The "straw" that breaks the camel's back, or.....

   / The "straw" that breaks the camel's back, or..... #11  
Re: The \"straw\" that breaks the camel\'s back, or.....

I understood your question, from the straw reference. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

He is parking his tractor, & hand-loading the bucket, 40lbs a bale or so..... This is not your typical tipping question of trying to raise a bucket or driving & tipping over....

I haven't done it, but yes it sure can happen. The arms would not fall, but the tractor could get real light in back, you might notice that, before it goes over.

--->Paul
 
   / The "straw" that breaks the camel's back, or..... #12  
Re: The \"straw\" that breaks the camel\'s back, or.....

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( While the tractor wasn't moving (engine off/loader raised), have you ever added weight to the loader enough to change the balance and have it tip forward?
)</font>

i understood the question, and as i stated in my previous post yes it could happpen, think of it as loading the back of a pick up till the front end raises up. now this would not happen to me as i am to lazy to load that much by hand /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
   / The "straw" that breaks the camel's back, or..... #13  
Re: The \"straw\" that breaks the camel\'s back, or.....

Though I don't yet have a tractor with a loader, I have used them a bit in the past. Here's a thought on the tipping situation that some guys may not have considered.

Think about the "suspension" of your tractor (or most tractors anyway). The rear axle is solidly mounted to the frame, but there is a certain amount of "give" in the tires. The front axle is mounted on a pivot, alowing it to "rock" as one front wheel goes over a hump, or through a hole, relative to the other. This means that your tractor is really supported at three points, the two rear wheels and the front axle pivot! (When your front axle rocks far enough to one side or the other, it does come up against a stop of some kind, but you are tipped pretty far when that happens.)

Understanding now that we are, for all practical purposes, dealing with a 3 point suspension, we can see that we have to keep the center of gravity within the triangle formed by those three points if we want to rest on the ground in a stable, upright, position. When we have added the big load (or digging force) up front, ahead of the axle pivot, we are not only going to tip forward, but we are also going to tip toward whichever side has the greatest load.

In other words, we don't have to worry just about tipping up on our nose. We are also very likely to tip sideways as that front axle (now carrying all the load) rocks (or the tractor rocks on the axle, if you want to think of it that way).

A friend of mine just bought a Kubota (BX7800, I think) and scared himself when he went to try out the loader without any counterweight on the rear. If people realize the part that pivoting front axle plays in the stability of the tractor, maybe they'll understand why they MUST have some counterweight when using the loader!

Tractor Safely!

Dennis
 
   / The "straw" that breaks the camel's back, or..... #14  
Re: The \"straw\" that breaks the camel\'s back, or.....

Maybe I am dense or it's too early in the morning, but what does the pivot of the front axle have to do with tipping the tractor over on it's nose other than if you are on uneven terrain, your load balance will shift to one side if you go in a hole or run over a rock. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Markie is loading in the barn, flat floor no bumps. If he overloads his FEL, the rear tires would leave the ground and the tractor would tip forward. I have lifted the aft of the 5030 off the ground on occasion. Most tractors with FEL's have more hydraulic capacity than vehicle weight anyway.
 
   / The "straw" that breaks the camel's back, or..... #15  
Re: The \"straw\" that breaks the camel\'s back, or.....

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Most tractors with FEL's have more hydraulic capacity than vehicle weight anyway. )</font>

Gosh! That's right. I've lifted more rear tires more times than I care to remember while pulling fence posts and mobile home tie-downs. Luckily, on flat ground the transition from four wheels flat on the ground to the two rear wheels in the air doesn't happen instantaneously and you can drop the load.

If you were loading bales onto raised pallet forks and not in the operator's seat, the tractor might start to pivot, but unless it was perfectly balanced, the rear of the tractor would move to one side or the other and the tractor could/might tip over in a "worse case" scenario. I don't think I'd want to load the pallet forks anywhere near the maximum load if they are not sitting flat on the ground.
 
   / The "straw" that breaks the camel's back, or..... #16  
Re: The \"straw\" that breaks the camel\'s back, or.....

If the bucket is on the ground There is no horizontal pivot point when the rear wheels come off the ground.

Egon
 
   / The "straw" that breaks the camel's back, or..... #17  
Re: The \"straw\" that breaks the camel\'s back, or.....

<font color="blue"> While the tractor wasn't moving (engine off/loader raised), have you ever added weight to the loader enough to change the balance and have it tip forward?
</font>

Yes. I had the tractor bucket sitting about a foot above my trailer. I had the large bucket on and was loading patio blocks into it by hand. I got to a point that if I put my hand on the bucket, I could push down and lift the rear wheels off the ground. I could take my hand off and the rear wheels would go back down. Of course, this is a small tractor that weighs under 1500 pounds. If you take the 200+ pound operator off, there goes your counter weight. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

My guess is it would be much less likely with a properly weighted larger tractor, but who knows... anything is possible. Best to err on the side of caution... I shouldn't have left my tractor with the loader up in the air. I should have brought the bucket down on the trailer. Things can happen when you are out of the operator's seat... the joystick could slip or pop out of detent and the loader could come down and crush you or your barn. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif
 
   / The "straw" that breaks the camel's back, or.....
  • Thread Starter
#18  
Re: The \"straw\" that breaks the camel\'s back, or.....

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( If you take the 200+ pound operator off, there goes your counter weight. )</font>

Another reason to keep your seatbelt on - to the keep the human counterweight in place! I had a feeling it was possible, but had never read about it actually happening - until now.

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( the joystick could slip or pop out of detent and the loader could come down and crush you or your barn )</font>

Good point. When I have the loader raised in the air (with or without a load) and am out of the seat, I always use the joystick's boom lockout. If the joystick gets accidentally bumped, the arms won't drop.

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( now this would not happen to me as i am to lazy to load that much by hand )</font>

LOL - you crack me up, Frank! One day (after I am rich, of course) I am going to hire someone to do all the hand loading. In the meanwhile, I do as little as possible, which is why I palletize my firewood.

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( 40lbs a bale or so )</font>

I'm guessing these bales are more like 80 lbs (3.5" to 4" long). So, stacking 18 is about 1440 lbs or a little less than 3/4 capacity. Then, of course, the load on the pallet forks is up to 4 feet further towards the front, thus changing the center of gravity. I sometimes put a foot on the pallet when loading, so that can briefly add 200lbs to the very front. You can see why my imagination got me thinking.

I guess from the comments here, I can sum up:
1. Tipping by adding weight a little at a time is possible, but doesn't happen often.
2. Bypass of the relief valve probably won't occur.
3. Counterweight, as usual, reduces the probablility of tipping further.
4. Frank prefers not to load stuff by hand.

Thanks to everyone who replied.

Mark
 
   / The "straw" that breaks the camel's back, or..... #19  
Re: The \"straw\" that breaks the camel\'s back, or.....

I like the pick up a bucket load facing up hill in 2wd then turn and head down hill then the weight shifts far enough forward to lift the rear tires and free wheel on the fronts!

Makes you glad you kept your hand on the joystick!
Ken
 
   / The "straw" that breaks the camel's back, or..... #20  
Re: The \"straw\" that breaks the camel\'s back, or.....

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( 4. Frank prefers not to load stuff by hand.
)</font>

well i ocasionanly load some stuff by hand , but it is small stuff, like small rocks and limbs that are dropped off with the clean dirt i get that ain't so clean /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif but i'll leave the heavy stuff to u young guys /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
 

Footer Links 1

Top