Pulling up posts w/ 2620 FEL

[FN in MT]

Gentlemen,

I've NEVER pulled up posts with a FEL and have about forty to do. They are all old wood posts, 12-14" diam that were sunk 2 1/2-3 feet. Pulled a few tonight but being new to this I was pretty cautious.

I raised the bucket and at 3-4 foot up the post I slowly pushed them back and forth until they got loose. Then dallied a chain around the middle and attached the other end to the edge of the bucket. Took several ups and downs before I could pull them out. Then again...they are sunk in there DEEP.

Should I have the bucket ABOVE the post with the chain centered on the bucket? I tried with the chain at both the bottom and midpoint and they were tough to get UP. Had the chain on the side of the bucket on my welded on eye hook.

This is all pretty new to me so I was being very cautious. Oh Yeah...the new 2620 finally showed up. I'll post some pics tommorow.

FN in MT

 

[botakix]

i have pulled a bunch of posts like that. wiggled em gently first, and then hooked chain low on post,with bucket and then curled bucket, seemed to have more lift and power that way. try and hook it to the middle of bucket, too much strain at corners. helps to curl bucket to dump position and then lift, you can get close to post that way. hope this helps

 

[jesseb3@att.net]

Like botakix said, don't use a corner. You can bend things that way. Also, when backing up in four wheel drive, be careful! The torque of the tractor will easily lift its rear off the ground, even with a counter weight. I only have a little BX2350, so it happens to me more often. When I did it off the corner (one time, I might add!), it almost rolled.

I just learned that wiggling while lifting makes a hug difference. Just this month, I was using my bucket truck to pull a post that was lightly cemented into the ground. We kept snapping a nylon rope, even with much of the dirt shoveled away. A guy showed up late, walked over, and while I was pulling the post (strapped at the base), he gently wiggled it with his hands, and it popped right up.

Again, wiggling while lifting will get you in the most trouble, as the tires will lever you right up in the air. It's best if you are pulling forward and lifting - just don't poke holes in the front of your tractor.

Jesse

 

[cdcole]

I route the chain over the center of the bucket, keep it real low to the ground, curl bucket up to pull out post....barely have to raise bucket...just the curl of the bucket does the trick. Also - I have used 3 point to lift out posts.

 

[newbury]

<snip>A guy showed up late, walked over, and while I was pulling the post (strapped at the base), he gently wiggled it with his hands, and it popped right up.
<snip>
Jesse

Where are the OSHA safety police when you need them?

 

[Danno1]

Where are the OSHA safety police when you need them?

Monitoring a ROPS thread!


.

 

[FN in MT]

Where are the OSHA safety police when you need them?

Back at their million dollar building writing more and more Regulations to keep themselves employed for many years to come.

Though I'm sure there are a few Field staff out there putting some poor guy out of business with time wasting inspections and high dollar fines for minute violations.


BTW...... ROLLING back the bucket works FAR, FAR better than how I THOUGHT I should pull a post. Read the FEL manual last night and was amazed at the difference in power on a roll vs simply lifting the bucket.

Live and learn.

FN in MT

 

[zzvyb6]

You want the chain in the center of the bucket, but looped behind the bucket so its pulling up from the back. This gives the lift cylinders the best mechanical advantage. Use a long chain. In fact, the best pulling would be to keep the chain as close to your radiator as possible. For example, I just bought an 18" ID cement and steel sewer pipe. It weights about 1600 lbs. With the chain far forward (using the bucket edge to hook the chain, the loader could not lift it. With the longer chain slung behind the bucket, I snatched it right off the trailer. Don't forget to add some air pressure to your front tires. They take the brunt of the lift force. I presume you have some/enough weight on the rear. A heavy 3pt implement will help. Put rocks and stones on it to add to the effect. (water trough even works).

 

[jesseb3@att.net]

Where are the OSHA safety police when you need them?

Hey, I didn't say I told him to do it - he just did.

 

[pdowling1]

Turn around & use the 3pt hitch, it is stronger & safer. Run a chain low around the post & hook it to the lift arms. Lift & if needed, give it a shake forward & back. You might need to lower the arms & get a second grip to finish the job.

 

[FN in MT]

This is how I did it. Pulled all of them out with relatively little drama. A few were over three feet down and 16" in diameter!! Those guys were something else. I ended up digging out around those , then pushing them back and forth from each side before I tried lifting them out.

It was a day of LEARNING about my new TOY.

Appreciate the learned input Gentlemen!!

FN in MT

 

[CHDinCT]

FN in MT - I see here and on another thread you're having posting issues with your pic's hosted on photobucket. You can upload them directly to this site which may be easier until you get your issue figured out. Just use the paper clip in the posting dialog box. One nice thing about this board is it lets you upload pretty high res pic's (1MB file limit I think) and not have to host them on another site first.

Can you tell I want to see your new B2620 real bad

 

[The Dougster]

I don't know the proper way to pull posts, but in my feeble mind, it seems to only safe way to to it would be to use the 3 PT... I've used the FEL one time and it made me nervous.... very nervous..

 

[jesseb3@att.net]

Doug,

No doubt there - much safer to use the 3PT hitch, particularly on the little BXs that don't offer much weight.

Much more power, stability, etc. The only downside is that the range of motion on the hitch is limited.

I've been using various hooks on my bucket, and will still do so occasionally, but getting a simple hook setup for my 3PT is high on my list of things to do.

Good on you for restating this fact.

Jesse

 

[iplumb]

I was pulling some small weed trees yesterday with a draw bar in my B three point lift. Worked pretty good but I started worrying about hurting my new toy. How hard is this on my Tractor? Seems easier on it than using the FEL.

 

[newbury]

It seems that you've got to occasionally use your brains.

If you are trying to pull something that will take a ton of force and your FEL is good for 600lbs DON'T DO IT.

But if you've got your 3 point filled up, and you need to put a 500 pound pull on the center of the FEL it should be safe.

This is tractor science, not rocket science.

Read your limits, know your limits, work safely within your limits.

Don't have someone sitting in your FEL holding on to the fencepost while you lift it!