You need balast or you will trash your front axle!!!! really?

[Luke'sScreenName]

My Daddy always said "never play another man's game".

Using your much more eloquent description, there is a situation where adding rear ballast weight adds to the forces experienced by the front axle rather than lessening it.

I think ovrszd is absolutely correct. There is one instance when adding rear ballast (counterweight) INCREASES the static forces on the front axle...
When the rear tires are off the ground! (am I right ovrszd?)

 

[ovrszd]

I think ovrszd is absolutely correct. There is one instance when adding rear ballast (counterweight) INCREASES the static forces on the front axle...
When the rear tires are off the ground! (am I right ovrszd?)

Correct. Until the rear tires return to Earth, the more counter ballast you stack on the rear, the more force is exerted on the front axle.

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

Correct. Until the rear tires return to Earth, the more counter ballast you stack on the rear, the more force is exerted on the front axle.

:cool2::drink: Who needs an engineering degree!

 

[ovrszd]

:cool2::drink: Who needs an engineering degree!

Exactly.

 

[gladehound]

I think ovrszd is absolutely correct. There is one instance when adding rear ballast (counterweight) INCREASES the static forces on the front axle...
When the rear tires are off the ground! (am I right ovrszd?)

There is another... when they are still on the ground but have allowed you to lift a weight with your FEL that you could not have lifted without the 3pt counterweight.

And yet another... when you are facing nose down on a steep enough hill with or without weight on the FEL

 

[ovrszd]

There is another... when they are still on the ground but have allowed you to lift a weight with your FEL that you could not have lifted without the 3pt counterweight.

And yet another... when you are facing nose down on a steep enough hill with or without weight on the FEL

Very good Ron!!!!

 

[k0ua]

There is another... when they are still on the ground but have allowed you to lift a weight with your FEL that you could not have lifted without the 3pt counterweight.

And yet another... when you are facing nose down on a steep enough hill with or without weight on the FEL

yes an interesting phenomonen occurs when I have my little light 5 foot scrape blade on my tractor that I use to repair my gravel road. In interesting thing happens if I don't keep the tractor in 4WD. When I go to get a bit of gravel from the gravel pile and I go down the steep hill nose first in 2WD, the rear tires become so light that the compression braking(or stomping on the brake pedals for that matter) wont keep the tractor from going down the hill at a high rate of speed.. Wheeeee.. down we go.

You can hear the rear tires slipping on the gravel because they are so light there is no traction any more. The COG of the tractor has shifted towards the front and with even a light load of gravel in the bucket there is not enough ballast on the 3pt with the light blade to keep the rear tires planted hard on the road surface, so they slip. If I put the ballast barrell on that doesn't happen with light loads. Of course if I keep it in 4WD it doesn't happen either.

Of course If I wasn't an idiot, and backed down the steep slope, it would not happen in 2WD either as the COG would shift to the downhill side once again, but this time placing more weight on the leading axle which in this case is the rear one.

 

[murphy1244]

There is another... when they are still on the ground but have allowed you to lift a weight with your FEL that you could not have lifted without the 3pt counterweight.

And yet another... when you are facing nose down on a steep enough hill with or without weight on the FEL

But how many Beers can you drink?

 

[npalen]

Just imagine all the physics/math calculations your tractor has to go thru so it knows how to act in a given scenario.:thumbsup:

 

[gladehound]

Just imagine all the physics/math calculations your tractor has to go thru so it knows how to act in a given scenario.:thumbsup:

That's why all the new tractors have computers.

 

[gladehound]

But how many Beers can you drink?

Hmmm...I think we need empirical evidence :drink:

 

[davesl708]

Hmmm...I think we need empirical evidence :drink:

I will start testing tonight.

 

[gladehound]

I will start testing tonight.

I'm testing right now :drink::drink::drink::drink::drink:

 

[TomSeller]

<img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=458316"/>

I saw my first yellow jacket of the season. That's one nice thing to not worry about during winter.

 

[4570Man]

I saw my first yellow jacket of the season. That's one nice thing to not worry about during winter.

I haven't seen any of Satins evil companions yet, but it is still February.

 

[zzvyb6]

I haven't seen any of Satins evil companions yet, but it is still February.

You mean you missed all the caucuses ?

 

[4570Man]

You mean you missed all the caucuses ?

I guess so.

 

[Kubota 2350]

If you lift 1000 pounds with the FEL your adding a 1000 pounds to the front axle regardless how much weight you have on the rear.

Ballast on the rear helps with keeping the rear tires in contact with the ground but it doesn't take any load off of the front axle.