Tires FEL and R1 Tires

[hunterridgefarm]

I recently purchased a Woods 1012 FEL with 66" bucket and tooth bar for my L3130. I don't see how I ever got by without one. The tractor seems to handle a little different but I have not had a counter balance on the back. Will be putting 6' BB on this afternoon. Only had the FEL two days and trying to get use to operating.
1)My question is does anyone have R1 tires on their 3130 with FEL? If so how does it handle with R1's.Most I have seen have R4's but I needed R1 for traction with 6' disc.
2) What should the pressure be in the front tires? Should I have the fronts filled?

I have done lots of tractor work, bushhog, box blade, plow&disc but FEL is new to me any advise would be greatly appreciated.

 

[PAexcavator]

DON"T fill the front tires, the FEL will give plenty of ballast up front (somewhere around 800lbs on my L3010).

However, filling the rear tires is definitely recommended with an FEL and will improve the ride (much less bouncy) and the traction along with stability. You may still want to add a ballast box ( I usually either have a 500lb ballast or my landscape rake with flipdown grader blade that's about the same weight on the back)

I run R4's which hold more weight filled than the R1's, so you'll need more ballast if you are going to do stuff you're not supposed to, like carrying loads downhill in the FEL and then trying to turn across the hill.

I tried operating my L series FEL with no ballast in rear or tires and in that configuration it was flat out dangerous and VERY unforgiving, wanting to do nasty things with very little warning. I operated it for about 15 minutes (this was my third tractor with FEL) before shutting it down and taking the tires off to get filled. My older tractor (B2150) had already, like the ones before it, had filled tires.

I operate on a lot of slopes and usually fill the rear tires on my tractors within the first week of owning them because it makes them so much more stable and safe. I just bought a BX1500 and filled its' rear tires too.

 

[curt1]

I have R1's on my L3130. I have the LA723 FEL and rear tires are filled with Methanol...Windshield wiper fluid I think. Dealer filled them for free. I also have a 6" box blade on the rear or 5 foot heavy duty rotary cutter at all times. VERY dangerous without weight on the rear. It will get away from you without notice, if you do not use some type of weight.
My R1 tires do fine with the loader as long as you keep the correct pressure in them. The manual says 26 lbs. pressure in the front tires, for 7.2X16. I would check the side of the tires for the Max. inflation pressure, just in case you have a different type of tire.
I would not fill the front tires, at most put some tire sealant in them. Will help with flats. The Berrymans tire sealant at Tractor Supply is priced right and works well.
You will get used to the FEL after a few hours using it. Just be careful, keep the bucket low, no fast turns, slow and deliberate movements until you get used to it. Also read the manual that came with the loader, it is useful. When using the loader in brush/trees watch for overhead falling limbs too! : /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif
Have fun with your new loader!

Curt

 

[hunterridgefarm]

Thanks for the advice. My rear tires are loaded just was not sure about front tires. I put my 6' BB on the back which I new I needed just could not wait to try it out when I brought it home, /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif did not do anything to radical without the counter balance. My first project was to remove an old apple tree that was 15' tall and had a 50" circumferance at the base. Amazing /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif the tree broke off at the forks leaving a 4' stump which I dug up, removed, and smoothed out in less than 2 hrs. Sure does beat a chain saw. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif I plan on taking it slow and not pressing the limits of this machine. I bush hog several hilly lots and I plan on removing ths bucket for this.

 

[curt1]

Its amazing what you can find to do with a loader. Hard for me to imagine buying another tractor without one. You will find lots of fun projects for it.
How did you like the new box blade? Any other new toys on the list in the near future? Have fun!

Curt

 

[btolle]

The biggest safety factor with a FEL is to keep the bucket as low as practical under all circumstances. The higher you have the bucket the more likely you will get in trouble if you drop a front tire in a hole.

The best thing I was taught about a FEL is that when you want to make a smooth cut take your time, go very slow so you can control the height of the bucket.

And the best addition to an FEL is a toothbar for digging. The toothbar probably increased my productivity when digging by at least 50%.

Bill Tolle