Floating Your Loader Bucket
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- Опубліковано 28 сер 2024
- Hey everyone! In this video we give you a quick tip on using the float function on your loader. We had never used it before and found out just how helpful it is!
Thanks for watching!
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Two comments:
1. Great tip. Thanks.
2. Huge thanks for getting right to the point! Far too many UA-cam presenters blather on for what seems like forever before getting to the point!
Thank you for commenting!
Terry
Thanks for that very basic demo. I’ve had the loader for a few months but have never really understood the purpose of float function. Big Help !!! All the best. Buck
You’re welcome, glad to help. We are not experts but then that probably gives us an advantage when sharing what we have leaned or messed up ha ha. Thanks for watching and commenting!!
Terry
The float function is probably the most underused or misunderstood function of the tractor.
I love the float function. So many uses.
Agreed! Thanks for watching!!
Terry
Right On!!!!
That’s exactly what I wanted to see. The bucket going “forward”, not backwards.
Thanks. We take it slow when doing this to avoid any damage to the loader.
Terry
I’ve had my Kubota for years and never used the float. And I use my tractor all the time, but never really knew what it did. I guess you learn something every day. I can’t wait to try it out.
I hear ya. Always something new to learn! Thanks for watching!!
Terry
The float function is very useful. I use it for smoothing the ground all the time. Its super handy.
We are just learning about it. It does make scooping up mulch on uneven ground much easier.
Terry
I have some work to do tomorrow on a poorly tailgate gravel spread. This video helped me plan how I’ll do it. I haven’t used the float function on my John Deere yet so this will be a good project. Thanks for the excellent video.
You are welcome, I hope things work out for you. Its a lot of fun learning how to use these little tractors but can be a challenge at times. Practice makes perfect!
Terry
I use my bucket float all the time. As you said its reallly the best way to keep everything uniform. Also as you probably already knew this but it does equally good for snow removal. I use mine all the time wish i had this 35 years ago as my "back" will attest to this. LOL
Works great! I have not used it for snow but have seen it being done on UA-cam. Also it would save your driveway/road. We wish we had bought the tractor day one instead of waiting two years. Worked my entire life and saved every possible dime. Its hard to let go now but I am learning! If not for my back for my sons.
Terry
@@ForestToFarm Agreed! Thanks for the post
@@richardobrien4153 Thanks for watching!!
Terry
I've had my Kubota track now pushing three years, and I just found out about the float function. And it works great, when I first got on it and started using the tractor, I had more holes like a golf course and I did level areas lol
Ha ha. Yeah it takes a while to figure it all out.
Nice I have always used the float function but just always in backward motion. Never thought to use it to go into a pile good suggestion thank you
You are welcome. Glad to help!
Terry
Thanks for that. I’m on my 2nd tractor & never knew about floating. I’m always gouging the ground and saying a lotta “oops” LOL Seems to me this will help avoid bending cylinders when your back dragging too which is common for my Branson BL150 Loader
Glad to help!!
Terry
Great job! This was the first video that made sense on floating
Thank you!
Terry
Works amazing for back dragging as well.
Gonna have to try that soon! thanks.
Terry
One thing about the float function that not many people touch on is that when using it on soft material your liable to actually dig down into the ground fairly easy when in float.. for example if your in float and for any reason your bucket edge catches the ground there is a good chance that the bucket can get dragged further below the ground as your driving forward.. this could leave an even bigger divot in the ground if your not careful. There is times where float can be a life saver and then there are times where float just won’t work.. when leveling ground I would choose not to use float because the minute the bucket edge catches a high spot it’s got a high chance of digging down much deeper than intended.. if it wasn’t in float then the loader arms would not allow the bucket to get sucked down deeper into the ground. Just keep this in mind, happy tractoring guys!
Good info and food for thought. So far most of the time we have pretty good luck in float mode however as you say there are those times it can be a problem. In our situation at this stage of the game we just go back and rework an area. Its rough right now anyway so not a big deal. I can see where if you are working on someones already well established lawn or something like that you would definitely want to be more cautions. Thanks for the input!!
Terry
Forest To Farm you got it Terry! Great channel BTW, how have you two been liking your B-series? Some day I plan on trading my bx in for one.
@@BiffsEquipment Absolutely love it. We tried the L series and B series. The L series took much more room to make a turn or turn around in tight spaces. Plus the L series ate the ground up as you turned sharp. The b series was so much better in those situations and being amongst a forest we figured a tight turning radius was a good thing. No regrets. We love it!
Terry
@@ForestToFarm Awesome man, well im glad you were happy you were able to try both of them and are now confident you made the right choice!
Hey, thanks for posting this video. I have now been using this function way more often on my B2650. Especially when cleaning snow off my lane-way.
Hey, so glad to hear. Sometimes its those little functions you can get by without but it sure is nice when you figure them out, ha ha! We are still learning the ropes on this tractor. One of the best investments we have made in a long time.
I see your new to the channel here. Have you seen our "5K Giveaway" video? Its a chance at one of 3 prizes when we reach 5000 subscribers. Still time to enter and thanks for watching!
Terry
I just checked out your channel and subbed. I see a tractor that looks like a B series I assume on your header.
Might want to check out our "Kubota B2650 Enthusiasts" Group on Facebook. Its a great group of people and you can usually get an answer pretty quick when you need some advice and such.
facebook.com/groups/1779300572090436/
Terry
Thanks Terry, will do
Cool, Thanks. I'm trying to reach my goal of 1000 subs. New guidelines in order to generate a bit of money from UA-cam. Another thing I noticed about your videos is great quality.
Sorry Brian, I thought your name was Terry.
Thank you. I have a 1965 IH424 that I just had float put on, ( major change to the hydraulic system. I have played with it a bit but this example really helps.
Great. Glad it helps! Getting the bucket angle set properly seems to be important when floating the bucket. If you have it tilted to high its gonna float over top of everything. If its to low it will dig down. Lots to learn and lots of fun learning it.
Good luck and have fun!
Terry
Sweet. Something to always keep in mind. Great tip.
Yeah we are just learning all this stuff and some times there are things you can do that make the job easier and you never know they exist, lol. We hope to put a lot more tractor tip videos out when we have time. People seem to love tractor videos and honestly we love making them!
Terry
That float bucket is so C O O L! I always wonder about the person or people that had the idea and then invented it! I really LIKE your channel!
It is Cool! We love it.
Thanks for watching.
Terry
Makes a big difference for sure. Thanks for the helpful video. Cheers!
Thanks!
Terry
the kubota is the only one has it make it easy to float wich our pain in the butt NH boomer 23hp T2320 wich is kinda useless trying float wich its a pain plus doesnt lift as fast
We love the Kubota. So far we are very happy with all it can do.
Thanks for commenting!
Terry
I try my float function for forward motion a lot but cant seem to grasp the correct bucket angle. I usually have it too low and it starts digging in. Maybe a level indicator would help me. I do use it a lot for back dragging which is obviously a lot easier. Smooths gravel nicely 👌
Yeah its tricky. Guess it just takes practice. Brian does pretty good with it.
Terry
I’m gonna try that asap.
Hooe it works out for you! Let us know how it goes.
Terry
I've never use float in the forward direction. Only to back drag material
Back dragging is a great way to use the float function function. However when loading the bucket with mulch or other loose material the float is a huge help. I would go easy on it but it works great. Not sure if you were digging in hard packed earth or other similar material but that may compromise your loader arms.
Terry
That’s very cool - does the rear implement do that also?
Actually the rear three point hitch is always in a float mode. You only adjust the lower limit it can go when setting the height. In other words you set how low it can go. It can lift up without resistance all the way to its highest possible position. The weight of the implement is what keeps it in the ground. That and in many instances the implement itself such as a plow or the angle of say the tines on a box blade which dig downward causing the implement to pull down to the ground to that low setting you set it to. Hope that makes sense 😁
Terry
Additionally if you go to the back of a tractor with no implement installed and lower the three point to its lowest point you will see that you can easily lift the lower arms to their highest position with little effort. They just hang there. When running ground engaging implements this allows the implement to jump up over any larger rocks or other objects that may be in your path. Never put yourself in a compromised position while a tractor is running. Always follow manufacturers safety precautions.
Terry
TY, Sir.
You are welcome and glad to help! Thanks for watching.
You should never use the float function to load your bucket. If you hit something in float, your bucket will stop, the front of the tractor will be forced up rapidly till the cylinders bottom out risking severe damage to you and the machine. Look at where the loader arms are attached to the frame in relation to where the bucket is and youll see what I mean.
Thanks for the heads up. We only run it in low range and slow when doing this. I don't think it will be a problem for us but I could be wrong. :)
I have a BX23S but don’t know if that float feature is there. Definitely going to find out though.
You could probably find the manuals online if you don’t have them. Good luck!
Terry
Yep but the surface also looking pretty level...
👍
Brian go to Paul and Kathy Short on UA-cam channel and check out their spill guard for Kabota tractor bucket
Will do!!
great video tip!
Thanks Dave!
Terry
Well done Brian. Question for you: where is the movie director Mui Especial??? Sorry for delayed response, no internet since last Wednesday, had to buy massive data plan for mobile so as to use as router; a lot of catching up to do, but I'll get there. Kind regards.
Haha, he is working the camera in this episode. Hope you enjoy the other videos, thanks for watching!
Brian
Dear Brian,
Thank you very much for your courteous reply. All the best & kind regards.
Would you describe the float function as basically just setting the current position as the new bottom while unlocking vertical up movement?
Hmm. Well the bucket tilt remains fixed at what ever angle you set it at while the loader arm itself is allowed to “float “ up or down on its own. I think what you said is correct. Thanks for watching!
Terry
@@ForestToFarm Thank you! So it can also move below from where you set it
My tilt/ curl only works in the float position i can seem to figure out what it is
Sorry, that's a new one on me. You should join our "Kubota B2650 Enthusiasts" group on face book. There are a lot of knowledgeable people there who are always willing to help a guy or gal out. facebook.com/groups/1779300572090436/?ref=bookmarks
Terry
I know this is a year late lol but it sounds like your control valve has a reversed boom and curl lines (i.e. float valve should be on boom)
@@evanlebras6513 That is pretty much what happened. The top hose in the left side cylinder went to the bottom on the right side, so they were working against eachother. Pretty funny because the original 1992 owners manual showed them crossed like that on the diagram. So everytime we went and checked the diagram everything was alright!
@@evanlebras6513 Actually this was a different problem haha the quick connects on the valve were switched up!
How do you know know if you have the float function on your kubota?
On our tractor when you push the lever forward and it stops you give it a bit more force and it will shift further forward and sort of lock in place until you pull it back to release it again. Hope this helps. Thanks for watching!
Terry
My L3101 just picks the front wheels off the ground. It shows that it has the float feature. What am I doing wrong.
Hummm. With us you just have to push the lever forward with a bit of force and it goes into the float mode. Not sure what may be the problem. When you push forward use a good bit of force and then when you let go it should stay locked forward. If not it seems there is a problem with your float function. They have that "wall" you have to overcome most likely to keep you from accidentally going into float mode when not desired.
Terry
Push it fast and push it hard enough to click past the lowering position. It will lock into float mode.
@@possumvalhalla768 Sounds right to me. :)
Terry
Thanks guys. It works. I was just pushing it too slow and raising the front up.
@@randyc5650 Great!
Terry
Do you use any ballast in your tires?
Hey Donald,
As of now no we have not used any ballast in the tires. There have been a couple of times where we felt it could use some like when we had the forks loaded down with logs. As far as dirt goes we have had mo problems moving full buckets. We would like to avoid the fluid ballast if possible. I guess it just depends on what you plan to do with tractor. Under most conditions we do not plan to be moving heavy loads. When we do we are planning to eventually make some sort of weight bar set up for the 3 point hitch. Its not the best way to go but then as I said we do not plan on much heavy work. Time will tell. One key is to move slow when working with heavier load.
Thanks for commenting!
Terry
I did buy a ballast box for mine and it does help stabilize the tractor. Remember to always keep the bucket as low as you can when transporting a load. Don’t be a rollover victim!
BTW great video on float function.
Try that in 2 to 3 inch rock, not being a smart Azz, just curious
Probably like hitting a solid rock wall. It does great on a pile of dirt or mulch. 😁
Terry
This is bad practice. Only use float for back dragging.
Hmm. First time we have heard that.
Terry