FEL Lift capacity

[TMGT]

I think I get it now. It's all about how the weight is balanced between front and rear.

4000# bare tractor, no FEL, no rear implement. Weight is *approximately* equal on front and rear axles.

Add a FEL + load totaling 1000# to the front, you have not only added 1000# to the front axle, you have also transferred *some of the rest of the tractor weight* to the front, due to the front wheels acting like a fulcrum. And if the rears come off the ground, you have transferred ALL of the rest of the tractor weight to the front wheels.

Now add 1000# implement to the rear, and you've rebalanced the tractor, causing the weight to be more evenly distributed between front and rear. You have effectively *reduced* the weight on the front wheels.

So.....with a 1000# load on the front, a 500# implement on the rear would reduce the load on the front, and a 1000# implement on the rear would reduce it more, etc. etc. keep adding weight to the rear and eventually the front end lifts off the ground, removing ALL of the weight off the front. A wheelie.

Is that sort of it?

Pretty much, a properly ballasted tractor will have a reduced front axle load even at heaviest lift and still maintain a safe/ workable level of traction and balance.

 

[Xfaxman]

I think I get it now. It's all about how the weight is balanced between front and rear.

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keep adding weight to the rear and eventually the front end lifts off the ground, removing ALL of the weight off the front. A wheelie.

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The rear orange counterweight is 2200 pounds. With nothing on the SSQA, I can do a wheelie.

 

[LD1]

I think I get it now. It's all about how the weight is balanced between front and rear.

4000# bare tractor, no FEL, no rear implement. Weight is *approximately* equal on front and rear axles.

Add a FEL + load totaling 1000# to the front, you have not only added 1000# to the front axle, you have also transferred *some of the rest of the tractor weight* to the front, due to the front wheels acting like a fulcrum. And if the rears come off the ground, you have transferred ALL of the rest of the tractor weight to the front wheels.

Now add 1000# implement to the rear, and you've rebalanced the tractor, causing the weight to be more evenly distributed between front and rear. You have effectively *reduced* the weight on the front wheels.

So.....with a 1000# load on the front, a 500# implement on the rear would reduce the load on the front, and a 1000# implement on the rear would reduce it more, etc. etc. keep adding weight to the rear and eventually the front end lifts off the ground, removing ALL of the weight off the front. A wheelie.

Is that sort of it?

You nailed it.

 

[4570Man]

My buddies Gehl skid steer was like that. Loading it on a trailer without a bucket was nearly impossible.

 

[greggyy]

There is a significant point miseed w/ regard to lifting heavy loads. The teeter totter is a prime example of what is wrong, as with this device there is a relief function. If one side exceeds the balance limit, the opposite end offsets the stress. Too many members are fixated upon max compact tractor lifting abilities. They load up on rear balast, consequently the relief factor is defeated. This scenario is accentuated when transfer from static position to moving. The tractor bounces in reaction to terrain. Nitrogen accumulators are rare on compacts, so with no relief at either end, the stress point is in the middle. Bounce one too many times and owner has a two piece tractor.

The original tractor design, motor direct coupling to transmission housing, did Not account for FEL's. This loader afterthought had minimal load capacity due to light duty front axles and low capacity hydraulics. Manufacturers of 100+ hp machines realized the need for chassis frames but this expense would NOT be absorbed by the compact market. No one was willing to go first. Nitrogen accumulators are a start, but the middle stress point remains fixed.

So when you ballast your tractor 3 point to the max, know this lesson. When a stock held in your portfolio splits, that is good. When this same scenario applies to your tractor/loader, not so much.

Counting upon the relief valve is foolish assurance

EDIT:

Clarifying the Point : When operating the loader at full capacity, adding more ballast is not the wise approach to actually moving the load, additional trips is the better choice. When the rear end becomes light, it should be an indication to reevaluate. OR NOT, as always, choice is yours, and yours alone.

Acknowledging that front axle damage occurs reinforces the premise that the loader relief valve is the only safety factor necessary.

Some jap tractors have al bell housings.....with fel you have to look for cracks or broken housings for this reason....

 

[deezler]

I think I get it now. It's all about how the weight is balanced between front and rear.

4000# bare tractor, no FEL, no rear implement. Weight is *approximately* equal on front and rear axles.

Add a FEL + load totaling 1000# to the front, you have not only added 1000# to the front axle, you have also transferred *some of the rest of the tractor weight* to the front, due to the front wheels acting like a fulcrum. And if the rears come off the ground, you have transferred ALL of the rest of the tractor weight to the front wheels.

Now add 1000# implement to the rear, and you've rebalanced the tractor, causing the weight to be more evenly distributed between front and rear. You have effectively *reduced* the weight on the front wheels.

So.....with a 1000# load on the front, a 500# implement on the rear would reduce the load on the front, and a 1000# implement on the rear would reduce it more, etc. etc. keep adding weight to the rear and eventually the front end lifts off the ground, removing ALL of the weight off the front. A wheelie.

Is that sort of it?

Be-zactly. Well s'plained.

 

[Xfaxman]

The rear orange counterweight is 2200 pounds. With nothing on the SSQA, I can do a wheelie.

View attachment 568101

Well no one looked close enough at the picture to see that it is Fake News!

Here is the Real News picture with the grapple compressing the brush:

 

[4570Man]

Well no one looked close enough at the picture to see that it is Fake News!

Here is the Real News picture with the grapple compressing the brush:

View attachment 568236

Man I believed you because my buddies gehl skid steer really did that.

 

[Texasmark]

Texasmark - makes me wonder - if in some cases the load capabilities are exceeding safety limits - just to create a selling point. And I agree, before somebody gets into serious lifting with either the FEL or 3-point - consult and UNDERSTAND the technical data/lifting charts for both units.

And, please, recognize that the data for my tractor is ONLY for my tractor. Has NOTHING to do with the capabilities of your tractor.

I don't know since I haven't operated some I have seen advertised and I notice ID type numbers are different also. All they have to do is to up the setting of the pressure relief valve, or up the diameter of the pistons and check to see that that the frame can take the stress. The breakaway psi is well above the normal working pressure as it is so there is room for change. There is a safety factor built into the loader, like most things, may be 2:1, 4:1 or on critical things, maybe more.

My 6530 is rated at 2000# roughly and it's right on. No doubt the tractor mounting can take it. The steel on that sucker is 1" thick. I buy fertilizer by the ton on a skid and lift off a trailer with a 4000# rated pallet fork I bought in 2016.......thinking I was getting ahead....see below.

Just the weight of the fork and the distance out from the fulcrum where the pallet rides makes it an iffy lift vs what I used before which was a jury rig I made out of pipes I ran through the skid and picked up at the fulcrum point with chains.....have a picture of that around here somewhere.

When somebody mentions the angle of the lift and lifting capacity vs height of the FEL there IS something to that. On the above with the forks, I can lift the pallet about 2" off the trailer (at PTO rated rpms) and drive the trailer out from under the pallet. Trying to go any higher and the popoff activates.