Snow Equipment Owning/Operating Tips on using FEL to remove snow

[gary d]

Can anyone share some tips on the best ways to use a front end loader for snow removal. I'm sure there are some do's and don'ts you have learned from experience that would save me some grief on the learning curve.
I have a MF 1532 tractor

 

[blackie65]

check out this thread
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...-clearing-snow-front-end-loader-new-post.html

 

[Thomas]

Many threads over weeks.months,years,but mostly take your time until you get good feel of operating.
Don't get to close to ditches/shoulders when pushing..try leave yourself/tractor way out.
Pushing..try keep cutting edge level or tip back little so doesn't dig in or hard shock.

Stay tune for more great advice from TBNer's.

 

[MF 1532]

I have a new MF 1532 and am in the same situation . I have been reading a lot of post on this subject . Thomas pretty well covers the subject . Others also say go slow , being careful not to damage fel arms . I hope you like your 1532 as well as I do mine .

 

[JD5210]

If you go to turn and just skid forward. Unlock your brakes and use them individually and you will turn with no problem. As said before go slow, keep the tip of the bucket up. When you go to push the snow to the side raise the loader a little, so as to not pull up the grass. If you have to raise the loader up high with snow in the bucket, you will need to lower the bucket on the way up to kept it level.

 

[Jay4200]

Can anyone share some tips on the best ways to use a front end loader for snow removal. I'm sure there are some do's and don'ts you have learned from experience that would save me some grief on the learning curve.

Lift it up into the air, then remove snow in reverse using 3pt blower.

Really. I tried to use my loader once, got so frustrated I gave up and simply used it as a skid to mash the snow down flat so I could drive on it. If your drive is short and fat, like a parking lot, it might be OK, for a long and skinny drive (mine is 1000' x 10'), forget it, IMHO.

JayC

 

[George2615]

On paved or concrete driveways I tip the bucket edge down just a hair to scrape it clean.

On dirt or gravel drives lower bucket flat to the ground and tip cutting edge up slightly so it does not dig in.

Use float mode for the bucket.

If when pushing a lot of snow you turn your wheel but continue going straight just pick the bucket up slightly which will put weight back on the front wheels or use your brakes individually as mentioned.

 

[pat32rf]

Don't bother trying to remove the fresh dry fluffy stuff. You will wind up spending all day moving 500lbs of snow, making a dozen trips to do so. Just push it to the side with your back blade set on an angle, then after it has a while (weeks) to settle down and compact then remove it to your snow storage area. You will then be carrying 500lbs per bucket load....

 

[JIGBUILDER]

I found the best way for me to clear my 1/4 mile long driveway is with my box blade. I made sled runners that I bolt on the sides of the BB. Keeps the rear blade from digging in. Backing up with the BB in dry snow lets the snow flow around the 6' BB. Wet snow is a different story. My tractor weighs around 8500 lbs and its to easy to remove all the gravel and snow from the driveway. My driveway isn't flat. I've tried the PVC pipe on the FEL blade but it also removed all the gravel. If my driveway was flat or paved the PVC would work better IMO.

 

[dave1949]

Keep the drive/road clear behind you - meaning don't go too far just pushing one bucket width. It's easy to get stuck - especially on a slippery slope - clearing one bucket wide for more than 20-30 feet.

Also, should you need to get to your tractor with another vehicle to make a repair, tow it or whatever; in deep snow a pickup truck might have a problem with a 6' wide snow chute. I did end up once with my tractor and truck stuck :laughing:

If you do get stuck, put the bucket down on it's cutting edge and curl the bucket up while keeping down pressure with the loader arms to push the tractor backwards.
Dave.

 

[JD Greg]

Take your time and learn how to use the bucket.
Watch your bucket level indicator. The first winter
is really a learning winter of moving snow with the FEL.
After you have learned some skills with it, you will like it.

Do you also have a rear blade? If so, use it.
Angle the rear blade and windrow the snow. Move the
windrow with the FEL.

Be careful where you have uneven concrete seams.
I have been moving snow on this same parking lot for the
past 3 years. Seems like every year, I either forget where
there is an uneven concrete seam, or a new one developed.
I never move fast, but even when going slow, when the uneven
seams catches the cutting edge of your bucket, you will stop
the tractor in its place. It is a very sudden stop.

Like others have said:
On concrete, I like to keep the cutting edge scraping the concrete.
It cleans up the area real nice. On rock/gravel, keep the cutting
edge tipped up so as not to dig into the rock. Sometimes this is easier
said than done. I dug into my own rock driveway that goes to my shop.
And, use the float mode.

Greg

 

[RoyJackson]

Since I have a hard packed gravel drive (has asphalt spoils to bind it together), I keep the bucket lip just above the surface for the majority of the snow removal.
After most is gone (say 1/2-1 inch still on the drive), I'll use a combination of back dragging and forward movement to remove as much as I can. I'll have some lighly covered spots and some bare areas when I'm done.
I alway end up with some gravel on the lawn, but that's cleaned up in the Spring.

 

[rus_geek]

I saw a mention or two of the PVC pipe on the bucket edge. If you search a little bit, you'll find some debate from last winter about using PVC, ABS, HMWP? (some fancy plastic) pipes to keep the edge of the bucket from digging. I messed around for part of a winter trying to keep my bucket edge tilted up, but I would forget, or tilt it too high and ride up on the snow, etc. My solution was a steel pipe bolted to the cutting edge.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...nother-pipe-front-end-loader.html#post1835128

We just had about 12" of snow with 40mph winds for three days, so I got to spend a fair amount of time clearing the drive. With some of the drifts deeper than my rear tires, I didn't stand a chance of moving any snow with the rear blade. I do use the rear blade for final cleanup, though.

-rus-

 

[Rayrla]

Lots of good tips. I like to spray my bucket and backblade prior to winter use with WD40. Snow then doesn't stick to the either.

 

[CompactTractorFan]

Lots of good tips. I like to spray my bucket and backblade prior to winter use with WD40. Snow then doesn't stick to the either.

Yeah, I heard you can do that with shovels and plows too.

 

[corey9212]

Yeah, I heard you can do that with shovels and plows too.

Even snow blowers, I had a stage 1 snow blower and the chute would always clog up and a good shot of either WD-40 or Pam in the chute and on the blades and everything went smoothly

 

[VirginiaGuy]

A friend up north in NY referred me to these guys:

Tractor Loader Bucket Attachment | The Edge Tamer

They have a product called the Edge Tamer on their site, which took all the thought out of the whole thing. His JD has a 6' bucket, my Kubota's only 5, and they worked great on both our gravel driveways. He has a barn out back and he even used them on the grass to clear a path, and it left the lawn untouched. I found that before I'd get my bucket corners caught, and now that's not a problem at all.

 

[johnk]

I usually set my bucket down and curl it just a few degrees upwards so it doesn't bite into the ground. You can use down pressure or float. Practice makes perfect. I wouldn't bother buying those things. Rolling the bucket a few degrees does the same thing.

 

[hhsco]

fishyfishy

 

[VirginiaGuy]

fishyfishy

?? not sure what that means

All I'm saying is that in years past (VA hasn't had snow the last couple years) I'd goof around with the angle and still dig the heck out of my driveway, maybe it's because there's a lot of elevation changes or maybe it's because it's just a small BX, but too shallow an angle and I'm digging the sod or the stone, or too much angle and I'd just be compressing the stuff and practically riding on top of it, but with these I just slapped them on, dropped the bucket, and as long as the bucket was level that was that. My recollection was it used to take me 2 hours, now it takes me 45 minutes (long driveway, thank god it doesn't snow much) and I wasn't cursing myself out. Maybe if we got 8 or 12 inches of snow every week I'd do something else, but I'm just saying for 2-3 times a year this was all I needed.