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Learnin' Something New Every Day


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Having already pushed around several hundred yards of dirt lately with my Pmax and a few other tractors mostly larger, I've learned a few things. Here's a short list of them. Feel free to add a few pearls of your own gained through your own experiences. Please excuse the triviality of some. I still consider myself a tractor newbie. Go s l o w. The first time I attacked a pile of dirt with my dozer blade I hit it with the full width of the blade, wheels spun and of course nothing got done. Now I shave off a a foot of the pile at a time and show more patience. Occasionally back drag the area worked on to create a level and flat surface for the tractor. In the beginning I dug ripples or an elongated washboard effect in the dirt, which progressively got worse each time they were run over. Know your tractor's limitations. I quickly found out there were plenty of places on my property that the Pmax was not capable of doing useful work because of steep slopes. Even a 4-wheel drive tractor that I used was sometimes challenged. Thankfully it also had posi-traction to get me out of a jam a few times. A front end loader is indespensible. A larger tractor is not always better. A large pile of dirt always ends up smaller than expected when spread out and the hole you're digging always produces more dirt than expected. Parking brakes only work on level ground.
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When moving with a load in the bucket of the loader on the tractor...always be ready to "drop" or lower the bucket or load fast. If the tractor becomes unstable you need the get the load to the ground fast.
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quote:
Go s l o w. The first time I attacked a pile of dirt with my dozer blade I hit it with the full width of the blade, wheels spun and of course nothing got done. Now I shave off a a foot of the pile at a time and show more patience. Beeser
------------------- I learned this 40 years ago with my 1966 Bolens 850. I know I know it's not a Simplicity but the principle's the same so I posted anyway as it could be beneficial to somebody.
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Angling the blade helps with the washbourd effect. But as you've found out there is little substitute for tractor time and experiance. You'll find the more you use your fleet the more you will learn what each machine and yourself are capable of doing. Most of the time this is half the fun. I find a back blade or box blade is great for rear weight as well as usefull when dealing with small piles or fixing the washbourd problems.
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That's how guys break crankshafts, deadheading into a pile of dirt, especially on Wisconsin Motors, Let the hydraulics do the work, not the engine. Mike
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Originally posted by Mike
That's how guys break crankshafts, deadheading into a pile of dirt, especially on Wisconsin Motors, Let the hydraulics do the work, not the engine. Mike
And twisting off rear axles. 3 of them for me
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In the Excavation field, We figure in Cubic Yards and loose yards. Digging a 10 Cubic yard hole will give you 13 loose yards (30% more) With proper compaction techniques, It will take 13 loose yards to fill that 10 yard hole. Different soils,have different percetages. When we demo and remove concrete, 10 yards in place becomes 16 yards in a truck.
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