k0ua
Epic Contributor
Also please don't forget that your tractors front axle is on a single center pivot pin. So if you try to lift a load that is unbalanced or the ground slopes a bit one direction, you can easily raise a rear tire off of the ground. You can easily have one of those heavy rear loaded tires 2 foot off of the ground in a fraction of a second. Your two front tires are on the ground but one of your rear tires is off of the ground because the entire tractor pivoted around that pin because of an unbalanced condition.
Which can even be caused by running over a rock or dropping into a hole. It looks like you have 4 solid tires and wheels at the 4 corners of the tractor. How can it tip over so fast? Because the tractor rolls around that pivot pin and one tire comes up. Solution? Proper 3 point ballast.
I have even had both back tires 2 foot off of the ground, by not having ENOUGH rear ballast on the 3 point hitch even though I had loaded tires. It was kind of puzzling, I kept trying to lift this big rock I had chained into my bucket, but when I pulled back on the stick, it kept sinking to the ground. The wife was yelling something about my wheels being off of the ground. They sure were. If there had been the slightest imbalance side to side in the load, the tractor would have likely tipped over on its side.
If you remember nothing else from all of this, remember ALWAYS keep your loads as close to the ground as possible, travel slowly with heavy loads, and if you do need to lift them high, make sure you are on flat ground, and stopped when you lift and inch forward to dump them. Height=DANGER. Lots of people like to show off by raising some load up high, try NOT to do that. And if you expect to do any heavy lifting at all, always have proper ballast on your 3 point hitch. It can save your life, or at least prevent damage to you and your machine.
Which can even be caused by running over a rock or dropping into a hole. It looks like you have 4 solid tires and wheels at the 4 corners of the tractor. How can it tip over so fast? Because the tractor rolls around that pivot pin and one tire comes up. Solution? Proper 3 point ballast.
I have even had both back tires 2 foot off of the ground, by not having ENOUGH rear ballast on the 3 point hitch even though I had loaded tires. It was kind of puzzling, I kept trying to lift this big rock I had chained into my bucket, but when I pulled back on the stick, it kept sinking to the ground. The wife was yelling something about my wheels being off of the ground. They sure were. If there had been the slightest imbalance side to side in the load, the tractor would have likely tipped over on its side.
If you remember nothing else from all of this, remember ALWAYS keep your loads as close to the ground as possible, travel slowly with heavy loads, and if you do need to lift them high, make sure you are on flat ground, and stopped when you lift and inch forward to dump them. Height=DANGER. Lots of people like to show off by raising some load up high, try NOT to do that. And if you expect to do any heavy lifting at all, always have proper ballast on your 3 point hitch. It can save your life, or at least prevent damage to you and your machine.