No float FEL

[rims421]

Have cub 7275 with stock loader. The float function on the joy stick will not work. Pushing the stick all the way forward is supossed to be float position. However all it will do is continue to lower bucket till it is maxed out.
Any suggestions?

 

[Evasive1]

Rims,
When you say "max out" do you mean it will go down till it lifts the front wheels off of the ground or just go down till it hits the ground?
If it just goes down till it hits the ground this is what it is supposed to do. It will lower the bucket down and allow the weight of the bucket and arms to "float" on the ground, which is great for backdragging rough areas to smooth them out for things like roads and landscaping. The bucket will float up and down knocking down high spots and filling in low spots. If you have a bucket full of dirt it will add more weight to the "float" allowing you to control how aggressive of a backdrag you want.
Hope this helps and if I am wrong the actual experts here will be sure to let you know!!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[OkeeDon]

After reading many of the comments about FEL float, I tried it on my TC18 yesterday. Since I've never had to plow snow, and generally use a box blade for leveling, I never tried it before. But, the bottom line is, if my 12LA loader has a float position, I can't find it. If I push the lever all the way forward, I have a nice view of the sky because the front end is off the ground. I tried a whole bunch of combinations, and all I succeeded in doing was gouging the heck out of the section of the yard where I was playing.

 

[Heath]

I know that getting my 410 JD FEL to float takes a little bit of technique. I really have to quickly throw the joystick forward to get into the float position. If I don't use the correct amount of force and do it with a quick motion, I only succeed in raising the front of the tractor off the ground. If I try to get it to float, but only push the bucket down, I can't achieve float without raising the FEL back up and trying again.
My description makes it sound like a pain, but it's very simple to do on my machine. You just have to push the lever forward firmly and quickly. On mine, you actually feel a little click or pop when the joystick actually reaches the float position.

 

[Bob_In_MN]

I ran into this when I first got my JD.

Heath described it accurately. You need to push joy stick quicker and with more force than seems natural, but that is what it takes.

I use it all the time when plowing snow, but it also comes in handy for other work.

Good Luck

Bob

 

[BB_TX]

Mine is the same as described by Heath. I am sure that is intentional so that you don't raise the front of the tractor and then suddenly drop it when you push into the float position.

 

[rdam]

I "float" my loader everytime I park the tractor in the barn. Once it's leveled and gently lowered to the concrete, I "pop" the joystick forward (it's about a four inch pop) and she floats.

The float position is outside the normal, square range of loader positioning.

 

[rims421]

Thanks for the info I will try moving the lever quickly with more force. The other machines I have used were not setup like that. I will let you know how I makeout.

 

[OkeeDon]

Well, duh! 330 hours on the the thing, and I learned a new trick. I popped it forward, and I sure enough have float! And, no problems with it staying in place. Not sure where I'll use it, but I'll give it a try the next time it might seem appropriate. Thanks for edjamacating me...

 

[higgy]

One purpose of making them harder to get in to foat position is the possibility of gettie the bucket and contents into freefall.

If you put the loader into float it will come down very quickly.

be careful ou there

Dane

 

[Henro]

<font color="blue"> If you put the loader into float it will come down very quickly.

be careful ou there
</font>

I have trained myself to slam the control stick into float if I sense danger when using the loader.

An example would be when I was moving a lot of dirt last summer [ about 300 tons]. Some was being dumped around the base of a pine tree. I don't know the type tree, but it is one of those with about six branches sticking out of the trunk, for every foot of tree height...The lower branches on this tree were cut off, but as I filled around it the ground was making the remaining branches lower...

So anyway, I dumped and raise my bucket and a tooth of the toothbar grabbed a branch, right next to the trunk, and the tractor rear lifts and starts to tilt to the side.

"WHOA!!!" said my mouth and "slam" said my hand, pushing the lever into the float position before I knew I was doing it.

Surprised me and also set the rear of the tractor back down before I could feel relieved.

This was not the same feeling as digging in square to a pile and feeling the rear lift! It was sudden, unexpected and scary.

I echo Higgy's words...be careful out there. A free falling bucket could be a hazard or a life saver, depending on the circumstances...

 

[higgy]

Henro, you make a good point.

It is knowing how your machine will react to any control input that is the key. Tractors do things that we do not expect as they are powerful and have no suspension to speak of so any environmetal input i.e. stump, hole etc. will have an effect. The first thing that I have a new operator do is go and play with ALL of the aspects of control and make them second nature. Then they expect control input to give x result. This can as you point out have different outcomes depending on what the tractor is doing. One time it may be something to be aware of, another time it could save your bacon.

Thanks for pointing that out.

Dane

 

[chim]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I sure enough have float!........ Not sure where I'll use it )</font>

It is real handy for scooping stones, mulch, sand or other materials. With the bucket floating, you can approach the material while adjusting the angle of the bucket to slightly scrape the surface, then curl and lift as the bucket cuts into the pile.

The other appication shouldn't be of much use to you in FL - snow removal. If we get 6" or less snowfall, the rear blade is usually the ticket for bulk removal. When it comes to cleaning up at the end, the FEL is real handy. It is also very useful to clean areas that got driven over and packed down before I had a chance to scrape. Even a fairly heavy rear blade won't cut like the FEL. Seldom need down pressure. I added a wear edge made of steel I found lying around to my FEL. I also have a bucket extension for working with mulch, and the two use the same holes in the factory edge.................chim

 

[rims421]

Be mindful that if you change the elevation around an established tree very much it is very possible that you will cause that tree to slowly decline and eventually die. The general rule of thumb is to not have any soil against the trunk higher than it was before you started. I have even experianced tree's being killed by adding soil ontop of the root system without changing the grade against the trunk.