When is rear ballast needed with a FEL?

[Mosey]

It wasn't the specs on the 7308 that turned me away. It was the price. This whole idea that they can sell it for $2500 if you get it with the tractor, but want $1500 or so more if you buy it later just doesn't fly with me!

 

[Mosey]

[quoteMosey, Yes I had my Bush Hog 72" Rear Blade on the back.)</font>

Spencer - My rear blade is pretty light, so I know it wouldn't do any good. Do you know how much yours weighs?

 

[Mosey]

I've been thinking about this and as usual, I've got to make it more complicated than it needs to be. Anyway, some good points have been made.

It makes sense that adding fluid or weights to the rear wheels is a good way to add rear ballast because it's out of the way and less strain in the rear wheel bearings. The advantage of weights is that they can be removed.

It also makes sense that adding weight by hooking something to the 3pt hitch is a good way because it can be removed even easier, just unhook it. But, it's more in the way sometimes.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't adding weight to the rear wheels still going to strain the front axle because the pivot point is still the front axle, whereas adding weight to the 3pt hitch is going to move the pivot point to the rear axle and take more weight off the front axle?

One of the disappointing things about this for me is that I was planning to use my 30" rear scoop as a ballast when moving dirt. I was planning to fill the scoop first, then fill the FEL (5' bucket). Drive to the area I'm moving it to, then dump the FEL and then dump the rear scoop. That way I could move the dirt about half again as fast as I could with just the FEL. But, now I doubt the rear scoop full of dirt will be enough ballast for the FEL full of dirt. Which means I have to add weight to the wheels, which I really really don't want to do because of the additional cost and then the extra time and effort to take them off when I don't want them there.

 

[Bird]

Danny, of course you're right about the pivot point and the difference in loading tires or using wheel weights vs. counterweights on the 3-point. But I think in many cases the counterweight, whether on the 3-point or at the rear axle, is needed to keep the rear wheels on the ground for safety and traction more than to relieve the weight on the front axle. Now there's no doubt that at some point you could load the front axle enough to damage it, but I really doubt that you're likely to ever do that with what you pick up with your FEL (at least if you're using a FEL of the same brand and designed to work with that particular tractor). I'm inclined to think the tractor manufacturer took that into consideration when they built the tractor and loader to go together. Therefore, I think your plan to move dirt with your FEL and rear scoop is a perfectly good plan.

Personal opinion of course.

 

[MikePA]

<font color="blue"> It wasn't the specs on the 7308 that turned me away. It was the price. This whole idea that they can sell it for $2500 if you get it with the tractor, but want $1500 or so more if you buy it later just doesn't fly with me! </font>
After you get this situation resolved, it would be an informative exercise to identify what you saved by buying the Bush Hog FEL, how much they will charge you to return it (assuming they do this should you decide to return it), add in the cost of your time getting it resolved and a value for time lost from not being able to use your FEL. If you end up having to load your tires, buy rear ballast, etc. that's more that should be added to the 'cost' of the Bush Hog loader. What were those savings again? /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

This link discusses some of the issues surrounding buying non-OEM FELs.

 

[Mosey]

Well, I did a more precise test. I put 5 sandbags (which I made up myself and weighed) that weigh 55 lbs each, for a total of 275 lbs. Then, I stood in the bucket and I weigh 180 lbs, so the total weight in the bucket was 455 lbs. The bucket was only raised slightly. I was able to bounce the rear tires off the ground. There was no one on the tractor seat and I did this in 2 places, on a slight slope and on a level floor in the garage.

Picture 1 attached, shows the sandbags.

 

[Mosey]

Here's a picture of the front tire squatting. It has 30 psi in it.

 

[Mosey]

Side view of rear tire, barely off the ground (hard to see in this picture).

 

[Mosey]

Rear view of left rear tire off the ground.

 

[Mosey]

I realize ballast is needed. But, I'm just thinking that I should be able to move 275 lbs without it. Instead, the tractor felt very light in the rear end when I drove it with 275 lbs in the bucket. Also, I could not turn the wheels, even though I have power steering, unless the tractor was moving. This just doesn't seem right to me.

I've talked to the dealer and he called his Bush Hog rep. He was told "we do not have a return policy". I called the rep myself and got nowhere. He said no one has ever tried to return one before. I pointed out the this loader weighs nearly twice as much as the NH one and the Woods one, but he just said he's never had anyone complain about that before. He referred me to a guy at Bush Hog in TN. So, I'll try to get somewhere with him tomorrow. At this point I'm willing to take a loss of a few hundred dollars, I just want this thing off my tractor!