BX2200 FEL Questions

HootervilleMN · Apr 2, 2002

I've just ordered the LA-211 FEL from my local dealer (FYI - Countryside Equip. in Green Isle, MN - I've been really pleased with the service) -- YAY!

Now I have a few questions --

How useful is it to have the grill guard, too?

How much can be lifted w/o any extra rear weight? The BX is used mostly for mowing in the summer and I don't want to go through the ordeal of mounting the rear scraper in order to use the FEL.

What are other rear weight options to make the FEL as useful as possible? Do I need to do something like filling the tires or add wheel weights?

Does a tooth bar add much value for digging?

Is there a way to add some kind of pallet forks to the bucket to facilitate moving brush piles?

Thanks in advance for advice.

Al

sss · Apr 2, 2002

I would highly suggest the grill guard since I broke the light cover (only $16.99 to replace which suprised the parts guy and myself). My dealer offered the grill guard but I just didn't get it and have regretted it - now I'm building my own. As far as rear weight, I use by box scraper when I've moved gravel and full loads of dirt but for light stuff (mulch, tree branches, tools, etc), I haven't had a problem with rear weight. BUt I'm 6'3" and 235lbs so I create some of my own rear weight. I did unload my box scraper (approx 300lbs) from the back of my truck with the front loader without rear weight. Hope this helps - just had to back into a ditch to get enough clearance.

skipperbrown · Apr 2, 2002

I talked to one dealer who said they included the grill guard on all FEL quotes b/c in his words, "I hate to see 'em come in for service all bashed up b/c they didn't get no guard."

I'm pondering the counter weight issue too. I can't weld (which is turning into a major shortcoming) and I don't want to spend $160 or so for a weight box plus the cost of weight. If I run a bar thru a 5 gal plastic bucket and fill it w/ quikcrete (2 sacks?), how much will it weigh? About 150 lb? Can I buy a 10 gal plastic bucket anywhere?

I've also thought about buying a carryall, adding a plywood floor, and putting a couple hundred lbs of quikcrete on it. But how much will a light duty carryall carry before it bends or I break a weld?

mark

EdKing · Apr 2, 2002

Can't help much with your other questions, but the toothbar adds tremendous value for digging. Before I got my toothbar, I used to have to put quite an extreme angle on the bucket to get it to dig in to grass covered or hard packed earth. The bucket would then dig too deep, would rotate the bucket up, leaving divots in the area I was digging. With the toothbar I just tilt the bucket a little, and it digs in nice and smoothly.

rmcess · Apr 2, 2002

I highly reccomend the grill guard, it has saved me several times, especially while moving brush.
I have had some pretty heavy loads in and hanging on chains below my FEL without any rear ballast. The tractor was very unstable with the weight lifted very high at all/w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif, when i now lift heavy loads I take the time to put some weight on the back. Better safe than sorry!

TresCrows · Apr 3, 2002

You will want the grill guard for protection such as when dumping over a fence or PU bed etc.
The BX will become light in the rear and unstable if proper ballast is not used when maxing out the FEL, a few bushes in the bucket no problem but when used at max capacity you need ballast. I think you should be able to rig up some kinda concrete rig.
Jeepers, why all the hesitation with removing loaders and MMM and now the simple little 3-point. (shhhhhhh--a little secret---it is easy).
J

wdn · Apr 3, 2002

Maybe you should just bite the bullet and go with the weight box? I just can't see the reason for fooling around with some unwieldy 'other' implement that weighs less than what you can put in a weight box anyway. And it is a pain in the hiney to take it off every time you are done with the FEL. The weight box is narrow less than 2 feet wide so you can leave it on all the time without worrying what it is going to whack into.

When you think about it, you're already shelling out well over $10,000 for the tractor so why not a few hundred to handle the FEL work properly? For me that means a grille guard in front and a weight box in the rear.

Plus you can use the weight box as a carrier for all kinds of stuff. I leave the weight box on more or less permanently as it is a useful carrier of tools & equipment. Even when I take off the FEL the weight box is on there because I can carry stuff in it. And you can strap big items to it with tie downs and carry it around strapped to the weight box.

HootervilleMN · Apr 3, 2002

Thanks for the info. I just called the dealer to have him add the grille guard to my order and he said he always orders the grille guard with the FEL, anyway.

Is there a tooth bar that will fit the LA211 properly? How about add-on forks? Sources?

So Tres, what's the trick? I had to remove the pins for the lower arm stabilizers (that was the easy part) to put the @#$^@#$% rear blade on (that Landpride RB1560 is HEAVY!) and it still took me over an hour of horsing around that beast of a blade before I could get the pins to line up properly with the lower arm ball sockets.

I like the weight box that wdn has on his tractor. The tab for a hitch is good (I wonder if Kubota's weight box has that) and the drain valve is a great idea. I hope I can find one like that. Then I could leave it on all summer and still pull my dump trailer, sweeper, etc.

Al

TresCrows · Apr 3, 2002

Hey, I think the weight box is a good idea too, it is also 3-point. The "other" implement, just depends what you are doing, to me a FEL without a boxblade is like a popsicke without a stick. The weight box is good though becasue you can add weight without adding length. I do not like the blade as a counterbalance, to unweildy.
It is easy, first step maybe to take the oversized implement back and get one a touch smaller, I alsways leave the implements blocked up in a position to drive in and out. I insert one pin and then get the other line up and kick the **** out of it. The BX swivel balls are kinda tight which makes it more difficult. It is easier to install implements with the pins faced inward and with your check link loosened all the way out on both sides. When the pins are in the bottom link then I remove the blocking--carefully----and use the 3-point lift to rotate the implement till it is in a position to extend the top link to. It's easy--say it over and over--it is easy--it is easy. It is easier if you have your chi (karma, yen/yang etc)aligned. A positive I can attitude will cause that implement to just leap on there. It could happen that way.
J