Tractors and wood! Show your pics

[ultrarunner]

Always have something on the back to get full loader use...

Mostly Backhoe or Boxblade...

 

[Gordon Gould]

I cut up one of two pretty nice size cherry trees that broke over for next years heat. This one took 6 trips. The other tree is larger and will be tricky as it partially broke about 8' up and fell, lodging in two other large trees.

Looks like you have plenty of nice hardwood down there where you are. Have fun and work safe.

gg

 

[Creamer]

Thanks, actually too much of a load w/o rear ballast, after driving part way to the house I had to dump the load when the rear of the tractor lifted. These tractors must be nose heavy with just an empty loader and just that load of wood lightened the rear enough to come up. After dumping the load I drove back empty to connect the ballast box, then went back for it and the other 5.

Wow! That is light in the derierre. I would never think of not loading my bucket as high as I can stack it, Sometimes I am not making much for tracks with the rear tires then but never had to worry about not getting home without having to dump it.

Edit: After reading some others comments here I just wanted to note that I do not have wheel weights or loaded tires or any other type of extra weight to hold the rear end down. I am not saying that I have not tried to lift things that brought the rear end up but just not a partial scoop of firewood.

 

[John_Mc]

Thanks, actually too much of a load w/o rear ballast, after driving part way to the house I had to dump the load when the rear of the tractor lifted. These tractors must be nose heavy with just an empty loader and just that load of wood lightened the rear enough to come up. After dumping the load I drove back empty to connect the ballast box, then went back for it and the other 5.

Even with filled rear tires, I never count on picking up anywhere near the max capacity without some implement of another in the 3 Pt hitch (Usually my logging winch @ 500+ lbs, or my box blade at a bit over 600 lbs. They don't stick out far bhind the tractor, so maneuverability in tighter spaces is not severely affected)

 

[Milo]

Yeah these little tractors really require weight in the back when a loader is on, even with an empty bucket! My Kubota doesn't have filled tires but I always had a ballast box on if there wasn't a rear implement. But the ballast box was on the 3520 so I tried putting the SSQA Kubota bucket on the Deere (which I have converted to SSQA) but it won't fit on, they're not quite compatible. So I thought I'll just use the L2501 "it's only wood if I'm careful surely I can carry that w/o moving the ballast box". But the back end came up so that was it.
Just to give you an idea how much ballast we really need on these tractors I'll share what I read in my Deere loader manual last night. This is for a 3520 which is pretty close in size and weight to an L01 Kubota, around 2,900 pounds bare tractor plus loader.
Required minimum ballast for 3X20 tractors: Fluid filled tires, and 1,100 pound of 3-point ballast, and (3) 55# wheel weights per wheel.

 

[hunt4570]

Kubota 3540, my rear tires are filled but if I'm going to pick up a large log or something I normally put my flail mower on, it's my heaviest implement.

 

[John_Mc]

Yeah these little tractors really require weight in the back when a loader is on, even with an empty bucket! My Kubota doesn't have filled tires but I always had a ballast box on if there wasn't a rear implement. But the ballast box was on the 3520 so I tried putting the SSQA Kubota bucket on the Deere (which I have converted to SSQA) but it won't fit on, they're not quite compatible. So I thought I'll just use the L2501 "it's only wood if I'm careful surely I can carry that w/o moving the ballast box". But the back end came up so that was it.
Just to give you an idea how much ballast we really need on these tractors I'll share what I read in my Deere loader manual last night. This is for a 3520 which is pretty close in size and weight to an L01 Kubota, around 2,900 pounds bare tractor plus loader.
Required minimum ballast for 3X20 tractors: Fluid filled tires, and 1,100 pound of 3-point ballast, and (3) 55# wheel weights per wheel.

I have to wonder if the lawyers got ahold of them when writing that recommendation.

I don't think I've EVER used anywhere close to that amount of ballast, and I've moved some pretty heavy logs with my NH TC 33D (heavy enough that the Woods 1012 loader I have on it would not pick it up higher than about a foot or two off the ground - and it's rated higher than NH's loader intended for this tractor.)

 

[arrow]

The "kick out" or how far the loader extends beyond the front end has a lot to do with tractor stability when loaded. Loader dimensions that have to do with "higher lift" (measured in inches), now have different geometries per various tractors.
Some loaders are more "tucked in" and thus wouldn't be as affected with higher weights.
I know some are opposed to loading up rear tires for their own reasons but how I use a tractor would preclude me not having tires loaded.
I find it makes for a different tractor.

 

[Fxfymn413]

I cut up one of two pretty nice size cherry trees that broke over for next years heat. This one took 6 trips. The other tree is larger and will be tricky as it partially broke about 8' up and fell, lodging in two other large trees.

You know how to make a grown woodworker cry by cutting up that cherry for firewood.

 

[IXLR8]

Some loaders are more "tucked in" and thus wouldn't be as affected with higher weights.
I know some are opposed to loading up rear tires for their own reasons but how I use a tractor would preclude me not having tires loaded.
I find it makes for a different tractor.

My neighbor is 93, been running tractors all his life. He told me when I first met him 15 years ago, he never needed to run loaded rear tires, never saw a reason to. Last tractor he bought 2 years ago was an 'off the lot' tractor that already had the tires loaded. It was the same size as his previous tractor, he just wanted the newest model. He had a similar comment that "it made for a different tractor". Now he wishes he had loaded the rears on the other tractors he had.