Buying new 790

[dirt ditch]

I was thinking of building a ballast bar out of some antique aftermarket JD wheel weights when I got the 790.
But some of the ballast box tool holder ideas on this site looked like great ideas.
I am thinking of painting the inside of the box with a pickup bed liner paint before filling with concrete and pipe. I could also make a bracket out of 8" pipe and weld it to the out side of the ballast box to hold the wheel weights which would add 300 pounds. But I don't know how much weight I will need yet.

 

[tessiers]

I strongly recomend loading the rear tires

Mine Are Loaded and the loader is not strong enough to lift the rear tires

I still Always have something or another on the back

My problem is with the Backhoe Installed the front end is way to light (Doesn't steer well)

I love my 790 We bought it for our family farm and it has proven excellent

 

[RoyJackson]

I strongly recomend loading the rear tires

Mine Are Loaded and the loader is not strong enough to lift the rear tires

I still Always have something or another on the back

My problem is with the Backhoe Installed the front end is way to light (Doesn't steer well)

I love my 790 We bought it for our family farm and it has proven excellent

The Ballast Box helps most when you're digging in a pile of dried out clumpy material. The loader load might not lift your rear tires, but you'll likely lose traction when attacking that pile of material.
I'm surprised the front end of your tractor is so light with the 'hoe on. You do have your loader installed, right?
I believe some TBNer's partially fill their loader bucket when the 'hoe is installed.

 

[dirt ditch]

Would it work with 6 wheel weights, that would be 360 lbs. on the rear axle + ballast box? I don't want to load the tires if I don't have to. My grandfather still has his 48 8N Ford he bought new. He rusted out 2 sets of wheels on the 8N with loaded tires. Now he has wheel weights on the tractor and it works just fine.

Fixing a leaking loaded tire is a pain, so I want to avoid loading them if possible.

 

[RoyJackson]

Would it work with 6 wheel weights, that would be 360 lbs. on the rear axle + ballast box? I don't want to load the tires if I don't have to. My grandfather still has his 48 8N Ford he bought new. He rusted out 2 sets of wheels on the 8N with loaded tires. Now he has wheel weights on the tractor and it works just fine.

Fixing a leaking loaded tire is a pain, so I want to avoid loading them if possible.

That should do it.
The biggest advantage of filled tires is getting weight as low as possible for stability. Also, installing and removing those weights can be a daunting task, so I have been told (never did it myself), but it sounds like your weights are only 60 lbs each...not so bad.

 

[Nuru]

That should do it.
The biggest advantage of filled tires is getting weight as low as possible for stability. Also, installing and removing those weights can be a daunting task, so I have been told (never did it myself), but it sounds like your weights are only 60 lbs each...not so bad.

Hello Roy! how have you been?

So far I have been lucky and have not had to use weights. But i have not done any seriuos digging yet. I plan to switch my front tires today as my super turfs don't seem to like the loader arms and the boom blade too much. One of them lookeed pretty low right away, and so I am probably gong to switch them today. I may try to inflate them but I am really worried about damaging the fronts. So I may end up running the super turf rears with the R3 fronts - since it is for snow plowing, I should be okay - unless the rear turfs don't provide traction in the snow? Hmm, wonder if I should switch all four? Any comments?

 

[mboulais]

I'm really sorry Deere is replacing the 90 series tractors. The replacement tractors will probably be Chinese junk.
However, the 90 series has been around for almost 10 years now...quite a lifespan for a tractor.

The 90 series aren't American made either.

 

[RoyJackson]

The 90 series aren't American made either.

I know...they're Japanese...Yanmar.
Chinese crap is just that...crap.

 

[Westendorf-RR]

On that note. I was dissapointed that when I drove a JD 3520 last weekend, the first thing I noticed was the big "MADE IN CHINA" on the loader. Its probably made to JD specs but I don't associate CHINA with quality ... yet.

Anyone heard if the availability or if lead times have been a problem?

 

[Mech]

My dealer said he is still getting them and didn't know anything about them being discontinued. He is in Lakewood, CO.