Left capicty of NH 7308 loader

Mosey · Jan 8, 2003

I'm still debating on which FEL to get for my TC29D (see <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.tractorbynet.com/cgi-bin/compact/showflat.pl?Cat=&Board=implement&Number=219601&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=0&fpart=>FEL options for my Boomer</A>). I've compared lift capacities of the NH 7308 and other loaders and the 7308 is the lowest at 1020lbs. Woods and Great Bend have lift capacities of well over 1300lbs. How much does a full bucket of wet dirt weigh? Has anyone ever had a 7308 fail to lift what they were trying to lift?

I found a better price at a different dealer (Briggs, the next closest to me in Greensburg, IN) on a 7308 and I like the controls of the 7308 and the way it mounts better than the other brands. But, it's sill more money (mainly because the Quick Attach bucket option on the NH 7308 is over $500 more than it is on the other brands) and I don't want to pay more money and not be able to lift what I need to lift.

MikePA · Jan 8, 2003

<font color=blue>Has anyone ever had a 7308 fail to lift what they were trying to lift?</font color=blue>
Nope. Soggy wet dirt, to limestone, wet limestone sand never had a problem.

cstocks · Jan 8, 2003

I have loaded my 60" bucket as full as I can possibly get it with wet sand and my 7308 has never faltered or failed yet.

Mrwurm · Jan 8, 2003

I bought a 3inch caliper maple tree with a 3ft root ball at the nursery. They set it on my trailer with a bobcat. The ball of the tree is wrapped with burlap and a wire mesh. When I got home I hooked a chain to my fel hooks and the root ball. The 7308 fel would not even consider lifting this load. The nursery told me it weighed about 1,000 lbs.

My fel also fails to pull out t-posts that have been driven into clay soil. I turn around and pull them out with my 3pt with no problem.

thclimer · Jan 8, 2003

I have 7308 FEL with a 60” HD bucket and have filled it with wet dirt with no problem lifting. I have a TC33D. If you are experiencing a problem, it may be that your hydraulic relief valve is set too low. Just a thought.

TC25Don · Jan 8, 2003

I have a 25D with the 7308 loader. This spring, when my pole barn was being built, I spread 90 tons of gravel with it. The gravel was a little wet, so a full bucket would lift the rear wheels off the ground with no problem. I put the finish mower on the back for a counterweight, and this problem was solved. The bucket was FULL!
My question is why would you need any more than this? Seems to me, NH has designed the frame/drivetrain to handle this load. Anything heavier would put more stress/strain on these components.
Maybe you need a bigger tractor if you are going to work it like that.
My $.02 worth.
Don

John_Mc · Jan 9, 2003

Danny -

You might want to double check the lift capacity on the 7308 loader. While the loader itself may be rated at 1020#, I believe it is limited to 800# when installed on the TC25/TC29/TC33 series (according to my NH brochure). On the TC30, it's rated at 875#. I'm not sure what the limiting factor is here, but I do know it lifts more in other installations (like the old 1720 or 1920 models??). It may be that the TC29's hydraulic pressure is lower than the max that the 7308 can handle? (I haven't checked this) or maybe NH just rates it conservatively and sets the releif valve lower??

deepsnow · Jan 11, 2003

I was told by a service rep that the load limits of the 7308 FEL are based on the safe load limit of the tractor. It would definitely be no fun busting an axle moving an extra couple hundred pounds.

Buck · Jan 12, 2003

Mosey,

The spec on my JD model 70 loader doesn't sound that much different than yours. I've had no problems lifting stuff. This includes pond muck which is quite heavy.

Over the summer, I moved some -huge- stones for my neighbor. I could only get the stones 6 inches from the ground. If I stop and think, what value would it be if I could lift them higher? The problem is that the tractor would become unstable.

If it could lift much more, the tractor center of gravity becomes an issue. A while back KubotaMechanic touched on the engineering concerns associated with lift and breakout capacity, and I got a clear idea that providing more capacity is not a real engineering problem. The engineering problem appears to me matching the capacities reasonably with the wieght and center of gravity of the tractor.

The only time I wish for more capacity is when pulling up tree stumps and roots. This is the breakout force. The last issue I would be concerned with is choosing a loader is how fast does it dump. This can be an issue if you are moving a lot of dirt or gravel.

Buck