loader use

[debp]

Thanks, this is very helpful, rScotty. We still have the driveway to work on yet. You make it all sound easy, but I know this is going to take some practice!

 

[rScotty]

Thanks, this is very helpful, rScotty. We still have the driveway to work on yet. You make it all sound easy, but I know this is going to take some practice!

You're Welcome. Just remember that it's supposed to be fun and make it last as long as your can!

It's interesting to look at what will happen if a person does use the tractor's FEL like a battering ram - maybe simply because they prefer to work by running the bucket full tilt into things. It's the operator's choice after all. And the happy answer - at least as far as the tractor itself is concerned - is "...not so very much.". Yes, battering things with the bucket will bend loader parts, tweak the loader frame, break welds, bow the bucket, and might even burst a hose or cost a hydraulic cylinder....but of those things most are easily repaired and the rest can be ignored if that's how one likes to work and doesn't mind a loose and dented loader. The basic tractor itself is mostly protected by the damage done to the loader part so you don't need to worry about that.
That is not the case when running a rear mounted implement into a solid object. If a tractor is moving fast in reverse and the rear implement backs hard into something then serious and expensive damage can result. I'm not talking about just pushing or hitting something - that's OK of course. I'm talking about damage from a full speed collision in reverse. I can't think of why anyone would do that; moving that way isn't as tempting as racing forward to jam the FEL bucket into a tough job, but do Go Slower in Reverse - especially in tight quarters. Compressing the 3pt lift with a hard & fast rear end collision is one of the few ways that a tractor can be really hurt. It can damage the internal hydraulics and the transmission case.
enjoy,
rScotty

 

[3v0]

Great thread.

At time I have problems taking the bite I want out of a dirt pile with the BX2200/LA211. It does not want to load till I have too much tilt on the bucket then I end up biting into the ground under the pile.

Am I right in thinking the BXpanded Piranha Tooth Bar will help the bucket to load up with less of an angle if that makes any sense. Enter the pile without forcing the entire edge in at once sort of thing.

I installed Pat's Easy Change system so I expect I will be using the box blade more. Just need to get a new longer top link.

 

[medic0648]

A tooth bar will make loading the bucket and digging in general easier.

 

[TripleR]

3v0 using a loader proficiently takes a lot of practice and it seems even a little harder on the small tractors due to their light weight. Things I have found that make it a little easier are:

Take dirt from higher up in the pile rather than from the bottom.
Curl the bucket as you start into the pile.
Use the bucket to drag dirt out from the top and it will loosen it up and collect at the bottom where you won't be going as deep in the pile to get dirt.
Try taking small bites until you get a full bucket.
Enter the pile at an angle to loosen it up with the corner of the bucket then move over and get a full bucket.

Some or all of a combination of these seems to work well for me on the little tractors and sometimes not so little ones. Seat time and practice is going to be your best tool to find what works best for you. I have been doing this a while and am still not as good as I would like to be.

 

[3v0]

Thanks for the tips.

I have not run a loaders since I graduated from high school in the 70s. They were not up to dirt moving so we did not use them that way.

 

[TripleR]

Thanks for the tips.

I have not run a loaders since I graduated from high school in the 70s. They were not up to dirt moving so we did not use them that way.

We did not have them growing up on the farm and I didn't start using them until 1986 and it was on a bigger tractor with dual levers instead of a joystick, now that took coordination. The little tractors take a bit more finesse than a big heavy one or at least for me.

 

[medic0648]

Something that works to loosen piles of dirt on the little yanmar I have is roll the bucket all the way forward, plant it near the top of the pile, lift the front of the tractor and wiggle the bucket down the side letting the tractor roll back as it needs to and it will break the side of the pile loose. Then roll your bucket back and ease into the loosened dirt rolling back further as needed.

 

[lew61]

There's plenty of good advice here - this is why I spend time on TBN. As a side note, I once watched a Case loader operator ram into a packed snowdrift when the road boss was giving him h@%%. Both loader arm cylinders blew. So, speed isn't always the best approach.:duh: