Ballast Box Question

[89vette]

I have a wicked root grapple that I just bought for my L4600. I have the R4 Industrial tires filled with Rim Guard. I also have a box blade on the back. When using the root grapple, I come close to tipping over each time I carry a heavy load over uneven terrain or especially when I'm pulling down wild vines from trees. As soon as it pulls a little off center it wants to tip. Would a ballast box filled with concrete help this or does rear weight only help with front tipping forward?

Thanks

 

[pmsmechanic]

Here's what I think.

A ballast box will help but maybe not as much as a person thinks it will. When you are working with a front end loader up in the air there is a lot of leverage exerted by the fel onto the tractor. If you can work with the loader closer to the ground it helps with stability. If you need to have it up in the air then as you already noticed being off center isn't very safe.

 

[k0ua]

I have a wicked root grapple that I just bought for my L4600. I have the R4 Industrial tires filled with Rim Guard. I also have a box blade on the back. When using the root grapple, I come close to tipping over each time I carry a heavy load over uneven terrain or especially when I'm pulling down wild vines from trees. As soon as it pulls a little off center it wants to tip. Would a ballast box filled with concrete help this or does rear weight only help with front tipping forward?

Thanks

A ballast box of somewhere around 1200 lbs will help a lot. On uneven ground try to never move with your FEL up in the air. You must always be carefully when the Loader is up and pulling down vines, be prepared with your hand on the joystick and make your movements gentle, and ready to reverse your pulling movements to prevent overturning.

 

[oldballs]

X 2...........both posts.

 

[jeff9366]

For increased lateral stability spread the rear wheels farther apart, if adjustability is engineered into the L4600.

Tractors are designed to PULL. In order to direct maximum balanced pulling force to Three Point Hitch implements, tractors are narrow relative to their length. Big rear wheels for mechanical advantage, pulling. Front engine and length to keep front wheels on the ground.

Tractors are designed around the (Ferguson) Three Point Hitch, not the FEL.

Keep your seat belt fastened.

Here are TRACTOR LATERAL STABILITY threads in the T-B-N archive: tractor lateral stability site:tractorbynet.com - Google Search



You may find this thread on removing vine roots and wild rose corms helpful:

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...ement-vine-root-removal-woods.html?highlight=

 

[jeff9366]

A ballast box will help but maybe not as much as a person thinks it will.

Do you have your Box Blade positioned LOW??

Your Box Blade is cantilevered a bit further "aft" from the tractor than a ballast box would be. So the Box Blade weight is more effective counterbalancing FEL loads than a close in mounted ballast box. So a 1,200 pound ballast box might be 50% more effective than a 600 pound Box Blade as counterbalance to the FEL.

Mounting and dismounting 1,200 pounds from the Three Point Hitch is not easy. How old are you? How is your blood pressure?

Keep your seat belt fastened.

 

[89vette]

Thanks for all of the replies! I especially like the one asking how old I am and how my blood pressure is! For the record I'll be 47 tomorrow and my BP is fine. However I do get pissed off and frustrated easily yelling expletives when one of those nasty vines don't cooperate and try to pull me over. I keep the box blade up high. I also think the wheels are already mounted in the wide position. My seat belt is broke in that it doesn't hold it's position meaning that after it's latched, it won't hold you tight in the seat. It will just keep letting slack out until it's all unwound. So I really do need to get that fixed.

 

[jeff9366]

Kubota seat belts are not repairable. They are replaced. I would have seat belt replaced before working more in tippy situations. Farming is the most dangerous occupation in the US. Tractor rollovers are frequent causes of death.

Lower the ballast Box Blade until it just clears the ground and likely obstructions. Objective in these thread replies is to lower tractor center-of-gravity.

If Box Blade is above height of rear axle it is adding to instability.

When low, if the Box Blade contacts the earth, shorten your Three Point Hitch Top Link.

 

[89vette]

Yes by fixed I meant replaced. I already ordered one.

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

I think you'll find 1000lbs of concrete will really help (it does for me) . When I built/poured mine I made sure the dimensions were correct so it works well with my quick hitch. Putting the box on/off is a 10sec operation (with a hydraulic top link.