Grading with a loader

[4570Man]

I agree with Eddie. I have used buckets for back dragging successfully for over 30 years. Even my old and small JD870 did a fine job at it. Never ever had a hydraulic issue.

The problem is when you roll the bucket 90 degrees down. Back dragging with the bucket flat or up to about 45 degrees is fine.

 

[PILOON]

When it comes to one piece of equipment doing a multitude of tasks, the choice of equipment isn't nearly as important as the talent of the operator.

Well said!

I run a typical CUT and can spread a 12 wheel truckload of crushed any time to an even 4 inches in typically one hour.
BUT I have more than a few hours of CUT time. (my CUT is a mere 20 hp)

One main trick is to keep yours wheels on a flat base (that U made) and work foreward from there bit by bit.

 

[1930]

I'm kind of confused by some of the comments suggesting that he shouldn't do the grading himself. Everyone starts somewhere and for something as simple as back dragging the front bucket, the learning curve is pretty simple. While I never cared for the results that my 80 year old dad left, it was still better then nothing and very easy for me to touch up once he was done. Rarely did I ever tell him that I fixed it since that really didn't matter to anything.

Every pro started out with the first time they did something. Most will have firsts on a regular bases. They just adjust, deal with it, and get it done. There is no reason that anybody should think that they cannot do this. What's the worse that could happen? It takes more time then they guess a pro will take? Does that include waiting for the pro to get there too? Will the pro use less fuel by getting it done faster, but it will cost more for his time?

If you can afford to have others work your land for you, that's great, but I think that most want to work the land their self, and enjoy seeing the results that they create, and maybe save a buck and learn something new while doing their own work.

Still 2 more pages to read and on cellphone at McDonald's and no time but thanks.

I used it for about an hour last night. Im not having very good luck. Its alot harder to see anything than my last machine.

Hopefully after 8 hrs seat time today I'll be doing better.

 

[ddbackhoe]

I have a large loader being dropped off on my property Wednesday, I have alot of material to move around.

After thats done I'll need to get things as smooth as possible without all the whoopdeedoos.

Any tips to do this would be appreciated

A wheeled loader is tougher to get things smooth than a track loader because the wheels have a tendency to follow the ground and the operator has to feel when to apply more down pressure and then raise the bucket to ease off. Back dragging is not a preferred method for grading.

A Basic Step-By-Step Guide To Grading With A Loader

Why did you opt for a wheel loader instead of tracks?

 

[EddieWalker]

I used it for about an hour last night. Im not having very good luck. Its alot harder to see anything than my last machine.

Hopefully after 8 hrs seat time today I'll be doing better.

Nice looking machine. I've never run one before, so I can't say anything specific about using it. In some of the comments, I'm not sure if they are referring to something like this, or a compact tractor? Are you dumping what's in your bucket all at once, or slowly tipping it and letting a little out as you continue driving forwards or backwards?

I'm not sure why people want to tell you that you should have something else? This is what you have to work with, and I don't see the point in focusing on what ifs or should haves.

My guess is that in a few more hours, it will all start to come together for you and you'll find it goes faster with better results.

 

[Steppenwolfe]

Nice looking machine. I've never run one before, so I can't say anything specific about using it. In some of the comments, I'm not sure if they are referring to something like this, or a compact tractor? Are you dumping what's in your bucket all at once, or slowly tipping it and letting a little out as you continue driving forwards or backwards?

I'm not sure why people want to tell you that you should have something else? This is what you have to work with, and I don't see the point in focusing on what ifs or should haves.

My guess is that in a few more hours, it will all start to come together for you and you'll find it goes faster with better results.

Great point that I share; it isn't so much what you see, but what you "feel". It takes a lot of time, practice, and patience to gather that skill. I personally am a whiz at grading with a FEL, but I have also been doing it for 40 years. Hang in there, you'll get it.

 

[4570Man]

Great point that I share; it isn't so much what you see, but what you "feel". It takes a lot of time, practice, and patience to gather that skill. I personally am a whiz at grading with a FEL, but I have also been doing it for 40 years. Hang in there, you'll get it.

Grading with a bucket is a pretty precise act to get right. A tiny bit too much or too little curl and it won’t work. You’d be amazed at how much more productive a CTL is where you can see exactly what you’re doing vs having to work through by feel. About like walking with eyes or using a white cane.

 

[crashz]

An old dozer operator told me: "You grade pushing forward." He was not paid on days that the boss caught him back dragging. Or so he says.

Another: "Its all in your seat." You'll feel the machine move before you see the grade change.

You'll get it. Take some time and work the machine. See and feel what the bucket is like when its dead level front to back. See the top horizontal plate on the bucket above the pins? It's flat with the cutting edge. Start on a flat grade, with a flat bucket and go forward slowly. You will carry that until you have a full bucket, there is gap (get more material) or you're at your end of the run. Very slight adjustments to the bucket curl will cause you to dive down or ride over the top.

When you want to smooth out your wheel ruts or minor drags, set the bucket flat and level again and backdrag smooth. Float works, but I like to use light downward pressure in order to smooth, but not change grade.

Inevitably you will have areas to repair and rework (who hasn't made wash-boards), but you'll get it. Once you start feeling it, its like riding a bike.

 

[finn1]

Grading with a bucket is a pretty precise act to get right. A tiny bit too much or too little curl and it won’t work. You’d be amazed at how much more productive a CTL is where you can see exactly what you’re doing vs having to work through by feel. About like walking with eyes or using a white cane.

That’s my experience. My CTL is better at grading / backdragging than my skid steer was, but the CUT makes it look like I had never graded with a machine before..frustrating to say the least.

 

[Industrial Toys]

And of course having any stones that the bucket just rolls over makes it even more fun.

 

[4570Man]

An old dozer operator told me: "You grade pushing forward." He was not paid on days that the boss caught him back dragging. Or so he says.

Another: "Its all in your seat." You'll feel the machine move before you see the grade change.

You'll get it. Take some time and work the machine. See and feel what the bucket is like when its dead level front to back. See the top horizontal plate on the bucket above the pins? It's flat with the cutting edge. Start on a flat grade, with a flat bucket and go forward slowly. You will carry that until you have a full bucket, there is gap (get more material) or you're at your end of the run. Very slight adjustments to the bucket curl will cause you to dive down or ride over the top.

When you want to smooth out your wheel ruts or minor drags, set the bucket flat and level again and backdrag smooth. Float works, but I like to use light downward pressure in order to smooth, but not change grade.

Inevitably you will have areas to repair and rework (who hasn't made wash-boards), but you'll get it. Once you start feeling it, its like riding a bike.

Back dragging is fine for smoothing loose material for finish work. It’s close to useless for cutting and shaping ground.

 

[Tomtint]

I can grade extremely well with my Car 246 loader bucket.. actually better going forward with a loaded bucket works better than back dragging. ..The machine acts like a dozer doing it that way. I have much less success using the tractor loader. It's just too light and tends to follow the terrain instead of moving it.

 

[PILOON]

One thing I did do was to add a wear strip on the heel of my CUT bucket as I noticed that it might be wearing thin.
Often I use down pressure and raise the front end and back drag for that fine finish effect.
If U have a CUT and plan to use it a lot U better also be able to weld!
I have to admit being weld capable has saved me mucho dineros over the years.
EG. built my cab, my snow blade, repaired my blower and made my ballast weight setup, and that not counting occasional repaire and other miscellany things.

 

[ddbackhoe]

Back dragging is fine for smoothing loose material for finish work. It痴 close to useless for cutting and shaping ground.

:thumbdown: How many of your buckets have a cutting edge on the back side?

 

[dodge man]

That is a pretty good sized machine. A small tractor does not compact the material as quickly as that larger machine will. In other words instead of just back dragging loose material the wheel pack some of it down first if you back drag.

 

[EddieWalker]

Good advice about not using a loader bucket for shaping the land. Not sure what that has to do with renting a wheel loader to spread materiel with? For this thread and this application, I can't think of a single better machine to rent then a wheel loader.

 

[4570Man]

:thumbdown: How many of your buckets have a cutting edge on the back side?

None. Your point is?

 

[ddbackhoe]

None. Your point is?

Tractors, skidsteers, TLBs, CTLs, loaders, track loaders, etc. are not designed to back drag (some 4n1s are). The rear surface of a bucket does not have a wear bar/plate/blade etc. Grading, smoothing etc, should be done moving forward. What a person chooses to do may be ok for them, but it is not an accepted or necessarily good practice.

 

[4570Man]

Tractors, skidsteers, TLBs, CTLs, loaders, track loaders, etc. are not designed to back drag (some 4n1s are). The rear surface of a bucket does not have a wear bar/plate/blade etc. Grading, smoothing etc, should be done moving forward. What a person chooses to do may be ok for them, but it is not an accepted or necessarily good practice.

Unless you rolled the bucket slightly forward so it’s rubbing the front edge.

 

[Industrial Toys]

It's actually amazing how such a broad range of things dragged can have very favourable results. And well in almost anyones budget. So why mess about backdragging with a clunky FEL, unles it's for short jobs.