Floating The Loader

[TomG]

I also tend to do the final smoothing with the scraper blade. I think I like the greater width of the scraper and the ability to set the blade to the same angle as a road crown with the hitch leveler.

I may also get better compacting than with the loader. With the hydraulic top-link, the box can be pointed almost straight down so it rides on the back of the rear cutter. I put the leveled box on the ground with the 3ph and then lengthen the top-link. I think I get some down pressure that way. And, with the smaller area of the blade compared to a bucket bottom, I may get greater compacting as well. Things may work differently with a tractor heavier than my Ford 1710.

Anyway, if I do it with the scraper, then I'm going forward, and I still have good steering. Anyway both ways work, and I do some of each. I've thought about it, and I really don't know why I use the loader some places and the scraper others.

 

[TomG]

Brake steering on my Ford 1710, with gears, isn't completely sliced bread. The brakes are on the same side as the foot throttle. I tend to set the hand throttle just high enough to give decent loader speeds and bring myself up to operating speed with the foot throttle.

So, there I am tooting backwards down the road with little steering. Every time I start going off the road and take my foot off the throttle to use the brakes, my toot goes to zip. I think that's a similar problem with the HST.

Still, I think using the foot throttle to maintain speed is safer than setting the hand throttle-especially driving backwards. One advantage of my gears is that I have four reverse speeds. So, the toot can be pretty fast. It's probably safer if the tractor slows down just by taking my foot off the throttle. If I had to cut speed by hitting the hand throttle, I get a picture of myself sort of like a punch press operator on speed--all arm waving and foot stomping.