Ballast almost flipped the tractor, really need some help!

[Gale Hawkins]

For sure.

It was knealing and going to roll but the width/weight of the bucket may have become a positive at that point.

I am shocked if the dealer did not get the OP to sign a statement that NO FEL should be used on a naked tractor without proper ballast.

[kennyd]

Unbelievable what some people have done to this thread and the OP

Thingyy42, please check your PM's...

[thinggy42]

Ahh sorry for all the confusion! ill explain better!

the strap holding the machine in the spectacular position is not exactly the normal configuration. That was added at some point...and it is under tension.

I added the purple strap after, the strap is actually tied around the garage wall! I was hoping if the front of the tractor did slip the strap would hold it in place and prevent it rolling over to the left, or better yet of it did slip the strap would hold the back in place so it would naturally be lowered.

Fifth, FELs do not "arrive," they are installed and if you have the lack of background you say you do, then you certainly did not install it.

sorry for the confusion here, i didnt install the FEL yes. There was a delay of about a month and a half from when i purchased the tractor and when the FEL arrived, i say arrived because it had to be shipped from Melbourne to sydney. The state i live in issued a new law saying that all new front end loaders must be self leveling and because of that i had to wait for a self leveling loader to be shipped to me. The deere guys took the tractor the day before and the tractor with the FEL had only arrived that day.

Sixth, the path through the cut down area is fairly well packed by tractor tires both above and below the location of the machine in the photos. You were up and down through there several times

I had been down that path many times! I cut it out using the 5ft grader blade (hence the 1ft discrepancy with the loader) . It was pretty easy to drive the tractor up and down that slope and it compacted over the weeks i had to use it before the loader arrived

I will put more photos up!
you can all have a laugh at the tow guy lowering the tractor! I wish i had the skills to stage this!

[AchingBack]

Another angle...

What we have here, is the teeter totter factor. Simple physics.

[Cantoo]

It's easy to get a tractor on 3 or 2 wheels. I'm moving a heavy sweeper and have nothing on the back.
2nd picture is me lifting the back of my tractor off the ground with a load of gravel in the bucket. The L35 model is very heavy on the front end when the backhoe isn't on the back.

[Cantoo]

oops, here's the other pic.

[FunnelWeb]

The state i live in issued a new law saying that all new front end loaders must be self leveling and because of that i had to wait for a self leveling loader to be shipped to me.

Hi thinggy42.

I live in the same state.

This might be a dumb question, but what does a self levelling loader do that a non self levelling loader doesn't? Which bit self levels? Is it that the bucket maintains it's position relative to the horizontal plane as the loader is lifted?

Regards,
Ian S.

[Artisan]

Betya is has everything to do w/ guys lifting stuff and it rolling BACKWARDS out of teh FEL bucket then onto the tractor in close proxmity
to or ON THE DRIVER.

[Loudo]

Gudday Ian, I think you're right about the bucket maintaining it's position relative to the ground.

[JWR]

Gudday Ian, I think you're right about the bucket maintaining it's position relative to the ground.

Yep, self-leveling loaders can keep the bottom of the bucket level with the ground. Many of them look like they have an extra set of arms running along the loader frame -- much like articulated windshield wipers that maintain an angle. Remember the old days when windshield wipers didn't do that ?

You select a "curl" angle (angle of tilt of the bucket) with normal bucket joystick controls and then that angle with the ground is maintained as you raise/lower the bucket.

I do not personally see that as being of any safety value and it is downright scary to see governments requiring it. What will they require next ?