Specs Say 900lb max, is 1140 too much?

HappyOne · Mar 31, 2002

I have a L4350 (that I love) I am finally going to get a real box blade and was just about to buy a Gannon 72" high back with hydraulic rippers until I came across this maximum in the owners manual. It says 900lbs is the max recommended weight, and the Gannon HD-4272-HB high back is 1140lbs. I have been saving up for this for a while, and just want to make sure that here in my heavy clay environment that it's not too much for my tractor. I move a lot of earth around and am ready for a better match for my tractor.

I really appreciate any opinions you can offer.

Thanks!
James

Harv · Mar 31, 2002

It says 900lbs is the max

I'm confused, James (happens a lot

). Your 3-pt should have a lift capacity of a coupla thousand pounds. Does your owner's manual have specific recommendations for different implements? We're not confusing pounds with kilograms, are we?

HappyOne · Mar 31, 2002

Harv, I should probably have given more info. It's a 4wd. The max lift of the three point is 3200 lbs. The LA950 Loader says get at least 880lbs back there. I think this thing is built like a tank, and my rear tires are filled so it weighs in near 7000lbs as it is. I don't think I have anything to worry about. If anything the extra weight should help traction.
I read that at a weak moment and started looking at Cammond 2C2 which weigh in at #890. I can probably save $500 going that route, but I just want to make sure that I don't regret my purchase by not buying what I here is the best. The Specifications of Implement Limitations says max width 72" and max weight #900.

Harv · Apr 1, 2002

The Specifications of Implement Limitations

Aha!!! Now I see it in my L2500 manual. Hadn't paid much attention to that page before. /w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif

Now I see that the maximum recommended box blade for mine is 52" and 650 lbs. I've been using a 60-incher since the day I bought the tractor. And catch this -- the specifications in the owner's manual for my Howse box blade make no mention of how much it weighs.

Bird has said elsewhere that Kubota is quite conservative with its recommendations, and I tend to agree. Your tractor is a real beast, and I'm betting it can handle that 1140 pound box jes' fine.

ddl · Apr 1, 2002

Can you explain what engineering principle that kubota miscalculated in stating the wieght limits in the manual? What engineering degree does Bird have to make his statements? Of course your implement booklet is not going to tell you not to use their product, hooking it up to the tractor will not damage the implement. The reason for limits is that users tend to abuse the equipment. All pumps do have limits and then people say well if you over load the pump the relief value will open. The problem with that thinking is that all safety devices will only trip x numbers of times until they fail to work at all. If you use a device a limited amount, you may get away with abuse, but if you put a lot of hours on the device, the chances of damaging it increases, if you abuse the device, the chances of doing damage is even greater. Play it safe and use what the engineers recommand, their knowledge base is much better than us the part time users.

Dan L

RoyJackson · Apr 1, 2002

Can you explain what engineering principle that kubota miscalculated in stating the wieght limits in the manual? What engineering degree does Bird have to make his statements? Of course your implement booklet is not going to tell you not to use their product...

I don't believe anyone said Kubota miscalculated their weight limits..it was said they tend to be conservative in their published limits.

And, frequently, that is exactly the case...

Engineers tend to give themselves a margin of safety in design and usage aplications.
Also, considering the moronic lawsuits some people bring forth, they've got to be conservative.

In real world usage, we determine what our machines can handle...hopefully with enough knowledge or experience to assess the potential risks.

By the way, you don't need an engineering degree to assess this...you need common sense, something Bird has in abundance!

Frankly, I find that post rather insulting...

Anonymous Poster · Apr 1, 2002

… What engineering degree does Bird have to make his statements?…

Huh…? Where did that come from, Dan…? And what does that have to do with the price of tea in China…?/w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

James,

I would use the manufacturers manual as a guide…, someone has to drawn a line in the sand somewhere, you may have a “fudge factor” here of a few hundred pounds either way (you have other factors to also consider like a front end loader or front suitcase weights or front loaded tires,etc.)… the best way would be if you could test the proposed implement for suitability…{however sometimes it’s impossible if not impractical-ex. Dealer only has one “brand spanking shiny new in the showroom”}…

While it may be somewhat an unwritten rule with older farm utility tractors of having an implement as wide as the tractor… with today’s lighter bulk weight with compact tractors and much less drawbar horsepower to work with… “that unwritten rule has many flaws” especially when dealing with ground engaging implements being used on a “compact tractor of today versus the farm utility tractor of yesterday”…

Bird · Apr 1, 2002

What engineering degree does Bird have to make his statements?

You're right, Dan, my degree is not engineering./w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif So, I suppose you always do what the engineers say? Let's see, that means your car has never exceeded a speed limit (after all, traffic engineers set those limits), tire pressure is checked to see that it's exactly right every day before you drive it (engineers, chemists, and other "experts" designed those tires). And, of course, you've never modified or customized any product. The list could go on forever./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif Have you, personally, asked the Kubota engineers how and why they arrived at the numbers in the manual? When they put numbers in the manual (for a brush hog or rotary mower, just for one example), they don't know whether you're going to use that tractor and mower to cut only grass or if you intend to mow down a big patch of 2" saplings, and they don't know whether you're going to be working on flat, level ground or hilly terrain, they don't know whether you're going to be transporting that mower, when it's raised on the 3-point, on nice smooth ground at a slow speed, or whether you're going to bounce it along at a high rate of speed on rough ground. But they do know what may happen to their job if the company gets sued because a customer says their numbers were too high./w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

their knowledge base is much better than us the part time users

Well . . ., maybe; maybe not. However, I absolutely certainly am not telling anyone to do something the "engineers" say not to do; in fact, I'm not telling anyone, and have no desire to tell anyone, what to do at all. But if they ask whether or not they can do something, I don't mind giving my opinion for whatever it's worth, and if it's worth nothing to you, that's fine with me, too. It didn't cost you or me either one anything./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

And of course your opinion is as good as mine, so we'll let the reader be the judge of what he/she wants to do./w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

ddl · Apr 1, 2002

in order to make an educated statement about something, you must know what you are talking about, in order to say something is conservative, you must have knowledge about that subject. If you are only adding opinion then say it is only opinion. That is the difference between a SWAG and a SAG, the first based on knowledge and the second based on just guess. When dealing with equipment that cost thousands of dollars, which do you want to use? Kubota is more allowing then JD.

Dan L

ddl · Apr 1, 2002

I was thinking of using the same arguement that you just used but instead of obeying the speed law, you exceeded the law and nothing happened. Does that mean that the speed law is wrong and we should not obey it. If you travel down a road at high speeds and never hit another car, does that mean the speed is too low and I can set my own speed rate?

We know that we can exceed the limits sometimes, but if you do it enough you will get caught, either speeding or overloading your tractor. We may not agree with the law or a statement about weight limits, but to say it is wrong without any facts is just opinion and a bad opinion in my judgement. What you do is different than what you should advise others to do. Remember you idea of overloading my different from someone else with less experience.

Dan L