Operating loader without rear ballast

[Rockgod]

Was that something that was ALREADY in there before you started looking at the tractor?? Or was that something they snuck in on you after you said you didnt need a ballast box?

Something like that would have been enough for me to just walk away. Putting in rimguard, and charging me for it, without my requesting it.

He had to order it. I don't know where it came from it could have been another dealer I guess.

No, he didn't charge me for it. You're right, no way that would have flown.

 

[Zebrafive]

My loader manual (JD 553 loader on a 5045E tractor) list three options for ballast at two levels of use. Ordinary and heavy. Heavy use is digging and loading heavy materials like wet manure or gravel and dealing with high loads. Things less heavy such as snow or sawdust come under regular use. The three options have a table for the tires specific to your machine and are 1. light ballast box, 2. heavy ballast box, and 3. liquid filled tires with up to four wheel weights per side. For my tractor and tires the table says I need 1025 lbs per rear tire and in the tractor manual I find that the beet juice weights 467 lbs. per tire filled to 75%. But I can't find what the empty tire and rim weigh? I'm guesstimating about 450lbs from past experience trying to load a flat one onto a pickup without a working loader and I have about 200 lbs of ice chains on each tire so I think I'm all set. It certainly behaves well loading snow or cord wood but If I read the chart right I still should add 2000 lbs on the 3PH when digging or loading out a manure pile just to save wear on the front X.

1025 lbs PER rear tire does not sound right. Normally John Deere specs REAR AXLE weight to add. Also they have already figured the weight of your wheels and tires and only say to deduct weight required if you have cast wheel centers instead of std steel wheel centers.

 

[Don87]

I am posting late in this thread. My dealer won't sell a new tractor with a FEL unless the rear tires have ballast. Just a thought.

I read all the resonses before I posted this............

I would say that he will, but with the 'influx' of new tractor operators that he has seen, this is the best way to cover his butt.

 

[vtsnowedin]

1025 lbs PER rear tire does not sound right. Normally John Deere specs REAR AXLE weight to add. Also they have already figured the weight of your wheels and tires and only say to deduct weight required if you have cast wheel centers instead of std steel wheel centers.

I'm just reading from their manual but from the wrong page.
553 loader manual OMW54461 ISSUE K9 (INGLES)
SECTION 10-2 pn=21
The page is a table for 5025 series, 5e limited and 5M tractors see note b at the bottom of the table.
On the correct page 10-3 pn=22 there is the correct table for 5E MFWD Tractors. There is a miss-print (516 kg) dose not ={180 lbs} but for regular use the recommended set up is small ballast box 1138 lbs plus 397 lbs of wheel weights plus 1411 lbs of fluid ballast which works out to 1573 per tire not counting the tire and rim. For heavy use I need to use a heavy ballast box plus weights adding to 2205 lbs. Or switch to heaver 8 ply front tires
There will be a one ton drum full of concrete in my future.

 

[john_bud]

My loader manual (JD 553 loader on a 5045E tractor) list three options for ballast at two levels of use. Ordinary and heavy. Heavy use is digging and loading heavy materials like wet manure or gravel and dealing with high loads. Things less heavy such as snow or sawdust come under regular use. The three options have a table for the tires specific to your machine and are 1. light ballast box, 2. heavy ballast box, and 3. liquid filled tires with up to four wheel weights per side. For my tractor and tires the table says I need 1025 lbs per rear tire and in the tractor manual I find that the beet juice weights 467 lbs. per tire filled to 75%. But I can't find what the empty tire and rim weigh? I'm guesstimating about 450lbs from past experience trying to load a flat one onto a pickup without a working loader and I have about 200 lbs of ice chains on each tire so I think I'm all set. It certainly behaves well loading snow or cord wood but If I read the chart right I still should add 2000 lbs on the 3PH when digging or loading out a manure pile just to save wear on the front X.

My old ford tractor with the 3000 pound BH on it desperately needed extra weight. With just the hoe on, the FEL use was a chore as the tires spun easily going into the pile. With a partially full bucket, the machine with the hoe on it couldn't back up small hills or over larger tire ruts. With the tires filled AND 1100 pounds of wheel weights AND the hoe, it's a whole 'nother machine. Greater stability, greater digging traction with both the FEL and the hoe and drastically less tire spin.

 

[Zebrafive]

I'm just reading from their manual but from the wrong page.
553 loader manual OMW54461 ISSUE K9 (INGLES)
SECTION 10-2 pn=21
The page is a table for 5025 series, 5e limited and 5M tractors see note b at the bottom of the table.
On the correct page 10-3 pn=22 there is the correct table for 5E MFWD Tractors. There is a miss-print (516 kg) dose not ={180 lbs} but for regular use the recommended set up is small ballast box 1138 lbs plus 397 lbs of wheel weights plus 1411 lbs of fluid ballast which works out to 1573 per tire not counting the tire and rim. For heavy use I need to use a heavy ballast box plus weights adding to 2205 lbs. Or switch to heaver 8 ply front tires
There will be a one ton drum full of concrete in my future.

How did you come up with 1573 per tire? 397 wts + 1411 liquid = 1808 divide by two tires = 904

 

[vtsnowedin]

How did you come up with 1573 per tire? 397 wts + 1411 liquid = 1808 divide by two tires = 904

You left out the 1138 of the ballast box. (1138 +397+1411)=2946 /2=1473 so I blew the long division and am 100 lbs off.

 

[Zebrafive]

You left out the 1138 of the ballast box. (1138 +397+1411)=2946 /2=1473 so I blew the long division and am 100 lbs off.

I did not consider the ballast box as per tire, so I took your post as how much weight you need to add to each wheel/tire, But the tire ultimately will be carrying it's (BB) weight too.

I thought you wanted to add 1573 per tire and a ballast box too.

 

[rasp21]

Thing to consider,, All the tractors that I have owned have one thing in common,, 1 center pivot point in the center of the front axle.. Put a slight off center load in your FEL, have it a little too high, and back up and have your rear tire fall off in a hole,, things get tippy real quick.. I know it happens all the time with no disasters, just be cognizant of the center pivot in the front axle.. Things can happen REAL fast. Be safe.. rasp21.

 

[RonnieB2]

Not sure how to say thanks to everyone who replied, but I sure do appreciate it. I've just learned a whole lot and I don't know how I would've learned it otherwise (except for damaging my tractor and/or getting myself in trouble, of course).

Kind regards and Happy New Year!