Houndsman said:
bcarwell,
all of the actual advice, above is what I've had success on---without a toothbar. One other thing I learned here in the hallowed halls of TBN, is to use your FEL to backdrag the material off the top of the pile a few times, then slowly advance and curl at the bottom, to the top. Remember to back drag off the top, first, if the pile is not cooperating.
v/r mark
We have a winner! You do not need a teeth to load gravel.
As Houndsman said, backdrag the top of the pile, this does two things: 1. It allows you to attack loose material that will flow into the bucket; 2. it allows you to use the back of the pile to "push" the gravel into the bucket. Keep pulling the top of the pile down, and you'll have an eaiser time, even if you turn it into a 2 foot tall windrow instead of a pile.
There are several ways to attack the pile. One person mentioned setting the blade of the bucket on a cutting angle, then curling and lifting your bucket. This works pretty good, if you are careful not to dig huge holes in front of, and under the pile. If that happens, it just slows down loading, and gets lots of dirt in the rock. If you use this method the cutting edge of the bucket should just skim over the ground, not dig in. If it is digging in, lighten up on the controls. Once you master this technique you can pick up dirt, sand, whatever on pavement without tearing up the pavement, and without spreading the material all over the road. A tip for this technique is that most loader buckets have a little play in them, esp if they are not brand new. You'll know you have enough downward pressure on the bucket with you see that play load down, but not gouge the ground/pavement.
If you are pulling the top of the pile down, then you can just level your bucket, lower it to the ground and drive into the pile. Don't crash into the pile, and then try to load the bucket. Make the tractor's speed and power work together. Don't raise your front wheels off the ground, esp if you have fwd. If you are just learning, slow down. As your bucket slides into the pile, and as (or maybe just before) you feel/hear the engine start to load up, slightly curl the bucket while lifting it. Driving into the pile, curling the bucket and lifting the loader should be all one smooth motion. Think of the cutting edge of the bucket as a knife. You want to take smooth slices, not try to gouge a hunk out. Once you master the motions, you can speed up and loading the bucket will become eaiser. If you are doing it right it should be possible to have a mounding load of gravel, or to even have gravel coming over the top of the bucket as you load it.
After you load the bucket, if you are moving the gravel with the tractor, then lower the bucket and take off. If you are loading trucks, then turn as you are backing up from the pile, and as you go forward raise the bucket to clear the truck.
While I agree having enough weight on the tractor is important, proper technique is probably just as important. If you spend very much time on construction sites you will see people on backhoes and loaders with way more weight than your machine spinning their tires because they are "drivers" not operators. Learn to be an operator. You've invested lots of good money on a good machine, but to get the most out of it, you have to invest time and attention to build the skills. I guess this is true for about anything, sports, arts, other trades. This forum is a good place to start, but some of it can only be learned from the seat. (which is fun anyway
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