# Float function on a FEL



## jakes 245 (Jul 23, 2009)

Hi 
Greetings from Schomberg
I have a MF 245 with an allied 350 FEL. For winter I mount a 8 foot blade directly to the bucket with no trip springs and therefore no forgiveness if you hit anything solid. The loader does not appear to have a float function so were ever you set the loader thats were it stays and it does not slide over any frozen obstacles it may encounter. 
My Question: Is it possible at reasonable cost and labour to install a float function to the hydralics that would allow the loader to skim across the ground with its own weight rather than the entire weight of the tractor as it is now doing. Hope ive described this clearily . Would appreciate any advise anyone can offer.
Cloudy and +4 celcius/ or about 34 fahrenheit.
Jakes 245


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## Cannuck-elhead (Feb 25, 2009)

Ok, first off, greetings right back from Newmarket, Ontario!! LOL

I think you're mixing up 2 different problems.

The first is the lack of trip springs, the second is lack of float. The two aren't interchangeable.

The blade (or at least the cutting edge of it) needs to be able to flip over via a hinge at the bottom of the blade near the ground for protection.

The float function won't do the same thing at all. Float only allows the bucket (or blade in your case) to move vertically up or down. If the blade catches on something it won't trip until it's bent itself over far enough to make it rise up.

As for the float itself, it's strange that you don't have it on your existing valve, are you sure it's not just really stiff from lack of use / corrosion? At any rate, a replacement valve isn't a lot of money and available in lots of places, including Newmarket, and can be accomplished by either just adding another valve between the existing one and the loader, or by swapping out for a new valve altogether.

Let me know if you need more direction.


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## jakes 245 (Jul 23, 2009)

Hello Cannuck- Elhead
Small world aint it. Newmarket to Schomberg
Thanks for your comments and I agreee with what you said. I understand I wont have a trip feature, which is the ideal situation the way the blade is attached. However my thinking was with a float function the only downpressure on the blade would be the loader and blade weight rather than the entire front tractor weight . The float function to me would make it more likely for the blade to ride over any frozen bits in its way do to less weight than if there is no float and the tractor weight also has to ride over the obstruction.
Also based on your comments that "it is strange I dont have float" I now need to take a closer look at the valve and how I try to engage float to make sure its not already there. Others have also thought that it should have float. Is there any obvious visual diference ibetween a valve with float and one without.
Also maybe I am not trying to activate the float function correctly.
How should this be done.
Thanks again for your help


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## Cannuck-elhead (Feb 25, 2009)

A small world indeed!!

The float function is a purely internal part of the valve, basically it's just a detent that is the located just beyond the 'down' position.

In order to put the loader into the 'float' position you push the loader control as far forward into the 'down' position as it will go. It will go to the end of the 'down' position and then usually you can feel a little 'click' or 'bump' sort of thing as it passes the detent.

Once you get to the 'float' position you can let go of the loader control valve and it will stay all the way forward.

As for riding over things, there's two reasons why that doesn't generally happen. 

First, the blade shape. If you look at the blade from the side you will see it's angled down (backwards) where it meets the ground, like a wood plane is. This means when it hits something the tendency is for it to try to go under, not over, the obstacle. That's the way it's designed to work.

Secondly, weight. The combined weight of the blade and loader are pushing down on the blade and trying to keep it down.

IMHO you should modify the mount so it can at least pivot free of the loader. It should be an easy change.

BTW, why is it there's no trip spring protection in there now? Is it a fixed blade or was a spring-trip and someone made it rigid?


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