FEL Lift capacity

[Turbys_1700]

Wheelbase and weight are as important as hydraulics. Usually FEL capacity will be at 50% max of the weight of the tractor. This is a rule of thumb. My Workmaster 621 FEL was rated at 3550 pounds at the pins at 10 feet and 2200 pounds at 800 mm at full height. I think it calculated out to be 2700# at 500 mm at full height. The tractor with rears ballasted was around 6000 pounds and 5000 pounds without the rears loaded.

 

[Texasmark]

.............I use to run test (load capacity and tipping) on cranes and a machine that would lift 20,000 pounds would tip with say 4,000 with just moving the radius out maybe 40 to 50 feet.

4,000# x 50' is 200,000#. Yepper one would notice that.

 

[Grandad4]

Front axle rated capacity is also important and seldom mentioned. It's comparatively easy to boost a loader's "lifting capacity" for marketing reasons, but not every manufacturer also engineers the tractor front-end to stand up to years of heavier lifting. This is kind of a "buyer beware" thing. You only find out if it was under-engineered years after the purchase. Check the axle ratings when tractor shopping, if you can find them.

Likewise, one of the ways to cheaply gain FEL capacity is to make the loader frame lighter (i.e. weaker). If the manufacturer shaves 200 lbs from the FEL arms, it increases lifting capacity by some amount, but ruggedness may be compromised. When you compare lift capacities on tractors, also compare the weights of the FEL attachments.

 

[greggyy]

There is more to think of as well, cause depends on the ground your on, travel direction, if you need to stop in a hurry etc...buy something rated much higher than what you need, or someones unit that is way more capable than they claim, if the full rating is close to a balancing point, and you go down hill and hit the brakes, you may end up in front of the loader

 

[oosik]

Xfaxman - takes some cojones to climb out of your rig - just to take your own tipping factor picture. The tree on the ground - the boom firmly gripping the tree - all this must provide a fairly good deterrent to the unit pivoting on the front axel/wheels and going down - - right?? I wonder - can the Bobcat even pivot on its front - like a tractor.

I've had my previous tractor in that exact same position - only it was due to a heavy load of wet sand in the FEL bucket. I dropped the a** end of the tractor so fast, it bounced at touch down. The entire tractor was starting to pivot and "fall off" to the right hand side. Felt like the rear tires were three feet off the ground. However - in retrospect - I'm sure they were on six inches off the ground.

Got off the tractor - only time in my entire life - - my knees were actually knocking together. I'm not ashamed to say - I was scared.

 

[Xfaxman]

Xfaxman - takes some cojones to climb out of your rig - just to take your own tipping factor picture. The tree on the ground - the boom firmly gripping the tree - all this must provide a fairly good deterrent to the unit pivoting on the front axel/wheels and going down - - right??

Not really, it is very stable with the rear end up in the air.

I wonder - can the Bobcat even pivot on its front - like a tractor?

No only the rear pivots:

This shows max body lean with the rear axle against the stop:

Here is one rear tire off the ground:

 

[Handloader109]

Well, I know I can't pick up 371 pounds 24 inches in front of my FEL's front tip (using forks) without considerable weight on the rear. I've got about 250 pounds of weight that works ok, but my tiller extends back about 16" farther to the rear.

Had a sheet of steel on a large skid and had to put back in semitrailer. Picked it up fine to the floor height and got it in.

 

[LD1]

That video made me laugh. That guy really ought to be careful. Especially when he says with ballast" this baby will lift well over 2000#".

That PDF is a good explanation of how things are measured.

Look at the breakout force, and lift to 1.5m specs. Because between those two is where most of us run the loaders 90% of the time anyway

 

[Texasmark]

Front axle rated capacity is also important and seldom mentioned. It's comparatively easy to boost a loader's "lifting capacity" for marketing reasons, but not every manufacturer also engineers the tractor front-end to stand up to years of heavier lifting. This is kind of a "buyer beware" thing. You only find out if it was under-engineered years after the purchase. Check the axle ratings when tractor shopping, if you can find them.

Likewise, one of the ways to cheaply gain FEL capacity is to make the loader frame lighter (i.e. weaker). If the manufacturer shaves 200 lbs from the FEL arms, it increases lifting capacity by some amount, but ruggedness may be compromised. When you compare lift capacities on tractors, also compare the weights of the FEL attachments.

Branson loaders are spec'd per the series for which they are intended: My 2400 uses a 00 series loader. My 6530 uses a 30 series loader. Since both are Branson nomenclatured, Branson (Kukje) built, it makes sense that the tractor's capabilities were taken into consideration with the design, like everything else used to build the tractor........and maybe even attempting to make it "idiot proof" since one never knows what one will do with what.

 

[CincyFlyer]

I'll bet you could take the cylinder pressure, multiply it times the area of the cylinder face, then take those foot/lbs, and slide it out from the pin and get a close number.. ie... 2000 ft/lbs over 5 ft = 400 lbs of lift (times 2 cylinders) = 800 lbs total lift

The geometry of the cylinders in relation to the FEL makes that tricky, not to mention that the geometry will change as the FEL is raised.

 

[TractorGuy]

Are FEL lift specifications in addition to the normal size bucket or would you deduct the weight of whatever bucket is fitted to arrive at the actual weight limit?

 

[oosik]

What an FEL can lift is what it can lift at the lift pins or, normally, 24 inches forward of these pins. The weight of whatever is attached to the FEL - be it bucket, forks, grapple, bale spear, etc - must be subtracted from the weight it can lift.

Example - - the FEL can lift 1000 pounds at a point 24 inches forward of the lift pins. A bucket weighing 200 pounds is attached. The FEL will now be able to lift 800 pounds at a point 24 inches forward of the lift pins.

 

[Texasmark]

One thing I am noticing about newly manufactured equipment as compared to equipment as new as my 2007 is that the competition in the industry is driving change at a fast rate. In particular I'm noticing improvements in lift capacities of both 3 pts and FELS.

With that said, if I participate in any questions of the sort, I will recommend to the poster that they consult technical data for their intended machine, not my word for what my equipment can do.

 

[greggyy]

"isn't it weird that in AMERICA, our flag & our culture offend so many people - but our benefits do not"

It is OT, but gee that is the exact same down here.....

 

[oosik]

OT or not OT its a sad set of circumstances. Sad for us Yanks here, sad for you Aussies down there.

 

[oosik]

Texasmark - makes me wonder - if in some cases the load capabilities are exceeding safety limits - just to create a selling point. And I agree, before somebody gets into serious lifting with either the FEL or 3-point - consult and UNDERSTAND the technical data/lifting charts for both units.

And, please, recognize that the data for my tractor is ONLY for my tractor. Has NOTHING to do with the capabilities of your tractor.

 

[buickanddeere]

I have a question about FEL capacity - might be a dumb question....

Is the FEL lift capacity based completely on available power from the hydraulics, or does the rating including a tipping factor?

Near the beginning of a Youtube video, a tractor salesman makes the statement that the tractor could lift much more than its FEL rating if the tractor had ballast. The statement is 28 seconds into this video: Kioti CK41 & CK351 Tractor Loader w/ Snowblower Review - YouTube

I understand that track loader capacities involve tipping capacities, so I wondered if this was also true for CUTS...

There is max lifting capacity and there is safe lifting capacity. Which do you want ?

 

[oosik]

My operator manual speaks of cast iron weights on the wheels, liquid ballast in the tires and cast iron weights on the front. It gives good examples and speaks to maximums in all three situations. Unfortunately - it is silent about ballast on the 3-point and only suggest calcium chloride as liquid ballast in the rear tires.

If the new owner reads and understands this - its at least a good start.

 

[greggyy]

There has been some lengthy discussion on the 4WD topic, after reading for a bit, it seems too me there is a lot of pretend tractors sold with loaders that easily lift things that make the small tractor very dangerous ....oh....and it seems a lot of people like lawn tyres.

 

[TheMan419]

it is amazing the lack of understanding of simple physics people have. We learned as kids about teeter totters and the larger child has to be closer to the pivot point. Same basic idea in counter balance hanging off the 3 point to make lifting with the FEL safer.

I lifted something too big with no counter balance ONCE. Right rear wheel came off the ground. I could not drop the FEL fast enough. NEVER NEVER NEVER again. Anything going in the FEL and counter balance goes on the 3pt. Thankfully the bush hog is almost always attached anyway......