Marveltone
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Jun 20, 2010
- Messages
- 1,485
- Location
- Somewhere north of Roseau, MN
- Tractor
- Fordson Major Diesel, McCormick Deering W4, Ford 1510, John Deere L111
Okay, here's the deal...
My Fordson Major Diesel is my main (biggest) tractor for ground engaging work, such as plowing, discing, planting, etc... and as such, it's ballasted accordingly with fluid (calcium) and cast weights in the rear wheels. My plow, disc, and cultivator are all tow-behind instead of 3pt, so front ballast has never been an issue. I'm guessing the weight to be somewhere between 7400-7900 lbs. Traction is not really the issue so much as flotation. My ground is soft. Really soft. It's sandy, loamy, spongy and many times never really quite as dry as I'd like. I feel like I'm constantly climbing out of a hole, as the wheel ruts drag the tractor down. I've been stuck four times so far this summer, the latest episode being today... Mid-July and I still can't get to some parts of my field. I've noticed that my renter has gone to triples on his Versitiles because my ground is so soft.
So here's the question in a multi-part format: Are duals for me? Will they give me the flotation needed? Will the added flotation free up a little horsepower (I only have 42hp to play with) to go forward instead of up and out of the ruts? Do I need to change my ballast to compensate? Am I barking up the wrong tree?
Joe
My Fordson Major Diesel is my main (biggest) tractor for ground engaging work, such as plowing, discing, planting, etc... and as such, it's ballasted accordingly with fluid (calcium) and cast weights in the rear wheels. My plow, disc, and cultivator are all tow-behind instead of 3pt, so front ballast has never been an issue. I'm guessing the weight to be somewhere between 7400-7900 lbs. Traction is not really the issue so much as flotation. My ground is soft. Really soft. It's sandy, loamy, spongy and many times never really quite as dry as I'd like. I feel like I'm constantly climbing out of a hole, as the wheel ruts drag the tractor down. I've been stuck four times so far this summer, the latest episode being today... Mid-July and I still can't get to some parts of my field. I've noticed that my renter has gone to triples on his Versitiles because my ground is so soft.
So here's the question in a multi-part format: Are duals for me? Will they give me the flotation needed? Will the added flotation free up a little horsepower (I only have 42hp to play with) to go forward instead of up and out of the ruts? Do I need to change my ballast to compensate? Am I barking up the wrong tree?
Joe