snowplow and rear weight

[RWB]

I am installing a snow plow on the front of my Nortrac and wondered how much rear weight is enough /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif or how you even figure what is enough without placing too much weight on the rear. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

Ray

 

[Deerlope]

Try this. 75% of what ever your plow weight is.

 

[RWB]

/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif Thanks deerlope. Where in northern new york... Lake george area here.

Ray

 

[Deerlope]

RWB,
St. Lawrence county, Potsdam to be exact. About 25 miles from canada.

 

[RWB]

Woooooooo nice area. Been there a few times.

RAY /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Deerlope]

I went to my nephew's wedding a few years ago in Lake George. They had the reception on a tour boat . We toured the lake for about 5 hours. The lake is also a beautiful area. What is a Nortrac ? I have never hear of one , but there are a lot of things I have never heard of.

 

[Trev]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Try this. 75% of what ever your plow weight is.)</font>

Hmm... my personal experience with a JD4300 with R4's is that the front blade weights about 500 lb., and I used to put up to 1000 lb. in the rear dirt scoop (which itself weighed a couple hundred or so I believe.) I've experimented with lots of different amounts of weight, by putting sand bags in the rear dirt scoop, and the best results *for me* were to go with lots of rear weight.

A bud just made me up a short top link, and another bud made me up a 55-gallon drum full of rebar and cement, with 3pt hitch points and all. (I got lucky in the friend department!)

Anyway, we estimate the drum to weight about 1200 lbs.. plus I hang a couple of suitcase weights on the front (all I can fit there with the blade mounted.) I think this will be perfect, based on my experiments over the last couple winters.

Only thing is, it's a bear to hook up! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Gotta sit the thing on some 4x4's or something next time I take it off, so I can maybe wiggle it around a bit with a long bar.

HTH,
Bob

p.s. You know you have too much rear weight if the front end is light and you have more trouble than usual steering.

 

[RWB]

Nortrac is a Jinma sold by Nortrac (northern tool) nice people. That seems like alot of weight trev. My machine weighs about 2750# plus the plow which I think is around 500# I'll have to experiment as you have done. Making a 3ph with a box on it to hold the weight.

Thanks /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[Trev]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Nortrac is a Jinma sold by Nortrac (northern tool) nice people. That seems like alot of weight trev. My machine weighs about 2750# plus the plow which I think is around 500# I'll have to experiment as you have done. Making a 3ph with a box on it to hold the weight.

Thanks /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif )</font>

We have a couple of threads running on this topic now, so you might want to look around for other's feelings about it.

Do you think 1200 lbs on the back will cause any harm? Or do you just feel it's more than optimal?

One suggestion which may or may not be useful.. rather than using a box on the back to hold the weight, you might want to consider a dirt scoop instead. This way, you get dual-functionality from the implement. The dirt scoop is handy, and can also be used to hold weight. Your weight box would, I believe, only serve a single purpose. Just a thought!

/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Please report back with whatever you end up doing and what you learn from it.....

Best,
Bob

 

[RWB]

My 3pt is only rated for 808lbs. Good idea on the scoop. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif