Ballast Using FEL without ballast

[hpc]

Hi, All,

Waiting on my 3520 to arrive. It's at the dealer with all the implements, but
the miscellaneous stuff like work lights, suspension seat, etc. are not all
in yet.

I use the FEL to move snow - push it along and lift the full bucket at
the end of the driveway/road. Maybe once per year, I might
get a load of decorative rock or some soil and move it about.

This is about it for FEL use.

I've never used any sort of ballast on my 4115, but thought
I'd check with those more experienced.

For the type of work I do with the FEL, should I pick up a 3pt.
ballast box for the 3520?

Appreciate the help!

Lon

 

[Bird]

Lon, sooner or later, you'll try to lift something with the front end loader that will cause the tractor's back wheels to come off the ground, or possibly even turn over the tractor. Now if you are raising the loader slowly enough, keeping loads low enough, and keeping loads centered, you can use a front end loader without any ballast; you just don't leave yourself much room for error. Ballast boxes work well, but cost money unless you build one yourself. What other implements do you plan to use? A lot of people, myself included, never owned a ballast box. I used my box blade most frequently, although I've also used my tiller or my rotary cutter.

 

[BloomingtonMike]

I have a 3320 and 200X. For the first two months I was using the loader without balast to move dirt. I went slow. I was careful.

I now have the JD balast box because a member was not using his. I love it very much now and I do not have the uneasy feeling of using the loader without balast.

I would recommend though that if you are spending $$ for one then get yourself a box blade and use that. Dual function is always best.

 

[browns40]

Hi hpc,

You could get away with no ballast...

You could also find yourself doing some "stunt tractoring" on the front wheels! /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

I'm not familiar with your previous loader and machine, but I do know the 300 series loaders do have plenty of power to lever that rear end up on your new tractor even with weight on the back...

Get yourself a box blade; it'll do amazing "finish work" picking up the windrows the bucket leaves, squaring up your snowpiles, pulling snow from tight places you can't afford to graze with the bucket....

Plus you get (IMO) the 2nd best all purpose implement out there to go with #1 (the loader), and plenty of ballast for your loader.

I still added about 235 #s on a weight bar on the back of my box blade, which took me to about 770 pounds of rear ballast...

It made a tremendous difference--the loader became noticeably more effective when digging & picking up heavy materials (wet clay & mud); I gained way more traction in said materials, and the tractor simply feels (and is) more stable for having that counterweight to the loader mass up front.

So you might get away without ballast, but you'll see why you needed it if you get some. Get some!

/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Happy tractoring! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[PILOON]

Another important point is that without rear ballast you will be really working your front differential overly hard as the rear wheels will be so light as to hardly provide traction.

Take it from me, a front crown and pinion gear set is VERY costly and I'd doubt if a dealer would cover on warrantee if he knows all the facts.

The front drive is merely a 'helper' and has nowheres near the capacities of the rear traction.
The wheel sizes alone tell you that!

 

[Bird]

Very good point.

 

[BobCurry]

Lon,
Here's the trick; load the rear tires and have a counter weight whether it be a weight box or box blade. The benefits (your safety) are great!

Bob

 

[JB4310]

Piloon is right, besides traction and control, weight distribution is critical to the service life of the front end. Think about what happens when the rear wheels come off the ground while lifting capacity loads, all the weight of BOTH the load and the tractor is transferred directly to the front end,the proof is obvious when only the front tires are touching the ground, but even if your not loosing traction or tipping over your still carrying way to much on the front end if you operate with out ballast.
I have the 300cx on my 4310 and have a 60" box scraper, and a 72" rear blade, neither is as heavy as the ballast box filled with 3/4" crushed stone. If you don't need a box scraper or a rear blade I would stick with the ballast box, you can adjust the weight as needed, don't think they cost much my dealer said they include one with every loader they sell.
I myself keep the rear blade on for snow work in the winter with an extra 250# of weight added to that but for every day loader work I prefer the ballast box as it's not as clumsy. J.B.

 

[RalphVa]

Well, the other day I had some bags of top soil to move down the short slope to my new asparagus patch. So, I just disconnected my shredder/chipper from the 3 ph and went out the garage a bit, loaded 10 bags at 40# (dry, but many were wet) into the FEL. Went down the little slope. One of the bags dropped out of the FEL, I ran over it with my right side wheels. When the rear wheel hit the bag, up it went. I saw what was happening and leaned over that way. It righted itself, and I had the FEL very low (should have dropped it like a shot but always worry that I might curl it up instead because those motions are so close together).

On my 4010, I found that I need 300# on the 3ph, MINIMUM, to keep an uphill rear wheel from tipping. Of course, going very slow and watching for hills on uphill and dips on downhill is a must.

If you can afford the ballast box, it's a very compact piece of equipment to put back there as counterweight. I'd be wanting to put castors or park it on a furniture mover to make it easy to take off and to put on.

Ralph

 

[dieselmotorhead]

I did some FEL work after disconnecting the Backhoe. Just a few buckets of gravel- not worth hooking up to an implement- right!. Well I got a bucket full and was about to go back when the rear wheels came up. The front suspension bottoms out on tilt but it is not much if there is any momentum to the tipping. I was lucky. After that scare - Now the tires are loaded with beet juice and I have a woods medium duty 84" box blade (760#) when the BH is not on it. I am doing general utility tractor work- not dragging implements and watching slip speeds, so the only disadvantage is possible ruts, so the extra weight feels nice. I never intend to actually use the ROPS, but I was glad it is there. The least impact accident is you roll your tractor over and damage it- it gets worse from there up to your estate auctioning off the damaged machine with the blood stains.