joshuabardwell
Elite Member
I can't speak to your tractor, but my tractor's user manual explicitly says that the rated load is dependent on rear ballast being present, and that reducing or eliminating rear ballast will reduce the lift capacity. The point is that the tractor HAS been designed to support the rated load, but ONLY when ballast is present. Many full-size tractors and loaders are designed to achieve full lift capacity without additional ballast, but most (all?) compact tractors require additional ballast to safely achieve full lift capacity.
What does "safely achieve full lift capacity" mean? Obviously, if you lift without ballast, your front axle is not going to crack in half; your wheels are not going to fall off. Probably the effect of not using rear ballast will only manifest years down the road when the front axle wheel bearings wear out faster. But in extreme cases, excessive front-axle weight can result in a break. For example, if you are using the loader in 4WD mode--pushing aggressively into a pile of material--you can exceed the capacity of the gear that transfers power to the front axle and break off a tooth. If you are driving with a loaded bucket and you hit a rock or a stump wrong, the sudden shock can cause the same thing to happen (this happened to a poster here on TBN, although I'll never find a link to it).
Notice, in the attached document below, that there are two main configurations listed: rear ballast WITH loaded tires and rear ballast WITHOUT loaded tires. Notice that less rear ballast is needed when loaded tires are present. This illustrates the divide between, "keeping the rear end planted," and, "leveraging weight off the front axle". If the tires are not filled, then the rear ballast must perform both tasks, and more ballast is required. But notice that the difference that loaded tires make is pretty small. You need about 800 lbs of rear ballast without loaded tires, and about 600 lbs of rear ballast with loaded tires. This illustrates that the rear ballast is doing the majority of the work, and loaded tires are no substitute. Also notice that no rated capacity whatsoever is listed for a configuration without any ballast at all. In other words, the manufacturer is saying, "With proper ballast, you can lift this amount. Without proper ballast, we make no guarantees at all."
