New 2520 owner questions

[rtm038]

Hello everyone,
As I posted last week, my JD2520 FEL/BH arrived last week and so far its been great. The machine has basically done everything I've asked of it. However, I have some questions about its strengths, weaknesses and overall abilities. Basically, I don't want to break it.

1. How can I tell when I'm asking too much of the machine? For example, say I'm trying to pull a load and it proves to be too heavy for the machine. Will the HST unit just explode, fail, etc. or will some sort of valve open and bleed the fluid out?

2. Is a 200CX loader capable of lifting more than the front axle can take? (Yes, I run the loader with the BH installed and I plan on getting the rear tires filled for added ballast).

Thanks,
Ryan

 

[kennyd]

1. How can I tell when I'm asking too much of the machine? For example, say I'm trying to pull a load and it proves to be too heavy for the machine. Will the HST unit just explode, fail, etc. or will some sort of valve open and bleed the fluid out?

The hydrostatic transmission has a relief valve that will open to protect itself-it just dumps the fluid back to the tank, so none will "bleed out". The FEL also has the same safety setup. Also, your tires will probably loose traction before the relief valve opens.

2. Is a 200CX loader capable of lifting more than the front axle can take? (Yes, I run the loader with the BH installed and I plan on getting the rear tires filled for added ballast).

Yes, the FEL can absolutely do this, that is why rear ballast is so important-but it sounds like you have that covered...you may consider getting a ballast box also so you do not have to have the BH on every time you want to use the FEL. Some projects may be far easier without the added bulk of the BH behind you.

 

[Gizmo2]

Nice job Ken

 

[jimfish]

The 200CX FEL will NOT "overload the front axle" on your 2520. The 200CX has a lift capacity of 800 lbs. Try to pick up anything heavier and a relief valve will prevent you from lifting. Front axle has a rated capacity of 1940 lbs. That said, you MUST work safely - with ballast on the rear axles. I have loaded tires and also use the 3-point ballast box when using the loader for anything other than light work. Even for light work I ALWAYS have my back blade or the landscape blade on the 3-point. You've never known excitement until you lift the FEL and your rear wheels come off the ground. This is NOT a pleasant experience. We will not discuss how I happen to know this.

 

[47chevy]

You've never known excitement until you lift the FEL and your rear wheels come off the ground. This is NOT a pleasant experience. We will not discuss how I happen to know this.

It is quite a scare when it happens. I going to build myself a ballast box before I use the tractor again.

 

[Runner]

rt,

Just to put a little finer point on question #1: if you are asking more than the machine can give, say, pulling a heavy mower up a very steep hill in very tall grass, you will hear the engine start to slow down and will feel the tractor start to run our of power. It helps to remember that pushing down on the hydro pedal is similar to upshifting gears in a car.

When you feel the machine start to bog a little, you can frequently help the situation by actually letting up a little on the "go" pedal. This is somewhat akin to downshifting in a manual transmission and will allow you to get through some ticklish situations without having to bail out and try again.

In general, I think it would be pretty hard to "break" anything in normal use, i.e., the machine will tell you when you're asking too much. Try to lift too much with the loader, or lift too much too high, and it will just stop lifting. Try to go up too steep a hill in high range and it will just stall out. But you won't break it. Now, maybe carrying too much in the loader without proper rear ballast might put enough strain on the front end (wheel bearings and such) as to wear something out prematurely, but I don't think you would cause any kind of catastrophic failure by just trying to lift too much.

I am in no way a professional operator. These are just my observations after about 60 hours of use on this machine.

 

[Gizmo2]

rt,

Just to put a little finer point on question #1: if you are asking more than the machine can give, say, pulling a heavy mower up a very steep hill in very tall grass, you will hear the engine start to slow down and will feel the tractor start to run our of power. It helps to remember that pushing down on the hydro pedal is similar to upshifting gears in a car.

When you feel the machine start to bog a little, you can frequently help the situation by actually letting up a little on the "go" pedal. This is somewhat akin to downshifting in a manual transmission and will allow you to get through some ticklish situations without having to bail out and try again.

In general, I think it would be pretty hard to "break" anything in normal use, i.e., the machine will tell you when you're asking too much. Try to lift too much with the loader, or lift too much too high, and it will just stop lifting. Try to go up too steep a hill in high range and it will just stall out. But you won't break it. Now, maybe carrying too much in the loader without proper rear ballast might put enough strain on the front end (wheel bearings and such) as to wear something out prematurely, but I don't think you would cause any kind of catastrophic failure by just trying to lift too much.

I am in no way a professional operator. These are just my observations after about 60 hours of use on this machine.

The go pedal advice here is the best it comes. I had a hard time getting that down after 20 years on a gear shift tractor.

 

[kennyd]

The 200CX FEL will NOT "overload the front axle" on your 2520. The 200CX has a lift capacity of 800 lbs. Try to pick up anything heavier and a relief valve will prevent you from lifting. Front axle has a rated capacity of 1940 lbs. That said, you MUST work safely - with ballast on the rear axles. I have loaded tires and also use the 3-point ballast box when using the loader for anything other than light work. Even for light work I ALWAYS have my back blade or the landscape blade on the 3-point. You've never known excitement until you lift the FEL and your rear wheels come off the ground. This is NOT a pleasant experience. We will not discuss how I happen to know this.

I disagree with this 100%.
OK, so the loader can "lift" 800lbs as you say (but many others here have proven it can lift more-but not to the full height) But to this you must add the weight of the loader/bucket itself, and the percentage of the tractors weight that is already on the front axle.
Now, when the rear gets to light or comes off the ground as you say then the FULL WEIGHT of the tractor, loader, bucket, operator, and the material in the bucket is ALL on the front axle. That number will FAR exceed the 1940lb rated capacity of the front axle!

 

[jimfish]

Interesting - in theory, but not in practice. If it were true, there would be dozens - if not hundreds - of reports on this forum of broken front axles. I doubt if ANY owner has not at least rocked the rear wheels (transferring weight to the front axle) to a degree when using the FEL. Trying to pry out a stump or a concrete slab is a common way to do that, and it WILL happen with or WITH or without a ballast box on the rear end. I fully understand the theoritical physics of what you envision, but the fact is that we do NOT have actual multiple reports of axle failures for tractors in use.
Notice that I wrote, "Tractors." Your concept would apply to ALL tractor/loaders of all sizes. In no case is the front axle load rated for the entire weight of the tractor plus a full bucket load. Of all the things to worry about, breaking a front axle with a full bucket is about the last thing........

Working without rear weight - best in the form of a heavily loaded ballast box - is imprudent, unwise, and ill-advised because of the extreme danger / safety factor of doing so. BTW - My personal experience is that 800 lbs has meant "800 lbs". I can SKID with more weight, but the bucket simply will not lift more.

 

[orlo]

Hi:

I agree with Kenny D. If you take the rear wheels off the ground you are putting the entire weight of the tractor on the front axle. Now if you don't take the rear wheels off the ground but are 50lbs shy of doing it you'll just mosie along with all that extra weight on the axle.

On the lines of axle capacity. It's not a 'breaking' weight. It's an 'operating weight' that when operated within this limit bearings, gears, etc. will wear at acceptable and engineered levels and not 'break' pre-maturely. When taken beyond this you do risk breakage, especially if you drive it all the time like this but what you mostly do is accelerate wear, etc. on the bearings, gears, etc. to the point where they will wear faster and break before their anticipated lifetime. Bearings (size/quality/type) are selected based on RPM, load, and other factors - by overloading the bearings you are exceeding (maybe by a huge amount) one of these factors.

Rear ballast helps avoid this and is better than loading tires. Loaded tires do NOT take load off the front axle, they just stop you from lifting the rear, but when they do this you shift the load on the rear bearings from the bottom (supporting the weight of the tractor) to the top (basically the tractor is 'lifting' the wheel. When the latter happens a bunch of extra weight gets placed on the front axle. Ideally you want as much weight as you can (without exceeding the rear axle capacity) as far rear of the rear axle as you can so you lighten the front of the tractor using the rear axle as a pivot point.

Also, from reading forums here about folks that have had issues. One of the biggest issues isn't necesarily the axle itself, but the small bevel gears that power the front wheels. If your rear wheels are light you are placing a huge load on these tiny gears to move the entire load.


My .02