Operating loader without rear ballast

[RonnieB2]

Hey there,
I'm a relatively new owner of a Branson 2910i with 4wd and a BL-20 loader I just had installed. I was recently talking with my brother, who has a John Deere of similar size. A dealer told him he shouldn't operate his loader without some sort of ballast on the rear, as it will ruin the front end (bearings?). I understand the need for rear weight for trying to life anything heavy, but never thought about the other issue. Can anybody fill me in on this?

Thanks alot.

 

[wrooster]

Can anybody fill me in on this?

Without enough weight on the rear of the tractor, every time you pick something up with the FEL you are in effect trying to tip the tractor forward and stand it up on the front axle -- meaning the front axle is carrying the entire weight of the tractor AND the load in the FEL. Whether this causes damage in the near- or long-term is dependent on about 87 different factors.

For this reason, suitable ballast at or behind the rear axle is needed. Filled tires and/or a heavy implement (such as a ballast box) are the solution(s).

Wrooster

(*) By the way, if you ever do find yourself in a situation with the rear wheels of the tractor off the ground (TPH ballasted or not) -- do not let go of the steering wheel unless you really like excitement...

 

[boggen]

tetter totter effect.

no ballast on rear = front tires. will end up seeing more weight being placed on them.

when there is more weight on rear. the "fulcrum point" changes. below the tetter totter errr on the tractor. further back towards rear wheels. other words. if you added a huge amount of weight on rear end of tractor. the tractor would end up doing a "wheelie" were front tires come off the ground. *been there done that* disc, and bush hog i have for the old allis chalmers tractor will get front end to want to easily come off the ground.

your "MANUAL" for tractor / FEL should state approx how much weight to add to rear of tractor. when doing FEL work. so the correct ratio of weight on front tires and rear tires is placed. and help prevent flipping tractor backwards doing a wheelie. or prevent doing a front wheelie.

a heavy 3pt hitch implement, such as a box blade, rear blade, bush hog. etc... many folks have used as rear ballast weight. if tractor is more dedicated and/or you will be maneuvering in ugly sharp small areas. a rear 3pt hitch ballast box can help reduce how much sticks out behind the tractor.

many folks fill rear tires with a fluid. rear tires with fluid adds weight, and the added weight is not placed on the axle. the added weight is also lower on tractor, and helps lower "COG" (center of gravity). and can help deal with tilting (working tractor on hills). be careful some fluids can be toxic, if they leak, some fluids can rust the rim out. it is normally not that expensive, to get a "tube" installed. tube might help prevent a leak from a thorn or nail as well. due to some extra thickness of rubber thorn or nail has to stick through.

some folks go with rear wheel weights. they bolt onto the rim / rear axle.

one of the regular maintenance things. more so when ya know you will be doing FEL (front end loader) work. is verifying you have front wheels PSI up to were it needs to be. to low PSI in front wheels, and risk running the tire right off the rim.

 

[k0ua]

Pretty much what everyone else has said. Get proper ballast before you pick up anything with the FEL. Even picking up the empty bucket and traveling with it high in the air (always a no no) can be scary. Some dealers will not let a tractor with a loader out of their dealership without having proper ballast (box or implement) on the rear. As others have said, filling tires or weights is also recommended for the times when the loader is off and a heavy rear implement is on the 3pt. This will aid traction, and also stability. I made it a point when I got my last new tractor off of the truck, without any 3pt ballast, to go over to the gravel pile and scoop up a load.. talk about scary:shocked: even with loaded tires.. You need that ballast for sure.. I see newbies on you tube all the time trying to use their loader without ballast, and it just scares the he77 out of me!. And then they take off with the loader bucket up higher than the hood.. No wonder so many of tip overs occur in the first few days of tractor ownership. We see and hear about them here on this forum all the time.. But if you want tip over trouble, just don't put anything on the 3pt, get a big scoop of something heavy and drive around with it on uneven ground with the bucket as high as can get it. Be safe out there.

James K0UA

 

[xtn]

It should be said that loading the rear tires, while improving some things, does not reduce the load put on the front axles. For ballast to achieve that goal, it must be behind the rear axle. It must, in effect, attempt to wheelie the tractor. Only that effect is reducing load on the front axles.

xtn

 

[hodge]

It should be said that loading the rear tires, while improving some things, does not reduce the load put on the front axles. For ballast to achieve that goal, it must be behind the rear axle. It must, in effect, attempt to wheelie the tractor. Only that effect is reducing load on the front axles.

xtn

Agreed- the same amount of weight is bearing on the front end. If the front bearings won't handle the load, then the tractor shouldn't have a loader on it. No sense in paying hard earned money for something that isn't designed to do the job that it is designed to do, or something to that effect.
My dad has a New Holland 3930 with a loader. The rear tires are loaded, but that's it. We've never needed ballast, and wouldn't use it because it would increase the length of the tractor.

 

[impdaddy]

to say nothing about the pucker factor when it wants to roll over on you. (this is the short version of all said above)

 

[BIG DOOLEY]

Try driving down hill and stopping or backing up grade without balast with the FEL attached.
Its a treat
Weight behind the rear axle is great!

 

[k0ua]

Try driving down hill and stopping or backing up grade without balast with the FEL attached.
Its a treat
Weight behind the rear axle is great!

That going down hill can get pretty "sporty" real quick.

James K0UA

 

[Deere Dude]

Hey there,
A dealer told him he shouldn't operate his loader without some sort of ballast on the rear, as it will ruin the front end (bearings?).
Thanks alot.

One thing to consider also, look at the size of the front end and then look how beefy the rear end is. If the rear is properly loaded with a ballast box and weight box and maybe even wheel weights, the rear end will be planted even harder and do most of the work then. You want the read end to handle the bulk of the pushing and straining. With all the weight in and on the rear end you shouldn't wreck any bearing in the front.