FEL Lift capacity

[joefromga]

Jcoon is right. Especially when it comes to bouncing around a worksite. It makes the middle of the tractor take a lot of bending force. Probably not enough to break in two but definitely something to consider.

His point was why overload or run at full max? Take 2 trips and be safe as well as keep your tractor lasting longer.

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[4570Man]

I haven’t read this whole thread but I’ve read at least a dozen before. It takes a substantial amount of weight on the back to lighten the front axle load. Anyone who thinks adding something simple like a box blade is saving the front axel is wrong. My tractor loader still has the hydraulics to lift the back end off the ground with loaded tires and a box blade. It doesn’t take a genius to see the base tractor weight plus 1000 pound is harder on the front end than just the base tractor weight. I’ve done at least 2 small scale demonstrations with a plastic loader.

 

[4570Man]

Here’s a picture a buddy send me. I’m sure if he had another 1000 pounds of counter weight and was actually able to lift the load the front axle load would be less, right?

 

[Turbys_1700]

The distance the rear ballast is from the rear axle affects the load on the front axle also. My 472 Brown would get the front end light on my 4610 SU. It was a 6 foot cutter and leveraged the weight further back from the rear axle. I think it weighed around 1100#.

 

[LD1]

MAYBE everyone is misunderstanding me... talking over the Internet is difficult..


Rear ballast weight does go onto the rear axles, but some of that added weight also transfers to the front when you have your FEL loaded.

I still aint sure if you get this or not. So I am gonna try one last time to spell it out. I think you get it. Because as long as your hydraulics are strong enough to lift the @$$ of the tractor, then yes, the more weight ultimately adds to the front end.

Tractor comes with just a bare machine and no ballast.

No ballast. 4000# tractor + loader. Loader can only lift 400# before the rear end comes off the ground. 4400# is now on front axle

Add 400# rear ballast. This allows you to lift 700# with the front end loader before rear end hikes. 5100# is now on front

Add 600# ballast. This allows you to lift the full max 1000# of the loader, but the rears are just floating. for all intents everything is on the front. We now have 5600# on the front.

5600# is the MOST the front is gonna see. ANY additional weight above and beyond the 600# is now gonna start reducing the front axle load and adding it back to the rear.

800# on the rear (200# more than just floating the rear end). Lets say that additional 200# of ballast transfers 150# back off the front end. We now have a total tractor weight of 5800#, but only 5450# now on the front.

Lets jump to a 1200# weight This might transfer another 300-400 off the front. So now we have a tractor with a total weight of 6200# and only 5000# over the front when in MAX lift mode. and keeping 1200# on the rears as opposed to very little.

These numbers arent representative of anything, just for illustration purposes.

But I think the issues lies with you thinking that just because I add more weight to the back automatically means I am gonna lift more weight up front as a result. And yes.....if thats what I do, then yes, thats more weight on the front.

I am talking about like for like. Let me end with a simple question to see If you have a good grasp.

If I have a 2000# pallet I want to move with my pallet forks....and I put my 1200# rear blade on I can move it. I can ALSO put my 1600# mower on (same weight center behind rear axle) and move said pallet. Which one is gonna have the least load on the front axle?

 

[Jcoon]

OK guys see the problem is you’re putting words in my mouth all I ever said at the beginning was that putting a rear ballast on the tractor will put more weight on the front end as you have proven with your numbers at the beginning you wrote 4400 pounds is now on the front axle at the end you’re at 5000 pounds over the front axle. And at one point in your example we were at 5600 pounds on the front axle .

 

[LD1]

OK guys see the problem is you’re putting words in my mouth all I ever said at the beginning was that putting a rear ballast on the tractor will put more weight on the front end as you have proven with your numbers at the beginning you wrote 4400 pounds is now on the front axle at the end you’re at 5000 pounds over the front axle. And at one point in your example we were at 5600 pounds on the front axle .

The problem is you act like you dont understand the physics, or english I guess.

Putting more weight on the rear end of the tractor will NOT put more weight on the front end as you claim it will.

WHY, because you DIDNT elaborate.

Putting more weight on the back "CAN" increase the load on the front "IF" you choose to lift more with the loader as a result.

IF you simply need to move a 500# pallet......and you choose to do it wit nothing on the back.....or choose to do it with 500# on the back.....adding the weight is NOT going to put more weight on the front axle.

 

[deezler]

Putting more weight on the back "CAN" increase the load on the front "IF" you choose to lift more with the loader as a result.

THANK YOU LD1 for trying to explain this completely basic physics problem.

Let me add one more caveat, "Putting more weight on the back "CAN" increase the load on the front "IF" you choose to lift more with the loader as a result." AND, only if you CAN lift more weight. If your loader relief valve is already kicking in, additional rear ballast will REDUCE front end weight by using the rear axle as a fulcrum.

Any weight behind the rear axle moves the center of gravity rearward on the tractor, reducing front end weight. JCoon is only right IF and WHEN the rear axle comes off the ground from lifting too much. BUT! If you have sufficient rear ballast, the rear NEVER comes off the ground before the relief valve hits, thus, reducing front end stress. It's that simple.

 

[oosik]

I had two paragraphs of the most simple answer I could conceive - but I gave up. You MUST understand the basic principles of physics even to understand the simplest answer.

Jcoon - you are just going to have to take it on faith. Putting weight on the 3-point WILL DECREASE the weight on the front axle.

 

[GirlWhoWantsTractor]

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?