What Is Correct Procedure / Bucket Position When Parked In Garage

[TheKubotaKing]

Hi everyone,
Just wondering what the correct procedure is when you park your tractor overnight, or 2 or 3 days or even a week.... in regards to the bucket position.

I realize you shouldn't leave it directly on the floor of garage, but a piece of wood is better. What about a foot off the ground ? but I heard that a bucket will sometimes move or lower as it loses a bit of pressure in the cylinders so... I was curious what you do....

Thank you !

 

[Lil Foot]

I park my whole tractor on a piece of OSB, (actually 2 pieces) so I set the bucket down on the OSB.
Then I shut down, and after the engine is off, I cycle both FEL levers forward & back to relieve any residual pressure.

 

[TheKubotaKing]

I park my whole tractor on a piece of OSB, (actually 2 pieces) so I set the bucket down on the OSB.
Then I shut down, and after the engine is off, I cycle both FEL levers forward & back to relieve any residual pressure.

Hi Lil Foot !
awesome info ! Thank you. I totally forgot that's a good thing to do ( relieve the pressure ) thank you for that info !

 

[freewheel3]

I park my whole tractor on a piece of OSB, (actually 2 pieces) so I set the bucket down on the OSB.
Then I shut down, and after the engine is off, I cycle both FEL levers forward & back to relieve any residual pressure.

That's exactly what I do, minus the OSB. I set the bucket on a pallet instead, just to keep it off the gravel floor in the shed.

 

[TheKubotaKing]

That's exactly what I do, minus the OSB. I set the bucket on a pallet instead, just to keep it off the gravel floor in the shed.

Hi freewheel3, thanks so much for that info. From what I gather, it's a "no no" to keep the bucket raised up at all.... asking for trouble perhaps.

I wonder... if you leave the bucket a few feet off the floor, and came back a week or 2 later, how much would that bucket have sunk ? would it eventually touch the floor ? ... good question... hmm...

 

[85Hokie]

I wonder... if you leave the bucket a few feet off the floor, and came back a week or 2 later, how much would that bucket have sunk ? would it eventually touch the floor ? ... good question... hmm...

Depends on the newness of the seals..... one hot day might not fall - one very cold day , it will have better chance. I will bet over 72 hours it would be resting on something lower than where it was

 

[802Driver]

I like to park mine with the bucket flat on the floor, and I also move the FEL stick to relieve pressure, I feel leaving it flat on the floor, there is less of tripping hazard. Or a potential shin buster!

 

[BX23S-1]

Mine sits level on the concrete floor in the garage. After i shut the tractor off, i wiggle the joystick to relieve any pressure left in the system. I even hit it forward into float position to make sure all pressure has been released. I`ve been doing it that way for MANY decades with every hydraulically made equipment i`ve ever owned, it has yet to fail me or cause any issues. And if you have any implements mounted on the 3pt hitch, lower them to the ground.

 

[SidecarFlip]

What's with the on a pallet, on OSB off the floor crap. It's a bucket not your wife's wedding ring. Mine get driven in the hay barn which has a sand floor, I shut them off drop the bucket or forks or whatever to the ground and forget about it until I need it again. My open station is parked in the back of the barn in the corner and won't be started until spring. I topped it off with fuel and powerservice plus biocide, disconnected the starting battery and there is sits with the bucket flat on the sand floor and the seat uncovered so the resident barn cat can sleep on it. Ain't no paint on the bottom of my buckets anyway, hardly any on the sides either. I use them, not a toy for me. A tool. They get washed but I've never waxed either. Wax is for ears. and wash is via pressure washer and foam cannon and maybe if I feel like it a truck wash brush scrub off. Same with the cars.

Having said that (not that anyone will agree with me as to they are a tool, not a toy) I DO check all the fluid levels prior to starting them EVERY time and I check the tire pressures at least every other time they get used and I grease them completely every 10 meter hours.

 

[D2Cat]

I've got a bale spike on one of my tractor today. I part in with the spike in the dirt! Hard to get hurt with it there, and no cattle get injured either.

 

[SidecarFlip]

i wiggle the joystick to relieve any pressure left in the system.

Only thing that gets 'wiggled' on either of mine is my butt out of the drivers seat...............

 

[SidecarFlip]

I've got a bale spike on one of my tractor today. I part in with the spike in the dirt! Hard to get hurt with it there, and no cattle get injured either.

I use one of those heavy duty 'penetrator' hay spears that bolt to the bucket floor (on my excavation round back bucket, never use one on a material bucket, not stout enough) and if I park it with the bucket spear on, I just nose the end into the ground with the bucket slightly down from flat, but then the cattle are in a different barn anyway. I just don't want a case of 'fallen arches' from tripping over it as I'm pretty sure you have (I have too) in the past. heck of a wake up call first thing.

 

[BX23S-1]

Only thing that gets 'wiggled' on either of mine is my butt out of the drivers seat...............

 

[GreensvilleJay]

I realize you shouldn't leave it directly on the floor of garage,

WHY Not ?
Actually that's where it should be ,solid on the ground NOT in the air..... you never KNOW when a hose might burst.....

 

[Tarmy]

Like mentioned by others...release pressure and rest front and rear implements on the ground. That way no kids, pets or feet get under them if something happens.

 

[NCL4701]

With all our tractors and implements since I was a kid it has always been get it inside of at all possible, definitely if more than a few days, and always set down whatever was being held up by hydraulics. If the bucket is damaged from sitting on a garage floor or sitting on a dry shed floor, I’d kind of wonder how good the steel was they made it with. I do always hose wash the bulk of the mud or whatever other crap is on it off before putting it up if it’s loaded. The clay here is a LOT easier to get off before it dries.

I have heard of people waxing tractors. It does appear to have single stage paint on it so that kind of makes sense if it lives outside and you don’t want it to fade. Mine mostly lives inside so I don’t plan to wax it unless it starts to fade and it bothers me. I’ve never waxed any tractor but never had one
this nice either.

So far as relieving pressure in all the hydraulic lines, I do that every time. I don’t think there’s a good logical reason for it since they’ll leak a little over time and relieve themselves anyway. I had a crew boss on a cable laying crew about 35 years ago who had a pet peave about relieving the pressure in all hydraulics on all machines at the end of the day. He was a Marine vet and if he wasn’t a DI he at least picked up some of their habits. I’m still a little scared if I don’t relieve the lines he’ll jump out from behind a shelf screaming like a madman. Probably wouldn’t happen but why take a chance when I don’t have to?

 

[imnukensc]

I realize you shouldn't leave it directly on the floor of garage

Uhhhhhh.............why?

My FEL/bucket sits on the concrete under the shed whether it's on the tractor or not.

 

[leveraddict]

Well now dare I say it........ we are starting to see the difference between folks with a working machine an somebodys waxed blinged out spotless luxery item used on occasion then parked in the heated garage next to the Vette!! Oh boy....here it comes!

 

[NHSleddog]

I guess my tractor has never sat long enough to worry about it. Drop the bucket and get on with the next part of your life.

 

[BX23S-1]

With all our tractors and implements since I was a kid it has always been get it inside of at all possible, definitely if more than a few days, and always set down whatever was being held up by hydraulics. If the bucket is damaged from sitting on a garage floor or sitting on a dry shed floor, I’d kind of wonder how good the steel was they made it with. I do always hose wash the bulk of the mud or whatever other crap is on it off before putting it up if it’s loaded. The clay here is a LOT easier to get off before it dries.

I have heard of people waxing tractors. It does appear to have single stage paint on it so that kind of makes sense if it lives outside and you don’t want it to fade. Mine mostly lives inside so I don’t plan to wax it unless it starts to fade and it bothers me. I’ve never waxed any tractor but never had one
this nice either.

So far as relieving pressure in all the hydraulic lines, I do that every time. I don’t think there’s a good logical reason for it since they’ll leak a little over time and relieve themselves anyway. I had a crew boss on a cable laying crew about 35 years ago who had a pet peave about relieving the pressure in all hydraulics on all machines at the end of the day. He was a Marine vet and if he wasn’t a DI he at least picked up some of their habits. I’m still a little scared if I don’t relieve the lines he’ll jump out from behind a shelf screaming like a madman. Probably wouldn’t happen but why take a chance when I don’t have to? View attachment 50805

Kubota has never added ultra violet protection into their paint. If they did/do, its surely not nearly enough. Thats why they fade so quickly sitting out in the sunlight. Even all the plastic pieces begin to bleach out to white in a short amount of time because there is no ultra violet protection. It costs more money to add the additive.

Wax wont protect that from happening either. But some people like to wax them anyway. We waxed ours the first day we bought it. It helps it to stay cleaner longer, if that makes sense. Haven`t waxed it since after that. Its a 2017 BX23s and it still looks new. We do keep it in the garage, so that helps tremendously in keeping it nice as well.