Wheel spacers

[Flogger]

Nor are aerial forklifts used on slopes. So why would what they do or don't have any bearing on tractors?

I was hoping to make the connection between ballast and stability.

 

[WranglerX]

Ballast is great for keeping rear on ground when doing heavy lifting with FEL, didn't do much for CG changes other than reminder to keep FEL low whenever possible, however wheel spaced do do a lot to make tractor more stable on side loading (anti tip) on slopes...

 

[halfBaked2024]

Ignoring things like “momentum”, reality is like parts of this diagram. Except the height of the COG is just a guess. It can vary by what attachments are connected, they’re raised height or if set on the ground, tire ballast, and the height and weight of the FEL.

But what is true: Once the COG tips so that a vertical line down from it extends to nearly outside of the wheel stance width, the tractor is tipping over. (That is: the line “COG-L” or line “COG-R” becomes vertical)

Because we don’t know your tractors COG height and the initial stance width, we can’t calculate what an additional 2” or 4” width means in additional tipping degrees it takes to move the COG to the left or right, outside of the wheel stance. Otherwise, it’s geometry.

Most definitely on the moving CG while tipping. It also changes while lifting weight in the loader, having a backhoe on the rear and its various motions, etc.

I just went through and did my best to recalculate the widely published (and generalized) CG being “two feet in front of the rear axle and 10” above its center” for my tractor at rest. With front tires filled 75%, rears filled 50%, a backhoe installed, empty and folded in and loader bucket empty tilted up at the bottom for transport, the weight parameters moved the CG horizontally toward the rear 4.87”.

 

[halfBaked2024]

Are dual rear wheels an option ?
If so. change your order to add them. Factory approved and you have your added stability.

Yes, duals come standard and it comes with wheels mounted in negative offset. I still have them putting on 3” Bro-tek spacers.

 

[halfBaked2024]

Ballast is great for keeping rear on ground when doing heavy lifting with FEL, didn't do much for CG changes other than reminder to keep FEL low whenever possible, however wheel spaced do do a lot to make tractor more stable on side loading (anti tip) on slopes...

Rimguarding my rear tires to 50% (+920.2# total ballast for both tires) lowered the wheel+tire CG down 10.65” from axle center. Nothing dramatic, but I think it helps the overall tractor CG that way as well.

I’m not a physics professor, but I can see where filling tires above the 50% mark would start moving the wheel+tire CG back up toward the axle center.

 

[halfBaked2024]

Are you city folk trying to farm hillsides??? That is what LiveStock is for.

Internet win for the day, @Gord Baker

100% caught by a real tractor operator! You have Jeremy Clarkson to thank for all us idiots from the city. We have found the only pretty land y’all left for us city folk to work are the hills, man. I just can’t bring myself to pay $5,000 - $8,000 per acre for a flat piece of cleared pasture land in the middle of nowhere.

We city folk need to get used to the equipment and process first, then maybe… juuuust maybe… the animals.

 

[halfBaked2024]

I went ahead and rolled the dice on 3” rear spacers from Bro-tek using @WranglerX ’s link. $450 delivered and dealer agreed to put them on for me.

We’ll see how it goes, but I’m still going to do the maths when I find the time.

@WranglerX - Bro-teks showed up on Thursday. I was taught to never trust a box and opened everything to verify contents and fastener counts. Wow, what an incredibly well machined and packaged product. You can tell a lot about manufacturer’s pride in their product by how well they pack and ship. Brings meaning to today’s all-but-meaningless marketing buzz term “Made in the USA”.

This product did not disappoint and I immediately called Richard (the owner) in Maine to let him know as much. If you get a chance, give him a ring… he really enjoyed hearing the feedback and said these products that help “the tractor guys” are the most fulfilling for him to manufacture.

 

[halfBaked2024]

Nice Drawing. Forget spacers and go Up and Down hills/slopes, or keep off them

Wait until you see my next drawings, @Gord Baker - I’ll put them in a new post and tag you.

 

[Flogger]

Perhaps the biggest benefit of ballasting is the increased stability it provides. With even weight distribution, the tractor’s center of gravity is lowered. This provides better control over the machine, especially when working on rough or uneven terrain.

 

[Flogger]

There is a noticable loss of performance with liquid ballast also. It likely would not be an issue unless you are working the machine at 70% or above but it can really make a difference when farming.