DHD, sure not saying what you posted is not correct but left me little confused.
Fluid in the tire or wheel weight don't have the load on the axle as does 3 pth weight? Are you saying that is due to the weight being on the axle and ground and not on the tractor? Sort of makes sense. Yet if the weight is needed to keep traction is it not then applied to the bearings for as the tractor lifts the weight of the tires pulls down on the bearings.
But how is there a difference between any of those in relationship to the weight on the front axle?
kthompson
I said:
(A ballast box or heavy implement adds weight to the rear axle and
wheel bearing assemblys that liquid ballast and wheel weights would not.)
I was thinking only of gravity forces, but you brought up a good point I did not think of.
You said:
(Yet if the weight is needed to keep traction is it not then applied to the
bearings for as the tractor lifts the weight of the tires pulls down on the bearings.)
kthompson You are correct, and I would think this would be called torque stress.
Perhaps I should of said:
A ballast box or heavy implement adds gravitational stress to the tractor chassis
which transfers to the axle/bearings and thru the wheel tire asssembly to the ground.
Liquid ballast or wheel weights would not add gravitational stress to the tractor chassis
or axle/bearing assembly.
However, liquid ballast or wheel weights would add torque stress to the
axle/bearing assembly when the tractor was in motion.
I said:
(A rear ballast box or rear heavy implement helps take weight off the front axle
assembly when doing loader work, which is something that liquid wheel ballast
or wheel weights would not do.)
You said:
(But how is there a difference between any of those in relationship to the weight
on the front axle? )
I was looking at a tractor as having two pivot points or fulcrums
(front axle and rear axle).
(Front axle pivot)
While doing loader work, if there is no liquid ballast or wheel weights on the rear wheels,
it is possible to bring the rear wheels off the ground, and the only pivot point involved would be the front axle.
Adding weight (liquid ballast or wheel weights) to the rear tire/wheel assembly would
help keep the rear wheels on the ground, and if the loader was capable, even more
weight could be lifted before the rear wheels might become airborn again.
As this weight balance between loader payload and liquid or wheel weight
ballast increases, additional stresses would be applied to the front axle assy.
(Rear axle pivot)
If the front of the tractor is light and a heavy enough item was mounted on the 3 point,
the front tires could become airborn and the rear axle would now be the only pivot point.
In this situation the entire weight of the tractor would be on the rear axle assembly.
(Front Pivot and Rear Pivot)
So with loader/payload weight in front of the front axle and 3 point ballast behind the
rear axle I would think there are now two potential acting pivot points.
The loader/payload weight trying to lift the rear of the tractor using the front axle as
a pivot point, and the 3 point hitch ballast trying to lift the front of the tractor using
the rear axle as a pivot point..
So with the loader with payload in place and with ballast on the 3 point, I believe
that leverage of the 3 point ballast in relation to the rear axle, shifts some front
end weight from the front axle to the rear axle.
The rear wheel liquid ballast or wheel weights do not have this leverage advantage on
the rear axle, its only leverage point is the front axle so the rear wheel weights are
not able to reduce front axle weight.
Does this make sense ?
