You can't dig with a FEL?

jwstewar

Senior Member
Staff member
I love my little New Holland TC24. We've been able to do a lot of fantastic things with it that there is no way we could have or no way that I would have attempted to do without it. However, when I bought it, I had no idea what I was getting into. Knowing what I know now, there are some things I would do differently. The one thing is I would probably get a toothbar with the tractor. I know I can add one now, but there always seems to be something that the money could be better spent on, but anyway on with the story.

Again being a new tractor owner, I did (well OK, still do) some things that people tell I can't or shouldn't do. One of those is digging a hole with the FEL. I've had a lot of people tell me my little tractor won't dig with the FEL - especially w/o a toothbar. Ummmm.... seems little tractor has something to say about that. It apparently doesn't know that it is a little tractor and that it can't do some things.

Here are some pictures that we took while we were digging our little Koi pond. It is about 8' wide and about 13' or so long and about 2 - 2 1/2 feet deep.

First pic is of me trying to get more dirt scooped out of the hole. Second pic is pulling up out of the hole along with the dirt scoop I was using for counter weight. Third is showing how steep of an angle I was going at getting all of that dirt out of there.
 

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jwstewar

Senior Member
Staff member
The second major hole I dug was when I was running a water line to our garage. I had rented a trencher and "ran across" where I knew to water line to be. I was actually hoping to hit the water line, but I didn't I missed it. So I tried using the clothes hanger trick and dug a couple of holes with a shovel as to where it told me the water line was. Couldn't find it. So at this point getting frustrated I decided I had a better approach. I went and fired my little blue beast up. I put the rotary cutter on for balance and away I went. You'll be happy to know, I found the water line and I didn't destroy it. I was able to cut it with the PVC cutters and splice in and check for leaks every where so that I could fill the trench back in.
 

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jwstewar

Senior Member
Staff member
Just a couple of shots of the pile of dirt that I created and a shot of the resulting hole. When the other half came home she gave me the :ohmy: :boxing: look of What the HE!! did you do to my yard and why is the tractor in the ground?:D
 

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Doc

Admin
Staff member
Gold Site Supporter
Ditto what Dog said .....

I did not know about the toothbar when i bought my tractor. Later once I read how much easier they make digging with your FEL I went to my dealers shop to get one. Nope, he said they don't even carry them. He said you can dig just fine without a toothbar. I've been able to do okay without the toothbar, but those who have done digging both with and without the toothbar are amazed at the difference.
I'm glad to see you've been able to do quite well without it. I agree with you in that if I had known up front about the toothbar, and my dealer had them, it would have been much better to have it included in the purchase.

Rep points coming for the GREAT action shots!!! :thumb:
 

Mith

Active member
Thanks for the pics, I think its safe to say it doesnt have any problem digging :D
How long did it take you to dig those holes?

I think alot of people underestimate the capabilites of even the smaller compact tractors.
 

jwstewar

Senior Member
Staff member
Thanks for the pics, I think its safe to say it doesnt have any problem digging :D
How long did it take you to dig those holes?

I think alot of people underestimate the capabilites of even the smaller compact tractors.


I think the pond one took an hour. A lot of that was because I kept trying to keep it square and level at the bottom. As I was doing it that made it more and more difficult for the tractor to come up out of the hole. The second one for the water line was probably 45 minutes. It was actually quite a bit deeper. I put the water line in at 3 feet (frost line) before the house was there. Once the house was there there was 12 - 18" of back-fill put over it. Thus putting the water line down 4 - 4 1/2' vs. the 3' where I was looking. Which is why I couldn't find it with a shovel.

Mith, I too am amazed at what I can do with it, equally I'm impressed by what I've seen you do with your tractors.
 

larryRB

Member
toothbars aren't always the "instant" answer for FEL digging. Here in New England, I won't have a tooth bar because of the rock, tons of hidden ledge and huge boulders,, Digging a pond such as you did with the FEL is fine. I personally wouldn't do that here, and with a tootbar because of all the hidden ledge,., I've seen and watched more people destroy a front end loader because of a tooth bar,, Especially when they are new operators and hammer the front so hard, the loader rails bend and other problems,, In sandy soil, or even compacted gravel, a tooth bar is only another asset to tractor operation. I am somewhat familiar with Chillicothe, Portsmouth and that area of Ohio... Not the same geological problems as we have here in the northeast.
 

jwstewar

Senior Member
Staff member
I am somewhat familiar with Chillicothe, Portsmouth and that area of Ohio... Not the same geological problems as we have here in the northeast.

Larry, I actually was born and raised in Chillicothe. Now I live just outside of it. Just curious how you are familiar with the area...friends or family live around here?
 

larryRB

Member
I use to haul Digital DEC10 systems and other things, and frequently to Ironton, Ashland, Portsmouth and other areas, most times there, I was stuck the weekend at the plaza 52 in Ironton. Where ever I shut down, even for a night, I would buy and read the local newspaper(s). One Sunday paper, Ironton's, all 9 pages of it, they listed a lot of property for sale,, After going home, the wife and I bought 133 acre abandonned farm outside Ironton for the same cost as 1 acre was here, at that time,, We rented our home in Massachusetts at the time, went there, bought a new mobile home, has it set up instantly, and within a year almost to the second, we had sold back the acreage in three different sections and came back here.
 

EastTexFrank

Senior Member
Gold Site Supporter
Great pictures and good job. :respect:

I've done a little digging with the B2400 (without toothbar) and it wasn't that easy. There's some really hard stuff around our place once you get down a foot or so. The little B2400 did OK, a lot faster and easier than a shovel, but I think it would have been faster with a toothbar. If I have another digging project I may get one for the L4740 and really tear stuff up. :smile:
 
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