I NEED A TIP HOW TO SEE IF MY BUCKET IS LEVEL THE GROUND

[California]

... on flat ground with the bucket cutting edge tipped up back up, with the loader arm in float, roll the bucket out and watch for when the loader arms start to raise, at that point the bucket is close to level.

This. Or the opposite, turn the cutting edge slightly down, lower the bucket to the ground. Roll the bucket back until additional curl doesn't settle the arms lower. Then move forward to load. The cutting edge will be slightly above level so it won't dig in. After a while this becomes second nature, you just do it without thinking.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I don't think I have ever seen an FEL that didn't have some kind of bucket level indicator. It might be a rod moving within a larger tube, a rod with a V kink on it that rides in a bracket OR just a flat plate on the bucket that you have to gauge if it is flat but they all have some indication of level on them.

I guess the easiest and simplest is the addition of the flat plate on the bucket. Anyone with a level, a welding machine and a little bit of 1/8" sheet metal can fab up and install one of those in half and hour.
I strongly suspect that the OP has one of those on his bucket already or one of the rod type.

 

[Thomas]

Best way seat time,watch your bucket get the feel in no time becomes second nature.

 

[Creamer]

I don't think I have ever seen an FEL that didn't have some kind of bucket level indicator. It might be a rod moving within a larger tube, a rod with a V kink on it that rides in a bracket OR just a flat plate on the bucket that you have to gauge if it is flat but they all have some indication of level on them.

I guess the easiest and simplest is the addition of the flat plate on the bucket. Anyone with a level, a welding machine and a little bit of 1/8" sheet metal can fab up and install one of those in half and hour.
I strongly suspect that the OP has one of those on his bucket already or one of the rod type.

I grew up with loaders that did not have a level indicator on them. From the old Farmhand F10s, to the JD 158, to the Versatile 256. Currently I have two loaders - a Ford 770B (has a rod type indicator) and a Versatile 150 that is self leveling but no indicator.

 

[Ken M]

When I got my tractor I also had a problem trying to get the bucket level. I can't see the lower edge of the bucket but I can see the top edge which is parallel to the bucket. I C-clamped a short piece of wood square to the bucket with it sticking up where I could see it. It made a very quick visual reference as to the angle of the bucket. As others have said you will be able to judge the bucket level better with some experience. I eventually re-made the leveling rod which someone had removed from the tractor. After a while I too removed it as it doesn't level the bucket just shows that the bottom of the bucket is in line with the tractor. That's fine if you happen to work on level ground.

 

[rekees4300]

hi there
i would like some idea's how to tell if my non self leveling buck is level? im new to the tractor world and i seem to never have it level.
it is either digging in or tippedd up too much for what i want.
thanks in advance jim

I have JD430 bucket. Its top is parallel to its bottom so if the top is level then the bottom is level ... simple.

 

[jenkinsph]

I have JD430 bucket. Its top is parallel to its bottom so if the top is level then the bottom is level ... simple.

Mine is similar with a flat edge on the bucket. SEAT TIME makes all the difference, the more I use my loader or other equipment the better the results get. I can look back over the last decade and see the improvement in my jobs. Makes me want to get more seat time as I sit here waiting for the weather to improve.

 

[oldpilgrim]

Here's what I did

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...-3016-a.html?highlight=bucket+level+indicator

 

[ovrszd]

oldpilgrim's example is excellent!!!! Easy to build.

I prefer a rod with a V notch sliding thru a plate. Reason being I know how far from level I am coming from either direction. With a rod in a tube you are waiting for the rod end to appear when rolling the bucket backward to level.

But either is better than nothing. Call me lazy. Level indicator is a valued item and at the end of a busy FEL day will increase productivity considerably. Enroute to the source of material I "level" my bucket. When I arrive all I have to do is lower and start filling. I use mine everytime I use my FEL.

 

[oldpilgrim]

I use the same technique. It is a great time saver.