Anyone figured out a way to see

[pjbci]

Not trying to be flippant, but with a tractor loader an indicator rod and seat time where you get the feel for your particular machine. You'll eventually get a feel for it and it gets easier.

X2
The more you use it, the easier it will get and you wont even look at an indicator rod.

 

[Cougsfan]

Even with an indicator rod, some loaders seem to be much more touchy to keep level than others. I have had ones that work great, and others that when you think you are level you are either digging a hole or not picking up anything. I am not totally sure why. It may be the shape of the bucket (I am thinking maybe the longer the bucket bottom the better), or if it is how the indicator is mounted, or if it is the geometry of the loader linkage. Maybe it is just the tractors I have used, but the older the tractor, the better the FEL seems to work at staying dead level.

Recently I was fine leveling of ground for a new yard, and even with my indicator the only way I could make a straight cut was to have my wife watch the leading edge and tell me to tilt the bucket up or down. I once had an old Ferguson TO30 with an FEL that was easy as pie to make a straight cut. Then my '80's Yanmar was a bit worse, but better than my new tractor.

A camera would be nice, but I have no doubt I would destroy it in a hurry.

 

[two_bit_score]

Experience cures all!
Almost.

 

[SmallChange]

Another is to install a backup camera* system.

I'm sure PILOON meant to say you should install a frontup camera system. They sell them to help you when you are fronting up.

 

[npalen]

Never tried it but I'm thinking a piece of anything flat attached/clamped to the top of the bucket and extending to the rear would comprise a makeshift indicator. This is assuming the top of the bucket has an area that is horizontal to clamp to.

 

[dodge man]

Never tried it but I'm thinking a piece of anything flat attached/clamped to the top of the bucket and extending to the rear would comprise a makeshift indicator. This is assuming the top of the bucket has an area that is horizontal to clamp to.

I was trying to describe just such a thing on the Kubota BX I owned. I couldn’t find that great of a pic but you can see it in the top right side of tge bucket with a black and white sticker on it. It’s not very big.

 

[34Willys]

My tractor has the rod, but I've never figured out how to use it. How I level the bucket is drop it to the ground slightly curled back, than curl forward until the front of the tractor starts to lift up. Curl back until front stops lowering. Tip forward a bit to cut. Once you do this a couple of times, the hand eye coordination allows faster time than staring at a rod tip and it works at all elevations.
Patrick

 

[Williy]

If you have the rod that goes up and down when using
the bucket the bend should be in the eyelet and the bucket should be flat other than that you can mark it
so you will know how the bucket sits

willy

 

[meackerman]

on my LA402 FEL, its like the BX picture, just a simple piece of bent 1/4"(?) metal that the top is parallel to the bucket bottom. I've never felt the need for anything fancier, it works fine.

Seems like it would be pretty easy to fabricate one.

 

[rScotty]

That's the same thing that our M59 Kubota has. It is bigger because the bucket top is bigger, but basically it is just like the one on the BX bucket picture in message #16.
It's just an L-shaped piece of metal with a black and white reflective tape on it. It is welded to the top of the bucket so it always has exactly the same angle as the bucket lip, and easy to see when using the loader.

It moves just like the bucket moves - and has no moving parts or adjustments. To me it seems more intuitive to use than the pipe and tube type of leveler.
rScotty