too much?

The advise given already has been right on. With float going forward works for a short time untill the bucket starts to dig in. In float, there is nothing stopping the bucket from lowering further down as thus digging further down.

 

[_RaT_]

I totally agree with you. I also can can do good leveling with just the bucket.
ALTHOUGH... I like the box blade for the quick tilling of the material prior to the final leveling.

Its easy to do a good job with the loader provided the soil is in premium conditions. I do it all the time with our associations L3940, even better with HST. I just never use float as I usually don't want the bucket to follow the ups and downs of the ground. If there are small mounds to take down, keeping the bucket close to flat 5 to 10 degs. and using the squared back edge of the bucket works beautifully. Often times I even leave a full load of dirt in the bucket for added weight. Try something hard and even our old now sold JD 410 backhoe just sits on top. Skidsteers operate this way almost exclusively provided again the soil is setup. In fact, I would venture to say I could do it much faster in our associations CAT 236B than any tractor. On the other hand, I much prefer driving/using the L3940 HST, what a nice tractor. Now if you want to talk really nice and easy, I also have a 8' Harley powered landscape rake. That's a whole different game.

 

[bullet3z]

I can say for sure that I need to practice with the FEL in float. This thread was a big help for those of us that are new to the home tractor world. I only wish that my CUB had the features of my new Kubota.

 

[_RaT_]

I can say for sure that I need to practice with the FEL in float. This thread was a big help for those of us that are new to the home tractor world. I only wish that my CUB had the features of my new Kubota.

A little practice. I think the mistake most make is putting too much angle on the bucket. Try just a couple of inches space between the back of the bucket and the ground. Also, try it while not being in float. I have very limited use for float.

 

[Toolguy]

The best thing I ever did to my FEL was to add a bucket level indicator. Repeatability of the bucket angle is very important to getting the most out of the FEL. By knowing where the bucket is and noting what position works best for a given task I can do so much more that I could without it. A small angle change makes the difference between having the bucket dig in or ride up. Without a level indicator you have to eyeball the bucket and hope it is where you want it to be. Then by trial and error you find out if you guessed right. The indicator takes the guesswork out of it once you figure out what setting does what. As an example, I plow snow with the FEL on a gravel area at the end of my cement driveway. I can set the correct bucket angle, which I found from experience, and skim the snow off the gravel without digging in or rideing up. At the end of the push I raise the bucket and dump the snow. As I am backing up I set the same angle again with the indicator. When I start to go forward again for the next pass I power lower the bucket, push it into float and go forward again pushing snow not gravel . Much faster than trying to quess the correct angle all over again. The indicator is not so important for backdragging but it sure is for going forward. I made the one I have on my B3030 from simple materials. Very easy to do. Some say they don't need an indicator and just use the little flat bar on the bucket. I am not that good. The indicator makes all the difference for me for taking the frustration out of precise loader work. Good luck.

 

[_RaT_]

The best thing I ever did to my FEL was to add a bucket level indicator. Repeatability of the bucket angle is very important to getting the most out of the FEL. By knowing where the bucket is and noting what position works best for a given task I can do so much more that I could without it. A small angle change makes the difference between having the bucket dig in or ride up. Without a level indicator you have to eyeball the bucket and hope it is where you want it to be. Then by trial and error you find out if you guessed right. The indicator takes the guesswork out of it once you figure out what setting does what. As an example, I plow snow with the FEL on a gravel area at the end of my cement driveway. I can set the correct bucket angle, which I found from experience, and skim the snow off the gravel without digging in or rideing up. At the end of the push I raise the bucket and dump the snow. As I am backing up I set the same angle again with the indicator. When I start to go forward again for the next pass I power lower the bucket, push it into float and go forward again pushing snow not gravel . Much faster than trying to quess the correct angle all over again. The indicator is not so important for backdragging but it sure is for going forward. I made the one I have on my B3030 from simple materials. Very easy to do. Some say they don't need an indicator and just use the little flat bar on the bucket. I am not that good. The indicator makes all the difference for me for taking the frustration out of precise loader work. Good luck.

Every tractor I have ever owned came with a loader bucket level indicator. I agree, it is a very advantageous tool. The one on the Kubota LXX40's is very slick. Its adjustable and when you hit flat, you have a positive visual of it.