Front-End Loader Digging techniques with FEL

[carpenter383]

I have been using my loader buddy this way for 10 years and have yet to bend a curl cylinder. Mind you this is on an L4350 which is 45HP and a tank of a tractor. Worst thing I have done is pop a hose when grubbing out a stump.

You're not the first to say you've been using this technique without incident, but the overwhelming majority (including my tractor's owners manual) says it is a recipe for destruction. You should use the heel of the bucket for back dragging.

 

[magicheater]

You're not the first to say you've been using this technique without incident, but the overwhelming majority (including my tractor's owners manual) says it is a recipe for destruction. You should use the heel of the bucket for back dragging.

I just checked my Kubota manual. It heeds no warning for this action. It does show a loader breaking down a pile in a downward motion with the curl cylinders extended. I would suggest that reason applied to technique in loader use would keep you safe. When Loader Buddy evolved one of the key safety points for the loader in its design was keeping the tines inside the loader frame, which keeps the stress shared between both arms. When using Loader Buddy in reverse with the bucket curled all the way forward one engages the tines only which equals 36 square inches of surface area total. The idea is to loosen the soil and then on the return trip scoop up the loose material. Because of the length of the tines and the spacing, removing vegetation before actually digging is easily accomplished, which was mentioned as a problem earlier in this thread by Baby Grand. Loader Buddy does have a straight edge built in in its design for back dragging with a smooth result.

 

[Luremaker]

I've dug a few drainage ditches all using my FEL. I live in an area with lots of rock and stone and it's a pain when you have to move a few larger rocks now and then. I would have loved to use a backhoe but not having one made the decision easy - use FEL. I'd say give it a try with the FEL first and see how it works out for you.

 

[cuoffroad]

Trying to dig with a loader is a P.I.T.A. Can it be done, sure. Is it the correct tool for the job...NO. I have a tooth bar on my little loader and it has been GREAT for diging pretty good sized rock out of the side of a hill (moving in from the bottom of the hill).

Trying to dig down into the yard...it no workie workie so good (been there done that).

Like anything else, save a lot of time, and save a lot of being pissed at a tool that you're asking to do something it was not intended to do by buying or renting something that was built for making a trench. Middle Buster has been suggested and sounds like it would fit the bill here.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[AchingBack]

Luremaker, that is very impressive work. I did a similar thing on a smaller scale when I dug a trench for a 6" culvert. A backhoe would have been a bit faster. They cost a bundle too. Do you have a toothbar?

 

[ayelvington]

Ah heck: go dig what you want to dig. That's what equipment is for!

See a little Kubota almost buried but still going!

That's exactly what my BX-24 is going to look like tomorrow, chains and all. Only problem is that it's rain mixed with snow tomorrow, so I'll be miserable...

I hate mud.

 

[Luremaker]

Luremaker, that is very impressive work. I did a similar thing on a smaller scale when I dug a trench for a 6" culvert. A backhoe would have been a bit faster. They cost a bundle too. Do you have a toothbar?

Actually, I do have a toothbar but rarely use it. A backhoe is on the shopping list but who knows when I'll actually see one. Last fall I purchased a middle buster and subsoiler and will give them a try ditch digging. I also have the quick spade combo and while its great for digging up root balls and digging small holes I do not think I would use it to dig a long ditch.

 

[sodamo]

Ah heck: go dig what you want to dig. That's what equipment is for!

See a little Kubota almost buried but still going!

Wonder where his spoils are?

 

[JANDG]

The pic Egon posted w/ 4' wideflat bottom ditch is one of the most effective ditches one can do, flat bottom bieng key. I sometime side dig w/ FEL albiet only 5' at a time & then have to do both sides, so ditch lineal ' x 2. The quickest method I have for small 10" wide flat bottom ditchesis a Rankin ripper/ w/ a middle buster blade I attach after I run the ripper thru it a couple times. I have 1000's ' of drain ditches on 6 acres here all shot with buiders level useing stakes every 20'or so. Cool thing is once the middle buster is ran thru it ones you can very easily take a flat bottom shovel to clean it up, these small ditches work great albiet my main ditches are much bigger & I run alot of water out of here on 6 acres. If one were to break or tweek loader with the wiggle bucket w/ pressure technique I would then question the quality of loader & or cylinders. Then again I dig around LARGE stumps with my FEL on small 30hp CUT, just remeber to try not to slam front end down when it lifts off ground.I also have 120 lbs tooth bar, but all the above was done w/ no tooth bar. Rankin makes a great CUT ripper w/ a riiper shank & middles buster blade for around $300.00. I also install all my colverts with FEL, works so very good. Just go slow............
Joe

 

[ayelvington]

Wonder where his spoils are?

That proved to be a problem today. The thawing has started here, and the sides of my trench were not stiff enough that I could drive out to dump the bucket. I initially moved a lot of mud, but then I ended up in a trench with nowhere to go. I ended up getting winched out twice before calling it a day. I'll go back out tomorrow, but the snow and mud are really making me miserable. I need to trench in place before it starts to thaw in earnest.

 

[Egon]

Wonder where his spoils are?

They are about 300 feet away making a parking pad under the pines.

It's tiresome but on that trench some of the time I could drive out forward but as it got deeper I had to back out.

 

[mojoinco]

Chris has it right on the bigger parts of the job (like the dike). I rented a backhoe a couple of years ago for $150/4 hours. But I had a truck/trailer and only 5 miles to run it to. It was fun and easy to run. But all I did was put in 40' of culvert. And the Operating Engineers union weren't exactly quacking in there boots over loosing work.

There are a couple of middle buster/subsoiler combinations out there. I had a cheap one (as Chris also suggested) and then later added a middle buster blade. Like someone else noted, use the subsoiler to do the initial break up, then change out the blades (you could buy on of each and then just swap them back and forth).

Long term, I bought a swinging rear blade. If the ground is soft enough I can create a ditch, but keeping in mind that there is no down pressure on a 3 point hitch, you can only dig so much with one. And I am not sure you want too much pressure on your hitch arm anyhow (imbalanced load). The plus side is it's a great maintenance tool for the road, finish work and cleaning out the ditches.

Watch at auctions, local Thrifty Nickle and Craigslist for them. As long as the blade is straight (or the arm on a subsoiler/middle buster) you can fix the rest. My blade had a bad tilt pin (someone broke the pivot assembly quick release pin and replaced it with a bolt -- not convenient).

Examples:

RHINO | Landscape/Construction | Blades | Utility Rear Blades

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