Question on BX 3pt hitch capacities

jim_wilson · Aug 26, 2004

I was wondering if anybody had any insight on what to me appears to be somewhat of a disparity on the specs for the BX series 3pt hitch. Looking thru the Kubota manual and the specs on the website the maximum weight I see listed for an implement on the 3pt hitch is 375 pounds. However the specs for the 3pt say the lift capacity 24inches behind the lift point is 1210/680 pounds. I assume that similar to the FEL the 3pt has a bottom and top rating. 1210 being the bottom and 680 being the top. I understand why some of the implements would need to weigh less than the lift rating because they are active when you are using them. However, implements - like a sprayer for instance - that are reasonably static and are just being transported I would think would have higher allowable weights. The manual however says that the biggest sprayer tank you can put on is either 40 or 45 gallons - 45 gallons of water comes right in at the 375 limit. The reason why I ask this is I have been thinking of building a sprayer and while looking for tanks I can't find any 40 or 45 gallon tanks. I can find 30's and 50's and up so I was wondering if I could actually use a bigger tank than 40/45 gallons and be able to lift it with the 3pt.

SCB · Aug 26, 2004

Jim,
I'm not sure about the lift rating. I don't have anything that heavy for my 3ph yet. But it would seem to me that yopu could use any tank you wanted to in building your spraying unit and then fill it to 45gal. and see how it does. If all is well you could up the gallons to what the 3ph will lift. Just my thoughts. Take care

Steve_S · Aug 27, 2004

Jim,

I've had my BX for going on 4 years, and since I've owned it I've used a Bush Hog 72" RFM to mow my lawn. While the manual specifically suggests not using an implement that large/heavy, I've had no problems with it what-so-ever. The mower weighs just under 600 pounds. Now, for your purposes, I carry my mower in the "up" position frequently and again, no problems. My next mower will NOT be this big, if only to make the tractor more agile, because 600 lbs will yank the little BX around a good bit. A sprayer on the other hand, I would think, will not be as heavy, nor would it cause problems in my opinion. If you can find a 50 gallon sprayer, that should work fine. Incidentally, I'm looking to purchase exactly the same thing next year to use in my orchard.

Junkman · Aug 27, 2004

The one thing to remember with a sprayer, is that the liquid can move from side to side and throw you off balance quickly, and unlike a mower, there is no recovery or control of this. I have seen many times where a oil delivery truck would overturn as a result of the liquid shifting quickly in the tank even though there are baffles. For a quick experiment, half fill a 5 gallon pail and put the cover on it. Then holding it in your arms, try walking over the terrain with it. Give it a slight slosh and you will immediately understand what I am referring to. Possibly this is the reason for Kubota having a low gallonage suggestion? I have a sprayer that was given to me and the wheels are bent as a result of the sloshing of the material in the tank. Liquids when moving create a sensation like no other commodity. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

Tom_H · Aug 27, 2004

Jim, You and I had this discussion before regarding a cement mixer for a BX23 and the disparities on differing pages of the owner's manual. Please go back and re-read the thread. They only list that 375 lb. max. for implements that can bounce around. They don't list any maximums for things that are much heavier, yet sit still during operation, such as chipper/shredders.

BX23 3ph Cement Mixer and 3ph weight ratings

jim_wilson · Aug 28, 2004

The Kubota BX23 manual that I have lists a sprayer max tank capacity at 40 gallons. Figuring 40 gallons of water at 8.33 pounds per gallon gives me 334 pounds, figure a tank at 20 - 25 pounds and 25 pounds for a framework to mount on 3pt and you are right around the 375 pounds that is the max listed for all the other implements listed in the manual. The lift capability for the 3pt is listed at 1210 pounds 24" behind the lift points. I can understand why ground engaging implements would be listed at much lower max weights than a something that is not ground engaging - but the fact that the sprayer comes in at pretty much the same max weight as any other implement makes me wonder if some of the stuff that Kubota lists is just plain bogus. Somebody needed to write the manual so they just used the same max number as some other implement. It was never really tested or tried out. The previous poster who said he had a 600+ pound implement on his tractor seems to bear this out.