Using a Tractor and a Loader (10 things that you need to know when you've never done it)
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- čas přidán 6. 01. 2016
- Using a tractor and loader to move material looks easy when you watch someone who has a lot of experience doing it. Then, you get in the seat, drive up to the gravel pile, pick up what you think is a huge bucket of material, drive to where you want to dump it, and almost nothing comes out. If people are watching you, it's highly likely they'll make fun of you.
This video is for people who have no experience using a tractor and a loader. I'm giving ten practices to make the first run as pleasant as possible. There's no guarantee you'll be successful the first time you try to move a pile of dirt, but if you do these ten things you might just get lucky.
Moving material with a tractor isn't the easiest project you'll ever attempt. When I first started learning to run a tractor I struggled with this for a long time. The problem is, you can't see what you're doing. And if the bucket isn't level you may THINK you have a full load because the tractor is working hard, but in reality, you're just trying to push the whole pile. The bottom line is, it takes a lot of experience to get really good at this activity, I'm here to tell you DON'T GIVE UP!
Having a tractor with a loader bucket is a huge time saver and it's definitely worth the effort to get good at this activity. It's best for your maiden run if you're not under any time constraints (don't try to finish your first project before a rain storm gets in, for example). Definitely, don't try this with a buddy watching and making fun of you. About the third or fourth pile you move you'll be an old pro and looking for new things to move with the loader bucket.
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Great, concise, practical. 👍🙏
Hey Mike . . . I needed this video as a new tractor owner since July 9,2019. It works . . . keep teaching!
Thanks Mike! I’ve moved about 50 yards of top soil since getting my little kubota bx 1880 and just watched this video AGAIN! I learned more again and now your great information is sinking in!
Thanks again!!!!
I would like to thank you, I'm a 30 year old woman with a 64 year old father who can't run the tractor anymore due to health reasons we live on 40 acres and there's a lot that needs to be done. Your video is very helpful I know how to run the tractor pick up the bucket move it around but I wasn't exactly sure how the best way would be to start leveling out all the piles of dirt an do filling the holes my brother left behind before he moved away. yesterday I wasn't exactly running tractor the way I should have been and I probably would have made you nervous. But after watching your video, today I know what I was doing wrong and how I can work more efficiently. Thank you for your video
You're welcome, glad to help!
Thanks for the advice on the "crusted pile". Exactly my situation! A sub compact tractor newbie..
Mike, nice vid. One thing I do is what I call a "draw back" on material that has settled in the pile. I pull back some material from the top of the pile before filling my bucket. This provides loose material to more easily fill the bucket. This way I don't have to push into a hard pile. Makes it easier to fill the bucket before curling back.
Good instruction as always. Thanks.
As a Civil Engineer, I've been involved with the construction industry most of my life, but never spent much time as an operator. I'll never forget the first time one of my contractors bought a brand new D-9 and asked me if I wanted to run it for a while...the power was absolutely mind boggling. When I was a kid 11-14 years old, my grandfather taught me how to operate and use a small farm tractor, but I was 60 years old before I bought my first one. The upshot of this is that until you actually sit in that operator's seat and operate the tractor, you'll never learn how to do it. Good video, Mike... lots of good info and tips there...but the best operators learn by doing. I've had my tractor nearly five years now and there's still a BUNCH of stuff I don't know how to do yet. Also, can you do some videos on general maintenance and proper fluids? Thanks for your expertise, my friend.
+Karl Kelley Karl, thanks! I have some maintenance videos on my list, it may be spring before I get them up and running, the older I get the less I like working on stuff in cold weather, but the first string of nice days I'll try to get with it.
Talking about your background made me think of some of the tractor product introductions I've been to when I was a factory rep. There'd be brand new tractors with all the attachments in the field for the owners of the dealership to try out. I was always amazed at how some of them struggled to run loaders, backhoes, etc. But when you think about it, a guy who owns a dealership is pretty much working all the time with personnel, finances, etc., etc. He almost never gets to get out and use the stuff he sells. So, it's little wonder they were a little rusty at the demonstrations. Almost all of them have used equipment many years ago but have little opportunity to use it now. To be honest, I'm much better at running a tractor now versus when I was running a dealership because now I have time to do it. And I love it!!!
+Mike Wiles (Ask Tractor Mike) glad I found your videos I just got my first tractor a few months ago I was a hydraulic Mechanic when I was in the army till i got injured but fixing the hydraulics and operating the equipment are 2 totally different things when my tractor was delivered they just drooped it off and left no instruction or anything so ive basically been learning by watching videos and practiced in a flat safe area till i got used to how it worked I live on the side of a hill so that was a bit of a challenge, thought i almost tipped it several times but didn't and was suprized at how easy and fast it climbs a steep bank and now thanks to my new tractor im able to sit down on the tracktor and get stuff done again.
Great job thanks! Straight forward training.
Great video. Thanks, Mike.
This advice works with my MM U-302 with the North Dakota Scooper add-on!! Thanks!!
Good stuff Mike!
Always helpful!
new subscriber - thank your for the informative and educational videos -- I look forward to watching many more. I am a new operator to my Kubota machine and the FEL has me a bit intimidated at this point.
Very useful, thank you.
Great video thank you!
Thanks. Great stuff
Always learn something again that I already knew. But that is good! Thanks for all you do, Mike! Btw.....you helped me fix my 26 YO central vacuum cleaner too!
That vacuum video was an afterthought but I couldn't find anything else out there about it so I posted it. It probably confused Google.
Nice vid Mike!
Short simple sweet. Nicely done.
+patriots1needed Thanks!
Thanks for the video. . . Tried this yesterday....50 50 at the moment.
As always, an informative video filled with good tips and absent any fluff.
+bigjohn56 Thanks…I try to avoid fluff because I hate it when I'm watching videos. I'm a guitar player and one of my favorite CZcams guys has a site called "Shut Up and Play"! He's figured out that people don't like fluff.
That is exactly why i just subscribed, your videos are informative with very little unnecessary verbiage. I am looking at tractors for a small offgrid property and enjoy your channel.
I like the positivity good man
Nice one thanks
Best channel I've ever subscribed to.
Wow, Stephen, thank you! That's about the best compliment I've received. Thanks for subscribing...
Those are nice things to know and I will remember them when working with loaders so if I get one for my tractor, I will know what to do. There have been times when a loader would have been handy to have around my place. Instead, I have ended up using my landscaping race to push up dead leaves and grass i want to burn after dropping the loads with my lawn tractor and lawn sweeper. If I had the loader on my tractor the work could have been even easier to do.
you forgot to mention a counterweight on the rear unless the machine has filled rear tires or wheel weights. I leave my box scraper on my tractor all the time for counterweight.
+Drew6709 GREAT POINT! The tires on that tractor have fluid in them or I wouldn't have been doing what I was doing so easy. I do have a video on proper ballasting and it's EXTREMELY important with loader operation.
Thanks, as always, Mike. And what Providence. I am due to get my first load(s) of gravel delivered and had some trepidation about dealing with it. You've come through again!
I'm sure there may be some who roll their eyes and sniff at your covering "something so basic". They've simply forgotten what it was like before it became rudimentary to them.
Alot of the things you cover really are intimidating for first-timer's, as you so wisely know and use as motivation. keep up the great work! :
+Charlie Arehart Honestly, there are so many things to learn about tractors, I see guys who've owned them forever that still don't know all of the basics. The dealership that I worked at did a "walk around" with people buying their first tractor, trying to train them on the controls and maintenance. As time went on, they found out that even long-time farmers liked the concept of a little training before the tractor was delivered. There would always be one or two things we'd cover that they didn't know and had always wondered about, so it seems you never quit learning around equipment. Good luck with the gravel piles!
how do you get the lift to even engage 2546 qt on Massey Ferguson 231s
Got my first load of #2 rock delivered. The advice in this video came in handy. The only problem I had was the pile shifting away from me over the top as I lifted the bucket. I had to use the empty bucket to go over the top and pull the pile back toward the side I could access.
I did the same thing when I started. It's still hard to get the very last of the pile because it wants to walk away from you.
a loader with a clam bucket makes getting the last of it easier but get out with a shovel if you have to lol
You don’t mention if one should float the loader when approaching a pile. Is this a good or bad idea?
My iseki tractor keeps edging forward while it’s in gear is that normal ??
Thanks for the videos. Hopefully tomorrow I'm going to buy my first tractor. Is it true that you lose some HP with a hydrostatic transmission? One sales guy said it could be as much as 3 hp. Any thoughts is appreciated.
It's true, the hydro takes a little more hp than the gear, but, in my humble opinion, its worth it. I really like my hydrostatic drive tractor and wouldn't trade it for any other transmission. Enjoy your new tractor!
Mike, the thing I notice about people operating equipment is that they really are NOT familiar with using the controls at all. The other thing I see are a lot of operators that were trained poorly (if at all) . They ram the pile hard, usually the tires spin, and then raise with too little curl and back out.
I would say to all new operators to take some time to use the controls on their own until they can perform it blind folded (NO, I'm not saying operate the tractor blindfolded, but sit and practice). Get the feel of what it is you are doing instead of worrying about being productive at the pile, such as you described.
+Ji Fi-01 (Jif) Absolutely. Yeah, I have witnessed all kinds of people who weren't trained just have a disaster when operating a loader. I like your advice, and it's best to practice with no one watching, it always bothers me when I'm trying to learn something with an audience.
Awesome video. I love all your videos. I feel like we're friends, which I guess is creepy.
Anyway, can you make a video like this but with a backhoe? I'm getting one soon and would like to know some tips.
Jason, I got a kick out of your "creepy" comment :). I know exactly what you're talking about because I've learned everything I know about CZcams from a couple of guys who do video training with thousands of followers and I feel like I'm friends with them. One day just before we started a live streaming event one of the guys I follow said "I see Tractor Mike is here" and I felt like I was forever validated as a human being. Anyway, I'll put the backhoe video on the list. Thanks for being my friend...
AHH raise, curl, raise, curl. Thanks. Today was first day moving dirt.
great tip. What is your project?
+superpac1966 Our poor horses have been standing in a muck pit for about two months. I'll show what I did in a future video, I pulled all the much out with the loader bucket then filled it with gravel. I think one of the horses smiled at me as I was finishing, but it's hard to tell.
+Tractor Mike i used to have horses, & i'll bet it was an onery smile!
What if floating?
to increase my bucket raise and bucket dump I have to have higher rpms? are there not any adjustments that can be made to increase those things too? I was just looking at the specs for my tractor and there’s no way mine is dumping or raising at those speeds but i don’t gun the throttle either.
I don't know of a way of increasing your hydraulic flow to make everything work faster, but you're going to want to increase your RPM's to lift heavier weights anyway so you're not putting undue pressure on the hydraulic pump. It won't hurt a diesel engine to run at PTO rated engine speed for a while, they're designed for it.
Tractor Mike I think I’ve tried more rpm’s when dumping a loaded bucket but it didn’t go much faster. I’ll have to try it again. If I push the loader lever up and to the right it dumps a bit faster but it also lowers the bucket at the same time. I just want to be able to dump the load at whatever height I choose but faster! I bet I’d have a lot less hours on my tractor if dump and curl was faster (at least dump) I am constantly waiting for it to dump so I can get moving for another load. it’s a 2015 model with 200 hours on it so I doubt anything is wrong with it but damn I feel like it wastes time waiting for it to dump. Full bucket should dump crazy fast given gravity but the hydraulics just don’t move quickly... There’s gotta be a way to speed up the flow if it’s Flow rated at 7.7 gallons a minute. I’d think 7.7 gpm is fairly good but what do I know...
How about a vid on backhoe operation? I spent several hours trying to figure out the fine art of operating mine and I'm still awkward with it. My nephew got on, and had it singing any tune he wanted. He said it must be from all of the years playing video games.
+Karl Eisenmenger Keep digging it'll get easier. It's disgusting what these kids can do and we can't. The Tractor Mike CZcams and website would not be around today were it not for my daughter who's really good with IT who kept me from throwing the computer through the window in frustration in the early days...
Lol. My first dump revealed no dirt at all. :-)
Truth be known, no one get a big load of dirt the first time.