That is a good idea with the float position but how do you change angles with the bucket with out messing up the floating? As you see I am new with only 5.3 hours on my 4310 so far and all of that was moving snow with the FEL. I thought about putting a plow on my Crew Cab after my first try with the 4310 snow plowing as I thought this cant be right and I am freezing my butt off.
Snow Snow Plowing with 430 FEL
- Thread starter IbQuick
- Start date
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dicker
Silver Member
Hi
Everytime you engage float, you can set the angle wherever you want it to be. For most of your needs, on pavement you should be completely level of slightly down. You will have to reset the bucket position everytime you disengage float.
Good luck
Richard
Everytime you engage float, you can set the angle wherever you want it to be. For most of your needs, on pavement you should be completely level of slightly down. You will have to reset the bucket position everytime you disengage float.
Good luck
Richard
BarryinMN
Platinum Member
The float is engaged by snapping the joystick into the upper right corner. You should be able to rotate the bucket angle while floating moving the stick left & right, it's a different valve.
JB4310
Super Member
Ibquick,
The float that I'm talking about is the main lift arm cylinder float not the fast bucket dump feature that I think Barryinmn is refering to. To engage float you push your joy stick all the way forward a little past the normal range, you'll feel it kinda lock down there, then you can adjust your bucket angle as you normaly would by moving your joy stick left and right. Now when you drive your whole loader will go up and down (float) over the contour of the ground, the bucket angle wont move unless you change it, start around level and tip it forward to scrape a little more or roll it back if you start to dig in.
As far as the freezing your butt off thing I can only sympathise with you, I live in CT, You might not think we get that harsh of weather but one storm this year I Went outside in the morning it was zero degrees and windy, no way I was going to sit on my yellow seat and drive around outside in that cold, I just turned around and went back in. I don't know how they do it out in the upper mid west, 60 below zero, I guess zero would be beach weather to them.
Reply with any other questions, be glad to help if I can J.B.
The float that I'm talking about is the main lift arm cylinder float not the fast bucket dump feature that I think Barryinmn is refering to. To engage float you push your joy stick all the way forward a little past the normal range, you'll feel it kinda lock down there, then you can adjust your bucket angle as you normaly would by moving your joy stick left and right. Now when you drive your whole loader will go up and down (float) over the contour of the ground, the bucket angle wont move unless you change it, start around level and tip it forward to scrape a little more or roll it back if you start to dig in.
As far as the freezing your butt off thing I can only sympathise with you, I live in CT, You might not think we get that harsh of weather but one storm this year I Went outside in the morning it was zero degrees and windy, no way I was going to sit on my yellow seat and drive around outside in that cold, I just turned around and went back in. I don't know how they do it out in the upper mid west, 60 below zero, I guess zero would be beach weather to them.
Reply with any other questions, be glad to help if I can J.B.
Cliff_Johns
Elite Member
If you do a search for float and FEL you will find lots of advice on it, but basically you start with the FEL a bit off the ground and quickly push the stick forward untill it stops, then a bit further until to "pops" into float.
I recommend trying to find the float position on the stick with the engine off with the tractor just sitting there and the FEL on the ground the first time. This will allow you to get used to where the float position on the stick is without banging the FEL around or lifting the tractor up in the air. Once you understand the feel of float, then you can try it for real.
If you haven't used it, it may not want to pop into float as easily. Push the stick forward, there should be a very clear detent feel when it goes into float. You may have to push pretty hard the first few times. If you feel like you might break something, look at the linkages and lubricate them a little, they may have firmed up from nonuse.
Good luck,
Cliff
I recommend trying to find the float position on the stick with the engine off with the tractor just sitting there and the FEL on the ground the first time. This will allow you to get used to where the float position on the stick is without banging the FEL around or lifting the tractor up in the air. Once you understand the feel of float, then you can try it for real.
If you haven't used it, it may not want to pop into float as easily. Push the stick forward, there should be a very clear detent feel when it goes into float. You may have to push pretty hard the first few times. If you feel like you might break something, look at the linkages and lubricate them a little, they may have firmed up from nonuse.
Good luck,
Cliff
JB4310
Super Member
Flemdog
I think cliff got it pretty well covered. If you can push the snow down hill it would be easier, but you can do it up hill, fill your ballast box and use 4x4 when needed. when your using float you can drive around smoothly with the bucket level on th ground, sometimes if your bucket has alot of snow in it or in front of it you may not be able steer well, just stop and back up a little no need to lift the loader just cut the wheel to get your front end pointed in the direction you want to go and proceed forward again. With the ehydro it's all one motion no stopping, when your backing up after gettig to the end of your push before you get all the way back just push your joy stick in the float positon and your ready start going forward again with out having to wait for your loader to drop.If you have any specific questions reply back.
good luck, John
I think cliff got it pretty well covered. If you can push the snow down hill it would be easier, but you can do it up hill, fill your ballast box and use 4x4 when needed. when your using float you can drive around smoothly with the bucket level on th ground, sometimes if your bucket has alot of snow in it or in front of it you may not be able steer well, just stop and back up a little no need to lift the loader just cut the wheel to get your front end pointed in the direction you want to go and proceed forward again. With the ehydro it's all one motion no stopping, when your backing up after gettig to the end of your push before you get all the way back just push your joy stick in the float positon and your ready start going forward again with out having to wait for your loader to drop.If you have any specific questions reply back.
good luck, John
MajMac392
Gold Member
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2002
- Messages
- 411
- Location
- Southern Maine
- Tractor
- Cub Cadet 7234, John Deere X300 Riding Lawn Mower
I don’t have a JD but I have been ‘plowing’ my driveway and accesses for 7+ years now with a Cub Cadet 7234 (similar to the old 770 JD), 23HP Mitsubishi diesel, 4WD. The tires aren’t loaded but the tractor weighs about 3300# w/FEL. I push pretty much uphill for a good part of it. It was my first tractor and the first year or two there was a learning curve, actually I’m still learning. One of the ways I tried to justify the Cub to my wife was that I could plow with it during the winter. My driveway is paved, about 200’ with a slight uphill grade 6 – 7% or so with another good sized area in front of a garage with a turnaround pad. My first couple of years I didn’t plow very fast but now I do it in a fairly fast gear where I can. It normally takes me 1 hr 15 or so to do if it is 4 inches or 18 inches. I can't seem to beat that time and do a decent job. If it was an HST I believe it would be much quicker. It still beats walking behind a snowblower and my access on the road is one of the best cleared of about any of the plow jobs I see. I tend to leave my bucket slightly angled down w/the float pressure on the paved part and if I’m plowing over the lawn area, flatten it out pretty good to avoid to much digging up the ground. If it is a just a few inches I can do it a little faster but you are right Ib, it still takes some quality seat time to do it. As I’m writing this I’m getting ready to go out in a short while to clear this latest storm, probably about 10+” or so down here in Cumberland County. Both Johnbilt and JB4310 had some very similar techniques to what I have used/learned/tried.
