1705 wheel weights?

[Mattsy Fergy]

I do have the tires loaded, but I slid down a hill on wet grass, in 2wd recently, back tires locked up, loader on. So I started into looking at extra weight for the rear. The wheels have no holes for bolt on weights.
So I guess I'm looking at building a weight box for the 3pt hitch arms. I'm trying to avoid buying chains for winter, but will probably have to anyway.
How much weight is safe on the arms?

 

[atsah]

I carry a 550lb 54inch Blizzard blower on the 3pt. I use a weight box in the summer for ballast with 450lbs in it.

 

[WranglerX]

Use 4WD and you can have some front wheel braking... BUT you need rear ballast...

I just picked up 260 pounds of barbell weights for beginning of my ballast weight.. Looking for about another 260-300 lbs...

Was doing calculations for the DL 95 FEL and it worked out to be about (minimal) 600 pounds...That would be about 4 cubic feet of concrete

Dale

 

[oosik]

I ALWAYS have something on the 3-point. About 90% of the time - Rhino 950 rear blade @ 1100#. OR the LPGS @800# or the chipper at 760#.

Plus I have 1550# of RimGuard in the rear tires.

How much weight can your lower arms on you 3-point system carry - check your owners manual or go to TractorData.com.

 

[atsah]

Mine says the 3pt will lift 1190lbs..

 

[Mattsy Fergy]

OK, thanks guys. I was thinking 450-500 lbs would be good.
My buddy says "just eat a few more donuts"! :laughing:

 

[atsah]

OK, thanks guys. I was thinking 450-500 lbs would be good.
My buddy says "just eat a few more donuts"! :laughing:

That's why I like the weight box, you can add and take weight from it pretty easy.

 

[Q1968]

I do have the tires loaded, but I slid down a hill on wet grass, in 2wd recently, back tires locked up, loader on. So I started into looking at extra weight for the rear. The wheels have no holes for bolt on weights.
So I guess I'm looking at building a weight box for the 3pt hitch arms. I'm trying to avoid buying chains for winter, but will probably have to anyway.
How much weight is safe on the arms?

Titan Attachments offers a nice weight box for a reasonable price. Apparently I do not meet the minimum post count to embed a link, but it's easy to find.

I have mine filled with solid concrete blocks from Home Depot, I would guess total weight somewhere around 5-600lb. It carries that with no problem and makes the tractor much more stable when moving heavy loads with the bucket.

 

[Mattsy Fergy]

Thanks, but I enjoy building things, and I'm too cheap to pay that much.

 

[FTG-05]

Thanks, but I enjoy building things, and I'm too cheap to pay that much.

Then make your own lead, steel and concrete wheel weights:

~250 lbs each.

 

[Mattsy Fergy]

Nice, but as I stated in my first post, there are no holes in the wheels for wheel weight bolts, and I don't want to drill any.
I have a lot of scrap steel with which to build a weight box, and fill it.

 

[TheFarmerInAdell]

My 1705 has factory wheel weights. I'll have to take a look next time I'm at my mom's to see how they're mounted. I thought they had bolts through the wheels. Maybe there were 2 options for wheels on the 1705's?

 

[WranglerX]

My 1705 has factory wheel weights. I'll have to take a look next time I'm at my mom's to see how they're mounted. I thought they had bolts through the wheels. Maybe there were 2 options for wheels on the 1705's?

Interesting because my 1715 does not have any holes for wheel weights either...

Dale

 

[AxleHub]

I do have the tires loaded, but I slid down a hill on wet grass, in 2wd recently, back tires locked up, loader on. So I started into looking at extra weight for the rear. The wheels have no holes for bolt on weights.
So I guess I'm looking at building a weight box for the 3pt hitch arms. I'm trying to avoid buying chains for winter, but will probably have to anyway.
How much weight is safe on the arms?

Mattsy, doing 3 things wrong doesn't mean you have to get complicated to correct it.

1. Going down a hill in 2wd is just not smart. . . So don't do it.
2. If you are on wet grass your traction is significantly altered.
3. Hill, Front loader on, wet grass, 2wd . . . . Stop and think. . . Lots of stories on this site (like 2 of mine) tell you not to do it.

What's my point? Before you start adding tons of weight, recognize a better way as many have written about
A. Back down a steep hill if you have a loader bucket of material.
B. Be in 4wd
C. If you can't walk it because it's slippery. . You can't ride it until it's dry.

As far as rear weight, I made a small but efficient weight rack and on the worst tasks I have less than 300 lbs total on the three point plus of course rears are loaded and my weight in the seat. My point is this. . If you have only 300 lbs in your bucket going down a steep hill forward on wet grass in 2wd you can't have enough traction if you had 1000 lbs on the 3 pt because weight at a steep angle and multiplied front leverage and only 2wd on wet grass doesn't offset traction loss. You need to also do smart things or risk calamity.

Like many others, as a new owner I did "a race to the bottom" too. But I learned real fast never to do it again. And I and several others wrote about it often. Adding some weight on your 3 pt is smart. . . But it won't offset poor operation methods. You need both to be safe and effective.

Jmho

 

[charlton289]

I made what I call a belly weight it goes on to the mower lift arms and weighs about 150 lbs. It helps when I have back blade on but when you drop the blade you lose the weight on the back wheels but with that I at least have some extra weight on the back tires. I made it for my GC 1705 I don't have it totally done yet because it swings and it just barely touched the hydro filter and the first time I used it bent the filter plate. I will try to get some pictures next I have it on I got the mower on now.

 

[Mattsy Fergy]

Axlehub. Thanks for your comments. The bucket was empty btw.
I shift in and out of 4wd often, just didn't in this case. I usually remove the loader for mowing, more to eliminate the chance of hitting something with it, than anything else.
I understand the concepts of slippery slope operation, I grew up on a farm, and was an equipment operator early on in my career.
The hill really isn't that steep, does not normally cause problems, and I don't normally mow when wet, but it needed to get done.
It was a learning experience.

Basically it raised the need for weight this winter when plowing.

 

[atsah]

Axlehub. Thanks for your comments. The bucket was empty btw.
I shift in and out of 4wd often, just didn't in this case. I usually remove the loader for mowing, more to eliminate the chance of hitting something with it, than anything else.
I understand the concepts of slippery slope operation, I grew up on a farm, and was an equipment operator early on in my career.
The hill really isn't that steep, does not normally cause problems, and I don't normally mow when wet, but it needed to get done.
It was a learning experience.

Basically it raised the need for weight this winter when plowing.

If I didn't have a 500lb blower on the back and V-BAR ice chains on all 4, my GC would be just about worthless at my place..

 

[AxleHub]

If I didn't have a 500lb blower on the back and V-BAR ice chains on all 4, my GC would be just about worthless at my place..

Atsah,

I'd love to know why there is such a difference in your tractor traction and mine. I plow with an addon to my fel. I have a long and steep concrete driveway and I have just under 300 lbs on my 3 pt. hitch on a custom weight holder I created (300 lbs includes weights and holder). I have never used chains of any type on my tires and I can plow uphill as well as downhill and can go uphill in forward or reverse. I do have turf tires and only 1 time did I have even a brief slip on the steepest part of the driveway on glare ice over the last 3 years. Yet it seems we have great differences in our traction. A GC1715 and a GC1705 can't be the issue - any ideas other than tires that could cause such a dramatic difference?

 

[atsah]

The R4 tires I really don’t care for, R1 or turfs would be better, along with the ice conditions here are nasty. With the blower on the hitch, tires loaded and ice chains on all four, it’s a little tank.. I clean the snow out of my dog yard that’s out back, I have almost got stuck in there but haven’t yet.

 

[irvingj]

Ditto on the turf tires. Mine are now 11 years old (I know, I should replace them...), but doing snow, all I use is 4WD and my front-mount blower. Contrary to the pic below, BH is now removed for snow removal. I also do not have loaded tires.

I've had to put chains on only once, due to one of our NE ice storms. I've been very pleased with the turf tires' performance.