B7510 / LA302 FEL "Float" Position - How SHOULD It Work?

[NoJacketRequired]

Our B7510 is proving itself to be most useful in these first snowfalls of its tenure at our home. The loader has been removed and the front-mount snowblower installed in its place. The FEL controls are used for the blower - "up/down" controls raising and lowering the blower. "Curl/uncurl" controls the direction of the discharge chute. All is happy... sort of.

I'd like to have the snowblower "float". The FEL control seems to have a float position. Push forward on the FEL control fully through the "down" position and it appears to go into float mode. But it won't stay there like I suspect it should.

What am I missing or doing wrong? Holding the FEL control in float mode manually isn't a viable option. Since a couple of the driveways I clear are gravel, it's kind of a good idea that the snowblower doesn't dig in and excavate a bunch of gravel.

Any assistance on the proper operation and/or maintenance of the FEL valve to get it to stay in a float detent position would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Missouribound]

If the float works on the FEL it should work on the blower. Is it going into the position? Mine locks in when you push it forward but not until the bucket starts to raise the front of the tractor. If it's not locking in give your dealer a call.
There isn't a logical reason for it to NOT work with the blower.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

The FEL control has what they call a detent (it's a set of ball bearings and springs), it's a position on the loader valve that will snap and lock in, it sometimes takes a quick push past the end where you think it stops to get it to engage.
If it won't go in, it may need to be taken apart and cleaned or repaired.

 

[427cjackson]

My L3830 fel control has stuck on me a couple times. Water seems to get in the end of the spool covers and mess with the piston/detent. Use caution pulling those covers off as sometimes the ball bearing has already slipped by and the spring/5 balls will go flying. Remove slowly and put your hand over it. Take note of the groove on the piston as it only goes one way. I use grease to hold the balls in and the end of a (retracted) ball point pen to push the large ball in before sliding the piston back on.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[kubotasam]

I just finished fixing the float detent on my B2410 with a LA 352 loader.
1. Much easier with the loader off- more room to work .
2. I used a towel as a net under the valve to catch the steel balls when they dropped. Started with it taped to the hood, pulled the other end under the valve then used spring clamps to hold it to the loader frame brace that runs next to the valve. Another couple of spring clamps to pull it closed around the hoses. Basically I formed a pocket under the valve to catch the balls when they fell.
3. The problem I found was the spring was bent and deformed. You can not just purchase the spring from Kubota. It is only sold as a kit that includes all the small parts for the float detente and costs about $100.00 or more depending on what dealer you order from. I tried a couple of different springs from a hardware store but they would not hold the detente in position. I finally ordered a spring from MSC direct that works. Part # 36341G, it is slightly larger in diameter than the original but it seems to be working fine.
4.As others have said use grease to hold the balls in place while you re assemble the parts. Push the spring into the bottom of the valve. Put the 4 small balls in the side holes. Put the larger ball in the end of the valve.
You need to hold the cup partially in place then push in on the larger ball until you feel it go past the 4 small balls and then push the cup all the way on. The large ball needs to end up above the 4 smaller balls for the detente to work.
I would have lost the small balls many times over if I had not made the pocket from the towel under the valve.

 

[NoJacketRequired]

Thanks for the helpful replies. As suspected, our loader control just isn't sticking in the detent position. Guess I'll have to wait until spring to work on this as it's too cold to this kind of detail work outside.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Thanks for the helpful replies. As suspected, our loader control just isn't sticking in the detent position. Guess I'll have to wait until spring to work on this as it's too cold to this kind of detail work outside.

Pull it into the living room where it's nice and warm!

I wish I could do that every now and then... But I really like being married too!

 

[Tooljunkie]

Pull it into the living room where it's nice and warm!

I wish I could do that every now and then... But I really like being married too!

We put up an old camping tent to pull an engine out of a maverick when we were quite young. Did majority of work out of the weather,then rolled it out to pick engine. Heres the interesting part-buddy's dad and a neighbour lifted it out with a pole on their shoulders. They were both very big men.

No neighbour nearby willing to help you out?

 

[torch]

We put up an old camping tent to pull an engine out of a maverick when we were quite young.

I've done similar for a tranny repair with a rain shelter, tarps, pieces of firewood and duct tape. A tent heater kept the frost off the tools. Comically ugly, but it kept the snow (and frostbite) at bay.

 

[kubotasam]

You could try to position some sort of a L shaped bracket above the control lever. Attach a really strong rare earth magnet to it. Have it adjusted so the metal lever touches the magnet when the lever is pushed into the float position. If you can get the right strength magnet I bet it would work to get you through the winter without disassembling the valve.

 

[NoJacketRequired]

As a person who has made his living working in some of the most difficult climate extremes, I choose to wait for warmer weather to do "finicky" work. I'm not old, but lessons learned over the years have perhaps made me a little wiser, at least wise enough to avoid searching on my hands and knees in snow for little springs and steel balls! LoL

I'll live with controlling cutting depth of the blower by hand, and spend some time researching how to disassemble and clean the valve. Who knows, maybe if we get a warm spell I could put my wife's Miata out in the driveway and work in the tractor in the garage. That would be pure luxury!