Hi all,
I used to own a '77 L185DT with loader but we recently sold it due to hydraulic system reliability issues and bought a new '23 L2501DT. At 10 hours on the clock I've been able to put it through nearly all its expected work for a long life with us, but I've come to a point where I need opinions.
I grade a 60'x96' indoor riding arena with a box blade and chain harrow pretty frequently. Due to the size of the 60" bucket on the loader I am enjoying removing the loader to avoid having to watch out for the poles around the edges. This obviously causes my front end to get light enough with a big bite of footing that I have very little steering control, and have to interrupt the grading or risk understeering into the walls.
What do you all think about suitcase weights to hang on the front end to counteract some of this lost front weight? Can I keep them on when I re-attach the loader? Should I take them off when doing deep-mud loader work in my compost pile? Has anyone had suitcase weights be a decision-maker whether or not they've gotten stuck in mud?
I used to own a '77 L185DT with loader but we recently sold it due to hydraulic system reliability issues and bought a new '23 L2501DT. At 10 hours on the clock I've been able to put it through nearly all its expected work for a long life with us, but I've come to a point where I need opinions.
I grade a 60'x96' indoor riding arena with a box blade and chain harrow pretty frequently. Due to the size of the 60" bucket on the loader I am enjoying removing the loader to avoid having to watch out for the poles around the edges. This obviously causes my front end to get light enough with a big bite of footing that I have very little steering control, and have to interrupt the grading or risk understeering into the walls.
What do you all think about suitcase weights to hang on the front end to counteract some of this lost front weight? Can I keep them on when I re-attach the loader? Should I take them off when doing deep-mud loader work in my compost pile? Has anyone had suitcase weights be a decision-maker whether or not they've gotten stuck in mud?