Front end coming up while plowing snow with FEL mounted snow plow

[mike paulson]

Yea I was here a week ago and couldn't get any real answers in how to plow my property in float and not have the tractor jackknife up. Couldn't be simpler and works splendidly

 

[bdhsfz6]

I mounted a third plow shoe under the center of the plow frame. It keeps the FEL arms off the ground when in float so they don't dig in.

 

[zzvyb6]

Plow pitch angle (side view curl) controls this unwanted characteristic. Need a 3rd control to get this correct: lift, curl, yaw angle.

 

[ruffdog]

So the stroke limiters are limiting how far the FEL can float down but not how far it can float up. And, being that the FEL goes down when the front wheels come off the ground, the limiters are limiting that action. Float up but not down. I can see where this is an improvement, but a floating plow design would be better.

 

[ruffdog]

I see these are aluminum too.

https://www.amazon.com/EVYLNORRS-Cy...fix=hydraulic+cylinder+limiter,aps,682&sr=8-4

 

[mike paulson]

I see these are aluminum too.

https://www.amazon.com/EVYLNORRS-Cylinder-Evylnorrs-Hydraulic-Conversion/dp/B0CLZFCKR4/ref=sr_1_4?crid=3HFD9527WFURQ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.pmW_LGT852IMHVgEx2eeuCdzqlISYnXQfF8IPYdKvwmgFkKusylA8v6LGYOBqQ9tTMayAJAeLxUshtK1S_JJc4crOnQD4Ed5OkaG73cG5FoKfKyEZSFrNrKOz3TvMGT-CDGrY5dBHEJdStprflPRzZUSwgrPUNPUR3UZFb5QcQ16EA0_jTGzG1WJ02ULs7MXmQLzaubkBGkhbuLRRlfImc06ndgxFodjmM-JMzCIw0Q.YAafh4n2RX7BZhtmrP7eVXqQSebcY-HnWZF2j1ZaNYo&dib_tag=se&keywords=hydraulic+cylinder+stroke+limiter&qid=1733515084&sprefix=hydraulic+cylinder+limiter,aps,682&sr=8-4

A little pricey and yes some kind of cast aluminum or magnesium I think.

 

[Fallon]

Loader float is useless when going forward. As you've seen loader angles mean the tractor always ends up trying to climb over the bucket or plow.

If you want float on a plow, you need to build or buy one with float on the plow itself. My first plow I made myself. 3pt quick hitch welded to a SSQA plate, then it pivoted on the 3pt lifts hooks. Chain on the top link for float. Other than hanging out way to far & being a manual angle, it worked well. My current plow is a hard mount with power angle. More effort to manipulate without float, but it gets the job done. 8 keep thinking about rebuilding itp with a floating mount. But I've had it 5-6 years now & haven't gotten to it yet, so likely won't.

The loader weight just makes the plow to heavy to not dig in. Also the hinge being way up high creates twisting forces. Bulldozers or truck plows have any hinges down low to keep forces in-line. On a tractor loader the forces go up then around a corner causing twisting & the tractor PTO try to climb over the plow/bucket.

 

[mike paulson]

Loader float is useless when going forward. As you've seen loader angles mean the tractor always ends up trying to climb over the bucket or plow.

If you want float on a plow, you need to build or buy one with float on the plow itself. My first plow I made myself. 3pt quick hitch welded to a SSQA plate, then it pivoted on the 3pt lifts hooks. Chain on the top link for float. Other than hanging out way to far & being a manual angle, it worked well. My current plow is a hard mount with power angle. More effort to manipulate without float, but it gets the job done. 8 keep thinking about rebuilding itp with a floating mount. But I've had it 5-6 years now & haven't gotten to it yet, so likely won't.

The loader weight just makes the plow to heavy to not dig in. Also the hinge being way up high creates twisting forces. Bulldozers or truck plows have any hinges down low to keep forces in-line. On a tractor loader the forces go up then around a corner causing twisting & the tractor PTO try to climb over the plow/bucket.

Did you see the pics and my solution in my OP. Already tested and now works great in float with the cylinder limiters in pictures

 

[LittleBill21]

Loader float is useless when going forward. As you've seen loader angles mean the tractor always ends up trying to climb over the bucket or plow.

If you want float on a plow, you need to build or buy one with float on the plow itself. My first plow I made myself. 3pt quick hitch welded to a SSQA plate, then it pivoted on the 3pt lifts hooks. Chain on the top link for float. Other than hanging out way to far & being a manual angle, it worked well. My current plow is a hard mount with power angle. More effort to manipulate without float, but it gets the job done. 8 keep thinking about rebuilding itp with a floating mount. But I've had it 5-6 years now & haven't gotten to it yet, so likely won't.

The loader weight just makes the plow to heavy to not dig in. Also the hinge being way up high creates twisting forces. Bulldozers or truck plows have any hinges down low to keep forces in-line. On a tractor loader the forces go up then around a corner causing twisting & the tractor PTO try to climb over the plow/bucket.

Speak for yourself. If you have shoes on the bucket, it works fine. I run in float almost the entire time on my gravel driveway.

 

[DK35vince]

Speak for yourself. If you have shoes on the bucket, it works fine. I run in float almost the entire time on my gravel driveway.

I have skid shoes on my loader mounted 9' power angle snow plow and I never use the loader in float.
Tried it, doesn't work worth a dam floating the loader.

 

[LittleBill21]

I have skid shoes on my loader mounted 9' power angle snow plow and I never use the loader in float.
Tried it, doesn't work worth a dam floating the loader.

sounds like your curled too high then. I don't know works flawless for me. Only time I drop out of float is maybe to break up an ice bank.

 

[DK35vince]

sounds like your curled too high then. I don't know works flawless for me. Only time I drop out of float is maybe to break up an ice bank.

You are pushing straight ahead with what a 5' bucket that weighs 250#.
I'm pushing at 9' wide often at full angle with a snow plow and mount that weigh over 900#. Floating the loader does not work.
Get a blade full at full angle with loader in float the front wheels ride up and shoves the front of the tractor sideways.
Been there tried that.
I set the plow down till it just hits the ground with a just bit of weight and go and it works fine

 

[LittleBill21]

You are pushing straight ahead with what a 5' bucket that weighs 250#.
I'm pushing at 9' wide often at full angle with a snow plow and mount that weigh over 900#. Floating the loader does not work.
Been there tried that.
I set the plow down till it just hits the ground with a just bit of weight and go and it works fine

yea i can see the angle causing i guess. although my quad plowing didn't have the issue either. Eh do what works for ya I guess. me locking float causes my driveway to get sections cut. i can see it working for asphalt

 

[RjCorazza]

You are pushing straight ahead with what a 5' bucket that weighs 250#.
I'm pushing at 9' wide often at full angle with a snow plow and mount that weigh over 900#. Floating the loader does not work.
Been there tried that.
I set the plow down till it just hits the ground with a just bit of weight and go and it works fine

That's how I plow with my 7' 700lb blade also. There is a little slop in the pin / mount that keeps the cutting edge on the ground.

 

[dstig1]

Yeah it just doesn't work all that well as it wants to dig in as there is too much weight in the entire FEL vs just the blade hanging from a chain like all truck plows. BTDT. Even on pavement it wants to dig and you lift the front tires.

 

[mike paulson]

I'd like to add one thing. Not only do these stroke limiters prevent the front of the tractor from wanting to climb over the plow I also added a 2inch outside diameter schedule 80 pipe on the cutting edge. So now the float works on the soft ground we had in last weeks snowfall. I'm sure it will even be better on frozen earth. I'm plowing 1600 ft of driveway/road and it's just to difficult to do it in anything but float mode. Constantly feathering on the joy stick is just to difficult. So the aforementioned limiters and the pipe over the cutting edge are the ticket in my situation.

 

[RjCorazza]

There are just entirely too many variables in snow removal to have a "one size fits all" solution!
Glad you have a setup and technique that is working for you.

 

[Fallon]

I have skid shoes on my loader mounted 9' power angle snow plow and I never use the loader in float.
Tried it, doesn't work worth a dam floating the loader.

Same. Have shoes on & it still catches & tries to drive over the top of the blade. I've tried plastic pipe on the cutting edge & it doesn't last 50'. Haven't tried slitting steel pipe or welding tabs onto that yet. Although that trick is more for not digging into unfrozen gravel than float.

I plow almost exclusively gravel & usually not terribly smooth gravel at that. Plowing pavement may end up being different

 

[civilian]

Same. Have shoes on & it still catches & tries to drive over the top of the blade. I've tried plastic pipe on the cutting edge & it doesn't last 50'. Haven't tried slitting steel pipe or welding tabs onto that yet. Although that trick is more for not digging into unfrozen gravel than float.

I plow almost exclusively gravel & usually not terribly smooth gravel at that. Plowing pavement may end up being different

I have the same issues on my B26TLB with the plow on the loader arms. My drive is not straight flat along its length of 3/8's of a mile. Shoes just dig in from the weight of the setup. If the drive was continuously flat with no bumps, raising the plow a bit on the arms would work. But I hit a bump in the drive and the shoes dig in and the blade catches and either stops forward motion or tries to trip. Now if the gravel drive would freeze hard before snow came, that would help support the shoes. Jon

 

[marksmand]

I have an l3301 with a heavy 7' blade /gravel driveway in the Catskills. I lift the loader until the blade just skims the surface. Also angle is important. blade wants to be perpendicular to the surface That's what works for me