Top 10 things NOT to do with a new loader!

[Iplayfarmer]

Don't forget that stuff freezes to the ground. What was very easy to lift in the early fall can stand you right on your nose in the winter if you're not paying attention.

This is especially true of that box blade that you may want to use as rear ballast when you go to move it just a skootch so you can more easily hook it to the 3 pt. so that you can have the rear ballast need to safely lift something as heavy as said box blade. Lucky for me my hydraulics are pretty slow on my little SCUT.

 

[tommcintire]

Don't forget that stuff freezes to the ground. What was very easy to lift in the early fall can stand you right on your nose in the winter if you're not paying attention.

This is especially true of that box blade that you may want to use as rear ballast when you go to move it just a skootch so you can more easily hook it to the 3 pt. so that you can have the rear ballast need to safely lift something as heavy as said box blade. Lucky for me my hydraulics are pretty slow on my little SCUT.

Yeah, yesterdays "seat time" was handling horse manure. I turned the pile, and the older part of the pile was frozen about 4 inches thick. I lifted the hind end of my tractor digging into it, and this is a 40 horse NH with loaded tires!

Also, if you do use the loader to knock down trees (yes, not the safest choice, but many of us do), attack the tree low, and pay attention to what is "loading up". If you are down low on it, it doesn't tend to be as much of a spring. I also wear my logging helmet when I do. This summer's welding project is going to be a guard that bolts on from the front to up by the ROPS (and no, not welding, drilling, etc the ROPS bar). I have lots of land left to clear, and something similar to what a skidder has on it would be very useful & protective.

 

[veresjwv]

Hi guys - new loader operator here- someone gave me good advice about filling up the tires so I didn't break bead with a full bucket load..then I got to thinking there must be TONS of other little "don'ts" that I am unaware of!

I know to keep the bucket low when traveling and to stay on flat level ground....

what else?

DON'T! WHAT EVER YOU DO use your loader or tractor to trim trees, don't even think about tying a person to the bucket and pulling him up into a tree to trim it.

 

[Treemonkey1000]

DON'T! WHAT EVER YOU DO use your loader or tractor to trim trees, don't even think about tying a person to the bucket and pulling him up into a tree to trim it.

Hey who got that picture of me up in the tree!

 

[kruszert]

This has already been covered in part by others but - - - if you are traveling across a hill with the tractor tilted and the bucket loaded keep the bucket as low as possible. Raising the bucket can cause the tractor to fall over to the side. This happened recently to a person here at work who was new to tractors/loaders and the tractor ended up on top of him.

Reggie

 

[Redneck in training]

Boy, it looks like I'm not alone in this one! Garage door repair required this summer.

Welcome to the club. Have done it too.

 

[etcallhome]

veresjwv
You might be a red neck if !!!!!!!!!!hahahahahaha
I hadn't thought about cutting trees that way
Getting up close to your work !!!

 

[Tongy]

Watch where you knee is in relation to the joystick. I was spreading manure yesterday with the bucket kind of low and all of a sudden the bucket was digging in the ground. I thought what the heck, until I realized later that my knee was pushing against the lower part of the joystick depending on how my foot was on the foot feed.
It happened a couple of times before but I never connected the cause and effect.

 

[texasjohn]

don't lift stuff chained ONLY to one side of the FEL... twist the arms or tips you over, either way, not good.

Having a cab, the control is right in front of the arm rest, which is a good thing. I make it a religion to rest my elbow on the arm rest ALWAYS when operating the FEL control. This allows me more precise control over the control arm (mine and the loader's) than if the elbow is waving around in the air. Done correctly, a triangle is formed by your arm, the control stick and the fixed distance between your elbow and the base of the control stick (fixed because you don't slide your elbow around, simply angle your arm.

So.... don't let your control elbow wave around, anchor it!

if you have light material such as hay... suggest strongly you fill the FEL as full as possible, heaping full, curl it all the way back to the tractor seat, then lift to the max height... watch hay spill back on your hood or you... and imagine what would be happening if it were softball sized rocks... a planned learning experience...you WILL learn this one way or another, best learn how things work when the impact of falling material is minimal.

 

[Paul Wise]

DON'T! WHAT EVER YOU DO use your loader or tractor to trim trees, don't even think about tying a person to the bucket and pulling him up into a tree to trim it.

Boy, do I have an idea for my wife