Indicator rod on FEL bucket-should I shorten it?

Theowegian · Jun 15, 2004

I have a nice new L3130 with a LA513 FEL.
Do most operators shorten their indicator rod that attaches to the bucket? The owners manual says it is provided extra long so you can shorten it. But Im reluctant to take a hack saw to it....I dont know what to do...

Can some of you tell me what YOU did?

For example, did you cut the rod length to be flush with the rod sleeve when the bucket is flat on the ground?

Any tips would be appreciated.

OBTW, I have a toothbar attached too.

thanks, dwight

DK35vince · Jun 15, 2004

I've seen where some members have used a paint mark on the level indicator to tell when the bucket is level.
I set my cutting edge level on a concrete floor and cut mine.

NIXON · Jun 15, 2004

Dwight. I own pretty much owm the same machine and loader as you do . I sawed off the BI . I sawed it off to indicate level when I could see the top the rod .
To be straight up I hardly look at it at all . I use the back of the bucket,and engine sound to guage my digging depth .
John

DK35vince · Jun 15, 2004

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( To be straight up I hardly look at it at all . I use the back of the bucket,and engine sound to guage my digging depth . )</font>

I'm just the opposite John.
I use my level indicator constantly

NIXON · Jun 15, 2004

Vince . Who am I to argue with you ? I saw your pics of the ditch you are digging for your house service . It'd be hard to snap a line straighter than that !
I learned on an OLD JD 450 c crawler . The BI had long since been removed . So it was down to watching the back of the bucket and listening to the machine . I guess old habits die hard /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif But even now I rarely look at the bucket level indicator John

Theowegian · Jun 16, 2004

One of the reasons I like using the indicator rod, is that I have a very aggressive toothbar. If the bucket is not perfectly flat, those teeth dig in very easily. Ive marked the indicator rod with paint and that method works, but I was just wondering what others had done.

Hehehe.
My first experiences with a FEL was using a John Deere 350C crawler. It had a level indicator on it and we used it, or at least I was taught to use it. However, most of the time we didnt NEED to use it when we were pushin' manure. But it was important when you got to the bottom and tried not to tear up the dirt flooring of that old turkey barn. But that bucket didnt have a toothbar, either, come to think of it.
dwight

Freds · Jun 16, 2004

I have the same setup, Dwight. I was thinking of cutting the rod shorter, but I ended up just taking a thick magic marker and drawing a line around it for level. The excess doesn't get in the way with my uses and I thought that if I ever found a downward tilt angle that I wanted to remember because it worked well, maybe something like backdragging dirt into potholes or taking a layer of sod out, then I would need the extra rod sticking up to put another mark on it.