Tractor Position At Rest

[dtd24]

A friend has recently told me it is best to leave your tractor with FEL up a bit as well as 3PH while tractor is resting. I always tend to set them in down position relieving the hydro pressure. Comments?

 

[N80]

I leave everything down and with the pressure off of it. In other words, drop the bucket, turn the tractor off and then wiggle the joystick until all the pressure is relieved. I'm not sure this is necessary, but its just what I do.

Why does your friend suggest you should leave things up?

 

[Albi]

I leave everything down and with the pressure off of it. In other words, drop the bucket, turn the tractor off and then wiggle the joystick until all the pressure is relieved. I'm not sure this is necessary, but its just what I do.

Why does your friend suggest you should leave things up?

That's what I do

 

[Redbug]

I also do like Albi and George. I can't see having any extra pressure or stresses in the lines/o rings/valves, if you don't need to. There's a safety factor, also.

 

[Keith01]

We always left the loader and 3ph up on our MF35 when I was growing up. Had plenty of starter and battery problems, so we would push start it, or pop start it if we parked on the hill next to the barn.

That was fine until my young cousin (7yo) was playing on it and waving all the levers. DROPPED the loader from 2'. No damage, scared the tar out of him. Woke up my Dad and Gramps that maybe that was not the safest thing to be doing.
From then on, all tractors are 'on the ground' when stopped.

Keith inSC

 

[AndyMA]

I was taught that since I started operating when I was 8. Safety first.

Andy

 

[john_bud]

There are 2 different goals here.

1) drop everything to keep accidental death or crushing from occuring.

2) leave the cylinders under some pressure to keep the seals tight and leak free.

I tend to keep the stuff down as replacing seals is typically quicker and cheaper than a trip to the emergency room....

 

[Ken Cunningham]

I curl my bucket all the way back so the cylinders arent exposed

 

[Texashayman]

I typically drop all atachments,loaders ect..dont go as far as wiggling levers..however if a cylinder is involved,i try to raise or lower what ever implement (block if necessary)i am dealing with, so the cylinders aren't exposed,especially if the season is over with and the implement will sit for a while unused.

 

[brandoro]

My tractor is usually in the shop when I'm not using it, then I lower everything and let the pressure off after the engine is stopped.
If it will sit outside I throw a block under the leading edge of the bucket so I can let the pressure off with the cylinders fully retracted.
Mostly I do this as a safety precaution but, when I worked on a farm when I was in school the guy I worked for usually disconnected the tractor from the cultivator with the lift cylinder fully up. Just yanked the hoses out of the quick disconnects, pulled the pin and drove away. Once when he came back for the cultivator the cylinder had overpressured, sun probably, and split the cylinder. You could see the spray of hydraulic oil 30 feet away. Destroyed the cylinder, I imagine the cultivator dropped abruptly to the ground, and sprayed very high pressure oil. Not a situation I care to duplicate.
On the ground, no pressure=no surprises.

 

[AndyinIowa]

From vehicle safety training I've conducted several times:

Vehicle should be parked and if possible, left in a zero energy state. A zero energy state leaves as little stored energy in the vehicle as possible. For this same reason, blocking tires when on a slope helps prevent the vehicle from rolling away.

If the FEL bucket is near a walking path or area in a shop where people are moving, the cutting edge should be flat on the ground to minimize tripping hazard. I bet a lot of people on this forum have stumbled while walking around the front of a tractor with FEL.


Cylinder corrosion and seals are a part of life. Consider construction equipment on a job site that have cylinders exposed for weeks/months at a time without cylinder exercise. Its not THAT big of a concern, in my experience.


IowaAndy

 

[vtcoyote]

Should the FEL be curled up while resting in order for the cylindars to be fully retracted or should the front edge of the bucket be level with the floor?

I always leave the bucket in more of a dump cycle than as apposed to being curled all the way back, i left it curled for a couple of nights after i first got the tractor and after big rain storm i found some dead (drowned) chipmunks in a bucket full of water, so when ever outside in order to prevent rust and unintentional elimination of the local wildlife i always leave it in the dump position.

 

[Soundguy]

That's exactly what i do.

soundguy

I leave everything down and with the pressure off of it. In other words, drop the bucket, turn the tractor off and then wiggle the joystick until all the pressure is relieved. I'm not sure this is necessary, but its just what I do.

Why does your friend suggest you should leave things up?

 

[Soundguy]

I leave my bucket down.. i have horses in the pasture.

I keep a can od litium spray grease where I park.. I spray any exposed rods with a shot. Next time i use it, the wipe of the cyl takes care of the old grease..

soundguy

 

[N80]

I keep a can od litium spray grease where I park.. I spray any exposed rods with a shot. Next time i use it, the wipe of the cyl takes care of the old grease..

soundguy

That's a good idea. I like to keep my bucket flat so it doesn't fill up with water. My tractor stays outdoors, and I'm away for weeks at a time. But that does leave a few inches of cylinder rod exposed. A quick shot of lithium grease would help protect them.

But! I'm bound and determined to build my shed in the next month. Plan on laying it out this weekend and marking hole locations. If my B-I-L isn't available with his PHD I'll be digging them by hand! Twelve 3' deep holes in clay. BTDT. Can do it again if I have to.

 

[RoyJackson]

I lower both the FEL and 3PH (except my ballast box...I'll leave that a few inches up).
For me, it's a safety issue...as other posters have written, those loaders drop fast! Anyway, my loader settles down after several hours.
As far as the bucket cylinders retracted (curled) or extended, that depends upon the weather. If it's going to be rainy, I'll leave the bucket tilted down a bit to allow the bucket to drain down.

 

[GilaSlim]

More than 50 years ago, my grandfather was using his 8N with a rear blade. Finished, he parked it in the shed with the blade still raised and stopped the engine. When he stepped down, I climbed up and began to play. Granddad thought it was funny as he stood behind the tractor watching - until I shoved the 3pt control and dropped the blade on his foot. The blade landed across his toes, and he was pinned. Luckily, my father was also there and managed to pull the blade up enough for Granddad to get loose. It only took a couple seconds, but it was days before Granddad could walk without pain. Nothing broken, just badly bruised. I was devastated to have hurt that wonderful old man. From that day to this, all tractors, all implements grounded when stopped.

GS

 

[cityfarma]

I am also of the opinion that flat and pressure released is best.

I think there was a school of thought that it is good to leave pressure on the cylinders to keep the seals pressurized and not shrinking away from the cylinders.

Cityfarma