Can rear ballast be dangerous?

[Diggin It]

Is there a risk of actually causing the front wheels to lift up and possibly tip over backwards?
I ask this because the tractor just felt different with the weight on today. Going up an incline with the ballast on definitely made me think. I decided to back up the incline because it felt like going forwards could be a little iffy.

The correct answer is ... maybe. It's all about the incline. When I mow my steepest hill, I don't want any extra weight behind me. I keep the loader on and keep it as low and forward as possible. Even then, I get concerned about the front getting light. Your slope may not be as steep as mine though. I have all four tires loaded to keep as much weight on the ground as I can. The loading doesn't add a lot of weight to the small fronts, but every little bit helps .

Going uphill on a steep incline, the BH is probably the worst thing you can have behind you due to the height of it.

Not sure if they all do, but my owner's manual recommends backing uphill. I thought they were nuts until I tried it a couple of times when the front felt flaky.

 

[oosik]

What 4570Man said - post #4. I ALWAYS have weight on the FEL and 3-point. Plus 1550# of RimGuard in the rear tires.

I have an 820# grapple on the FEL and a 1050# rear blade on the 3-point. In the spring I have my 770# Wallenstein chipper on the 3-point for about a month.

I got my Kubota M6040 new in 2009. It felt "different" for about two weeks. Then I got use to this new "feel".

I had one rear wheel lifting experience with my first tractor. Nothing bad happened. It sure as H*LL taught me to be more careful.

It was a new Ford 1700 - I was new to tractors and tractor experiences. Nothing even close to this, since that time.

When lifting "heavy", I'm super sensitive to what the rear end is doing.

 

[Diggin It]

^^ But do you have steep slopes?

 

[oosik]

^^ But do you have steep slopes?

. Generally speaking my land is fairly flat. What few slopes I do have are almost vertical. Nothing I would want to take any kind of equipment onto. A picture taken off my front porch. The basaltic lava cliffs are my slopes. View attachment 671876

 

[Diggin It]

A Cliff is a Claven, not a slope. I can walk all my slopes, but one takes about all I can muster. Tractor and both riding mowers handle it, but grunt in the process. Riders have aged to the point they only want to do it for a few passes before they need to rest and cool their heels, errr, hydros.

 

[oosik]

Whatever. It's a 40 foot drop to the water off the top of the cliff. And that's no joke. No shore line - water is 35 feet deep at the face of the cliff.

A small( ten acre ) but honest example of our lakes in this area. Area is called the Channeled Scablands.

 

[shooterdon]

Like others here, I have rear ballast almost all the time unless using the back blade or rake for ground work. I use my blower (900+ lbs) or a carry all with over 800 lbs in it.

In tight quarters, I need to be careful with either, and watch tight turns nears stuff as the blower is wide. I feel (and know) I am safer with the added weight.

Yesterday I put about 15 IBC totes of maple into the garage for the winter. The IBC totes are modified to hold just under 1/2 cord. That is well over 2000 lbs per tote. I had the blower on. Rears are loaded with RimGuard.

Weight is your friend!!!

 

[Thomas]

Congrats on the new Kioti just remember now you got the tractor fever and there ain't no cure.

I say keep the ballast on less stress on the frontend when turning and working,far as going up steep slope try 4WD but backing up lot safer....type of tire thread and ground conditions can make BIG difference.

Sooo you also live in Lebanon...city of the water fountains. cross roads of New Hampshire and all of that

 

[Deepdrop]

First, I really appreciate all the advice. Thank you all. I guess the question now is how much ballast to have. I have researched this without clear answers but what I learned is that some is better than having none, the owners manuals no longer give that info for many manufacturers of tractors, and some people say to use a weight equal to your maximum front loader capacity.
I guess I could get heavier weights for the 3PH bracket, but lifting these weights is getting hard. Isn't the tractor supposed to keep me from manual work? The forks on my new pallet fork practically killed me. Before I ordered it, I read the reviews and people said the forks are removable, but "kind of heavy". REALLY??? 85 pounds each is more than I care to move around manually these days.
My slopes are probably gradual by most standards. My yard is poorly landscaped and there are lots of dips and rises, that all add a little "thrill" to the tractor ride. Maybe 40 degrees for about 30 feet is as severe as it gets. I did learn the 4WD rule for going down hills the hard way. Luckily I stayed pointed in the right direction, and upright. Just a little older (and maybe wiser).
@oosik: There must be some good fishing in those waters?
@Thomas: Yep. Lebanon. Actually I'm in Etna, but nobody has ever heard of that unless they are local. It's been a tricky adjustment as I always lived near the ocean. Been here 16 years and still really miss the ocean.

 

[oosik]

Yes - weight IS your friend. My property is - Ponderosa pine stands and fields of bunch grass. If I had property like many have here on TBN - I would have trouble with the rear blade on my tractor. It's heavy and sticks WAY out back. It does take some of the load off the front axle.

I have my lake stocked with both large & small mouth bass. There is an unfortunate downside to this. The ducks - golden eye, mallard, coot, wood, etc, etc seldom nest on my lake. I've seen large bass take baby coot a couple times.

View attachment 671897