Using a 4-in-1 Bucket -- Especially Cut/Grading

eventer79 · Nov 19, 2013

Yep, new person and learning the tractor. It's my first "proper" tractor as I'm building my horse farm (well, tractor owned by BFF but she sold her farm so it's on loan -- but omg, she's never getting it back

).

It has a Woods 155 Dual FEL with a 4n1 bucket with big teeth on the front (94 Ford/Holland 1620 if your eyes can't reach the sidebar, LOL). Yes, I call it my bitey bucket and I love it. I have been playing with it picking up dirt to fill in old post holes, carrying things around for me, and got to bite and pick up a telephone pole this weekend (FUN). If only it could fling...

My next project is prepping a 24x26 site for installation of a "Carolina horse shelter" (carport) in one of my fields. It will be a great practice project because it doesn't have to be perfectly level, just close enough that they don't have to cut legs and I can backfill later. I have two potential sites that are level-ish and should be super easy to get to "install-ready." Field is fescue pasture with nice sandy loam soil, not rocky near surface.

I've just read the Midway Sales article on basics of 4n1 buckets, showing bucket, dozer, grabbing, and back-grading functions, and I've tried searching this forum and YouTube but there are so many ways to type 4-in-1 four-in-one 4N1 4 in 1 four in one (is there an accepted forum/tractor world lexicon?), I tried them all and didn't get far.

So I hope some folks could point me towards some good articles/videos (I'm a visual learner) on how to use the cut/grade/box blade function of the 4n1? Tips and tricks? Mine operates with 3 metal rod/levers on right hand side. I don't think it has "float control," I have read the manual, but it only covers a standard bucket.

Thanks!

/pine · Nov 19, 2013

I am entirely ignorant about mechanical buckets but one of the first things I learned about front end loaders is they are loaders and not meant to be used for dozing etc...perhaps by upgrading the boom and curl cylinders they can be made to do more than what they were originally intended for...?

Good Luck...

eventer79 · Nov 19, 2013

Oh, maybe I should share this link, which Wagtail also shared with me. I meant light grading/pushing of loose material. Totally not clearing woods or anything! My bad!

Midway Sales - How to use a tractor with 4-in-1 loader | How To Articles, Midway Sales - Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria Tractors, dozers and implements for sale

BukitCase · Nov 19, 2013

Don't have any vids to point you to, but maybe can help otherwise -

As Slash pointed out, loaders are typically NOT built sturdy enough to work as a dozer, but can do some if you're "gentle" and don't try to move mountains.

First, if your loader has 3 SEPARATE levers, it's likely that the one closest to the operator is lift, the next one bucket curl, and the outer one to open/close the clamshell. (That's what the movable part of a 4n1 bucket is called)

If so, the first two levers should do the same as the ones on a NON-4n1, and the lift valve should have a float mode.

2 ways to find out - first, find the actual VALVE that the lever controls - it should be attached to the lever at the opposite end from the knob you move. The valve body that's part of this would have a couple hoses coming out and going to the lift cylinders.

If you find that valve, look at the OPPOSITE end from where the control lever attaches, and compare it to the OTHER two valves - it should have a small "can" attached to that end that is NOT present on the other two valves. The "can" should be about 1" dia. by 2" long, or slightly larger.

If you find such a can on your lift valve, next thing to do is verify that it's float (most likely is) and that it works.

Do this by raising the loader to the top of its travel - then push the lever forward to lower the bucket - as soon as it starts to move, push the lever FURTHER if you can - the lever should STAY forward, and the bucket should continue to lower til the bucket hits the ground.

If all that works, congrats - you've just found your float mode. To get out of it, just pull the lever back until it springs back to center.

If your 4n1 is typical, there are teeth on the front edge of the clamshell and a smooth cutting edge at the rear, which should mate with another cutting edge on the bottom of the FIXED part of the bucket (the dozer blade)

For this small a tractor, you'd probably get the best, least damaging results by -

To loosen up soil/vegetation (better to MOW any grass down to about 1/2" above "rototill" level so it doesn't clog things up as much) -

First, close the clamshell and dump the bucket (teeth should be pointed nearly straight at the ground) - then BACKDRAG with the teeth any areas that are high. (You may need to do multiple passes - in float mode, the only downpressure is from the weight of the loader and bucket, but the teeth will help)

Then, OPEN the clamshell as far as it'll go, and UN-CURL the bucket so only the REAR cutting edge of the CLAMSHELL is contacting the ground - raise the bucket, drive forward to the edge of the area you're leveling, lower the bucket in FLOAT (sure hope you found that function, or there will be bigger heaps of frustration than there are dirt

)and back up.

If the clamshell gathers too much dirt for your traction/power, try curling the bucket some til the DOZER half contacts the ground - sometimes this will act as a "gauge wheel" and lessen the dig of the clamshell's rear cutting edge. Otherwise, you might need to pull out of float and slightly raise the bucket so it dumps some of the load.

Move over about 2/3 of the bucket width, and repeat as necessary. For the first pass thru uneven ground, you may want to move over ALL the bucket width, because if only one side of the wheels is on newly cut ground, it may cause your grade to have ridges.

Once you've graded the entire area, the SECOND grading pass should be done by STRADDLING any ridges (using the same above methods) in order to smooth the ridges out.

Do NOT try to "brute force" things with this small tractor, you won't like the results - either the uneven grade, OR the repair costs. If you stick to BACKDRAGGING, preferably in FLOAT mode, you should stay out of trouble (watch where you're going, go slow, and keep an eye on what your bucket is doing - but don't get whiplash

)

Let us know if you find the float mode, maybe take a few pics of the valve assembly - if I'm right, the loader lift lever will have FOUR positions - backward with spring to center, forward with spring to center, and push PAST forward and STAY there til pulled back to center.

HTH... Steve

greg_g · Nov 19, 2013

Got one on my 3720, handy as a pocket on a shirt. Given that your intended work a reads already reasonably level, you really only want to knock off the high spots. Reason being; is you go down to a bare dirt floor, rainwater will run in. Don't think you wand that. Start with the bucket closed. Use the teeth to break into and loosen high spots. Whatever you happen to pick up in the bucket, relocate to a low spot. When the high spots are all knocked off, open the jaws. Use either the front or back half as you see fit to finish leveling the spots you broke open with the teeth. When you're happy with that, close the jaws again. Back drag the bucket to level the dirt you dropped into the low spots

You'll end up with a rectangle that's part grass and part dirt. But at least it will be level, and hopefully keep the water out.

//greg//

dfkrug · Nov 19, 2013

eventer79 said:
So I hope some folks could point me towards some good articles/videos
(I'm a visual learner) on how to use the cut/grade/box blade function of the 4n1? Tips and tricks?

I hope you have float.

If you do a search on YouTube for "four in one bucket", you will see my short video (more that 30K views),
as well as others. Mine comes up fourth, the one with the CK30 tractor.

No teeth on my bucket, or the previous 2 4n1s I had. Love it.

eventer79 · Nov 19, 2013

Oh thank you, those are all super helpful. I will look up dfk's videos tonight!

Bukit, omg, thank you for taking the time to type all that out. Yes, you are correct on the order of levers and what each one does. The manual does talk about float control, but I was really tired when I was reading it so I haven't looked into it that much. Thanks so much for explaining where to look, I will definitely check it out and should be able to find out pretty quickly. I will take a guess that it does -- the dang thing has cruise control and a rear AND belly PTO so I think they tricked it out. I got a feel of what it can push and lift this past weekend when moving dirt, I'm generally conservative with my equipment, I baby my truck too!

And yes greg, I just want to move the high corner to the low corner probably. Eventually, I'd like it to be mostly stall mats (if I went hog wild, I'd tamp some screenings underneath) but for now, I'd like to leave as much established vegetation in place as possible to hold my soil and suck up water. The horses will tear up their half anyway, but at least I don't have to do everything with a shovel now (no fun at all).