Dumb questions that deserve good answers.

[4570Man]

Aczlan, I fully understand that. What I had stated was:

"it would seem that merely putting it in float position and then just a hair of upward tilt of the bucket - would be much faster and more certain than a bucket level. "

The concept is, putting it in float gets the bucket to follow the contour of the ground. Slightly tilting the bucket just a touch keeps the bucket virtually flat to the ground but not digging into the flat surface of the ground.

My tractor rides up over the loader arms with any amount of forward force.

 

[AxleHub]

My tractor rides up over the loader arms with any amount of forward force.

4570, I'd understand that concept if in float mode you slightly adjusted the fel in dump direction, but a slight adjustment in tilt direction shouldn't ride up on the fel.

 

[ovrszd]

If he's talking about his L3240, my brother's did the same thing. It's in the geometery of the FEL frame.

 

[aczlan]

Aczlan, I fully understand that. What I had stated was:
"it would seem that merely putting it in float position and then just a hair of upward tilt of the bucket - would be much faster and more certain than a bucket level. "
The concept is, putting it in float gets the bucket to follow the contour of the ground. Slightly tilting the bucket just a touch keeps the bucket virtually flat to the ground but not digging into the flat surface of the ground.

No, putting the loader valve into float lowers the FEL arms that the bucket is mounted to until something (be it the bucket, or the arms) reaches the ground. It does nothing to cause the bucket to become level, you have to do that m,anually just like you would have to do if the loader arm lift circuit was not in float.
I can put the loader into float and roll the bucket down to make it dig in, or I can curl it up and it will sit on top of the ground.

Aaron Z

 

[4570Man]

If he's talking about his L3240, my brother's did the same thing. It's in the geometery of the FEL frame.

My L3240 and L3800 both do it. And you’re right it’s the geometry of the FEL frame. The bucket angle has nothing to do with it. Apply any amount of force moving forward and the tractor is going to lift up.

 

[dnw64]

Wow. Never woulda dreamed someone would think that "float" meant anything other than "neutral raise/lower". Maybe just because any piece of equipment I've used (which, admittedly, is not myriad) functioned that way.

 

[aczlan]

Wow. Never woulda dreamed someone would think that "float" meant anything other than "neutral raise/lower". Maybe just because any piece of equipment I've used (which, admittedly, is not myriad) functioned that way.

Float as it relates to a hydraulic valve refers to a position of the valve's control lever where both sides of the valve are tied together and connected to the "tank" port such that the cylinder can retract or extend as it is acted upon by gravity and the terrain.
Generally, this is ONLY found on loader arm lift circuits, not on bucket curl/dump circuits.

Aaron Z

 

[ovrszd]

Yeah, I've never saw float on the curl function. I've ran a variety of tractor FELs as well as Construction Loaders and TLBs.

 

[AxleHub]

My L3240 and L3800 both do it. And you’re right it’s the geometry of the FEL frame. The bucket angle has nothing to do with it. Apply any amount of force moving forward and the tractor is going to lift up.

4570 and ovrszd,

I'm a little confused. Why would the geometry be designed that way? Is it act like an automatic braking function? How would you use a fel mounted plow or use forks to skim the surface ?

 

[4570Man]

The loader is mounted high on the tractor and pushing low to the ground. Every machine will do it if you push hard enough