12LA & 24D

[jwstewar]

I stopped at Jerry's (Inspector507) to drop his coffee mug of that he had left at my house Saturday. We started talking about using the loader. I asked him if he could lift his bag tires off the ground with his loader w/o any counter weight. He said yes. He as a TC18 w/ turf tires. I said that I can't. Now if I have a heavy load the rears get light, but I can't pick the back tires up. I have the 24D w/ R4s. My tractor weighs 300#s more than his + the additional weight of the R4s so probably 400# more. I've also typically had the mmm on when "trying" to do this, but nothing else. My tires are not loaded, no wheel weights or anything. Can anybody else do this on their 24 w/ the 12LA?

 

[pekabu]

I have lifted the front and backend of my TC24, R4's with loaded tires using the bucket and Bh. Suprised me. Was working on pulling a stump out. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

[SacandagaBrad]

I was moving some #2 stone yesterday, helping my contractor put in some drainage in areas his equipment would have sunk out of sight. I have a 275# blade on the back with turfs that are not loaded, and cannot lift the rear off the ground with a straight lift. I can make it real light in the fanny, but not off the ground. Seems like a safe balance. If I dig in one side, then the opposite side rear will come off the ground. Curling the bucket is another story, I can stand it on its nose. With nothing on the back and no mower mounted, I can pop the rear off the ground with no problem using a straight lift. The almost 500# mower helps anchor it down.

Have you had any problems curling the bucket down to empty it? A couple of times yesterday it was slow or wouldn't go at all from about level to full dump while it was empty. If I curled it back up and tried again, no problem. Being new (the tractor that is), I wonder if the system needs bleeding. I will be driving by the dealer today and stop to ask.

Brad

 

[pekabu]

I have thought the dump on the loader is rather slow. I haven't used it too much though, so I have kinda blamed it on the operator. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[jwstewar]

Are you using the "fast" dump cycle? If so, from my understanding the way that this works. If you start dumping and then go to the second notch for "fast" dump cycle after you start to dump it will then take a few seconds because it has to fill the "other side" of the cylinder before it can/will dump again. That is the only time that I've notice mine ever hestitating when dumping.

Seems like mine is pretty much acting like yours, so I guess I won't worry about it too much yet. Might ask the dealer the next time I'm there though to see what his thoughts are.

 

[SacandagaBrad]

Jim,

That is exactly what I am doing, starting to ease some stone into the ditch, then quickly dump the rest. If I run higher RPMS, then it corrects itself quicker, so maybe that explains it. My only experience with loaders is from heavy equipment during my construction days and I had never seen one behave like that.

Here's another question for anyone with the 12LA loader. Last night I was trying to do some compression back dragging to compact a backfilled ditch. If you set your bucket pointed downward (dump) say 20 to 30 degrees, then lower the arms to lift the front of the tractor for down pressure, does the bucket flatten out to a more level setting before locking up? With mine, if I do it in that sequence, the hydraulic rams that control the curl compress inward about 4 inches with no resistence, changing the angle of the bucket by 10 or 15 degrees. I can alway reverse the sequence, lower the bucket and then set the angle to raise the tractor for the desired angle and down pressure, and it holds fine. Just seems odd, I want to make sure it is quirk with the system and not problem that might need repairing.

Brad

 

[OkeeDon]

Yep, my 12LA bucket acts just like that when back dragging. Sometimes it flops like a rag doll - take another set and it holds. I'm glad to hear someone else has seen it happen. I was concerned a bit that I had hurt something when I built my oversize root rake that attaches to the bucket. I've given that loader quite a workout. In my usual casual manner, though, even when I thought I had hurt it, I ignored it -- whatever will be will be, and I have found I can work around it.

As for the rear end getting light, I was moving heaping buckets of damp sandy dirt with a box blade on the back for a counterweight. The back end wouldn't come off the ground (loaded R4s), but every bump in the ground gave me the heebie jeebies. Also, a couple of times when I dropped the bucket to carry it low, I dropped it a little too fast and jerked it to a stop - and got a stomach-queezy bounce. If the bucket was just heaped, it wasn't too bad, but on several loads I got a really heaping load - almost as much above the bucket as in it. I don't know that I saved any time with those loads, because they were scary enough that I drove slower to my dump spot (about 150' away).

My nornal technique is to use low range to fill the bucket and back away from the pile and turn around, then, at the same time I'm lifting the hydro pedal to go forward, I slide into high range and boogie for the dump spot. When the bucket was overfull, I stayed in low range and creeped along.

A couple of times I had an unbalanced load (higher on one side than the other), and, while turning around with the wheels cut hard, backed up onto a small rise or a tree branch. Now, that's a scary situation - feels like the thing is going to go over diagonally. Whoa!

That loader is incredible, and I think is the main reason why the little TC18 seems like it can do almost as much work as its bigger brothers.

 

[SacandagaBrad]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( That loader is incredible, and I think is the main reason why the little TC18 seems like it can do almost as much work as its bigger brothers. )</font>

I too am impressed what these tractors can do. This drainage project I am working on has been a good test. My contractor is a friend of mine that I also used to work with in the construction business. As he was working along making trench, he said I could try backfilling with the TC24, but doubted if it would do much as far pushing in wet clayey soil. He was impressed when he saw me taking 3/4 bucket widths and pushing 2 to 3 foot high piles back into the trench! He also was impressed with how I could move full buckets of #2 stone to him over very soft terrain. The only problem I would run into was the turfs loading up with the greasy soil. If I put my chains on, look out!

So far, it is more than I thought it would be. I don't think 2 feet of snow is going to phase it this winter.

Brad

 

[jwstewar]

At least we are all seeing the same results/actions w/ our loaders as mine behaves exactly the same way you guys are describing yours. I lifted my trusses w/ a boom pole attached to my bucket. Lifted the trusses by themselves like it was nothing. The end trusses which had a 2' overhang attached to them gave it a little bit of a work out when it was at the end of the fulcrum point of the boom pole but as I got it more vertical it didn't have a problem at all lifting that truss. Sure did make it pretty easy setting those trusses (30').