How much can my tractor pull

[k0ua]

What happens whenever you overload a hydrostatic? The relief valve opens
Does a relief valve open, and/or do oil temps increase? Yes and yes
Seems most have a fan to keep transmission cool. Most do not have a fan, only small tractors like a BX have fans over the transmission. Most have radiator sections up by the regular radiator
Wonder if there’s a way to monitor the temps to use as a gauge on how hard transmission is working. Yes a simple handheld temp gun would work for that
Acceleration and hills is the only time you need transmission to work. Absent those, I could push it by hand....on hard level pavement.

Keep in mind that hydros DO NOT have wet clutches or friction material in the transmission and have a simple unsynchronized 3 or 2 speed manual transmission behind the hydro unit that most call the "range" shifter. Some have dry clutches between the flywheel and the hydro unit for PTO engagement. Some do not. Mine doesnt. Some Kubot's do, some don't. Hydro's have nothing in common with automotive automatic transmissions.

 

[CobyRupert]

Keep in mind that hydros DO NOT have wet clutches or friction material in the transmission and have a simple unsynchronized 3 or 2 speed manual transmission behind the hydro unit that most call the "range" shifter. Some have dry clutches between the flywheel and the hydro unit for PTO engagement. Some do not. Mine doesnt. Some Kubot's do, some don't. Hydro's have nothing in common with automotive automatic transmissions.

Thanks for the answers.
It seems the answers to many of these "how much" questions are similar: "It depends..." and "How long do you plan on doing it."

Like: "Can I run 50 amps on this #14awg extension cord?", "Can I rev my car engine to 7000 rpms? " or "Can I swear at a cop?"....

We tend to assign some absolute value to establish some limit, but it's really about how hot things get, which has all sorts of factors (time, ambient temps, cooling...etc..)

 

[k0ua]

Thanks for the answers.
It seems the answers to many of these "how much" questions are similar: "It depends..." and "How long do you plan on doing it."

Like: "Can I run 50 amps on this #14awg extension cord?", "Can I rev my car engine to 7000 rpms? " or "Can I swear at a cop?"....

We tend to assign some absolute value to establish some limit, but it's really about how hot things get, which has all sorts of factors (time, ambient temps, cooling...etc..)

Exactly. You can push a lot of things way past safe limits for a short period of time and suffer no damage.

 

[CobyRupert]

Exactly. You can push a lot of things way past safe limits for a short period of time and suffer no damage.

How handy would a hydraulic oil temp gauge be?

 

[k0ua]

How handy would a hydraulic oil temp gauge be?

Nothing wrong with that idea, but I have never needed one. I have never overheated the hydro. Mainly because I am smart enough to not run hydraulic fluid over its relief valve. The only way you could do that is to have the manual range transmission in too high of a "range" gear. If you have the hydro in the proper gear it is very difficult to open the relief valve. Usually the wheels on the tractor spin. Of course if you are stupid (or shall we say uninformed) you could easily open the relief valve by using the tractor in High for instance and trying to pull a heavy load or sticking the bucket up against a tree and pushing the hydro pedal. The relief valve will open almost instantly. Of course the fluid will heat up real quick doing that. Only a very "uninformed" person would do that. You hear the engine bogging down, you hear the "unusual" sound of the oil flowing over the valve etc. Of course most operator caused problems seem "silly" to an experienced operator.

 

[oosik]

My Owners Manual says I can pull a 11K load with my farm wagon. That would be a total weight of 13.5K ( 11.5K load +2.0K farm wagon). My 2009 Kubota M6040 4WD has a listed weight of 4785#.

That means I can pull a little over 2.8 times the weight of the bare tractor.

I have NEVER pulled that heavy. Pulling is not the problem - stopping is.

Like many - I've had the "wild ride" - - once.

 

[k0ua]

My Owners Manual says I can pull a 11K load with my farm wagon. That would be a total weight of 13.5K ( 11.5K load +2.0K farm wagon). My 2009 Kubota M6040 4WD has a listed weight of 4785#.

That means I can pull a little over 2.8 times the weight of the bare tractor.

I have NEVER pulled that heavy. Pulling is not the problem - stopping is.

Like many - I've had the "wild ride" - - once.

I guess if you lived in Kansas and went slow you might be ok. Maybe. Around here you would be in the creek pretty quick.

 

[oosik]

I have a valley in my driveway. That's where I got a lesson in "skid control". It was NOT fun. Fortunately, the driveway is straight as an arrow. I did not loose it but it was a wild ride.

 

[k0ua]

I have a valley in my driveway. That's where I got a lesson in "skid control". It was NOT fun. Fortunately, the driveway is straight as an arrow. I did not loose it but it was a wild ride.

it don't take many of those rides to wise a guy up pretty quick.