Front end loader Q's

[art]

I agree that it is not right to run a tractor that isn't ballasted right. It is just as important to make sure that it isn't over ballasted as well as under ballasted. You should look at your chores and the percentage of when and where before you add anything.

To over ballast you pay more everytime you move the tractor. You might find that for two or three extra bucket loads might make the extra ballast be a hinderence.

 

[20 20]

Keep in mind that adding weight to the 3 point hitch will remove weight from the front axle and will reduce stress and wear in that area. the rears tire fluid loaded are highly recommended along with the rear weights on the 3 point hitch.

Sorry I have to disagree with this some Adding even more weight that close to the rear will not take weight off the front. In order for the weight to lessen on the front the weight added to the back would have to stick out quite far from the pivot point{being back tires}. I'm not saying one should not have weight, they should of course. If the rear is weighted and the FEL is weighted the balance/pivot point then falls over the front wheels. Weighted tires are a great idea to help with traction and control. Even more important is learn and know the limitations of the machine.

 

[Mace Canute]

Originally Posted by dex3361 View Post
Keep in mind that adding weight to the 3 point hitch will remove weight from the front axle and will reduce stress and wear in that area. the rears tire fluid loaded are highly recommended along with the rear weights on the 3 point hitch.

Sorry I have to disagree with this some Adding even more weight that close to the rear will not take weight off the front. In order for the weight to lessen on the front the weight added to the back would have to stick out quite far from the pivot point{being back tires}. I'm not saying one should not have weight, they should of course. If the rear is weighted and the FEL is weighted the balance/pivot point then falls over the front wheels. Weighted tires are a great idea to help with traction and control. Even more important is learn and know the limitations of the machine.

Adding weight via the three point hitch will definitely transfer weight off the front axle to the rear axle. It is, after all, a simple first class lever.

"the "balance/pivot point" falls over the front wheel"
I have no idea how you would get to that point. That would mean the tractor balances on the front axle.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I must agree with Mace Canute, it is a simple lever and fulcrum. Regardless of how short the lever, putting weight on it will tend to pull up on the front. For a real life demo, just hook something heavy on the back and see how light the front end gets. Of course moving the load back futher from the axel give you more leverage, but any leverage is better than no leverage.
As for loading tires, why wouldnt you? It is relatively cheap, almost free if you live in a temperate climate and dont need antifreeze. It stabilizes your tractor, gives better traction, saves on tire wear since you have less wheel slippage and I find it actually gives a smoother ride on my tractor as it seems to give less rebound effect. THere is just enough air to cushion the blows, but not enough to give the basketball bounce effect. I cant believe that someone actually said that filled tires increased their fuel consumption. For any given load, you would more than make up for any HP needed to get the load moving by decreasing the slipping. I ran my tractor for about a year before filling the tires because I just never could find the time to do it. I can see appreciable wear on the rear tread from slippage in this short time. Inflation pressure is a bigger also. Lower your tire pressure till you see a slight buldge in the tire which in my tractor is about 10 psi. You can also check by wetting your tire and driving across concrete and check for full contact. You could have full contact and still be overinflated which will significantly increase tire wear in the center of your tread. Ideally the tires should wear evenly across the tread on the rears. The fronts will likely wear more on the outside due to turning.

 

[dex3361]

If the rear is weighted and the FEL is weighted the balance/pivot point then falls over the front wheels. Weighted tires are a great idea to help with traction and control. Even more important is learn and know the limitations of the machine.

Its ok if you dont agree we all are allowed our opinions but I am speaking from experience and I have been in the situation where the tractor is balanced only on the front wheels (going steep with loader bucket full/heavy bucket) and let me tell you it was scary and I was so thankful that I had 4wd. The weight you add to the back is not proportionately removed from the front and that is why you have to add so to do much good in this respect. Tractors in the CUT and UT size are designed to handle the weight and stress on the rear axle. IMHO

 

[texasjohn]

OP, lots of detailed info below... my .02 is:

must fill tires

must have weight on rear 3ph... in my case, I use box blade with numerous additional removable weights... thus can add/remove as needed to get right balance. I'm talking about 500 extra lbs plus the box blade. Such sincere rear weight DOES take some load off front axle... I DO understand that when front axle becomes the fulcrum (been there going down hill once) then ENTIRE weight of tractor, FEL and contents and rear implement is all on the front axle... best not to do that often.

must have toothbar to dig in clay...and this will increase your bucket carrying capacity, thus another need for rear weight

4wd next to mandatory for FEL work

must make sure your FEL hydraulic relief valve is within specs....not below...numerous TBN folks, myself included, have discovered that our valves were somewhat below factory specs, thus reducing FEL carrying capacity.

best to get the heavy duty FEL bucket... I have one. I've added chain hooks to my bucket with no need for reinforcing, and toothbar prevents bend in lower lip. Others with lighter buckets report need for reinforcing and bent lips.

you WILL find things heavier to lift than your FEL can do... so, best be set with rear weight and able to handle the max your relief valve can handle when the situation arises.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I dont believe anyone said it was directly proportional just that it would take some weight off the front. Since any weight applied behind the back axle would act as a lever with the axles acting as the fulcrum it would naturally tend to raise the front end. I have an 850 # tandem disc that will illustrate that point very quickly as you can visually see the front end raise up when the disc is raised. Pop the clutch on it with the dics up and you can see a lot more raising. Point is that any weight placed back of the axles will take some weight off the front axle and the further away from the axle it is placed the more weight it will remove from the front. If you had a long enough lever, 5 lbs on the 3PH would pick the front end off the ground if your tractor hydraulics have the power. I think it was Atlas that said give me a fulcrum and a long enough lever and I can move the world.
Of course if you built a lever long enough to pick up the front with 5 pounds of weight, the lever itself would likely weigh more than the tractor would pick up. We have to maintain some semblence of balance between front/ rear weight ratios to achieve optimum lift without over stressing the tractor frame and axles.

 

[20 20]

Adding weight via the three point hitch will definitely transfer weight off the front axle to the rear axle. It is, after all, a simple first class lever.

I think most missunderstood what I was suggesting. Take a few hundred lbs and add it to the back, right on the 3pt bar does the tractor{no FEL} front start comming off the ground{I would hope not}. Now add the FEL with the same amount of weight{few hundred lbs} This brings the weight back towards the center of the tractor or even closer to the front because of how the FEL sticks out. Very simple physics here. Your getting stuck on the idea of weight being the same AND at the same distance from the front and back axles. Once the weight changes or the distance then the balance {weight shifting} moves either towards the front or the rear depending on what is being done.

 

[20 20]

"the "balance/pivot point" falls over the front wheel"
I have no idea how you would get to that point. That would mean the tractor balances on the front axle.

This was aimed more towards just adding weight to the tires. Once again tractor with no FEL rear tires weighted no problem. Now add a FEL and then add a heavy load the weight balance shifts towards the front axle. So even though a tractor may not tip the balance will shift onto the front axle and because the FEL sticks out over the front axle this means it is trying to pick up the back end of the tractor.

Simply put take a tractor with no weights or weighted tires set it on a scale. Now add the FEL still seems allright now lift the FEL and start adding weight slowly the weight transfers towards the front axle Until the back starts to lift off the ground. Now start adding weight to the back tires. The back will come down but at the same time the front will also get heavier. Don't believe me that's fine, go to a truck scale and watch the boys move the axles around on the truck and trailer trying to average out the weight.

 

[20 20]

Its ok if you dont agree we all are allowed our opinions but I am speaking from experience and I have been in the situation where the tractor is balanced only on the front wheels (going steep with loader bucket full/heavy bucket) and let me tell you it was scary and I was so thankful that I had 4wd. The weight you add to the back is not proportionately removed from the front and that is why you have to add so to do much good in this respect. Tractors in the CUT and UT size are designed to handle the weight and stress on the rear axle. IMHO

I've also driven with the rear off the ground your're correct not much fun. I tried to explain myself better on the last post hope that makes more sense. sorry to be so confusing. The point I was trying to make was more about knowing a tractors limitations then weight. We could take a tractor and keep adding weight until everything just snapped. Just remember adding more weight does not lesson the overall weight of the machine and depending on placement of load weight etc... the weight does shift between 2 points the back axle or the front. I get a kick out of these guys that say I added weight to the back so it made my front lite. Of course once they start really loading up the FEL some how they still lose traction with the rear wheels. Wonder why??? Maybe because the balance is shifting onto the front wheels????