JD4720 vs.Kubota M5040 vs. NH TC55DA

[Roto]

I absolutely could not agree more and am 100% in agreement with everything Art says and i will go a bit further and say try to avoid the wheel weights too as they are a pain to take off and on and I would try to get a heavy enough counter weight on 3ph to do what you need. if your going to do nothing but loader work then yeah you may want to load the tires but if you do other things like bush hog and mow and drag stuff or rototill and things like that then no loaded tires is my suggestion.

a 55 gallon drum filled with free left over concrete at a concrete plant is cheapest counter weight. you just need a rod going through it at the bottom with holes for the pins and at the top something coming out for the 3rd point. I have one myself you can have for free but shipping would be $1000 hehehehe.

Mike

 

[Tact]

a 55 gallon drum filled with free left over concrete at a concrete plant is cheapest counter weight. you just need a rod going through it at the bottom with holes for the pins and at the top something coming out for the 3rd point. I have one myself you can have for free but shipping would be $1000 hehehehe.

Mike

That's exactly what a friend of mine suggested. Since I build homes the extra concrete would be no problem. I'm leaning on not filling the tires and posibly trying this method for ballast.

 

[Roto]

thats a good idea and i think that 55 gallon drum is 1000# out behind the tires which is a-lot of weight to be behind. You can pull wheelies if your not carefull. I would try that and then you can always load tires later. i dont know what size your 3pt hitch is but find out what size hole in your arms and get a shaft the same size or smaller actaully so it will fit and have it stick through the empty barrel on both sides a few inches with a hole in it for the little clip pin. Up top mine is just a couple pieces of steel with hole in stuck in the barrel and they are spaced just right for the 3rd point. Just look at an implement with 3ph to measure what you need. barrel and concrete would be free the steel could be free too depends on where you get it and paint the barrel to match your tractor.

edit: when the shaft goes through the barrel it should be in front 1/4 of the barrel so more weight out back.

 

[john_bud]

I would fill the tires as a mandatory step on any tractor with a loader. You gain traction, counterweight against the bucket load, there is no stress on the bearings, you have weight spread out as far as it can get and most of all you lower the center of gravity. If you are used to a skid, the tractor with a load in the bucket will feel tippy and with out filled tires, it will be.

Usually, the counter balance weight needed is 110% of the bucket load. More is better. With 2500# of lift, I would want 2500-3000# of weight in the back.

I also am skeptical of the 16' trailer being able to haul the tractor/loader around with an implement on it like a rotary cutter. My Kubota L3410 with loader and Woods BrushBull 600 has the rear wheel of the cutter 2-1/2 feet off the back deck of an 18' deckover. Bucket against the front lip. You will probably want a 7' cutter to match the power of the tractor, so that even with the bucket on the neck, you will have about 4' sticking off the back. Worse, the bulk of the tractor's weight will be at or behind the axles mid-point giving you a nose light situation. I would think that a 24' 14K trailer would be more in line with the load. Tape measure it up and see.


jb

 

[Roto]

I would fill the tires as a mandatory step on any tractor with a loader. You gain traction, counterweight against the bucket load, there is no stress on the bearings, you have weight spread out as far as it can get and most of all you lower the center of gravity. If you are used to a skid, the tractor with a load in the bucket will feel tippy and with out filled tires, it will be.

Usually, the counter balance weight needed is 110% of the bucket load. More is better. With 2500# of lift, I would want 2500-3000# of weight in the back.

I also am skeptical of the 16' trailer being able to haul the tractor/loader around with an implement on it like a rotary cutter. My Kubota L3410 with loader and Woods BrushBull 600 has the rear wheel of the cutter 2-1/2 feet off the back deck of an 18' deckover. Bucket against the front lip. You will probably want a 7' cutter to match the power of the tractor, so that even with the bucket on the neck, you will have about 4' sticking off the back. Worse, the bulk of the tractor's weight will be at or behind the axles mid-point giving you a nose light situation. I would think that a 24' 14K trailer would be more in line with the load. Tape measure it up and see.


jb

JB you forgot to figure in that the pivot point is the front axle for backend coming off the ground and the tractor already has over 2000#s behind that pivot point so you should be able to pick up a ton without lifting rear off the ground so the added 1000# so far behind that front axle will make it impossible to bring that rear off the ground. And as mentioned several times on different threads loading the tires takes NO weight off the front axle so you cant say its hard on the front axle this way.

Mike

 

[AndyMA]

I'm just now trying to figure out which way to ballast the rear, fill the tires, ballast box, or wheel weights.

With a loader I definately feel filled tires are a must. Also for maximum lift capacity 3 pt hitch weight is also necessary. 3pt hitch weight is equal to 1.5 times tire load or wheel weights due to the leverge effect. You will need a combined effective total weight equal to the max that you want the loader to lift for safe use. Example for 2500 lb loader lift- use 1400 lb liquid tire load plus 733 3pt hitch weight x 1.5 equals 1100 for a total equilavent weight of 2500 pounds.

Andy

 

[AndyMA]

Bt the way I'm basing my previous reply to what I learned from Ford Tractor manuals on how to ballast a tractor for use with a loader as well as my experience.

Andy

 

[Roto]

well i disagree on that formula and i have been using my tc33d with no loaded tires and no counter weight at all and have been moving full loads of stuff in bucket and doing dirt work with no problem. when i put 700#s of counter weight on i can do anything that it has power enough to do. I dont feel the need to carry 1400#S around for the rest of tractor life to add more wear and tear then you need to. I totally feel a counter weight would be enough and maybe wheel weights but i would not load.

Mike

 

[Roto]

the main reason for counter weight is to keep backend on the ground. You add 1000#s of concrete on 3pt hitch and you can lift all you can with backend staying on the ground. If your lifting real high all the time then yes add more weight for stability but lifting 4 or 5 feet max then you dont need. the front is the pivot point for backend coming off the ground and the tractor already weighs a-lot more behind that front axle. those formulas are figure worst case situation and they are making it safe for any situation like full lift going down hill. I agree that at full lift going downhill you better have some weight but on flat ground lifting 4 or 5 feet you dont need that much. manufacturers have to cover themseleves for insurance reasons and getting suid so they figure most unreasonalbe situation.

mike

 

[Hydroman 17]

I have loaded tires on my JD 4720 and would not even think about heavy bucketing or pallet fork work without at least another 800# on the rear. It's almost a sickening feeling when that rear comes off the ground even if the load is only a foot off the ground. As far as the ballast box out of the 55 gallon drum that's a great idea but I figured by the time I got done gathering all the materials up and welding it up I'd have more in it then the $180 I paid at the JD dealer and filled it with concrete for free on a jobsite I was landscaping. I believe filled with concrete it weighs around 900#