How to **NOT** crack tractor in half..........

[Fordiesel69]

Owning a New Holland Boomer 30, I have seen locally somone with 30 hrs crack their TC30 which is a very light duty tractor. The boomer 30 seems more rugged by the naked eye.

I like to plow snow with my FEL and use a back blade to scrape extra good right down to the concreate. Sometime I like to lift the front tires off the ground with the FEL to help scrape the driveway. The neighbor told me not to do this ever, as this will destroy the tractor.

What can I do during operation that would crack my tractor? I want to make sure I do not do any activity that could cause this. In the 1950s when tractors were actaully overbuilt, this would not happen. Today everything is engineered just a tad under so companies can profit extra and the CEO's can have one more vacation home out of the 7 they already own.

[RaydaKub]

I haven't laid eyes on a Boomer except from a distance, but any tractor that comes with a FEL that can lift the front wheels should be tough enough to scrape the driveway with it like that. The only danger should be is if your bucket cylinder gets angled too much and you are in danger of breaking the end seals out. But used as a scraper bucket at 10-20 degrees should certainly be allowed. If it can't take that much, you shouldn't have dragged it home in the first place.

[jenkinsph]

Simply lifting the front wheels off the ground shouldn't be a problem for a decent tractor. Best to keep the bucket reasonably close to flat +- 10 degrees.

[300UGUY]

I don't think you are going to hurt the tractor simply lifting the front off the ground. Most failures I have heard about came from using 3 point backhoes on small tractors, without a subframe mount, or traveling very fast, with a lot of weight in the bucket, and hitting a curb or sudden drop. I would make sure all the bolts are tight on the tractor and the loader.

[haywire cattle co]

i dont know how it happened but i have seen two tc30's with broken bellhousings.if the boomer is not significantly heavier than the tc i would trade it for a kubota or a deere before it breaks in half

[crashz]

I think every tractor can be broken in half if you try hard and believe in yourself. If I were to try and crack your tractor in half, I would:

- hit immovable objects with the loader
- travel with as much weight on the 3pt hitch and loader over rough terrain as the machine will lift, bouncing and crashing.
- cause as much impact as possible
- move the tractor (on purpose or not) by roughly using a 3pt hitch backhoe.

When scraping your driveway, just be careful, go slow and keep the the tires on the ground.

[Ted Summey]

+1 on when used appropriately it shouldn't break in half. Lifting the front wheels for pushing snow shouldn't hurt it. Does your FEL have a float position on the control? The float position will allow the bucket to float on the ground when adjusted correctly. The float position is particularly useful in pushing snow. I know sometimes packed snow and ice require a little more pressure that's one reason the FEL does lift the front of the tractor (in addition to allowing the thing to dig like it should).

Cracking tractors from abuse isn't new and isn't necessarily the result of manufacturer skimping on design. I have seen more than one 50s and 60s model tractor cracked at the transmission from being pulled on when stuck. The most notorious are the offset cultivating tractors but any of tractor can be broken especially by "snatch" pulling whether the tractor is old or new. As stated before Lately broken tractors have been the result of overloading the FEL and the 3pt hitch then driving too fast over rough ground.

[kevin37b]

If you are worried about your tractor breaking in half , I think I would own something else . IF you can break it in half before you lose your teeth or some other bodily domain I would question operating techniques .

[PoorPlowboy]

The only time I have seen it break a tractor like that was when the front axle was in the air, and the bucket edge caught a curb edge with the full weight of the tractor going into the loader mount on the right hand side. Massive carnage.

[Guesseral]

Don't listen to your neighbor! If you are worried about it go to the dealer and ask how that guy broke his TC in half it was probably something stupid I mean really out there! Or just ask the dealer if lifting the front of the tractor off of the ground to scrape up the ice and snow is going to hurt the tractor. I personally don't think it will hurt I do it all of the time, but I have a little larger tractor and the FEL frame runs from the front end of the tractor to the rear axle the same as my 1960 ford that I do the same thing on. I really don't know how yours it put together, but if your worried just ask.