For those of you who think the L3400 has a weak loader!!

[LD1]

I have trouble seeing where adding 1000 pounds to the rear end to hold it down takes any load off the front axle but rather just keeps the rear wheels on the ground.

Simply put, there are 2 fulcrums. Both axles. ANY weight behind the rear axle, provided the rear end stays in contact, is transferring weight OFF the front axle. But as I described in my previous post, up to a point, adding rear counterweight wont lessen the load on the front. And that "point" being when the rears are still in the air. Cause you need 2 axles in contact with the ground to have 2 fulcrum points to get the counterweight effect.

 

[Piston]

Correct. But there is no point in boasting about a super lift capacity if one has to have ballast that is way above and beyond normal. And by normal, I would be inclined to say something in the 700-900# range in the form of a tiller, blade, bushhog, or whatever other properly sized implement for the tractor. Sure, you could put 3000lbs on the back of a 2500# tractor just so you can say the loader can lift 2500#, but realistically????? who is going to do that?? and if someone has to fabricate a counterweight like that just to get the max, I'd say they bought the wrong tractor.

I'd rather have the additional capacity of the loader, and use appropriate ballast as need for the situation, than have a loader that can't lift what I need but doesn't need a lot of ballast. It would be better to have the option of extra lift capacity and not need it often, than to to need it and not have the option.

For example, if the L3400 came with two options for a FEL, one being the one you have, and one able to lift 1k lbs more but require more ballast when using the additional capacity, I would personally choose the loader with more lift capacity. I wouldn't always keep the max amount of ballast on, but at least when I need more lift capacity to get that 2k lb log on the mill, I could put extra ballast on and get the job done, verses not being able to do it all.

 

[Bluegill2]

Simply put, there are 2 fulcrums. Both axles. ANY weight behind the rear axle, provided the rear end stays in contact, is transferring weight OFF the front axle. But as I described in my previous post, up to a point, adding rear counterweight wont lessen the load on the front. And that "point" being when the rears are still in the air. Cause you need 2 axles in contact with the ground to have 2 fulcrum points to get the counterweight effect.

I just don't understand why some folks don't get this! It is so simple!

 

[Bluegill2]

If weight is added to the bucket or FEL, all that weight is put on the front axle and the rear becomes lighter.

Put the same weight on the 3 pt hitch and the front becomes lighter. Seesaw effect.

 

[Bluegill2]

This size tractor 3400/3800 has the right size loader and it works extremely well!

If one needs more, get a larger tractor...

 

[David Devuono]

My issue is not what my B3200 can lift, but rather what it can break out of the ground. With the Stock 54 inch smooth bucket you cannot dig into virgin ground and lift out a full bucket of dirt. By making a 48 inch bucket that has about 2/3 the volume of the stock bucket, my tractor has become much more useful in digging up roots and rocks. I use the stock smooth bucket for road work mostly now and the homemade toothed one for everything else.

 

[Tx Jim]

Simply put, there are 2 fulcrums. Both axles. ANY weight behind the rear axle, provided the rear end stays in contact, is transferring weight OFF the front axle. But as I described in my previous post, up to a point, adding rear counterweight wont lessen the load on the front. And that "point" being when the rears are still in the air. Cause you need 2 axles in contact with the ground to have 2 fulcrum points to get the counterweight effect.

I would dearly love to see your theory of relieving weight off front axle by adding weight behind rear axle confirmed by use of platform scales to weight frt axle load. I understand Fulcrum effect but doubt seriously that will lessen stress on frt axle.

 

[kcender]

I would dearly love to see your theory of relieving weight off front axle by adding weight behind rear axle confirmed by use of platform scales to weight frt axle load. I understand Fulcrum effect but doubt seriously that will lessen stress on frt axle.

I don't have any scientific research,only real world experience.When I had my BX2360,with no FEL,and put my 510 pound aerator on the back the front end became very light,to the point that I could make the front tires come off the ground.I had to add weight to the front to use it safely.This was a small tractor but the principles are the same for bigger tractors.If I was able to add enough weight to the rear to make the front tires come off the ground,then obviously there was less weight on the front axle.

 

[k0ua]

I would dearly love to see your theory of relieving weight off front axle by adding weight behind rear axle confirmed by use of platform scales to weight frt axle load. I understand Fulcrum effect but doubt seriously that will lessen stress on frt axle.

Jim, lets try to illustrate this by using an absurd example. Lets say that that we put 10,000 lbs on the 3pt hitch. Now of course the L3400 would not actually lift 10,000 lbs on the 3pt, but lets say we tried. What would happen? The tractor would do a "wheelie" wouldn't it? In other words the front end would come up off of the ground and the fulcrum point would be the rear axle. Would it do the same with 5000 lbs on the 3pt? yes it would. What about 2000 lbs? Well it probably would not lift the front end, especially if the tractor had a loader equipped, but it would be "light" correct? what about 1000 lbs on the 3pt?. Well now it is not going to raise the front wheels off of the ground for sure, but, cannot we agree that it does lighten the weight on the front wheels by some amount? That is all there is to it.

James K0UA

 

[wmonroe]

Jim, lets try to illustrate this by using an absurd example. Lets say that that we put 10,000 lbs on the 3pt hitch. Now of course the L3400 would not actually lift 10,000 lbs on the 3pt, but lets say we tried. What would happen? The tractor would do a "wheelie" wouldn't it? In other words the front end would come up off of the ground and the fulcrum point would be the rear axle. Would it do the same with 5000 lbs on the 3pt? yes it would. What about 2000 lbs? Well it probably would not lift the front end, especially if the tractor had a loader equipped, but it would be "light" correct? what about 1000 lbs on the 3pt?. Well now it is not going to raise the front wheels off of the ground for sure, but, cannot we agree that it does lighten the weight on the front wheels by some amount? That is all there is to it.

James K0UA

This is a very good example and i have a personal example to go along with it. Earlier this summer my neighbor baled round bales on one of my fields, this gave me a great excuse to use my tractor to help haul the bales out. My front loader happened to not be installed at the time and I didn't want to take the five minutes to put it on so we moved the bales without it. A bale approx 1300 lbs on the three point wouldn't get the front end off the ground but it was easy to tell that it he front was quite a bit lighter than before. Just for fun here is a picture.