Front-End Loader Digging techniques with FEL

[dave1949]

When digging with a FEL bucket, if you can get a tilted groove started such that about one-fourth to one-third of the bucket cutting edge is actually digging, it will help. You will be putting more force behind a smaller area. Do it gently and don't try to take too much off in one pass since you are loading the FEL arms and all the linkages unevenly. It still beats hand shoveling.

Work one side of the groove, then the other as you go deeper.

Don't know if rocks are an issue for you but one ornery rock will keep your cutting edge from penetrating the ground. Sometimes it is quicker and a lot easier on the tractor to just take a shovel to those.

Dave.

 

[dodge man]

You can dig well with the front end loader. I dug out for our swimming pool, which is an above ground but we put on a hill side. The high end ended up about 3-4 feet deep. The problem with ditching is that it about has to be as wide as the bucket. You can dig from the side and make a narrow ditch, but unless you are a great operator, I'd think it would be hard to control grade. I also discovered when digging my pool, its tough to control how deep you dig. The FEL tends to want to gouge, but you get better with practice.

As far as digging a deep narrow ditch, I wouldn't know how without a backhoe. You could do it with your FEL, but it will end up as wide as the bucket of your FEL. I once told someone I could dig a basement with my BX2350. The problem is it would take me weeks instead of a couple days a large backhoe would. How much time do you have? If you have plenty, you can probably do it with what you have.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I think I remember you saying that your FEL doesnt have a toothbar. I see you are in South LA. assuming that is South Louisiana and not South Los Angeles, the soil should be either sandy if on a river or clay and might be soft if wet. However if you are trying to dig in hard dry clay without a tooth bar, I think you would be wasting your time. If you can borrow a middlebuster, that would be your best bet for a long narrow and shallow ditch. Another way would be a single tooth sub-soiler that would loosen up the dirt for you and you might then be able to scoop it out with FEL. I have tried to dig with my FEL in caliche soil WITH a tooth bar and it is near impossible. I took down about 4 feet of hill and levelled it for my 30x52 shop using a box blade with lowered scarifier teeth to loosen up and move the dirt and the FEL to just scoop it up at the same time and haul it to the low side of the hill. Most of the work was done with the box blade. But that was a large area and not a small narrow ditch. Another poster LBrown has said that he digs ditches with his tiller. Just backs it up and lets the tiller throw it into a pile, then moves over and repeats. You might do the same with a garden tiller if you have one or can rent one.

 

[sailorman]

I think I remember you saying that your FEL doesnt have a toothbar. I see you are in South LA. assuming that is South Louisiana

Correct south Louisiana. I 'm just about convinced I will get middle buster for ditches, trenching to bury auxillary yard water and power line conduit, and general breaking up of soil. I think it will offer more uses for the money than a single purpose implement. Is the depth of cut controlled by how far down the 3pt hitche is lowered ?

 

[Baby Grand]

The first job I did with my tractor after it was delivered was to dig a trench to find out what the soil under my field looks like (and to learn how to use the loader):

The Plant Manager inspects the work:

Varved clay profile:


Shaved about an inch with each pass. Getting the sod off the top was the most difficult, as it was the first task & I had 0 FEL experience.

-Jim

 

[KU Gator]

I purchased a Quick Spade last year to help with trenching, digging rocks up, etc. It seems to be well made, although I have not used it a lot so far. When I bought a rear blade, I bought one that would tilt and it is quite effective at digging a quick ditch for a drain line. But that is more $'s.

Paumco Products Quick Spade Combo — Model# 1101-Quick Spade | Skid-Steers + Attachments | Northern Tool + Equipment

 

[winston1]

Correct south Louisiana. I 'm just about convinced I will get middle buster for ditches, trenching to bury auxillary yard water and power line conduit, and general breaking up of soil. I think it will offer more uses for the money than a single purpose implement. Is the depth of cut controlled by how far down the 3pt hitche is lowered ?

Yes, that is how depth is controlled. Adjusting the top link will change the angle which will change the way it wants to pull down. Be careful about big roots also.

 

[magicheater]

That is a very nice and useful looking bucket! BUT as AchingBack pointed out if you back drag with the curl cylinders extended way out it puts alot of stress on them. This has been disscussed many times on TBN, do a search and you will find the details.

I have been using my loader buddy this way for 10 years and have yet to bend a curl cylinder. Mind you this is on an L4350 which is 45HP and a tank of a tractor. Worst thing I have done is pop a hose when grubbing out a stump.

 

[GE222]

I tend to agree with Diamondpilot. Yes you can do it yourself, but without the right equipment, it will probably take quite a bit of time, and lots of dinkin around. Sometimes it really is better to rent the correct piece of equipment, or hire it out. Most farmers have quite a bit more free time this time of year.

 

[ayelvington]

I've had a lot of good success in the conditions working at right angles to the trench. You can get a nice 12" - 16" ditch that way. You'll want to work facing downhill to get some good weight on the bucket, but you'll get a nice slice and scoop to throw on the far side of the trench.

I have also done the drive-in-the-trench routine with and without a toothbar. It makes for a wide trench, but I have some serious drainage problems, and getting down to the clay first really helps. I'll dig this way for quite a while, and then go back and do a slit trench right down the middle through the clay with my backhow. It takes time, but it'll move a lot of water fast.