Lift capacity of 3-pt hitch question (plz keep it simple)

[Sodo]

If your 3-point hitch is rated to lift 1500 lbs, can you put on a 100 lb lift fork attachment and then lift a pallet weighing 1400 lbs? Not driving around, just simply lift a pallet of that weight?

Has anybody verified their tractor's maximum lift with a known weight? A pallet of landscape pavers, for example, you could count the pavers and know pretty accurate. Four 55gal drums of fuel is 1400 lbs. Understood that rarely do you actually know the real weight of a pallet.

3-point pallet fork example:

 

[kennyd]

It's NOT simple at all...Is this 1500lb rating at the pins or 24" behind as some OEM's spec?

 

[RedNeckRacin]

Not only that, but not every relief valve is set exactly the same. There are quite a few threads about people checking their pressure's and finding out that they are a little low.

 

[LD1]

I appreciate starting another thread on this subject. (Steel strength thread kinda got hijacked).

But kenny is right. This is not a simple thing to solve. Simple toplink adjustment will change how much it can lift.

Easiest solution if you want to get close (and all you need is a tape measure):

Hook up your forks and place them flat on the ground. Measure how high the lift pin is. (for this example, lets say 10")

Now raise the 3PH all the way. Measure the lift pin again. (lets say it is now 20")

Now measure the point at what you want to know the load capacity. IT can be whatever. Pallet center, fork tip, etc. Lets use the mid-point of a pallet. Lets say it raised up 15"

So........For 10" of movement at the ball ends, the pallet COG raised 15". Now its just a simple ratio. If you are rated to lift 1500# at the ball ends, you will be able to lift 1000# at the pallet COG. (less the weight of the forks and frame).

Playing with the toplink, for the same 10" of travel of the pins, you may be able to get MORE travel out of the forks which would be LESS lift capacity. You may also be able to get LESS travel from the forks, which would be MORE capacity.

Same methods can be applied to anything. Like a boom pole.

My bushhog tailwheel hangs about 8' behind my tractor. I can set my toplink so that when fully raised, the tailwheel only comes to about knee high. Or I can use the bottom hole and make the tailwheel raise to beyond waist high. (nice for loading onto trailer). Setting up like that with the TL in the bottom hole of the tractor gives the least capacity. Cause it will cause the tips of the forks, or tip of the boom pole to raise ALOT higher in relationship to the hitch.

 

[Sodo]

It was simple back in the days before the internet.

One tractor. 3-point fork. Put a pallet on and add known weight until it can't lift. Note that weight. If front wheels come up, thats interesting too. Add counterweight to front (FEL?) and continue.

The topic can bloat to ten pages or the data can start coming on page 1 - it all depends on if a member who has the eqpt and the desire - answer the question before those who dont have the eqpt but wanna post. (The bessings & curses of the internet )

You can goof around with top link length, and dead-lift, have all kinds of fun but the basic, simple question posed is a good one, IMHO. These questions spiral off into never-never land because there are no threads answering (with pics & proof) the basic question. Hence the need for this one.

 

[Sodo]

It's NOT simple at all...Is this 1500lb rating at the pins or 24" behind as some OEM's spec?

Whatever.

Put a pallet on and keep adding weight until it can't lift. Post tractor model and the mfrs specs and the weight that stalled it.

Agreed that top link length changes leverage. If you can choose a length that lifts mostly "level", do that.

 

[teg]

So, in the diagram below... Attaching to point "A" which says it has more lifting force... would equate to not lifting as high.

 

[newbury]

If your 3-point hitch is rated to lift 1500 lbs, can you put on a 100 lb lift fork attachment and then lift a pallet weighing 1400 lbs? Not driving around, just simply lift a pallet of that weight?

Has anybody verified their tractor's maximum lift with a known weight? A pallet of landscape pavers, for example, you could count the pavers and know pretty accurate. Four 55gal drums of fuel is 1400 lbs. Understood that rarely do you actually know the real weight of a pallet.

3-point pallet fork example: View attachment 418435

Diligently try the search feature.
IIRC several years ago someone was picking up stuff and weighing it. Something like pallets of pellets.

 

[jenkinsph]

If your 3-point hitch is rated to lift 1500 lbs, can you put on a 100 lb lift fork attachment and then lift a pallet weighing 1400 lbs? Not driving around, just simply lift a pallet of that weight?

Has anybody verified their tractor's maximum lift with a known weight? A pallet of landscape pavers, for example, you could count the pavers and know pretty accurate. Four 55gal drums of fuel is 1400 lbs. Understood that rarely do you actually know the real weight of a pallet.

3-point pallet fork example: View attachment 418435

My easy answer and rough rule of thumb is that most tractors can handle about 50% of the 3ph rating with ease even in transport. So if I am buying or selecting implements for the tractor I tend to buy things that will fit these parameters.

 

[LD1]

because there are no threads answering (with pics & proof) the basic question. Hence the need for this one.

Thats because it isnt simple.

We have already established that TL geometry changes things. And the toplink within its range of travel is also infinity variable in lenght.

And different models are different. And there are thousands of tractor models. My tractor is good for 2k at the ball ends. A different model tractor also rated for 2k at the ball ends may have different results further back, cause it may have different configurations for toplink.