Floating FEL with Snowplow

[David_D]

I recently purchased a hydraulically angled plow to mount on the "Quick Tach" feature of my LA853 FEL. I have a couple issues / questions now that I've had an opportunity to use it in snow.

I expected to float the loader so the plow would travel smoothly over the contours of the driveway. But, when the loader is put in the float position it will drop the lower edge of the attachment plate down to the pavement. That won't be good! If I leave the FEL fixed with the plow skid shoes just touching the pavement it will gouge when approaching a hill and rise up and over at the top.

I can't be the first to have a setup like this. Is this a combination that can't ever work properly? What am I missing? Any suggestions, experience, guidance will be certainly be appreciated.

Thanks

David

 

[ronjhall]

I had to Edit. Missed that you are a new member.
Welcome to TBN. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
<font color="blue"> But, when the loader is put in the float position it will drop the lower edge of the attachment plate down to the pavement. </font>
How is you blade hooked up hydraulically? Mine uses up/down, roll back, and angle. Angle is a separate valve. If yours is hooked this way. You may be putting the roll back portion of valve in float also.
I keep feathering the up/down joystick control to keep blade at proper level to ground.

 

[David_D]

Thanks for the response to my question Ronj. I have the same control setup that you have. The hydraulics on the loader are as delivered. The plow hydraulics are attached to the remote outlet with a seperate control valve.

Apparently I don't understand that the up / down motion can be floated while the roll remains fixed. How does that work?

Thanks again for the help and the welcome.

David

 

[ronjhall]

Yours may be different than mine. But I push forward until joystick pops through a spot where it will stay in the froward position. To get rollback in float you have to move joystick to right or left until it pops into float position. I read somewhere on TBN that some loader valves are different.
I have never found that float worked very well on my tractor. Just use the feathering of Joystick to control position of blade to ground.
Here is a picture of my blade. I do not have the plate type QA. Mine is pin type. Click Here

 

[guyrj33]

Can you let the plow pivot at the point where it's attached to the loader arms? Then you could take the FEL out of float.
And what about adding some weights to the front of the tractor.