Question 4 you . . . Backdraging with the Bucket EDGE?

RealJimbo · Jun 28, 2012

I, like everyone else, have read the manual. You should NOT backdrag with the bucket edge. To backdrag, use the heel of the bucket.

Also like everyone else, I HAVE backdraged with the edge. And I never had gotten in trouble with the Kubota 1153 FEL. But now I have this Woods 126 FEL. I wasn't actually backdraging. I rolled back down a pile with the bucket dumped. The edge caught the pile and . . . SNAP! Busted the weld completely off, and appears to have bent the rod also.

My question is . . . How often do you backdrag with the edge and has it caused you any problems?

deerseeker001 · Jun 28, 2012

i use the bucket edge,no problems

k0ua · Jun 28, 2012

RealJimbo said:
I, like everyone else, have read the manual. You should NOT backdrag with the bucket edge. To backdrag, use the heel of the bucket.

Also like everyone else, I HAVE backdraged with the edge. And I never had gotten in trouble with the Kubota 1153 FEL. But now I have this Woods 126 FEL. I wasn't actually backdraging. I rolled back down a pile with the bucket dumped. The edge caught the pile and . . . SNAP! Busted the weld completely off, and appears to have bent the rod also.

My question is . . . How often do you backdrag with the edge and has it caused you any problems?

Backdraging with both for many years. depending what I want to accomplish and how I want to feather the surface..
I buy a tractor to use, and that is what I do with it..

James K0UA

Martian · Jun 28, 2012

I've back dragged with the cutting edge with no problems. Leaves a much nicer finish than the heel. If I really need to back drag a lot, I use a box blade.

Chilly807 · Jun 28, 2012

I do it too, but keep the bucket angled so if it does hook it'll just ride up and over and not bend anything. The bucket has a lot of leverage on the cylinder if it hooks hard.

Sean

ricklman · Jun 28, 2012

I backdrag with both as well. It's a "right tool for the right job" kinda thing. You can also partially fill the bucket and drag with the heel to be a bit more aggressive.

Ed of all trades · Jun 28, 2012

Use both as well. The only time I had any trouble was with a 45 hp international. It had an oversize bucket on it for loading chicken manure and I blew a hose. It was not in the best shape but would have lasted a while if I kept the bucket flat. With the oversize bucket the leverage was to much.

IndyIan · Jun 28, 2012

I back drag with the bucket edge all the time but unless I'm playing in freshly dug fluffy dirt, the lift cylinders are usually in float position.
I have also caught the bucket like you have the odd time but always with the bucket flat so it didn't grab hard, just lifted the front tires off the ground. I think you've had a little tractor lesson, get'r fixed and you won't do it again.

Gary Fowler · Jun 28, 2012

I also back drag with the bucket edge. I have not had a problem breaking any thing, but I did hang a stump right in the center of the bucket once that bowed the bucket lip up about an inch. I had it dumped too far and it didnt smoothly ride up and over just hung up on the stump for a bit then popped over. Once bent, they are almost impossible to straighten back up as I have tried sledge hammer and even using the tractor to push the lip into a stump and it doesnt move back.
I also blew a hose on the Yanmar once by putting too much pressure to the bucket but never broke a weld. I think you likely had a bad weld on your tractor. Get it fixed and dont worry, everyone back drags with the bucket. If you drag with the bottom, you are going to wear a hole in the bucket especially if you are in sandy soil as it is very abrasive. The bucket bottoms are very thin material and wont stand up to a lot of back dragging abuse. It may keep you from bending something, but that will not be an easy repair to make to fix a worn thru bucket bottom and likely will cost more than a new FEL bucket.

dhawken · Jun 28, 2012

I also do it all the time, I actually never knew it was bad. No, I didn't read the manual. I did it constantly as a kid with much larger tractors, so I never even thought it might be bad. No issues yet though.

NHmitch · Jun 28, 2012

I caused considerable damage to an older ford tractor doing this.. I bent both of the lift rods to 90 degree angles while dragging sand in my pasture. I will never use the bucket for this again. A box blade is designed for that task with much less possibility of damage to expensive components. I also bent the clevis pens that attach the bucket and spent a day hammering them out. Hard and expensive lesson, so I will not do it again.

TripleR · Jun 28, 2012

Like most others, I always have and always will. If I break it, I'll fix it.

k0ua · Jun 28, 2012

TripleR said:
Like most others, I always have and always will. If I break it, I'll fix it.

There you go, i just re-welded my bucket last weekend, but I am not going to stop prying on things with it. Sure use common sense, and stop before you twist the loader arms, but heck I buy the thing to use, not look at. Even my new Kioti bucket has all the paint wore off of the bottom and some of the sides.. And I have painted the Kubota bucket about a million times to keep the rust on the upper side at bay. But you can never win the rust war completely, just skirmish with it.

James K0UA

JDgreen227 · Jun 28, 2012

Have always backdragged with my bucket edge, I ordered the 61 inch HD Deere bucket and it is so reinforced it will probably outlast me so who cares about backdragging with the bucket edge? AND THAT METHOD IS WHAT THE DEERE MANUAL RECOMMENDS.

TripleR · Jun 28, 2012

k0ua said:
There you go, i just re-welded my bucket last weekend, but I am not going to stop prying on things with it. Sure use common sense, and stop before you twist the loader arms, but heck I buy the thing to use, not look at. Even my new Kioti bucket has all the paint wore off of the bottom and some of the sides.. And I have painted the Kubota bucket about a million times to keep the rust on the upper side at bay. But you can never win the rust war completely, just skirmish with it.

James K0UA

James, I suspect that weld was just a sign the Kubota bucket was "rejecting" the transplant to a Kiot, the orange paint only fooled it for a little while.:laughing::laughing:

k0ua · Jun 28, 2012

TripleR said:
James, I suspect that weld was just a sign the Kubota bucket was "rejecting" the transplant to a Kiot, the orange paint only fooled it for a little while.:laughing::laughing:

Yeah just kinda like a heart transplant gone bad..

Poor old thing, feels all alone now, and being pushed hard by a huge new taskmaster.. yeee-haaw.

I really think the Japanese guy came in a little over-saki-ed one Monday morning and welded that left side of the bucket about so so and called it good. The right side has way more weld metal on it than the left ever had. Course my digging up stumps and rock and crap doesn't help much. If you will remember that is the poor old bucket I converted from Pin On to QA anyway. It has felt the "sting" of my welder before!

James K0UA

TripleR · Jun 28, 2012

k0ua said:
Yeah just kinda like a heart transplant gone bad.. Poor old thing, feels all alone now, and being pushed hard by a huge new taskmaster.. yeee-haaw. I really think the Japanese guy came in a little over-saki-ed one Monday morning and welded that left side of the bucket about so so and called it good. The right side has way more weld metal on it than the left ever had. Course my digging up stumps and rock and crap doesn't help much. If you will remember that is the poor old bucket I converted from Pin On to QA anyway. It has felt the "sting" of my welder before!

James K0UA

I saw the pictures and agree it wasn't right from the start. I took welding in high school Vo Ag and our welds had to be stronger than the surrounding metal to pass.

gwdixon · Jun 28, 2012

I think back dragging is something to be done with care. I never angle my bucket more than about 45 degrees. Most of the time it is set in float mode. Otherwise a lot of force and stress will be put on the cylinders and frame of the FEL.

If you back drag with a bucket at 90 degrees, making it work like a blade, it will eventually cause a problem when it hangs up on something.

k0ua · Jun 28, 2012

gwdixon said:
I think back dragging is something to be done with care. I never angle my bucket more than about 45 degrees. Most of the time it is set in float mode. Otherwise a lot of force and stress will be put on the cylinders and frame of the FEL.

If you back drag with a bucket at 90 degrees, making it work like a blade, it will eventually cause a problem when it hangs up on something.

Oh I agree with that completely, when I say back-dragging, I am talking about less than 45 degrees and the lift in float for sure. Back-dragging is for smoothing gravel and dirt. Soft stuff. Not trying to dig up something.

James K0UA

Chilly807 · Jun 28, 2012

k0ua said:
Oh I agree with that completely, when I say back-dragging, I am talking about less than 45 degrees and the lift in float for sure. Back-dragging is for smoothing gravel and dirt. Soft stuff. Not trying to dig up something.

James K0UA

I don't usually float mine unless moving snow, and never while back-dragging. I feel as long as the bucket doesn't hook solid behind something the loader will take it.

Sean