I would like to lessen the down pressure when in float. I have to time it precisely as the bucket just touches the ground, snap it into float. Too early, the bucket crashes into the ground, too late and the front tires lift a bit before settling down. With the Deere, I can snap it into float when lowering the bucket, even when the bucket is four feet off the ground, very smooth. Any hints how to adjust the pressure? Thanks
down pressure adjustment?
- Thread starter SinNH
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Creature Meadow
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Equipment
2012 L4600, Disk, Brush Hog, GB60 Garden Bedder, GSS72 Grading Scraper
With mine I lower it to the ground, then in a smooth quick motion push up on the handle and it goes into the float position easily.
Also done at a lower rpm might help with you situation.
Mine is gear drive, so I keep throttle at 1000 rpms and use the foot throttle most of the time. Exception being when brush hogging.
Jay
Also done at a lower rpm might help with you situation.
Mine is gear drive, so I keep throttle at 1000 rpms and use the foot throttle most of the time. Exception being when brush hogging.
Jay
"Float" means that the hydraulic cylinders are not pressurized in either direction, and are free to retract/extend. In otherwords, there is no pressure to adjust. The "down pressure" that you are referring to is simply a product of the weight of the implement (your FEL and Bucket/Attachment) and the lack of resistance from the cylinders.
In this case, I think you just need more practice.
In this case, I think you just need more practice.
What is your objective? To get the bucket to lower faster that it does hydraulically?
Like C.M., I also just lower normally and use float after the bucket is on the ground...But I do keep float in my back pocket if I ever need to lower the bucket faster in an emergency situation.
North Idaho Wolfman
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L3450DT-GST, Woods FEL, B7100 HSD, FEL, 60" SB, 743 Bobcat with V2203, and more
Well that would explain it guys, thanks. When I first got the L3430 HSTC, I thought the Woods bucket felt VERY heavy compared the Deere, and the Ford I no longer have. As stated in OP, I have gotten used to when moving show on my humpy gravel driveway to snap the loader into float right after I dump the snow while leveling the bucket at the same time on the JD. If I do that with the Woods, it smashes into the earth rattling the cab. I have gotten better with the timing of snapping it ( quite a bit of pressure on the J-stick!) into float when the bucket is just inches off the ground. Thanks!
As the others said, Float just vents both ends of the cylinder(s) to tank (the transmission). Just think of it as suddenly not having lift cylinders on the boom. Handy for skimming or back dragging, or as another put it, getting that bucket down QUICK if something is going wrong. It may be a rough ride when it gets to the ground, but that's a whole lot better than looking at it upside down or sideways.
Until my LX, I'd never run a FEL with Float. A little trick I use is get the bucket close to the ground and just before it gets to the ground, maybe a couple inches before, I give the stick a shove into float while the boom is still coming down. Not much of a bump then. It's a timing thing that takes practice, but the more you do it, the better you get at it. It's even better if you have the bucket in a full dump position, particularly with a tooth bar that softens the impact of the bucket edge.
Until my LX, I'd never run a FEL with Float. A little trick I use is get the bucket close to the ground and just before it gets to the ground, maybe a couple inches before, I give the stick a shove into float while the boom is still coming down. Not much of a bump then. It's a timing thing that takes practice, but the more you do it, the better you get at it. It's even better if you have the bucket in a full dump position, particularly with a tooth bar that softens the impact of the bucket edge.