Tractor Sizing Is a JD 4400 capable of lifting large square and round bales on a FEL?

[Texasmark]

My just tried to unload a one ton skid of wood pellets with lifting forks attached to the bucket of my 4400. No Way!! Had to unload almost half of the skid to pick and carry the pallet. So mine will only move about 1000lbs hanging off the front of the bucket with lifting forks. I thought it would do better, wonder how big a tractor I would need to move a ton with those lifting forks? BTW - I did put the 5ft bush hog on for ballast but I dont think that was a real issue as the rear of the tractor was wanting to come up. The hyd.s were just not picking up the load.

Think foot-pounds and pay attention to where a FEL, or a 3 pt. for that matter is rated. Most are rated at the connecting point. Some spec sheets will show another number at 2' from the connection point which is significantly lower.

I recently bought a pallet loader attachment for my "quick change" FEL and noticed right off that my tractor was having a really hard time with a load that it had handled before with a different lifting mechanism.....that put the lifting point at the connection point.

 

[4570Man]

My just tried to unload a one ton skid of wood pellets with lifting forks attached to the bucket of my 4400. No Way!! Had to unload almost half of the skid to pick and carry the pallet. So mine will only move about 1000lbs hanging off the front of the bucket with lifting forks. I thought it would do better, wonder how big a tractor I would need to move a ton with those lifting forks? BTW - I did put the 5ft bush hog on for ballast but I dont think that was a real issue as the rear of the tractor was wanting to come up. The hyd.s were just not picking up the load.

Lifting a ton on a pallet would take no slouch of a tractor. Doing it with bucket clamp on forks significantly increases the size of machine needed to do it.

 

[Egon]

According to data for a 430 loader it should lift just over a thousand pounds.

 

[LD1]

All the above sounds about right.

Tractor too small and less than ideal setup for forks.

Loose the bucket weight and get it in closer with some real forks and maybe?? but certainly not with clamp on forks

 

[BrokeFarmerJohn]

I have now had quite a lot of experience moving round bales this past year, I have bought and fed over.... well lost count after 13,000lbs of round bales.

Bales vary in weight greatly, I have bought bales around 600lbs and I have bought them well over 1200lbs, I use a 4320 that weighs around 5200lbs and I have pallet forks to move the bales with, I have no ballast to speak of other than a 3pt 6ft blade I drop closer to the ground and put 4 cinder blocks on. Ill be honest, the big bales make me nervous and I have had to drop the loader twice because the front end loader was going down and the rear was going up, that will absolutely scare the crap out of you on a cabbed tractor, my instinct is to hop off the SOB and you realize your in a glass box, now the FEL handle is the first instinct and drop it to the ground.

Its not about whether or not your tractor can lift the load its whether the ballast is correct not to upset the tractor. My tractor like is said is 5300lbs and it feels lite when moving the bigger bales. The 4400 looks like its under 3k, you will need to invest in a whole lot of ballast weight to safely move round bales with a FEL.

I would say if your moving round bales around, never lifting them more than a foot off the ground you would be ok with that tractor, if you plan to lift the bales up and dump them in a round bale feeder, I wouldn't do it.

on a budget get a big old 2wd tractor with a FEL, something big and heavy over compact and powerful.

 

[IndyIan]

With 1000lbs of ballast probably you could move a 4x5 round bale ok on the flat, but you would be pushing it. For unloading a dozen bales a year, sure you could probably do it being very careful.
I bought my tractor sized for handling any size of hay bale but the biggest I've bought is a 4x5 round and I still prefer to have a good amount of ballast on for that for any slopes at all. I'm sure I could move a 2k bale but I like to have a 2k bale on the back while doing it and I'd want atleast another size up to that regularly. My tractor is 3900lb + 1000lb loader + loaded rears+ 1000lb box blade or bale on the back and it that configuration I'm happy chucking 1000lb bales with it all day.

 

[Egon]

Moving bales? Here's one way.

 

[Bavarian]

I had a 4200 with a 420 loader. It was rated for 1000 lbs at the pins. The loader had a decal on it, not to handle large round bales.

No matter how much ballast you put on it, this tractor is simply not designed to handle it.
Just imagine the stress you put on the structure. 1500 lbs of ballasf pushing down on the back, 1000+ lbs on the loader. The weakest point is the clutch bell. You wouldn't be the first one I know of who broke the tractor in pieces just by overloading it.

Move up at least one size.

 

[sd455dan]

I have now had quite a lot of experience moving round bales this past year, I have bought and fed over.... well lost count after 13,000lbs of round bales.

Bales vary in weight greatly, I have bought bales around 600lbs and I have bought them well over 1200lbs, I use a 4320 that weighs around 5200lbs and I have pallet forks to move the bales with, I have no ballast to speak of other than a 3pt 6ft blade I drop closer to the ground and put 4 cinder blocks on. Ill be honest, the big bales make me nervous and I have had to drop the loader twice because the front end loader was going down and the rear was going up, that will absolutely scare the crap out of you on a cabbed tractor, my instinct is to hop off the SOB and you realize your in a glass box, now the FEL handle is the first instinct and drop it to the ground.

Its not about whether or not your tractor can lift the load its whether the ballast is correct not to upset the tractor. My tractor like is said is 5300lbs and it feels lite when moving the bigger bales. The 4400 looks like its under 3k, you will need to invest in a whole lot of ballast weight to safely move round bales with a FEL.

I would say if your moving round bales around, never lifting them more than a foot off the ground you would be ok with that tractor, if you plan to lift the bales up and dump them in a round bale feeder, I wouldn't do it.

on a budget get a big old 2wd tractor with a FEL, something big and heavy over compact and powerful.

Totally agree with this post, If money is tight get a 2 wheel drive 55+ hp Utility or even better an Industrial model with factory FEL put at a minimum 1000lb weight on the 3 point and then get a bale spear or grapple on the FEL-

after that loading and even stacking shouldn't be a problem- and imo the least expensive way to go.