Bucket Level Indicator

[chim]

Here's a really simple item that made life easy. I was recently moving lots of dirt to bury a 1,000 gallon propane tank. The lower part of our yard became the donor area because it is bottomless topsoil. There's a large area that I cut down from nothing at one end to maybe 18" at the other. The first pass was after running a disc over it to loosen it up. As the loosened dirt was used up I discovered the stainless wear / cutting edge I added to the bucket could shave virgin dirt, so I quit discing and went with it. The challenge was to get the bucket at just the right angle to peel a layer off without digging in and making holes.

All it took was a piece of 1/4" plain rod, an eye bolt, short piece of 1/2" Sch40 clear PVC and a joint used on HVAC dampers. The swivel was installed on the bucket bracket and the eye bolt opened enough to squeeze the PVC through it. It was then a matter of taking the tractor to a flat concrete spot and adjusting the PVC so the end of the rod was even with the end of the PVC when the cutting edge was level. It made a huge difference by being able to get the angle right. The first attempt used a simple bend in the rod similar to those that come on some tractors. It didn't allow for eyeballing nearly as fine an adjustment and was scrapped.

 

[case245]

thats good to me i hope its better then the factory junk

 

[zing]

I'm sorry, maybe its just me but I don't see anything that I can see is a bucket leveller in those pictures. I don't see anything at all in the first pic and the second one I see a silver tube coming up and back at 45 derees but I have no idea how that tells you that your bucket is level. What should I be seeing there? Even after reading your desscription I still have no iea how this works. Can you circle the bucket leverler parts or something? Thanks.

 

[murphy1244]

I'm sorry, maybe its just me but I don't see anything that I can see is a bucket leveller in those pictures. I don't see anything at all in the first pic and the second one I see a silver tube coming up and back at 45 derees but I have no idea how that tells you that your bucket is level. What should I be seeing there? Even after reading your desscription I still have no iea how this works. Can you circle the bucket leverler parts or something? Thanks.

Forget the 1 st photo, on the second one if that silver rod is level with the white tube his bucket is flat.

 

[zing]

Forget the 1 st photo, on the second one if that silver rod is level with the white tube his bucket is flat.

After zooming in I see it now, my bad. I thought the silver rod in the first pic was part of his hydraulic lines and I couldn't see the rod inside the tube in the second pic, I thought it was just one big fat tube. Zooming helped though and I get it now. Thanks.

 

[Gary Fowler]

That is the same principle that is on my LS loader except it uses a solid steel tube. Nice and heavy duty BUT you cant really tell how much the bucket it tilted down as just like yours when level it is flush and as you tilt it, the rod disappears inside the tube so it is just guess work at that point. At least I have a starting point though. My Kubota B26 has the little rod floating in a flat plate with a crook in it for level indication. It can be tilted quit a bit from level and still be in that crook so it isnt much value. Mostly just have to do it by feel similar to using the backhoe under water to dig.

 

[pacerron]

That is the same principle that is on my LS loader except it uses a solid steel tube. Nice and heavy duty BUT you cant really tell how much the bucket it tilted down as just like yours when level it is flush and as you tilt it, the rod disappears inside the tube so it is just guess work at that point. At least I have a starting point though. My Kubota B26 has the little rod floating in a flat plate with a crook in it for level indication. It can be tilted quit a bit from level and still be in that crook so it isnt much value. Mostly just have to do it by feel similar to using the backhoe under water to dig.

The one that came on my New Holland 820 TL is very similar but the movable rod is not completely hidden by the jacket pipe. There is a yellow target piece that slides up and down on the shaft to set the level by referencing it to one of the mounting clips. This is very practical because it is universal with different buckets and you can set it to another point if you just want to dig in a little.
As you said, doing it by feel becomes the norm anyway after a little practice, so it is just a gimmick for new tractor folks.

 

[npalen]

Probably just a matter of time before one of the manufacturers comes up with a bucket level indicator readout on the dash. How about a GPS "you are here" so we don't get lost in the woods.

 

[Oliver1655]

A couple of options: 1 - Cut an angle on the top of the PVC tube. You adjust the top point even with rod top when level & then you can lower the bucket to the bottom of the angle to lightly scrape. 2 - Cut the PVC so you remove one side of the upper 2". Again just as you have already done, align the top of the rod to the top of the PVC when the bucket is level. This will give you a better indication of the downward angle of you bucket.

 

[chim]

The pictures aren't the best, so it's difficult to see I used clear SCH40 1/2" PVC. That allows me to keep track of the steel rod when it is below the top of the pipe.