How to Excavate With a Loader

Read over the operators manual if applicable to familiarize yourself with the loader operation. Walk around the loader to ensure that all of the wheels are inflated. Check the engine oil level and the engine coolant level. Add fluids if necessary.

Climb up into the cab of the loader and familiarize yourself with all of the gauges, hand levers, foot pedals and the gear lever on the side of the steering wheel. The gear lever is used to drive the loader frontward and in reverse. The lever also changes the gears from low to high.

Strap the safety belt around your lap and lock it in place. Place the gear lver in the neutral position. The neutral position will be in the center position of the gear lever console on the side of the steering wheel. Hold the brake/clutch pedal down with your foot. The brake/clutch pedal is the pedal on the left hand side of the gas pedal. Turn the ignition key on until the engine cranks.

Turn the end of the gear lever clockwise until the lever selector is in the first gear selection. Push the gear lever forward and press down on the gas pedal while releasing the brake pedal. The loader will now be moving forward. Use the gas pedal and the gear selector on the end of the gear lever to increase the speed of the loader. Drive the loader to the excavating area.

Move the gear lever back to the neutral position. Grab the front bucket lever on the right hand side console and lower the bucket to the ground. Press forward on the lever to lower the bucket. The bucket lever operates the up and down of the bucket and the up and down angle of the bucket.

Use the bucket up and down operation as well as the bucket up and down angle operation until the bucket is flat and level on the ground. Angle the front of the bucket into the ground by pushing the bucket lever to the right. Once front of the bucket is at least three-inches in the ground, release the bucket lever.

Drive the loader forward with the bucket three-inches into the ground by pressing forward on the gear lever and pressing down on the gas pedal. The gear selector on the end of the gear lever will allow the driver to operate the loader in first, second or third gears. Increase the speed of the loader by turning the gear selector clockwise through first, second and third gears.

Maneuver the bucket up and down lever operation and the bucket angle operation while the loader is moving to keep the bucket at a three-inch depth while the loader is moving forward. Once the bucket is full, angle the bucket back by pushing the bucket lever to the left until the bucket angle is completely up. Drive the loader to a dumping area and dump the dirt by raising the bucket at least four to five feet off of the ground. Push the bucket lever to the right to dump the dirt out of the bucket.

Lower the bucket until it is about three-feet off of the ground. Drive the loader back to the excavating area. To back the loader up or drive the loader in reverse, pull all the way back on the gear lever to the reverse position. Once the loader is back int the excavating area. repeat the excavating process by digging three inches of dirt at a time. Maneuver the bucket up and down lever operation and the bucket angle operation while the loader is moving to keep the bucket at a three-inch depth while the loader is moving forward.

Continue excavating the dirt at three-inch intervals and dumping the dirt when the bucket is full. Once the area has been fully excavated, drive the loader in reverse with the bucket flat down on the ground to back-drag the dirt. Back-dragging the dirt with the bucket down and the loader in reverse will flatten and level the excavated area.