Electronic FEL level indicator

[lostcreekranch]

Very nice design, execution and expense to solve a problem that doesn't exist. My LA524 has a level bracket on top of the bucket, well visible from the operator station. I never have an issue with leveling the bucket, observing the bracket and adjusting, by feel. So many tractor skills, well executed, require experience which results in feel for the machine. For instance grading a road with a back blade after having dropped spoil which contains roots and grass tops, dragging the load down the road and feathering the blade so as to leave the dirt behind while collecting the plant material so it can be collected with a level bucket at the end of the run and deposited off the road. The blade becomes an extension of the operator and no LED lights are going to beat the native relationship between the blade position and the operator's mind and hand on the control lever. I too appreciate the quality of your modification but I chalk it up to your desire to pimp your tractor, which is just fine. I'll stick with the basics and develop my machine handling skills to achieve the desired results. Respectfully submitted by a Machine Operator

RH;

Call me a dumb ***** but, after operating tractors with FEL all my life, I am still too too stupid to understand the L bracket and sticker on our small tractor ( Kubota B-2710 / LA-402FEL). How does this stupid thing tell me the bucket is level. My solution is to lean right or left enough to see the side of the bucket.

Our NH TL100-A with Bush Hog 5045 FEL has the mechanical level rod which works very well.

Please explain the bracket and sticker .... I just don't see it.

Rick

 

[ovrszd]

Yeah Rick, I feel the same. I think once an operator learns to level the bucket, if the leveling indicator is the bent iron method, he can cut it off and throw it away. It's not contributing anything.

 

[TomSeller]

One big advantage to Waxman's solution is that you don't even really need to take your eye off of what you are loading. You will see the lights change in the corner of your eye without changing your focus. That alone is worth it on high repetition work.

 

[EMB5530]

I think he has a very usefull tool that has a potential market.

Great work!!!

I think the fit and finish of what you did is every bit as great as the idea also.:thumbsup:

 

[npalen]

Very nice clean work Waxman! Gotta love the "billet box" for the light housing.
Just a thought here is that some industrial air cylinders made of aluminum use a non magnetic piston also but with a metal band around the piston. IIRC
Hall effect sensors are mounted to the outside of the barrel and adjustable to act as limit switches. This wouldn't work on most FEL cylinders as they are steel but it brings to mind a level indicator system similar to yours but perhaps a plastic rod with adjustable ferrous metal sleeves to trip magnetic or Hall effect switches. Just a thought.

 

[lostcreekranch]

Went to Austin in early September to look at the LS tractors at RCO Tractor. Don't know about the smaller ones but the loader on the 55 HP I looked at was self leveling. It had a set of QA pallet forks installed on the FEL and the forks were level from flat on the ground to max height of the FEL.

 

[TexasBoy]

Very nice design, execution and expense to solve a problem that doesn't exist.

My LA524 has a level bracket on top of the bucket, well visible from the operator station. I never have an issue with leveling the bucket, observing the bracket and adjusting, by feel. So many tractor skills, well executed, require experience which results in feel for the machine. For instance grading a road with a back blade after having dropped spoil which contains roots and grass tops, dragging the load down the road and feathering the blade so as to leave the dirt behind while collecting the plant material so it can be collected with a level bucket at the end of the run and deposited off the road. The blade becomes an extension of the operator and no LED lights are going to beat the native relationship between the blade position and the operator's mind and hand on the control lever.

I too appreciate the quality of your modification but I chalk it up to your desire to pimp your tractor, which is just fine. I'll stick with the basics and develop my machine handling skills to achieve the desired results.

Respectfully submitted by a Machine Operator

Dude are you serious? You took all that time to plunk out a way to diss that fellas awesome handiwork because you happen to be Johnny-Pro-Operator? Did you get picked on in the 3rd grade or something?

WaxMan, that is a badass effort you put forth on that mod and ignore Debbie Downer. Well done fella.

 

[lostcreekranch]

Dude are you serious? You took all that time to plunk out a way to diss that fellas awesome handiwork because you happen to be Johnny-Pro-Operator? Did you get picked on in the 3rd grade or something? WaxMan, that is a badass effort you put forth on that mod and ignore Debbie Downer. Well done fella.

Well said!

 

[SPYDERLK]

Very nice design, execution and expense to solve a problem that doesn't exist.

My LA524 has a level bracket on top of the bucket, well visible from the operator station. I never have an issue with leveling the bucket, observing the bracket and adjusting, by feel. So many tractor skills, well executed, require experience which results in feel for the machine. For instance grading a road with a back blade after having dropped spoil which contains roots and grass tops, dragging the load down the road and feathering the blade so as to leave the dirt behind while collecting the plant material so it can be collected with a level bucket at the end of the run and deposited off the road. The blade becomes an extension of the operator and no LED lights are going to beat the native relationship between the blade position and the operator's mind and hand on the control lever.

I too appreciate the quality of your modification but I chalk it up to your desire to pimp your tractor, which is just fine. I'll stick with the basics and develop my machine handling skills to achieve the desired results.

Respectfully submitted by a Machine Operator

RH;

Call me a dumb ***** but, after operating tractors with FEL all my life, I am still too too stupid to understand the L bracket and sticker on our small tractor ( Kubota B-2710 / LA-402FEL). How does this stupid thing tell me the bucket is level. My solution is to lean right or left enough to see the side of the bucket.

Our NH TL100-A with Bush Hog 5045 FEL has the mechanical level rod which works very well.

Please explain the bracket and sticker .... I just don't see it.

Rick

That bracket, AFAIK, is a visible welded on surface on the top of the bucket that is fabricated to be parallel with the bottom of the bucket. The sticker, I guess, is to instruct how to use it. This lets you accurately judge the angle of the bucket at any lift height. Rugged and 100% reliable. No other contrivance Iv seen on any of the tractors Iv purchased will work at all heights or has survived more than a week before being scraped off by something.
larry

 

[ovrszd]

That bracket, AFAIK, is a visible welded on surface on the top of the bucket that is fabricated to be parallel with the bottom of the bucket. The sticker, I guess, is to instruct how to use it. This lets you accurately judge the angle of the bucket at any lift height. Rugged and 100% reliable. No other contrivance Iv seen on any of the tractors Iv purchased will work at all heights or has survived more than a week before being scraped off by something.
larry

But the problem is when returning to the pile. You hafta lower the bucket near ground level before you can take a guess at what's level. Indicators, whether electrical or mechanical eliminate that delay. I have my bucket level long before I reach the pile.

The Cat's Meow is mechanical self leveling. Wish I had one.....

 

[DK35vince]

But the problem is when returning to the pile. You hafta lower the bucket near ground level before you can take a guess at what's level. Indicators, whether electrical or mechanical eliminate that delay. I have my bucket level long before I reach the pile.

Totally agree.
With my mechanical bucket level indicator, my bucket is set to level while backing up for the next pass, long before it ever hits the dirt .
Faster, easier.

 

[SPYDERLK]

But the problem is when returning to the pile. You hafta lower the bucket near ground level before you can take a guess at what's level. Indicators, whether electrical or mechanical eliminate that delay. I have my bucket level long before I reach the pile.

The Cat's Meow is mechanical self leveling. Wish I had one.....

Totally agree.
With my mechanical bucket level indicator, my bucket is set to level while backing up for the next pass, long before it ever hits the dirt .
Faster, easier.

Yes, convenient for single purpose. Not a difficult thing to mentally correct for. I use my tractors for a lot more than piles. Mechanical paraphernalia gets scraped off. I need something bullet proof and capable in every circumstance.
larry

 

[LindenBruce]

WOW, that is an awesome job dude!!!! Really. You could market these easily. I know I would buy one. B.

 

[ovrszd]

Yes, convenient for single purpose. Not a difficult thing to mentally correct for. I use my tractors for a lot more than piles. Mechanical paraphernalia gets scraped off. I need something bullet proof and capable in every circumstance.
larry

Sorry Larry, but it's not single purpose. Regardless what I'm doing, a quick glance at the indicator tells me bucket perspective.

I use my tractor more with a Grapple than anything else. Mostly hauling brush. I've only bent one indicator.

If you need something capable in every circumstance, you need self-leveling.

 

[RDrancher]

Very nice design, execution and expense to solve a problem that doesn't exist.

My LA524 has a level bracket on top of the bucket, well visible from the operator station. I never have an issue with leveling the bucket, observing the bracket and adjusting, by feel. So many tractor skills, well executed, require experience which results in feel for the machine. For instance grading a road with a back blade after having dropped spoil which contains roots and grass tops, dragging the load down the road and feathering the blade so as to leave the dirt behind while collecting the plant material so it can be collected with a level bucket at the end of the run and deposited off the road. The blade becomes an extension of the operator and no LED lights are going to beat the native relationship between the blade position and the operator's mind and hand on the control lever.

I too appreciate the quality of your modification but I chalk it up to your desire to pimp your tractor, which is just fine. I'll stick with the basics and develop my machine handling skills to achieve the desired results.

Respectfully submitted by a Machine Operator

I was going to comment, but...Oh never mind......

 

[WaxMan]

Aright lets not start a thread over this post, He was just expressing his views, which I respect and answered. I do appreciate all the support in the past posts, But lets just leave it alone and not keep it going, my threads have been known to disappear by the moderator .

 

[Cap-n-Cray]

WaxMan,

Your electronic FEL level indicator has me thinking. It shows level only when the bucket is on the ground, correct?

I would like to know when the bucket is level at any height. This would be handy with my QA forks. I wonder if there is a way, electronically, to show when the bucket or forks are level at any height? Electronic level indicator with display.

Got me thinking...

 

[npalen]

Surely there is a way of doing this with an iphone. Seems like there's an ap for everything else.

Edit: I'm sure this has been mentioned before but the definition of level comes into play. Do we want level with the tractor or level with the world or both?

 

[TomSeller]

I think he has it so if the bucket is level at any height. I am looking for an inclinometer with a remote sensor that would work. Something like the attached but more tractory. Both x and y would give you roll too. The sensor would mount to the back of the SSQA frame, then just a cable to the operator station.

 

[ovrszd]

I think he has it so if the bucket is level at any height.

The OP's indicator is only accurate when bucket is at ground level.

I understand what Cap-n-Cray is after. Would be very cool. But then, that's what mechanical self level does. And Kubota's factory self level does it thru the hydraulics somehow.