Best way to add rear end weight

[Mike5252]

I'm just full of questions this week!

Ok, I have a 5252 (two wheel drive) with a FEL. I knew from the outset this wouldn't be the optimal set up for loader work, but the 5000 series still gives me a huge amount of options I wouldn't have with a smaller unit. To make matters worse, I currently have turf tires. I need to get as much traction as possible out of the unit, keeping in mind it will almost exclusively be used in my suburban yard. My current thinking is as follows:

1. Replace air in tires (rear only I suppose?) with some type of fluid. Does it matter what goes into the tire? In reading other posts I thought I had seen people use a couple different solutions in their tires. Are these just "different" or is one "better" than the others?

2. Purchase rear weight bracket and set of weights. I like the idea of using a 3pt hitch mounted accessory as additional rear weight, but I really don't have any short term plans to need a box blade or the like.

3. Replace current turf tires with either AG or R4 tires. I know this would be harder on the yard, but if it ultimately comes to this which would be better at both increasing traction and minimizing yard damage? Does anyone just have a separate set of mounted AG tires to switch onto for the heavy duty work?

Given the fairly lackluster traction I experienced while playing around with my loader a couple weekends ago, I'm thinking all three of the above should make a positive difference. Thoughts/comments/observations?

 

[Bob_Skurka]

You have to realize first that it is very dangerous to us an unballasted tractor for FEL work. Light tractor, heavy tractor, big or small, you will not find any manufacturer who suggests that you can safely operate a FEL without some amount of ballast on the rear end.

Balance is the key when operating a FEL. The weight of the FEL and the load in the bucket throw off the balance of the tractor and cause the rear end to be very light. Changing tires to R4 or R1 will not solve your problem. Both give better traction when they are in firm contact with the ground, but neither will provide anything but minimal help if you don't balance the load on your tractor by offsetting the front load with a rear load.

In your case I would suggest you start out with a weight box on the 3pt hitch. Your dealer will be happy to sell you one, you can take it home and fill it with bags of sand, concrete, scrap iron or whatever heavy things you have. It will make a world of difference in the traction, and when you are not using the FEL you can take it off to keep the soil compaction down on your lawn.

If that is not enough weight, you could fluid fill the tires.

• Stay away from standard automotive anti-freeze. It is highly toxic and a tablespoon of it will kill a child or a large size dog. It also smells sweet so it is attractive to kids and animals. If it leaks out of your tire you will have a nasty mess that must be hosed down with lots of water.
• Rim Guard, Beet Juice, Windshield Solvent or RV Anti-Freeze (a non-toxic anti-freeze used by RVs to prevent freezing of their water systems during winter storage) are all viable choices.

It is very likely that your owners manual (the one for your FEL) will tell you how much ballast you need on the rear of your tractor to operate the FEL. Its actually surprising to me that your dealer did not STRONGLY urge you to buy a weight box or fluid fill or both.

 

[Hard]

My Cub dealer has a ballast box for the 5000 series he sells with the FEL package. Your dealer may have the same thing. Also, Massey has a 3pt hitch mounted weight bar for suitcase weights for the GC2300 sub-cut.

 

[DmansPadge]

Bob gave you great info. A heavy box blade is also a good way to go... and hey... who can't use a box blade every now and then? Once you add the needed amount of weight you will likely not have any more problems. But if traction is still an issue... R1 (AG) tires are your best bet.

 

[browns40]

Mike,

These guys are right on--ideally you'd load tires and get a box blade (the ballast box is compact but can do no work--just storage if needed).

If you want to use the loader effectively, avoid compaction when not loading, and have a great attachment you will find uses for once you have it, a box blade is the best. It'll give you a counterweight for the loader, where loaded tires just weigh down the back part of the frame. You want something "picking up" on the front wheels the same way the loader lifts the back wheels for balance.

And once you factor in cost of filling tires... a little more gets you another tool.

 

[Mike5252]

Thanks for the advice everyone. A box blade it is.

 

[ronjhall]

Make sure that you purchase a Box Blade that has enough weight to counterweight the FEL. I have a 60" Land Pride Box Blade. It does not provide as much counterweight as my Weight Box filled with concrete.

 

[OhioGuy]

Mike,
Another option might be a carry all for the rear. TSC has one for about $115.
You could pretty easily hang a 55 gallon drum back there and use it for watering purposes or just ballast or hauling any number of items.

You can always buy the boxblade if the need arises, it may not.

I bought a 55 gallon boom sprayer at a yard sale and it's pretty handy also. The PTO pump generates 60 or so PSI, I can water the heck out of the garden in the dry spells!

Curt

 

[JohnSinVA]

Make sure that you purchase a Box Blade that has enough weight to counterweight the FEL. I have a 60" Land Pride Box Blade. It does not provide as much counterweight as my Weight Box filled with concrete.

I disagree with this. Buy a box blade that is properly sized to work with the machine you have. A 2WD subcompact will have difficulty pulling anything bigger than a 4' box blade. Hang suitcase weights or some other form of ballast on it if you need more weight when using the FEL.