Does the weight of the FEL give you more stability??

[Mystro]

I was wondering if the weight of the Front End Loader gives the tractor more stability if kept low while mowing the law and othe tasks that don't involve the FEL???

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

I first wanted to say yes if kept low but I've owned BXs with and without FELs and I FELT more secure driving across hills on those without FELs vs those with FELs and bucket kept low.
Don't know if it was just a feeling or fact. Even with bucket low the FEL arms come up on the upper part of the tractor so..........?

 

[LBrown59]

I was wondering if the weight of the Front End Loader gives the tractor more stability if kept low while mowing the law and othe tasks that don't involve the FEL???

That all depends on what you are doing with the tractor .

 

[UncleAl]

I would say no. I personally never mow with my FEL mounted, more weight = more yard damage as the front tires dig in more while turning

 

[94BULLITT]

I would say no, it raises the center of gravity. It will help going uphill, BX's seem light on the front end.

 

[crazyal]

My answer is yes, sort of. If on ground that I'm not sure about I want the fel on. If one of the rear tires starts to come off the ground you can quickly put the bucket on the ground and stop it. But if you're not paying attention then it's not going to help you.

 

[devildog1]

When mowing the back lot @ my place about 2 1/2 acres, I take off the FEL because ground is quite flat and when turning less weight on front tires and less to no scuffing the lawn on turns.
DevilDog

 

[Baby Grand]

You'd have to compare the CG of the tractor with & without the FEL to get a real answer. Both vertical & the fore/aft weight bias, as the front axle can pivot, so not much help stability/metacenter wise. Probably depends on the particular tractor model & FEL option/attachments. FWIW, my L3240 tractor FEELS a lot more stable with the FEL removed, too.

 

[dodge man]

I have quite a hilly property, some of which I mow as a side hill, and its much more stable without the FEL on. The only time it would be better to have it on would be if going up a very steep hill, it would help weigh down the front end.

 

[RaydaKub]

It's gonna be more stable w/o the FEL on for this simple reason: No matter ballast or not, the FEL is going to transfer weight to the front end, so the rear end is going to be lighter than w/o the FEL. When you transfer the weight off the back end, you have put it on a pivoting axle that, even if the front wheels stay on the ground, allows the tractor to lean downhill. So you have less weight on that solid up-hill rear wheel and less stability.