Trailer size recommendations

[skipmarcy]

Filled tires do nothing to relieve strain on the front axle. You need weight hanging off the back for that.

The filled tires DO add weight to better keep the rear tires on the ground. If those rear tires come off the ground, all of the weight of the tractor is on the front 2 tires (axle). Weight on the 3 pt is just more efficient with the leverage being out back.

 

[MossRoad]

Big time farmers have a lot bigger tractors than yours.With-out ballast(filled tires or a weight box) you will be over-stressing your front axel and tires.Kubotas are light in the rear and have strong loaders.

Filled tires do nothing to relieve strain on the front axle. You need weight hanging off the back for that.

The filled tires DO add weight to better keep the rear tires on the ground. If those rear tires come off the ground, all of the weight of the tractor is on the front 2 tires (axle). Weight on the 3 pt is just more efficient with the leverage being out back.

The way you worded it in the first post was "filled tires OR a weight box". If you think about your scenario, lets say you put the FEL under an imovable object and lift the rears off the ground. Now, as you suggest, we add 1000# weight to the rear of the tractor, tire ballast or ballast box, doesn't matter, and try and lift it again. The front axle now has to take not only the original weight of the tractor, but the additional weight and leverage of the 1000#. It's stressing the front axle more than if you'd have left it stock.

 

[4570Man]

I think the rear tires should be loaded unless there's a good reason not to, but it's not saving the front axle at least in the form of weight reduction.

 

[AxleHub]

The way you worded it in the first post was "filled tires OR a weight box". If you think about your scenario, lets say you put the FEL under an imovable object and lift the rears off the ground. Now, as you suggest, we add 1000# weight to the rear of the tractor, tire ballast or ballast box, doesn't matter, and try and lift it again. The front axle now has to take not only the original weight of the tractor, but the additional weight and leverage of the 1000#. It's stressing the front axle more than if you'd have left it stock.

Greetings MossRoad,

Your reasoning is not logical because operating a tractor running off of only the front axle is not operating a tractor. If your back wheels are off the ground, you either are setting without motion forward or backward. . . or you are in a state of impending accident.

 

[4570Man]

Adding fluid to the back tires does absolutely nothing to reduce the front axel weight. Unless you never lift more than about 1/3 of the loader capacity than the fluid increases the front axle weight.

 

[oosik]

Well - bat guano. I buzzed around the internet, looked at all my various OP manuals and finally came up with an "estimated" weight for my new 2009 M6040. I estimated a weight of 8850#. My M6040 has Rimguard filled rear tires(add 1550 pounds) - Land Pride SGC1560 grapple @ 820# - Rhino 950 rear blade @ 1050#.

I took the plunge - drove into Cheney and across the ADM(Archer Daniels Midland) semi-truck grain scales. My M6040 weighed out at 10,100 pounds. That's 1250 pounds heavier than my estimate. I have two choices for getting an accurate weight - the grain scales in Cheney or the Highway Dept scales off I-90, about 15 to 18 miles away.

Once is sufficient on my tractor weight. I can manipulate the weight by adding/deleting any and all implements I own.

In any case - the bare tractor with nothing on the FEL or 3-point weighs - - 8230 pounds.

I would suggest - - look for a commercial weigh station close to your home and put your tractor across those scales to get an accurate weight - to start with. FWIW - my getting weighed at the grain scales cost nothing. I did not get an "official" stamped document - they simply turn the digital readout head so I can see it. Pretty neat. I did check with ADM before driving the tractor in to Cheney - it is twelve miles one way and I didn't want to find that I would be refused AFTER I got in to town.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

Well - bat guano. I buzzed around the internet, looked at all my various OP manuals and finally came up with an "estimated" weight for my new 2009 M6040. I estimated a weight of 8850#. My M6040 has Rimguard filled rear tires(add 1550 pounds) - Land Pride SGC1560 grapple @ 820# - Rhino 950 rear blade @ 1050#.

I took the plunge - drove into Cheney and across the ADM(Archer Daniels Midland) semi-truck grain scales. My M6040 weighed out at 10,100 pounds. That's 1250 pounds heavier than my estimate. I have two choices for getting an accurate weight - the grain scales in Cheney or the Highway Dept scales off I-90, about 15 to 18 miles away.

Once is sufficient on my tractor weight. I can manipulate the weight by adding/deleting any and all implements I own.

In any case - the bare tractor with nothing on the FEL or 3-point weighs - - 8230 pounds.

I would suggest - - look for a commercial weigh station close to your home and put your tractor across those scales to get an accurate weight - to start with. FWIW - my getting weighed at the grain scales cost nothing. I did not get an "official" stamped document - they simply turn the digital readout head so I can see it. Pretty neat. I did check with ADM before driving the tractor in to Cheney - it is twelve miles one way and I didn't want to find that I would be refused AFTER I got in to town.

I would agree with this.

I had "estimated" my tractor weight with filled tires, FEL and attachment on, then I actually went and weighed it on a CAT scale, to my surprise, like oosik, I was off on my "estimate" by quite a bit.

My "guess" was "around 6K". My real scaled weight was 7100 lbs. So much for guessing.

 

[MossRoad]

Greetings MossRoad,

Your reasoning is not logical because operating a tractor running off of only the front axle is not operating a tractor. If your back wheels are off the ground, you either are setting without motion forward or backward. . . or you are in a state of impending accident.

I have no idea what you are talking about.

 

[fried1765]

I would agree with this.

I had "estimated" my tractor weight with filled tires, FEL and attachment on, then I actually went and weighed it on a CAT scale, to my surprise, like oosik, I was off on my "estimate" by quite a bit.

My "guess" was "around 6K". My real scaled weight was 7100 lbs. So much for guessing.

Same goes for all those folks here on TBN who guess their loaded trailer, and tongue weights.
Weight guessing is almost always ...way wrong!

 

[powerscol]

Getting back on topic
The OP needs to have enough trailer length to be able to get his tractor load over the trailer axles, and probably slightly forward of that point to correctly distribute the load over the rig. Too far back and he will have handling problems big time. Do some measuring and determine how you can load to carry the tractor correctly. Remember if you go with a less robust trailer the chances of something getting over stressed go up.