BX 2200 FEL Operation Problems???

frank_f15 · Mar 12, 2002

yankee: no mater what u do , u are going to leave some marks with fel(i move a lot of snow with it) but if u don't have it angled down to much u won't cause any per. damage. anything will mark a blactop drive and also a concrete drive, but not permentaly.heck just turning the wheeles on your car will mark it. don't be to upset.
p.s i am a yankee lover also/w3tcompact/icons/love.gif

Frank · Mar 12, 2002

Tom,

Here's a couple of comments for what they're worth.

I've got a 2200 and also use the FEL for snow removal. However, my driveway is only 100 feet long, but that's about the limit I think a BX can handle for snow removal with the FEL. If I get 12" or more, the weight of the snow backing up in front of the FEL is just too much to push even 100 feet, and I have a 300LB counterweight on the 3 pt and bar tires. I would agree with other opinions that have been expressed on this forum in the past. An FEL is really not a great option for snow removal on a drive of any significant length. If I had a drive that long I would get an inexpensive rear mounted blade, or even better, but more expensive, a front mounted blade.

Re: marks on the drive. I don't use the float, I angle the bucket so the front edge does make contact. It will make marks, but they seem to be gone months later. Before getting the BX I rented a B21 to move a couple yards of gravel I had delivered on the blacktop drive. Made quite a mess, scraped up the blacktop - but today I don't notice any marks.

In the long run you won't regret your purchase. The FEL is probably the single most useful implement you'll own - you'll constantly find a use for it.

Frank

NY_Yankees_Fan · Mar 13, 2002

Frank,

OK explain this to me, if the BX can not push the snow with the FEL for more then 100 feet, then how would a rear blade be any different? I would think pushing and pulling would be the same? Unless the rear blade pushes the snow to the side?? Was thinking of getting a rear blade, but was wondering if it too would scratch the driveway. What size rear blade would you use on the BX 2200 a 60 or 72 inch. Starting to think I should go with the rear snow blower, any suggestions on this as to a good one?

One good thing, I have until next year to worry about this! and given we only had one snow storm that I would have used the BX had I had it, perhaps this global warming thing is true???

Tom

MDNick · Mar 13, 2002

Tom,

I have a L3010 so my scale is a bit bigger but the principal is the same. The rear blade is MUCH better for snow removal than the FEL. The FEL is great for moving piles around, so your best, cheapest setup is FEL on the front and rear blade on the back. The reason the rear blade works so much better is that it can be angled 30-40 deg from perpendicular, so the snow rolls off to the side. The blade can be angled either way and rotates 360 so you can push as well as pull. I also got some gouges in my pavement from the FEL bucket once when I was to lazy to turn the blade around. The blade weighs MUCH less than the bucket, and you can't get a point load on the pavement like you can with the bucket edges. I don't have a mark one from the blade.

I'd highly recommend a rear blade and not a snowblower for your area. Farther north a blower is great, but it is expensive and you really don't need it in NJ. You watch, next year, now you'll get FEETs of snow.

As for length, the 72" would be way to big for a BX. 60" would probably work for snow (Other BX'ers need to weigh in on that), but not dirt. I use a 60" on my L3010 because I wanted to be able to push dirt to.

Nick

Tom_Trees · Mar 13, 2002

<font color=blue>As for length, the 72" would be way to big for a BX. 60" would probably work for snow (Other BX'ers need to weigh in on that), but not dirt.</font color=blue>

I have an RB60 on my 2200 -- a 60" can be angled and still cover the wheel track, a 48" is too narrow. I'm not sure about the dirt (check with me in a month -- that's one of the spring projects /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif)

Never got a chance to check out the theory, though. I just couldn't see firing up the tractor to handle 3 inches of snow, and that's the worst I got on the drive this year. And with an SUV . . . let's just say I've never worried about snow on the drive if it was under 10" deep. /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Tom

Frank · Mar 14, 2002

Tom,

It seems like others have already anwered the question you posed to me - and I agree with their comments. If you do get a rear blade, it might be worth doing a little research checking out the web sites of different vendors: woods, howse, landpride, bushhog, etc. Most have 2-3 different models, some with features you may want to consider, e.g. offset and tilt function which could be useful in grading and ditching. Some adjust tilt with a spring latch, others you have to remove and reposition bolts - much less convenient.

Re: global warming - can't answer that one - but I hope it's not true or some of us will have to take up sailing instead of tractoring.

Frank

rock · Mar 16, 2002

Tom,

Here's a picture of what I did. You can kind of see how I hammered a slight contour towards the rear of the loader. They are attached with two machine screws, 5/16" as I recall, through the side of the loader. I take these feet off in the summer for dirt and mulch moving.

I plow with the loader in the float position with a slight tip forward for the best scrape. While a rear blade would be a nice addition, the FEL works so well for me that it is tough to justify it. My driveway is about 150 feet long and fans out to three cars wide at the garage end. With these feet I don't scratch the blacktop at all.

-- Rock

NY_Yankees_Fan · Mar 16, 2002

Rock,

Thanks for the taking the time to take a picture and posting it. Looks pretty easy and if it does not mark the driveway, the boss ( wife) will be happy, and that is always a good thing!
I think I will try this before spending $100 for rubber strip on the bottom of the bucket.

This site is great!

Tom

NY_Yankees_Fan · Apr 4, 2002

Just an update….

Tried the angle iron on the edges of the bucket, it helped a bit, but still marked up the driveway. I replaced the iron with a 2x4 using the same bolt holes, and held the wood about a ½" below the lip of the bucket. It worked like a charm no marks and the bucket moves along on the ground. Helped the neighbor move 20 yards of top soil and then I moved 15 yards of mulch. Never new those jobs could be so fun! Mulching which took forever and killed my back was done in less then 2 hours. Thanks guys for suggesting the FEL, even the boss likes it and now see why I spent the extra $$ for it. This BX 2200 is just a fine machine!

Regards

Tom

PS How about them Yankees!