Tips for Using the Bucket?

[vtsnowedin]

I went out today to clean up a bit since I had the day off. I played around a bunch with the FEL and found that angle of the bucket is very critical. If the bucket is flat or very close to level, I could float but it would sometimes push over the snow. I had better luck using a bit more extreme angle and working the height manually to maintain a fine balance between down pressure to scrape and front wheel traction. I did find back dragging worked pretty well. I could use a steep angle and float to do some reasonable scraping.

Safe to say the plow truck isn't going anywhere soon.

ac

Ayup keep the plow truck but keep the tractor handy and ready. You might not ever get it in NJ but in a bad winter your snowbanks can get higher then a truck can throw snow over the top and you get narrower and narrower each snowfall. Once the banks are about six feet high you need the tractor to buck it back six to ten feet to give the plow truck some room to put more snow. Also the tractor works great twitching a stuck plow truck back out of that place he shouldn't have gone into. All you need is two big storms back to back with some drifting winds between to find yourself with more snow than you know what to do with.

 

[avc8130]

Ayup keep the plow truck but keep the tractor handy and ready. You might not ever get it in NJ but in a bad winter your snowbanks can get higher then a truck can throw snow over the top and you get narrower and narrower each snowfall. Once the banks are about six feet high you need the tractor to buck it back six to ten feet to give the plow truck some room to put more snow. Also the tractor works great twitching a stuck plow truck back out of that place he shouldn't have gone into. All you need is two big storms back to back with some drifting winds between to find yourself with more snow than you know what to do with.

Hmm...well, trust me, ALL of that occurs in NJ. We had it 2 winters ago.

I am very adamant about pushing my banks FAR off into the lawn to keep the driveway wide for successive snow storms. One of my parking areas is fully surrounded by rock wall and the garage on 3/4 sides so the tractor always gets the duty of putting the piles up on the walls to get them out of the way.

You better believe the tractor isn't going anywhere either!

ac

 

[tractchores]

What range are you guys using for plowing? I use the middle range on my kubota or even high if its a light and fluffy snow. I find that I can really cruise around and move a lot of snow quickly doing that. My typical method is to float and adjust the FEL angle to get it to clear to bare pavement and then when I see the bucket get full I just angle off to the edge and dump and then backup and continue. When I get to the end I turn around and do it going the other way (usually using 3/4 of a bucket width so that snow doesn't fall out into the previously plowed area). It would be much faster with a conventional plow to push it to the side, but I find that I still make decent time doing it that way. Obviously for pushing snowbanks back and tight areas the tractor outshines the truck easily.

 

[avc8130]

What range are you guys using for plowing? I use the middle range on my kubota or even high if its a light and fluffy snow. I find that I can really cruise around and move a lot of snow quickly doing that. My typical method is to float and adjust the FEL angle to get it to clear to bare pavement and then when I see the bucket get full I just angle off to the edge and dump and then backup and continue. When I get to the end I turn around and do it going the other way (usually using 3/4 of a bucket width so that snow doesn't fall out into the previously plowed area). It would be much faster with a conventional plow to push it to the side, but I find that I still make decent time doing it that way. Obviously for pushing snowbanks back and tight areas the tractor outshines the truck easily.

I was using M. I seem to use that for just about everything.

 

[lilranch2001]

I have R4's and have yet to have the first issue, and I plow 1000 feet of north south driveway that has a west to east prevailing wind, we have not had any terrible winters in the 3 years I have had it, but I have had to break through 3-4 foot drifts with it.
The Bobcat and R4's dealt with the snow very effectively every time so far....
Knocking on wood.....

 

[lilranch2001]

ya know, I have been wondering after my last post......

So many people have so much problem with R4's traction and other people seem to have none.
I wonder if it is the rubber compound of the different tires that make the difference.

I know Bridgstone Duellers have a "grabby" compound on the outside of the tread, and as the tire wears down, the "grabbyness" seems to go away as the outside compound wears down

 

[avc8130]

ya know, I have been wondering after my last post......

So many people have so much problem with R4's traction and other people seem to have none.
I wonder if it is the rubber compound of the different tires that make the difference.

I know Bridgstone Duellers have a "grabby" compound on the outside of the tread, and as the tire wears down, the "grabbyness" seems to go away as the outside compound wears down

Another thing could be tire pressure. I'm going to feel like a jerk as I type this, but I can honestly say I haven't checked mine since I got the new machine ~2 weeks ago.

ac

 

[JD Bob]

I have a John Deere 300B loader tractor without a float position. The first year I tried plowing with it was a nightmare, it always "dug in" no matter how fast or slow I went. I tried every angle possible with FEL no luck. I remember an old timer always having a regular plow blade mounted inside his bucket of his backhoe. This helps in both creating a "float" position(by having bucket up a couple inches while weight of blade hangs down) and also Keeps the bucket from filling up. I mounted it with quick release pins so I can have the blade off in a minute, for the use of the loader. I also have a heavy box blade on the 3pt. Chain goes from top of loader bucket to "A" frame of plow, so when you need to "back-up" the piles the plow will go as high as your loader will. Works very nice...

 

[vtsnowedin]

One thing I noticed just yesterday. If you stand your bucket on it's edge to push snow forward you get a rumbling sound as it drags on the ground. Move forward and ease the loader up just until it stops rumbling and you can move 99% of the snow without dragging on the ground. Try it.

 

[Carl_NH]

I had better luck using a bit more extreme angle and working the height manually to maintain a fine balance between down pressure to scrape and front wheel traction.

ac

Yes this is essentially the method then raise and dump as needed - glad this is starting to work for you

 

[Carl_NH]

One thing I noticed just yesterday. If you stand your bucket on it's edge to push snow forward you get a rumbling sound as it drags on the ground. Move forward and ease the loader up just until it stops rumbling and you can move 99% of the snow without dragging on the ground. Try it.

VT - thats the trick I use to remove ice and packed snow - tllt back to the point it stops chattering/grumbling which is about 20 degrees - usually for basic snow cleanup 10 degree tilt works.

 

[vtsnowedin]

VT - that's the trick I use to remove ice and packed snow - tilt back to the point it stops chattering/grumbling which is about 20 degrees - usually for basic snow cleanup 10 degree tilt works.

No time to hold a protractor out next to the bucket to measure angles but I get your point. What works today might not work tomorrow with temperature and snow density visibilities but finding the angle that works today is what makes a skilled operator run circles around a newbies with a rented machine.

 

[fieldman12]

I have moved allot of dirt and snow with a Bobcat and a good amout with a front end loader. For gravel drop the bucket all the way on the ground and level. Raise boom (lift arms about a half inch to an inch off ground and push as far as machine will let you. You may have to bump the lifts arms up or down from time to time to adjust for hills and dips. A decent size machine will fill the bucket up and just push the other snow out of the way and make a path for you. Black top or concrete all you do is just set it down and go.

 

[lhansman]

Hi avc1830

I have had a Kubota B21, B26 and I now have an L45. I clear about 1/2 of an acre on my property which is all gravel. The driveway is about 250' but I have a large parking area in front of my 42' garage and a loop around to the front of the house as well as a couple of parking spots beside the house. My slopes are probably not as steep as yours but my property rises about 8' from the road to the back 250' feet away. I initially had a Suburban with a plow which I liked because of the heat but I found there were so many curves and loops on my property that it was difficult to clear effectively with the Suburban. I then tried using the FEL and I experienced the same problems you are have encountered.

I live an hour north of Toronto and I find that in the cold weather the float on all of my Kubota's does not work well or fast enough. I too have seen my front wheels lift off the ground when I go over a hump because the oil in the loader arms does nor respond fast enough to float up. I have also found that if one is going forward when this occurrs the problem is worse because you have the load of the snow in front of the blade trying to stop the tractor and the rear tires pushing and as soon as the front tires start to lift if you stay on the throttle the engine torque wants to push the front end even higher. I find in the cold that floating in reverse works better for me.

That being said, I cleared the snow form the 6" - 8" snow storm we had this week with the L45 and I was really impressed with it. I always had traction issues with the B21 and B26 but I didn't have any problems with the L45. I always have had loaded tires on my machines and the L45 has 932 pounds of foam in the four tires, the backhoe with the 36" bucket on for ballast and I now have the Laurin cab installed which probably adds another few hundred pounds. The L45 is the first machine I have had that I could start at the road in M range and just drive the 250' from the road to the back of my property pushing a 9' wide swath of snow the entire distance without stopping. I still have some steering issues though so I too am considering a set of chains for the front tires but I clear a few paved driveways so I want chains that will not do too much damage. I look forward to hearing how front chains work for you. I can't tell you how nice it was to be warm and dry as I cleared snow for three hours the other morning starting at 5:00am with the wind blowing at 20 MPH and the temperature around -8 C - but that is another story.

As mentioned I have a large parking area and I did not want to install an angling blade on my FEL because I was concerned about side pressure on my loader arms. I also have steering issues now with a straight blade and I think this would only get worse with an angling front blade. Instead I purchased a snow pusher blade a couple of years ago and I really like it. It has hydraulic cylinders to extend it from 66" to 108" with fixed side gables and it has a top on the blade which makes it reversible. This blade moves a lot of snow in a hurry. It used to take me about 2-1/2 hours with the Suburban or the tractors with the factor bucket but now I can clear my snow in an hour. The reversible option is great when you need to get snow out of a corner. I use to carry bucketfuls of snow away which took a lot of time but now I just roll the blade forward and pull is all out. A nine foot wide blade two feet high pushes and pulls a lot of snow. The extendible aspect is nice around buildings, curbs and rocks because the blade is wider than the tractor when you are pushing next to the object but when you need to back up you just retract the blade and you are a safe distance away from the imovable object. This blade was probably a bit too much for the B26 but it seems to be the perfect size for the L45.

There are very few places near the house that I can pile snow and since my property is gravel and will stay that way I gather the snow it off to the side of the garage and then push it all to the back of the property. This means in the spring all the gravel is in one spot (and not on the lawn) for me to fix the low spots. If I were you I would look at a pusher blade rather than a rear blade - it is a lot easier on the neck too. And even though there is no bottom on the pusher, if I lift the loader arms as I hit the pile I can easily creat piles 6' - 8' high. Here are a couple of photos showing the blade retracted and extended.

Regards,

Lauren

 

[FatTire]

Hi avc1830

Instead I purchased a snow pusher blade a couple of years ago and I really like it. It has hydraulic cylinders to extend it from 66" to 108" with fixed side gables and it has a top on the blade which makes it reversible. This blade moves a lot of snow in a hurry. It used to take me about 2-1/2 hours with the Suburban or the tractors with the factor bucket but now I can clear my snow in an hour. The reversible option is great when you need to get snow out of a corner. I use to carry bucketfuls of snow away which took a lot of time but now I just roll the blade forward and pull is all out. A nine foot wide blade two feet high pushes and pulls a lot of snow. The extendible aspect is nice around buildings, curbs and rocks because the blade is wider than the tractor when you are pushing next to the object but when you need to back up you just retract the blade and you are a safe distance away from the imovable object. This blade was probably a bit too much for the B26 but it seems to be the perfect size for the L45.

There are very few places near the house that I can pile snow and since my property is gravel and will stay that way I gather the snow it off to the side of the garage and then push it all to the back of the property. This means in the spring all the gravel is in one spot (and not on the lawn) for me to fix the low spots. If I were you I would look at a pusher blade rather than a rear blade - it is a lot easier on the neck too. And even though there is no bottom on the pusher, if I lift the loader arms as I hit the pile I can easily creat piles 6' - 8' high. Here are a couple of photos showing the blade retracted and extended.

Regards,

Lauren

View attachment 295087 View attachment 295088

More pics of the pusher blade! How do you extend the wings? (i.e. what sort of mechanism?)

 

[Gods Country]

Try curling the bucket so the blade is more or less perpendicular to the ground. Leave the bucket a few inches high and push slow and steady to make one good pass.
That should give you enough room to make your subsequent passes or half passes…..whatever it takes to get the job done. If the snow is real deep or heavy you may need to make your first pass where you would normally take your last pass and work the opposite of normal in order to give yourself room to push all the snow. Of course it takes longer.

In general I just try to move as much as possible first regardless of how sloppy it looks. Then make some finish/scraping passes. I have a lot of lane and tiny tractor, so I feel the Op's pain.

 

[yelbike]

Hi avc1830

I have had a Kubota B21, B26 and I now have an L45. I clear about 1/2 of an acre on my property which is all gravel. The driveway is about 250' but I have a large parking area in front of my 42' garage and a loop around to the front of the house as well as a couple of parking spots beside the house. My slopes are probably not as steep as yours but my property rises about 8' from the road to the back 250' feet away. I initially had a Suburban with a plow which I liked because of the heat but I found there were so many curves and loops on my property that it was difficult to clear effectively with the Suburban. I then tried using the FEL and I experienced the same problems you are have encountered.

I live an hour north of Toronto and I find that in the cold weather the float on all of my Kubota's does not work well or fast enough. I too have seen my front wheels lift off the ground when I go over a hump because the oil in the loader arms does nor respond fast enough to float up. I have also found that if one is going forward when this occurrs the problem is worse because you have the load of the snow in front of the blade trying to stop the tractor and the rear tires pushing and as soon as the front tires start to lift if you stay on the throttle the engine torque wants to push the front end even higher. I find in the cold that floating in reverse works better for me.

That being said, I cleared the snow form the 6" - 8" snow storm we had this week with the L45 and I was really impressed with it. I always had traction issues with the B21 and B26 but I didn't have any problems with the L45. I always have had loaded tires on my machines and the L45 has 932 pounds of foam in the four tires, the backhoe with the 36" bucket on for ballast and I now have the Laurin cab installed which probably adds another few hundred pounds. The L45 is the first machine I have had that I could start at the road in M range and just drive the 250' from the road to the back of my property pushing a 9' wide swath of snow the entire distance without stopping. I still have some steering issues though so I too am considering a set of chains for the front tires but I clear a few paved driveways so I want chains that will not do too much damage. I look forward to hearing how front chains work for you. I can't tell you how nice it was to be warm and dry as I cleared snow for three hours the other morning starting at 5:00am with the wind blowing at 20 MPH and the temperature around -8 C - but that is another story.

As mentioned I have a large parking area and I did not want to install an angling blade on my FEL because I was concerned about side pressure on my loader arms. I also have steering issues now with a straight blade and I think this would only get worse with an angling front blade. Instead I purchased a snow pusher blade a couple of years ago and I really like it. It has hydraulic cylinders to extend it from 66" to 108" with fixed side gables and it has a top on the blade which makes it reversible. This blade moves a lot of snow in a hurry. It used to take me about 2-1/2 hours with the Suburban or the tractors with the factor bucket but now I can clear my snow in an hour. The reversible option is great when you need to get snow out of a corner. I use to carry bucketfuls of snow away which took a lot of time but now I just roll the blade forward and pull is all out. A nine foot wide blade two feet high pushes and pulls a lot of snow. The extendible aspect is nice around buildings, curbs and rocks because the blade is wider than the tractor when you are pushing next to the object but when you need to back up you just retract the blade and you are a safe distance away from the imovable object. This blade was probably a bit too much for the B26 but it seems to be the perfect size for the L45.

There are very few places near the house that I can pile snow and since my property is gravel and will stay that way I gather the snow it off to the side of the garage and then push it all to the back of the property. This means in the spring all the gravel is in one spot (and not on the lawn) for me to fix the low spots. If I were you I would look at a pusher blade rather than a rear blade - it is a lot easier on the neck too. And even though there is no bottom on the pusher, if I lift the loader arms as I hit the pile I can easily creat piles 6' - 8' high. Here are a couple of photos showing the blade retracted and extended.

Regards,

Lauren

View attachment 295087 View attachment 295088

Your tractor almost looks like a snow groomer from the down hill ski resorts! Pretty cool! What about the cost?

 

[Piston]

Your bucket shouldn't 'lift the front of the machine' if you truly have the FEL in the float position. As you found out, you will never be able to follow the contour of the drive/pavement in manual. Check to be sure you really have a float position and, that it is working.

You were not in float mode if the front of tires is off the ground except for the fact if you have bucket full of snow pushing and the tractor "pivoted" up. How can you tell if float is working?

I'm sure you were in float when you had this happen, I thought there was something wrong with my loader as well a couple yrs ago as I had this very same thing happen.
After some searching on the forum, I found that you can indeed lift the front tires up when in float. I can't explain why, but there is nothing wrong with your float. It has something to do with physics and the resistance you run into in harder, heavier snow? :confused3:

 

[Don87]

I'm sure you were in float when you had this happen, I thought there was something wrong with my loader as well a couple yrs ago as I had this very same thing happen.
After some searching on the forum, I found that you can indeed lift the front tires up when in float. I can't explain why, but there is nothing wrong with your float. It has something to do with physics and the resistance you run into in harder, heavier snow? :confused3:

Happened to me at least a dozen times today with this heavy wet snow.

 

[lhansman]

Hi FatTire and yelbike

Attached are a couple of additional photos of my Grattex (Grattex) blade. One is a shot from the rear showing that mine has the swivel option. There are two 5/16" or 3/8" thick plates at the SSQA that are held together by welded tabs on the edges and a 1" diameter central bolt. This enables the blade to swivel up and down independent of the tractor angle. The second photo shows the blade reversed and extended on my old B26 and you can see the cylinders which are connected to the front remotes on the B26 and now the L45.

I was lucky enough to get mine used (which is why it is blue instead of orange) but when I spoke to Grattex my blade with the swivel option, reversible and extendible plus the softer plastic or composite edges rather than steel costs around $4,000 new.

Regards,

Lauren