How much abuse can a FEL handle?

[Oldoak]

Take it slow and easy and you will be fine. Do not take running starts into the hill to get the blade to dig in. Also try to tackle everything squarely so you don't tweak the loader.

Doug in SW IA

Have plenty of rear ballast and a tooth bar, both will help!

Between these two quotes and what others have added, and you will be fine.

I found out years ago, a tooth bar will make a world of difference when it comes to digging.

 

[check]

Slow and easy does it.
NEVER smash into the work, use low speed and hydraulics with upwards scraping motion.
A tooth bar (welded up version with hardened replaceable teeth) will make things much easier.
Reason for a tooth bar is that even a 3" stone is enough to deflect the bucket blade making it useless as a digger.

A good tooth bar with teeth spaced 6-8" apart is a whole new world.
Everything has its downside and with a tooth bar it is scooping sand or topsoil on a paved surface.
Most tooth bar designs however are removable by simply pulling 2 bolts on the fastening 'ears'.

(Back dragging with tooth bar is about the greatest 'root rake' you can find.)

PS, I never take mine off anymore!

Yup, I have the Piranha tooth bar from bxpanded.com, and it make all the difference. Also, bxpanded.com has bucket forks that fit nicely into a flat spot in the Piranha toothbar.

The only time I take my toothbar off is in the winter, when I put the bxpanded.com bucket expander on for snow - it DOUBLES the heaped capacity of the FEL bucket, which is fine since snow is light.

 

[CMV]

Same as everyone else just about but I use a plain toothbar that bolts along the bucket lip. With that, you pretty much can just pierce the ground and curl taking little bites even in real crappy stuff. Will go into relief and not harm anything going straight in and doing that. Usually just takes a bite, but grab a good root or huge buried rock, just go into relief and try again with a smaller bite or different attack angle. That was with my 25HP LS so similar to what you have.

The toothbar makes a world of difference. Go from just scraping, skimming, or stalling out to actually breaking ground and digging - esp with dirt real hard to dig to start with.

And what you're describing is best case for "digging" with a small loader. Into a hillside - kind of "above grade" type digging - 10x easier than making a deep hole on flat land. With a toothbar (my style - no experience with piranha, ratchet rake, etc), for the above grade type you're doing you can keep working small-medium bites with the loader and actually get a full bucket. Just pierce in, curl to rip/loosen, pierce in a little more, repeat until full bucket of material.

https://www.amazon.com/Titan-Bucket-Tooth-Universal-Tractor/dp/B01M0UA8AV this is the kind I use (because I'm cheap )

 

[D2Cat]

Slow and easy does it.
NEVER smash into the work, use low speed and hydraulics with upwards scraping motion.
A tooth bar (welded up version with hardened replaceable teeth) will make things much easier.
Reason for a tooth bar is that even a 3" stone is enough to deflect the bucket blade making it useless as a digger.

A good tooth bar with teeth spaced 6-8" apart is a whole new world.
Everything has its downside and with a tooth bar it is scooping sand or topsoil on a paved surface.
Most tooth bar designs however are removable by simply pulling 2 bolts on the fastening 'ears'.

(Back dragging with tooth bar is about the greatest 'root rake' you can find.)

PS, I never take mine off anymore!

I agree 100%. When digging into tight material this kind of tooth bar is what you want. Here's some for compact tractors. Construction Attachments XTreme Duty Bolt on Tooth Bar for Tractor Loader and Skid Steer Loader Buckets

 

[millsan1]

Besat advice I can give, is make sure you are loading it equally. Twisting is what is goign to damage the arms or bucket, but straight lifting should be fine.

 

[HillStreet]

Operate the tractor on level ground in low range and slowly enter the bank. See what you pull out. If its gravely, rocky, loamy, clay it will act accordingly. You might operate the bucket with the blade down and put it into the bank to help free up material. Tooth bar would be next step if it wont dig. Just don稚 be stupid with the bucket and you will be fine.

I dug holes to plant trees with my 5 foot bucket but I took it slow, no problems.

 

[Oldoak]

I agree 100%. When digging into tight material this kind of tooth bar is what you want. Here's some for compact tractors. Construction Attachments XTreme Duty Bolt on Tooth Bar for Tractor Loader and Skid Steer Loader Buckets

That's where I purchased the tooth bar that is on my Kubota. Besides digging, the tooth bar is also a great aid for walking firewood logs high up on a pile.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Considering that Ag loaders were only ever meant to load manure and carry bales, any earth moving application is outside of their intended purpose.

 

[Oldoak]

Considering that Ag loaders were only ever meant to load manure and carry bales, any earth moving application is outside of their intended purpose.

As many of us here know, along with thousands of full time farmers, Ag loaders can be very versatile. Modern machinery are not your grandfathers machines. Use, but don't abuse is the key.

Naturally, Ag loaders will never take the place nor do the job of industrial earth moving machines.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Never mind abuse. A sudden unexpected stop can bend loader or cylinders, as is frequently seen here. I'm sure that many people discover how little break-out force a small tractor has and by adding just a bit of momentum, how they can get the desired work done. That's already in the danger zone!

Front axle failures will be slower to come to light, regardless of ballast (which of course helps).