Front end goes out again!!!

[edgarrian]

Seems like this thread went in the wrong direction. Common sense to some isn't so common. Should a guy be able to haul some material with FEL without grenading his front end. Yea but if you are talking a full bucket with the back tires not making slight contact with the ground then its time for ballast. It spreads the weight more evenly and its safer. Like your body. You can't keep neglecting it and expect it to last forever. Take my father for instance. Picking up wood that doesn't need to be picked and placed on the splitter. Just doing too much heavy lifting has really knocked his body down as he ages. Farmers are known for this physicality and doing whatever it takes to get something done even if it strains the back, shoulder, or arm. You can't keep doing it or eventually something breaks or doesn't perform well. A tractor isn't much different. You keep abusing it and not helping it out then yea she will break down.

As i said before we aren't there watching this dude operate his tractor. Maybe he is foolishly operating it or maybe he does have POS.

 

[ovrszd]

You guys can banty all you want about the "good, bad and ugly" but if you don't have "situation awareness" something is going to hurt you really bad or kill you... Situation awareness comes from all our life experiences..... I'm 73 years old, never spent a day in hospital due to my stupidity, never rolled my race car, don't get traffic tickets, I run hard in mountains in Jeep, never had to be rescued, but several times rescuer... Have all my fingers and toes never had a broken bone... IT all melds together to form "situational awareness"....

And situation awareness applies to our everyday lives.... When that little voice on back of your mind says "better not" or "oh *****", listen to it....

Dale

Yep, I totally agree. Even when the good voice is saying "be careful" and the bad voice is saying "quit being a wuss and go for it", I still listen to the good one.

 

[Turbys_1700]

Hard to believe that us old timers ever survived without 4WD. Row crop tractors with narrow front ends and ROPS on hilly steep land will teach you quite quickly situational awareness. M Farmalls, Super A's, etc...I drove them all the time. You knew how tippy they could become even without an FEL. I guess 55 plus years driving those things do indeed let me know when the tractor "tells me" it is a dangerous situation. If you are new and inexperienced to tractors you would not understand. I don't expect you to.

 

[ovrszd]

Hard to believe that us old timers ever survived without 4WD. Row crop tractors with narrow front ends and ROPS on hilly steep land will teach you quite quickly situational awareness. M Farmalls, Super A's, etc...I drove them all the time. You knew how tippy they could become even without an FEL. I guess 55 plus years driving those things do indeed let me know when the tractor "tells me" it is a dangerous situation. If you are new and inexperienced to tractors you would not understand. I don't expect you to.

Yep.

Dad bought our first row crop tractor when I was 10. Oliver 77. I had many, many hours of seat time on 8N and 641 wide front tractors. Drove them in very unstable terrain.

Dad sternly lectured me and my brother about the dangers of the Oliver. To the point of screaming at us "DO YOU UNDERSTAND!!!! THIS TRACTOR WILL KILL YOU!!! LOOK AT ME, DO YOU UNDERSTAND???" We both understood and never had an issue. Situational Awareness.

First 4wd tractor I ever drove was the first one I bought 15 years ago.

 

[Turbys_1700]

Yep.

Dad bought our first row crop tractor when I was 10. Oliver 77. I had many, many hours of seat time on 8N and 641 wide front tractors. Drove them in very unstable terrain.

Dad sternly lectured me and my brother about the dangers of the Oliver. To the point of screaming at us "DO YOU UNDERSTAND!!!! THIS TRACTOR WILL KILL YOU!!! LOOK AT ME, DO YOU UNDERSTAND???" We both understood and never had an issue. Situational Awareness.

First 4wd tractor I ever drove was the first one I bought 15 years ago.

I know exactly what you are talking about. The Super A was a wide front end but still very tippy. My current t4.75 is over 9K with loaded rears and FEL and 90" wide at the back. Very well planted tractor. Still have to use common sense.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

All tractors I've seen have brakes on their rear wheels but I've not seen tractors that have brakes on their front wheels. . . Have you ?

Yes, I have, just not on a tinker toy tractor...

They were an option on two of the tractors I now own...

SR

 

[JWR]

Yes, I have, just not on a tinker toy tractor...

They were an option on two of the tractors I now own...

SR

I have forgotten the brand but a friend of mine back in the hills of WV had a tractor (60 or 70 horse size) with brakes on all 4 wheels. He was really upset when he went to buy a replacement and could find none with 4 wheel brakes. He calls it a major safety issue.

 

[GirlWhoWantsTractor]

Yes, I have, just not on a tinker toy tractor...

They were an option on two of the tractors I now own...

SR

There are many TBN members who own tractors less than 35HP and would appreciate it if you would stop referring to them as "tinker toy" tractors. Thank you.

 

[radios1]

built to last has been gone for everything past the '70's, after that, cheaply made imports were used.. we used to make everything in the U.S.A.

 

[JWR]

There are many TBN members who own tractors less than 35HP and would appreciate it if you would stop referring to them as "tinker toy" tractors. Thank you.

The TBN Home page says: "TractorByNet is the world's largest resource and community for compact tractors, featuring forums, news, reviews, photos, how-to information, and questions & answers." So what is missing in these forums is anything much about larger tractors. All sorts of speculation about "Why?" I suggest it is because the big money farmers and large corporations that own the $100,000+ machines do not spend time gossiping and trading sea stories on the internet the way we do. Also they tend to have their own mechanics and lack the nostalgia and fun of the hobbyist that tends to come out here.

Now, back to you Girl; How about we say "lovable tinker toy tractors?" or maybe "deplorable tinker toy tractors?" Just pullin your chain. I can't bring myself to care what they call mine.