rear weight

[Soundguy]

I'm going to be making another weight tub soon, for my ford 951/loader.. and i think I will add in some pvc sleaves for shovel handles, as well as a metal plate onthe rear that i can slap a trailer ball on.

Soundguy

 

[denmansoft]

What kind of weight do you add for FEL/Fork use?
When I look at my setup I have:
about 1000 lb limit in the bucket
FEL weight : 500 lb
tractor weight : 1400 lb
operator weight : 200 lb
total so far 3100 lb.
Front Tire rating = 1470 lb x2 = 2940 lbs.

So if I need weight to keep the back end on the ground I am overloading my front tires.

I usually have my 800 lb BH on and the extra weight keeps things nice and stable. I think it is important to always keep in mind the weakest point ( of failure / ratings) when figuring these things!

I keep my front tire pressure up and watch what I am driving on/over when I have a heavy load in my FEL.

 

[Camo]

I have an 800lb FEL capacity, and run nearly 325lb ballast weight with mt 275lb butt in the seat.

Then last week, I took off the FEL and left my weight on accidently. When mowing with my MMM, I was puzzled as to why the front tires would lift when I pulled out......Ooops!

 

[patrick_g]

So if I need weight to keep the back end on the ground I am overloading my front tires.

Sorry, but it doesn't work that way. Weight behind your rear axle will add weight to the rear axle A N D it will SUBTRACT weight from your front axle. Think about it... if you added enough weight behind your rear axle the front wheels would come off the ground.

I don't recommend you get too carried away as your rear axle, wheels, and tires have limits too but within those limits you can ease the load on the front. The farther back the load is carried the more leverage it has and the more it lightens the front.

I often leave an implement in the 3PH for ballast (and I am lazy and it might be what I need next and it is already mounted.) I have a very heavy 6 ft brush hog (about 1300 lbs) and also a HD 6 ft box blade of similar weight. They are both good ballast but the CG of the brush hog is farther back (more leverage) and so it compensates better for a heavy load in the bucket than the box blade but the box blade is usually enough so I doesn't pick up the rear wheels too often so as to render me ineffective.

Look at the front and rear axles as fulcrums.

1. Weight in front of the front axle is carried by the front axle and lightens the rear axle's load.

2. Weight between the axles is shared proportionally between the front and rear axles depending on location (fore and aft)

3. Weight behind the rear axle is carried by the rear axle and lightens the load on the front axle.

Pat

 

[chumly2071]

ASAE recommended ballasting:
with the weight the loader will lift at maximum lift height in the bucket, place the loader with the bucket level so that the loader arm pivot is horizontal with the loader arm lift cylinder pin on the arm (this is max reach).

Add ballast to the rear until the rear axle weight is 25% of the total tractor weight, including ballast.

 

[patrick_g]

ASAE recommended ballasting:
with the weight the loader will lift at maximum lift height in the bucket, place the loader with the bucket level so that the loader arm pivot is horizontal with the loader arm lift cylinder pin on the arm (this is max reach).

Add ballast to the rear until the rear axle weight is 25% of the total tractor weight, including ballast.

Nice to have a recommended guideline but...

As stated there is no allowance for how far behind the rear axle the rear weight is applied. It makes a difference.

Pat

 

[Soundguy]

Dman.. PatG gave you good advice. Think of your rear wheel as the pivot of a see-saw.. the front tires are one side, and the rear weight is the other.. the more weight on the rear ( behind the rear axle ).. the less weight that will be observed on the front axle.

soundguy

What kind of weight do you add for FEL/Fork use?
When I look at my setup I have:
about 1000 lb limit in the bucket
FEL weight : 500 lb
tractor weight : 1400 lb
operator weight : 200 lb
total so far 3100 lb.
Front Tire rating = 1470 lb x2 = 2940 lbs.

So if I need weight to keep the back end on the ground I am overloading my front tires.

I usually have my 800 lb BH on and the extra weight keeps things nice and stable. I think it is important to always keep in mind the weakest point ( of failure / ratings) when figuring these things!

I keep my front tire pressure up and watch what I am driving on/over when I have a heavy load in my FEL.

 

[chumly2071]

Nice to have a recommended guideline but...

As stated there is no allowance for how far behind the rear axle the rear weight is applied. It makes a difference.

Pat

doesn't matter how far behind the axle it is. you are adding weight to whatever hanging location you have, until the measured rear axle weight equals 25% of the total tractor weight, including the ballast and weight in the bucket.

if you moved a given weight farther behind the axle, then you need less weight than if you mounted it closer to the rear axle. but in a repetetive process as I described, you are adjusting the ballast weight at whatever point you are choosing to mount to, to get the 25%.

 

[studor]

When I read this yesterday I must admit my first thought was "if the 800lb BH makes it nice and stable and the machine is obviously rated for it, why not just plan on putting 800lbs of weight on it when the backhoe is off?" Then I read the follow-up posts and it has not changed my thought much. While there probably is an optimum weight and length of distance from the back axle that is beyond my desire to calculate, I think 800lbs would definitely achieve the desired result given it seems to already!
--- Course could be just doing my taxes that leads me on these flights of fancy

 

[denmansoft]

My whole point was that adding weight to the rear to keep the rear tires on the ground just overloads the front axle / tires when you overload the FEL (possibly by digging out roots/stumps etc) and that becomes the weak point.

With my BH on the back stays on the ground and the 'feel' is stable. That doesn't mean I haven't overloaded the FEL or the front wheels/axles creating a potential problem.

What prompted my question / statements was to find if there was some guidelines like what chumly2071 posted. thanks