Anyway, we just got a fairly 'standard' setup - front-end bucket-loader, rear scraper blade, and under-deck mower. I also have a 3-pt. hitch 'palate' loader we'll put a box on to carry firewood, mostly. Now I realize the tractor, tires, and operator together will only weigh slightly over 2,000 lbs., as this is a small 'utility' tractor, so I don't expect to haul mountains, but I'm trying to get a feel for what is SAFE to do with it.
For some of the close-quarter pile-moving, ice-scraping, firewood-hauling, etc., we may want to use the front-end loader without any rear attachment, or the palate loader without any front attachment. How do you figure out how many front weights or rear 'ballast' you need...?
When I do the calculations, just using the implement weights and evident center of gravity, I get similar 'axle loads' to the software Deere has on their website, and theirs is set up to advise more weight in front if you have less than 20% of the vehicle weight on the front axle, and more weight in the back if you have less than 50% of the vehicle weight on the rear axle. There are a couple things I don't understand, though:
- 1. Tire Load Ratings: With more than a couple hundred pounds in the front bucket (it is rated for at least 800), the load on the front axle is more than twice the "maximum load per tire" for the front tires; I assume the first time I lift 201 lbs. my front tires won't explode, but to correct that problem I'd have to put a full 1,000 lbs in the rear (which means I'd have to remove the rear blade so I cold add a ballast-box, and "nobody does that just to use their front-end loader"). Is the rating for the front tires & axle just an 'average' not to exceed?
2. Use of Weights: I'm assuming that since "nobody does it", that you don't really have to replace the rear blade with a ballst-box, just to use the front-end loader normally, which makes me figure the calculation/spreadsheet approach to adding weights may be nice in theory, but may need tempered with reality. According to the spreadsheet and charts, I'd need all ten possible front-end weights (420 lbs) to haul even 400-500 pounds on a rear carrier, and a full 1,000 lbs (maximum for the tractor) in the rear to use the front-end loader to even half its rated capacity. Should I just get all those weights right off the bat, or is there some way to tell before you flip your tractor that you need more weights, and if so, how MUCH more?