Ballasting calculations

oosik · Apr 13, 2014

I've looked for over two hours and can not find anyhere that tells me how to calculate how much ballast - either in my tires, on the 3-point or both - I need for my tractor. I have no problem with creating ballast - I just want to know how to calculate how much I need. Thanks

arnoldziffel · Apr 13, 2014

Nothing in your tractor owner's manual?

oosik · Apr 13, 2014

Naa - - just max capacities for the 3-point and the loader & various common attachments.

George2615 · Apr 13, 2014

On April 1 you posted you have 68 gallons of Rimguard in each rear tire. 746 Lb. plus a 675 Lb rear blade. How much more do you need? Is the rear still too light when using the loader?

pmhowe · Apr 13, 2014

Hi Oosik,

Your loader manual should give you some recommendations. For example, I have the LA 854 loader on my L4240. It says: " For tractor stability and operator's safety, rear ballast should be added to the rear of the tractor in the form of 3-point counter weight and rear wheel ballast. The amount of rear ballast will depend upon application." It also adds that a 6' box scraper has a counterweight of approximately 990 lb, a rotary tiller is approx. 530 lbs, etc. I have a cement counterweight I made for my 3-point hitch. It weighs 1200 lb.

oosik · Apr 13, 2014

George,
That is exactly correct(1500 lb of rim guard & a 575 lb rear blade). In a week or so I will be having a grapple installed. I really do not want to find out if what I have now is sufficient or not by trial & error. I will, with the grapple, be able to put a significantly heavier load on the front than with the bucket. And no, the tractor has never been light in the rear using only the bucket.

pmhowe
My owners manual says basically the same thing. I love the phrase - "The amount of rear ballast will depend upon application" - - NO KIDDING.

Is it so very difficult for the manufacturers to at least indicate a ballpark calculation or are they concerned about liability?? Let me ask - - how did you know that 1200 lb was the correct amount of weight for your tractor and its various front end implements??

I'm not trying to be a smart a-- or anything close. I just would like to know how much ballast I need before my tractor becomes loosey/goosey lifting a load.

George2615 · Apr 13, 2014

Well then, I guess to be safe you'll need to put about 3K on the 3 pt. Not trying to be smart but if you think you are going to increase what you lift with the loader then max out the 3 pt. ballast. In all seriousness probably 2K on the 3 pt. would suffice.

oosik · Apr 13, 2014

Somewhere, I have two pages of formulas & intense calculations that will allow you to determine how much can be safely lifted up front(bucket or grapple) when you have X amount of weight on the 3-point and in the tires or both. I haven't found them yet and I was kinda hoping somebody had some easy way to figure this out. Believe me, the calculations I had were intense to the extreme. I know by running these calcs, about two years ago. that my current ballast - rim guard and rear blade - is sufficient for anything I would be lifting with the bucket. Unless it was something like wet concrete and I'll never be there. However, a lot of the ponderosa pines I have would easily max out the FEL with a grapple on it.
My 3-point can handle up to 4200 lb. If there is no quicky method of doing this I will have to do some serious digging and then run those nasty calculations. If I find I will need added weight I could modify the rear blade to hang something like suitcase weights on it.
Thanks for your input guys. Oosik

Oldtink · Apr 13, 2014

I'm sure someone smarter than myself can give you a better idea of how to calculate that but take a look at Levers
and I think you'll see that it takes an enormous amount of weight on the 3 pt hitch since it's "lever" is only 2 or 3 feet behind the fulcrum to unload the front axle but anything helps counter act on the additional load that maybe picked up in the bucket.