Float feature on FEL

[bturner425]

I have a Ford 1520 tractor with a Du-Al 105 FEL. The manual says something about a float setting on the hydraulic lever, but it does not say how to get it to float. Does anyone know how to set the lever to get into the float setting?

What is float anyhow? I am assuming that is lets the bucket hang by gravity without any hydraulic action.

 

[lostcause]

i have a jd 790 with a model 70 loader. the control is just one stick with forward & back for up/down, and left/right for bucket curl. if i push forward (bucket down) and then push a little more, i'll click into a detent position that puts the bucket into float. this allows the bucket to move up and down with the contour of the land as i drive, instead of digging in, or not touching at all. probably a similar lever control to get yours into float.

edit: i probably should have added that float isn't the hang in mid-air form of floating. it more or less opens the hydraulic circuit and allows gravity to bring the bucket to the ground, or the contour of the land pushing on the bucket to bring it up.

 

[Compact1]

I use the float position primarily for "back dragging" - not for digging.

 

[kebo]

i have a jd 790 with a model 70 loader. the control is just one stick with forward & back for up/down, and left/right for bucket curl. if i push forward (bucket down) and then push a little more, i'll click into a detent position that puts the bucket into float. this allows the bucket to move up and down with the contour of the land as i drive, instead of digging in, or not touching at all. probably a similar lever control to get yours into float.

edit: i probably should have added that float isn't the hang in mid-air form of floating. it more or less opens the hydraulic circuit and allows gravity to bring the bucket to the ground, or the contour of the land pushing on the bucket to bring it up.

I have the same set up as you, but just wanted to point out that the "floating" is done by the cylinders that raise/lower the arms, not the cylinders that perform the curl function on the bucket.

 

[lostcause]

I have the same set up as you, but just wanted to point out that the "floating" is done by the cylinders that raise/lower the arms, not the cylinders that perform the curl function on the bucket.

read it again. pretty sure that's what i said. forward/back is raise/lower, left/right is curl. forward all the way (up/down) is float.

 

[lostcause]

I use the float position primarily for "back dragging" - not for digging.

it works pretty good going forward for plowing snow too.

 

[techwrtr2]

it works pretty good going forward for plowing snow too.

Except your front wheels have a tendency to lift off the ground while pushing.

 

[Daisy the Digger]

I usually float while back dragging. Gets things much flatter than my digging efforts. To get it into the float position on the loader we have, the first up/down lever is pushed fairly quickly all the way forward. If I push it slowly it lowers the bucket and can raise the front end up. Pushing it quickly just sets the bucket on the ground and drags it back without the tires off the ground. The curl and jaw (it's a three in one bucket) can be set at any angle and the float still works.

 

[Jay4200]

I HATE the float control on my bucket. I'm constantly putting it into float by accident, then missing the float position when I want it. When I'm trying to do somewhat-precision bucket work, it drives me absolutely nuts.

I backdrag with full down pressure and front wheels in the air, and steer with my brakes. I ride on the blade of the bucket, and use my bucket curl to fine tune the grade using the back edge. I get roughly a 15:1 bump reduction ratio that way, the back edge cuts the grade and the front smooshes the result down flat as a pool-table.

JayC