Driving tractor with the front end loader bucket elevated .

[seville009]

I’d keep the bucket raised when I was mowing close to the fence line, so as to not accidentally take out any fencing…….

Otherwise I keep it low - a foot or so off the ground. Seems to ride smoother when it’s low too.

 

[MAX-24-Dean]

I remove the front end loader, and attach weights to the front. Less problems turning with the fences in my paddocks.

 

[RidgeTopWVA]

I have to remove the bucket to put on the Brush hog.


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That looks like a mean machine.

 

[notaz3]

Just saw a road crew running a box blade and had his loader as high as it would go.

 

[Jstpssng]

I also run mine low to the ground.

Another thing that gets me is during hay season EVERY tractor I see on the road with a loader mounted hay fork has it tilted back at almost exactly head height. Point the thing at the road people!

That's a my peeve, also. I realize that somebody has explained why but it's still scary. It also doesn't explain why I often see the tractor parked with the spear at that same level.

My dad ran over an unseen bike with his little ford and a bushog. Made a racket.

I'm sure that he also made a racket.

 

[Xfaxman]

That looks like a mean machine.

It is a “GADA” machine. "Go Anywhere Do Anything".

Great with the Monster Grapple:

The front axle does not pivot like a tractor. The rear axle pivots:

Front axle on ramp:

 

[Thomas]

Bucket foot or so off the ground works for me when mowing high hay etc.,been know to find large limbs branches.

 

[Smokeydog]

I’m constantly having to move limbs or trees when bush hogging so the grapple stays on the tractor. Mowing yards we remove the bucket on the little tractor.

 

[RidgeTopWVA]

It is a “GADA” machine. "Go Anywhere Do Anything".

Great with the Monster Grapple:

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The front axle does not pivot like a tractor. The rear axle pivots:

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Front axle on ramp:

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Bob Cat = Good Equipment

 

[Hay Dude]

I cut with loader arms down and a bale spear with tips at upward angle.
You never know WHAT you might find

 

[Jstpssng]

It is a “GADA” machine. "Go Anywhere Do Anything".

That sounds like a challenge to me.

 

[bdhsfz6]

I remove the front end loader, and attach weights to the front. Less problems turning with the fences in my paddocks.

Removing the entire FEL takes too much time for me. Usually, just removing the SSQA bucket gives me all the clearance I need and it takes less than a minute.

I might consider removing the FEL if I could leave it off for the mowing season but I need it too much for other jobs.

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

We keep the loader bucket or bale forks rotated up while roading the tractors or doing field work with them on. If pointed down if they contact the ground it is going to cause a lot of damage. With it rolled back it will skid along the ground and not dig in.

Devil's advocate non-filtered thought. -->I would rather you damage your tractor than spear my daughter through the head. But that may just be me.... Also, there is no rule saying you can't adjust them while moving. If they are low and you are coming to a rise, lift them up a little then set them back down. Not saying you are one of the ones that keeps them way high. Just voicing my thoughts.

A slight roll back and the forks a foot off the ground is fine. The ones I'm complaining about have the point of the forks 4+ feet off the ground. When they are at an intersection with cross traffic if they were just a bit too far out in the road and someone hit them they would be head height. There is no need for that. Lift the loader, level the forks. Put the forks about bumper height. Solves both problems.

I'm probably hyper sensitive to that as one of my ongoing jobs at work has been safety team leader. We have probably 80 or so forklifts in our plant and high forks is a BIG no-no. We have had some accidents that people may not have walked away from if we were not so stringent about fork height.

 

[LouNY]

Devil's advocate non-filtered thought. -->I would rather you damage your tractor than spear my daughter through the head. But that may just be me.... Also, there is no rule saying you can't adjust them while moving. If they are low and you are coming to a rise, lift them up a little then set them back down. Not saying you are one of the ones that keeps them way high. Just voicing my thoughts.

A slight roll back and the forks a foot off the ground is fine. The ones I'm complaining about have the point of the forks 4+ feet off the ground. When they are at an intersection with cross traffic if they were just a bit too far out in the road and someone hit them they would be head height. There is no need for that. Lift the loader, level the forks. Put the forks about bumper height. Solves both problems.

I'm probably hyper sensitive to that as one of my ongoing jobs at work has been safety team leader. We have probably 80 or so forklifts in our plant and high forks is a BIG no-no. We have had some accidents that people may not have walked away from if we were not so stringent about fork height.

Well I guess I am one of them.
When we road the buckets are curled back and raised high enough that if for some reason the loader gets curled down the attachment will not hit the ground and dig in and cause damage.
Also if it's the bucket or grapple curled back if you or your daughter cuts the corner so short as to run into me with the bucket curled back you have a better chance of the bucket riding up rather then cutting in.
The cutting edge of my bucket when curled back is about 4 feet high, when I have forks or a bale spear on and curled back the tips are about 6-8 feet in the air and the base of the frame is about 3-4 feet high about even with the top of my front tires.
I feel much safer under those conditions with the idiot drivers that are likely to run into me from either direction even with all my flashers going and being over 10 feet tall and quite visible.

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

Well I guess I am one of them.
When we road the buckets are curled back and raised high enough that if for some reason the loader gets curled down the attachment will not hit the ground and dig in and cause damage.
Also if it's the bucket or grapple curled back if you or your daughter cuts the corner so short as to run into me with the bucket curled back you have a better chance of the bucket riding up rather then cutting in.
The cutting edge of my bucket when curled back is about 4 feet high, when I have forks or a bale spear on and curled back the tips are about 6-8 feet in the air and the base of the frame is about 3-4 feet high about even with the top of my front tires.
I feel much safer under those conditions with the idiot drivers that are likely to run into me from either direction even with all my flashers going and being over 10 feet tall and quite visible.

So this is the result of a crash with a loader in that configuration. I don't see any excuse for that negligence on the part of the tractor operator. It doesn't matter who was at fault. I know the tractor operator would not have wanted that outcome if they could help it. And they could have easily avoided it by putting the dang loader down. It's not hard. I would say most of them that I see roading in that configuration haven't even thought about the danger. But those that are aware, I must be holding a little contempt for because I'm getting mad while I'm typing this. Not at you, but I've seen some things that I would rather not have that were totally avoidable and it makes me mad to know that people's lives will never be the same due to an easily avoidable accident.

I'm just looking for the teaching moments. Please don't take this as an attack.

 

[DGF]

I have noticed some people driving there tractors with the front end loader bucket about 3' to 4'ft
off of the ground while mowing or brush hogging and I am wondering why some people do so . I always keep the bucket low to the ground .

Hi,

The reason is simple but maybe not obviuous.

The loader bucket has a limited by design curl range and because of that a limited ability to contain its payload. If the bucket is even slightly overfilled and kept very low some of the material will spill out while traveling. However, if the bucket is lifted it's sides begin to level helping to keep the material in place. This is what is behind the 3-4 ft lift height while traveling.

There is a catch.. Know your load. Heavy loads (relative to the machine) will still need to be kept near ground level for stability. In those situations the bucket would only need to be elevated enough to clear the ground with a little margin while traveling.

 

[Eagle1]

Can be hard to judge where the tips of you spears/fork are if you do not have them on frequently unless you have it high enough to see the tips over the hood.

 

[reconmarine]

I have noticed some people driving there tractors with the front end loader bucket about 3' to 4'ft
off of the ground while mowing or brush hogging and I am wondering why some people do so . I always keep the bucket low to the ground .

I

I also run mine low to the ground.

Another thing that gets me is during hay season EVERY tractor I see on the road with a loader mounted hay fork has it tilted back at almost exactly head height. Point the thing at the road people!

i lower my bucket and attach a 10 foot bar with 18” chains at 12” intervals to get critters out of the way when bushhogging.

 

[LouNY]

So this is the result of a crash with a loader in that configuration. I don't see any excuse for that negligence on the part of the tractor operator. It doesn't matter who was at fault. I know the tractor operator would not have wanted that outcome if they could help it. And they could have easily avoided it by putting the dang loader down. It's not hard. I would say most of them that I see roading in that configuration haven't even thought about the danger. But those that are aware, I must be holding a little contempt for because I'm getting mad while I'm typing this. Not at you, but I've seen some things that I would rather not have that were totally avoidable and it makes me mad to know that people's lives will never be the same due to an easily avoidable accident.

I'm just looking for the teaching moments. Please don't take this as an attack.

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Not knowing the causes of this and the positioning of the vehicles prior to the impact can't really get much from it.
So it certainly isn't a teaching moment.

 

[CliffordK]

I have noticed some people driving there tractors with the front end loader bucket about 3' to 4'ft
off of the ground while mowing or brush hogging and I am wondering why some people do so . I always keep the bucket low to the ground .

3' or 4' doesn't seem that high, but it may depend on the tractor.

For visibility one needs it either low, or high, not just in front of one's face.

I like to keep the bucket fairly low, but tend to push it up or down to get around trees, fences, or other obstacles.

The big point about stability is just don't go driving around with the bucket straight up all the time.