How do you plow with a bucket, and not peel up the asphalt?

[CharlieR]

Most loaders do have a float position.
When lowering the loader arms push the lever forward hard and it should pop into the float position and stay there.
If the float feature hasn't been used for a while as was the case for my tractor when I bought it used, the lever would not go forward.
The dealer installed a shim to increase the travel of the lever and suddenly it worked, hard at first but now nice and easy as I use it all the time when plowing.
I couldn't stand to plow with the bucket without that float working properly.

 

[Duffster]

Re: How do you plow with a bucket, and not peel up the asphault?

And you can't "peel" up the asphalt unless it is deteriorated and busting up. IMO

Ditto.

 

[whistlepig]

The only time float doesn't work well is when the first snow comes before the ground and gravel freezes. Have to be real careful with the bucket angle.

 

[wh22366]

About the only small tractor I remember without the float feature was the early MF GC2300, something I assume they fixed in later additions. I added a bucket level indicator to my 1540 using a 3/8" aluminum rod with a level "hump" bent into it, a bracket on the bucket linkage and a eyebolt guide mounted high on the loader. It's easy to see and use to reset bucket level when I'm jockying around. The little "level indicator" bracket MF welds to the top of the bucket is impossible to see when plowing... or most other times too.

 

[thatguy]

I was scraping the ashpalt on my driveway so I attached a 2x8 under the front edge of the bucket.. The board provides a wear edge but still allows you to get to bare pavement..

b

 

[Scrambler82]

I have used the FEL to move snow this winter.
Float mode with a little downward tilt of the bucket does the trick.
Back dragging work with a varying degree of downward tilt.
So much snow this winter and no where to put it so the FEL comes in handy but I want a snow blower for future winters.

FEL does a great job.

 

[slowzuki]

Once you've plowed asphalt for a while, your cutting edge will get rounded on the bottom and won't snag rough edges.