L3130 with LA513 and 3x3x8 bales

[InThinAir]

With the cost of Hay going thru the roof, I am thinking about big bales, they are Grass and are between 850-900lbs each. I already placed an order for the L2237 QA bale spear, should be here in about 7-10 days. I have a local provider for the hay, but I am concerned that it will be too much for the little 3130. I will be picking up the bales over the course of a few weeks and placing them 3 high in the barn. So I need to be able to lift the top one to a little over 6 feet to set it on the top. They will only be stacking them on the trailer 2 high for transport on the rough roads I need to take to get to the seller so the highest they need to go is in the barn.

I have filled rear tires and could use my Woods BB60 for Ballast if need be, but will ballast be my problem or just capacity of the LA513?

Thanks for the help!

---Doug

 

[JerryG]

If that is truly what those bales weigh and you have plenty of ballast, you should be fine. I may be wrong, but I thought that size of bale weighed more than that. I have never worked with large square bales just rounds and small squares. There just aren't many large square balers in use around here.

 

[bugstruck]

I think the 513 FEL is going to be overtaxed for what your asking of it. The tractor will handle it properly ballasted. I don't recall the formula for determining the max. capability but I would think you'd determine the centerline of the bale forward of the pivots or bucket center lift rating and factor for the added leverage applicable to that load. Even the 723 FEL would be marginal for that operation IMO. Hope I'm wrong though.

Somebody may jump in and sort this out for you but it looks like you'll know for certain once that bale spear arrives.

 

[InThinAir]

I was hoping to figure it out before I have to pay for the spear... Didn't know if anyone had lifted anything about 900 lbs with a LA513?

I am pretty certain on the weight of the bales, the truck comes with the weight scale ticket to pay for the hay by the ton. So the weight is around 875 Lbs average. It is just straight brome grass and if I look as a comparison, knowing that it is packed tighter, it looks to be equivalent to 15 or so small squares, and a small brome square is about 60 lbs.

What kills me is the hay guys skid steer with a grapple has no problem just tossin the bales around like they were nothin! It will definitely hurt my feelings if my 3130 can't do it.

---Doug

 

[FamilyFarm]

You may get by, but clearly could use a larger loader. I'm sure you have them handy, but the Kubota specs can be found at http://www.kubota.com/f/products/L30_Implements_loader.cfm

I would probably try it, but even with filled tires, I'd get ballast on the rear. Maybe even a heavier, longer implement like a rotary cutter if you have room to work with that attached. When you lift those bales high and move the tractor, that's quite a force on the front end to balance on the other. Take it slow!

 

[bugstruck]

The 513 is rated for 1,003 lbs at 500mm (19 5/8") forward of the pivots. That is roughly half the narrow dimension on a 3 x 3 x 8 bale. You'd have to allow for the QA depth past the front pivots plus the spear mounting plate. So if you could locate a short double or triple point spear you may just make it handling them sideways?? The 513 would calculate short once you deducted the QA and spear weights (given a 900 lb bail) but these loaders will lift a bit more weight than the factory rates them at. So your only chance IMO is to handle them in sideways configuration. Not sure if that's even practical. Even that's a crap shoot. If you want to spear them end on, I don't think it will work. I didn't bother checking but I don't think my 723 would calculate handling that bale end on either.

This is of no immediate help....If we were talking the 800 series loader on the larger L series, that will lift rather substantially above the factory lift rating and would handle those bales with ease.

Can you store these bales without stacking? A 3PH spear should handle them down low on your tractor.

 

[InThinAir]

The L2237 QA bale spear is a 3 spear configuration and I do have a Woods Rotary Cutter for ballast and the room to manuever with it on.

I will be stacking from the side, so I will be going thru the bale on the short side (3') and I will roll back the bale onto the rear guard on the QA Bale spear. I would assume this will bring the balance point back closer to the pivots?

I hope I didn't waste the money on the spear. But I do need to stack them as I will be getting about 50 of these bales.

----Doug

 

[smittyd3]

I have an L3130 with the LA513. The info below is for a bucket of dirt loaded on my Ford F150 Pickup. A bale spear will cause the load to be further out. I didn't pick the material but about 5' high so yours may or may not load the hay.

This is an old post of mine. 3/8/2005.

I weighed my pickup today and it came in @ 5140#
After I put a bucket of dirt on it it weighted 6460#

So, not counting the weight of the bucket that comes to about 1320#.

It was picking up more than I thought. That makes me feel better.

Thanks for all the replies on the other post.

 

[bugstruck]

That seems to confirm my thoughts. I knew the 723 and 853 series could lift fairly well past the factory ratings and suspected Doug's might as well. Yours certainly does. He may just handle them after all. It's very close. Basically if his will lift the QA weight (and a few pounds more) above the factory rating it should work with those bales side loaded. You're about 200 lbs above gross factory rating in actual net load and most would correctly tell you that you had to deduct the bucket and QA weights to get to net capacity. Theoretically, you should have been halted at about of 800 lbs. net with a 1124 lb. rated capacity at bucket center. Obviously deducting those items is not a requirement for bucket work in an L series FEL of any size based on your comments. It may be a safety issue to Kubota, but their capacities are well below capability IMO. I've stopped mine but I was well beyond the ratings. Similiar to the differential your getting out of yours. Guess we will all find out once Doug gets his spear. Hope it works for him.

 

[slowzuki]

The stated lift capacities are very accurate for the loaders with the relief set stock. The problem is they only quote one number from the arc of travel. My LA853 will pick up something like double the rated capacity but it can't get it very high. Rated capacity it will lift to full height.

Ken