GreenLawnFarm
Bronze Member
just work with it and over time you learn techniques.
FEL operation
- Thread starter BlacknTan
- Start date
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/pine
Super Star Member
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2009
- Messages
- 12,450
If it has not already been mentioned...learn to use the "float" position and any other detents your controls (joystick) may have...
taborekle
Gold Member
My Father-in-law use to own his own construction business, and I consider him a expert on a bulldozer or tractor with a FEL.
So last week I was a little surprised that he asked me if my small Kubota with FEL can -dig- (its a B2920). I replied that it did, and he asked me to bring it on up. So when I got it there, he lead me and the tractor out to a field and asked me to dig down in a location. Seems he's about to put in a well, and decades ago he pulled down a old barn into a pit in this field and burnt it up and covered it up, and now that he's putting in a well he wanted to see if he remembered where he had burried the barn, so that the well could go someplace else.
So I dug (poorly, as I'm new to this) and at about 3 ft, hit old timbers. I enlarged the hole, and found other old timbers. He was satisfied at that point, so I got to cover it all up.
When I brought up that he should have been running the tractor, his reply was "Nope, no matter how good you would have watched, you learned more by doing. You've got to do it to get the feel. Watching just won't do."
So last week I was a little surprised that he asked me if my small Kubota with FEL can -dig- (its a B2920). I replied that it did, and he asked me to bring it on up. So when I got it there, he lead me and the tractor out to a field and asked me to dig down in a location. Seems he's about to put in a well, and decades ago he pulled down a old barn into a pit in this field and burnt it up and covered it up, and now that he's putting in a well he wanted to see if he remembered where he had burried the barn, so that the well could go someplace else.
So I dug (poorly, as I'm new to this) and at about 3 ft, hit old timbers. I enlarged the hole, and found other old timbers. He was satisfied at that point, so I got to cover it all up.
When I brought up that he should have been running the tractor, his reply was "Nope, no matter how good you would have watched, you learned more by doing. You've got to do it to get the feel. Watching just won't do."
Iplayfarmer
Super Member
Start a very large compost pile. It's the perfect learning tool for a loader. It's good loose material. I has to be spread out and turned on a regular basis. There's something very satisfying about seeing loose black soil cascading out of the bucket onto the top of a big pile.
In addition to watching experts run their machines, sometimes you can learn as much from a novice's bad example as you can from a good example. As was mentioned, pictures or video of yourself may be helpful. You may want to destroy the evidence after you've watched yourself the first time.
In addition to watching experts run their machines, sometimes you can learn as much from a novice's bad example as you can from a good example. As was mentioned, pictures or video of yourself may be helpful. You may want to destroy the evidence after you've watched yourself the first time.
greggh
Gold Member
It seems that some days I'm OK, some days, I'm good, the disappointing part is that the very next day I am awful at using the FEL. I am older so maybe I can't remember from day to day.
It's called sometimers.
It's called sometimers.
Hematite
Gold Member
I read a textbook on loader and backhoe operation and the book states that it takes many hundreds of hours of use/practice to become an expert.
After a few hours of practice, I believe it!
After a few hours of practice, I believe it!
newbury
Super Star Member
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2009
- Messages
- 14,088
- Location
- From Vt, in Va, retiring to MS
- Tractor
- Kubota's - B7610, M4700
What we need is a good, realistic TLB video game, and an "operators" set of joysticks!
Ken45101
Elite Member
- Joined
- Feb 14, 2009
- Messages
- 3,669
- Location
- southern Ohio
- Tractor
- Kubota M5040, M9540, B21 TLB, B2710, RTV900, JD 325 Skid steer, KX-121-3 mini excavator
mrlullabye
Member
- Joined
- Jun 23, 2009
- Messages
- 40
I'm no expert, but in using mine I was trying to get sand out of a washout bottom and in a pile up the hill. With nice loose sand it is easy to get a bucket full, but suprsingly hard to get level. Seems there is no resistance at all on the bucket to let you know if you are cutting too deep or not.
Anyways the only lesson I was going to say is the pile I am making is about 400 feet away from the sandy bottom, so I initially would get a scoop run it to the pile then come back for another scoop. After a while I realized that in the time it took me to run 400 feet drop the bucket and come back like my mind was not really in the same mindset as getting a smooth load, so the dig site was looking worse and worse.
Eventually I realized the FEL (while better then a wheelbarrel) is not the best tool for actually moving material a distance. So I ended up just making a local pile of sand in the bottom and smoothing the bottom out as best I could, then moved the pile up the hill after.
Having done that I guess what I would say is if you are doing one job, do it completely and keep your mind sharp on what you are doing, before switching gears to the next job. It is harder then you would think to shift from one task to another for several hours and keep both task quality. I ended up running about 30 loads of sand all together and it is suprising not only how long it took, but just how much mental energy it actually takes to juggle all of that around in my head.
Anyways the only lesson I was going to say is the pile I am making is about 400 feet away from the sandy bottom, so I initially would get a scoop run it to the pile then come back for another scoop. After a while I realized that in the time it took me to run 400 feet drop the bucket and come back like my mind was not really in the same mindset as getting a smooth load, so the dig site was looking worse and worse.
Eventually I realized the FEL (while better then a wheelbarrel) is not the best tool for actually moving material a distance. So I ended up just making a local pile of sand in the bottom and smoothing the bottom out as best I could, then moved the pile up the hill after.
Having done that I guess what I would say is if you are doing one job, do it completely and keep your mind sharp on what you are doing, before switching gears to the next job. It is harder then you would think to shift from one task to another for several hours and keep both task quality. I ended up running about 30 loads of sand all together and it is suprising not only how long it took, but just how much mental energy it actually takes to juggle all of that around in my head.