Toe Lift Epiphany ~ Duhhhhh

[Denwa]

It came to me as if a bolt of lightening. Can't believe it took me about a years time with the tractor (Kubota B20) to sort this.

I was shuffling some gravel along side my pole barn to keep the drip from eroding the back fill further. I was needing to back up quite a bit and carefully. Would hate to take a chunk out of my siding with the bucket.

As with most HST units there is a pedal for forward or reverse. There is a nice inviting rubber pad at each end of it for the toe or heal or whatever one wishes to push with. Prior to my epiphany I had been using my heel or moving my foot back to use my toe. Neither input method was particularly comfortable and neither gave particularly good control.

What finally occurred to me , which is likely so logical that most of you have always done it and will think "well yahhhhh dummy", but perhaps not. This likely falls under the "really new guy tips" deptartment.

Anyhow, I finally figured out that putting my toe under the forward part of the pedal and LIFTING I got very good backing speed control and a lot more naturally than having to push on the back part of the pedal. I also found that reversing this helps keep me from stepping on the forward pedal like a brake pedal to stop backwards movement. I don't intentionally use the forward pedal as a brake, but the location of said pedal and car driving habits make it all to easy to make that error.

There it is FWIW, which is small, but for me very helpful

Regards,
Dennis (WA)

 

[Jay4200]

Anyhow, I finally figured out that putting my toe under the forward part of the pedal and LIFTING

Evidently you don't ride a motorcycle.

JayC

 

[troutsqueezer]

It's a good observation. I'll try it out the next time I'm on my B21.

 

[shane]

Evidently you don't ride a motorcycle.

JayC

I was thinking about the shifter on my four wheeler as I read this.


(And also my side by side Hydro pedals on my JD. :laughing: )


But Dennis, I do appreciate your willingness to share.

 

[TripleR]

I was thinking about the shifter on my four wheeler as I read this.


(And also my side by side Hydro pedals on my JD. :laughing: )


But Dennis, I do appreciate your willingness to share.

Surprised it took so long for someone to bring that up.

 

[Denwa]

Evidently you don't ride a motorcycle.

JayC

Jay,
Ah, but I do. The bottom line of my sig line lists some of them. I have even been a MSF instructor.

That being said, lifting on a MC shifter does not change the direction of travel on said bike. There are however some of the larger bikes that do have a reverse. Never ridden any. Also the MC shift is on the opposite side. Don't have an ATV.

However, the toe lifting concept, to affect direction change must have played some part in my trying what I did.

As a relative newbie to tractoring I have picked up lots of little pointers from the pages of this list, thank you posters, particularly in the realm of safety. I know what I wrote is not likely a revelation to the old timers, but if I had read about it before I "discovered" it, that would have smoothed my ops out sooner.

It might be helpful to begin the subject of such mundane info with a header of "Newbie Hints" or "Basic Operational Concepts", or some such.

Regards,
Dennis (WA)

 

[xtn]

Not sure I know what I'm talking about, but before buying my tractor I sat in the seat of a Kubota with HST and thought the pedal arrangement was awkward. I imagined myself not using the pedal pads at all, but instead putting my foot on top of the metal beam that connects the forward and reverse pedals and rocking back and forth over the pivot point like a treadle.

Never tried driving it though so I don't really know. Would it work more intuitively like that?

xtn

 

[TripleR]

Not sure I know what I'm talking about, but before buying my tractor I sat in the seat of a Kubota with HST and thought the pedal arrangement was awkward. I imagined myself not using the pedal pads at all, but instead putting my foot on top of the metal beam that connects the forward and reverse pedals and rocking back and forth over the pivot point like a treadle.

Never tried driving it though so I don't really know. Would it work more intuitively like that?

xtn

I don't know as I have personally found the Kubota pedal/treadle very easy to use, but don't have a problem with the side by side either.

 

[k0ua]

I seem to be in the minority, but I really like my Kubota Treadle-Pedal setup. I prefer it over the single independent forward/reverse pedals. I put my foot on the top of the treadle and rock my ankle for instant forward/reverse changes. and when traveling long distances put my heel on the floor and toe on the "overhang" of the pedal. my 2 cents.

James K0UA

 

[xtn]

I put my foot on the top of the treadle and rock my ankle for instant forward/reverse changes.

James K0UA

That's what I was asking about. So it works good like that?

 

[TripleR]

Not all Kubota "treadle pedals" are alike, so check out the different models to see if one fits you better than the others.

 

[Jay4200]

It might be helpful to begin the subject of such mundane info with a header of "Newbie Hints" or "Basic Operational Concepts", or some such.

Could have been worse - you could've been trying to start your tractor with the PTO lever engaged...

JayC

 

[kday64]

This is a skill that I learned when I was much younger. However I just learned how to use a grease gun properly... Something new ever day!

 

[k0ua]

That's what I was asking about. So it works good like that?

It does for me, Like I said I seem to be in the minority, but it is quicker than shifting your foot, from pedal to pedal, I have a 2 pedal setup on my JD, and while I love that mower, I like the Kubota treadle pedal better.

James K0UA

 

[Glen Watkins]

Never tried this treadle pedal / brake on the same side setup and it seems like it would be awkward if you were in a bad spot and really needed both at the same time. I was just wondering what is on the left side that made Kubota engineers put to key functions on one side?

 

[k0ua]

Never tried this treadle pedal / brake on the same side setup and it seems like it would be awkward if you were in a bad spot and really needed both at the same time. I was just wondering what is on the left side that made Kubota engineers put to key functions on one side?

I think I can answer that Glen, This L series (like my L3400hst) are "economy" models and as such do not have electric PTO engagement, so have a clutch for that function as well as its function as a starter safety. the clutch of course also disengages the hydro too. So there is a clutch on the left, and brakes on the right, I happen to like the brakes on the right when the very few times you need brakes (down a severe hill, and you need to hold there while someone shovels something out of the bucket.) It is natural for me to right foot brake, and if I roaded it (which I dont) I would want the brakes on the right where I would use my right foot without thinking.. I want the PTO clutch on the left where it has been for 50 years of my tractor driving, and was ingrained in my head at an early age to stab the clutch and stop the tractor and PTO when bad things happen. When I back the brush cutter into the thicket, and dont know whats in there the right hand is on the 3pt lift and the left foot is poised over the clutch. These are my thoughts at to why, they might not be right, but is what I think. As for split braking, with a hydro you just dont need to do it that often, as it is so easy to see-saw the tractor back and forth and turn the wheel as you can instantly change direction by rocking your foot. The only times I have used the split brakes is snowpushing and when slipping sideways it is handy to have and use split steering brakes. I do it by using the cruise control, and stepping on the split brake now that my right foot is free from the treadle pedal. Some one once accused Kubota HST owners of maybe wearing TU-Tu's and doing a Ballet like shuffle with the left leg crossing over to do the split braking chores, BUT I can assure you I have never worn a TU-TU.

James K0UA

 

[Glen Watkins]

Thanks for the info k0ua!

 

[lhansman]

I have used the lifting of my right foot to reverse on both my B21 and now my B26 for some time now. In fact whenever I purchase a new set of workboots I immediately take them to the shoe repair guy and have him add an additional strip of rubber behind the toe protector on the right boot. I have found that over time lifting the pedal with the same right boot caused the leather on the top to wear prematurely just where the steel toe ends. Adding the piece of rubber ensure the right boot lasts longer.

I have bad knees and found that having to move the right foot back to push down caused my knee to get very sore after a couple of hours of loader work. Lifting the toe is much easier for me.