“Forcing” the FEL to lift?

[Carl_NH]

For my compost, I knock down last year's leaf pile of 20 yards in the spring starting at the top of the pile drag it back and spread it out then let rain soak it or add water and cover.

if you go in bucket first into the bottom of the 7 to 8' tall pile , the loader can't lift all that material so you either take bites of the pile or start at the top and drag it back to spread it out. Then add water and pile up again.
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Our neighbor bags his grass clippings and dumps them on the pile and the "green" mixed with the brown really heats the pile - this week it was 130-150 F so it's doing its thing.

 

[WinterDeere]

Re: front axle. Lots of comments about stressing your front axle, but no advice to add 3-point ballast?

Ballast on your 3-point hitch is the best way to reduce load on the front axle, when doing heavy loader work. And the farther aft that 3-point ballast hangs, the more it transfers weight off the front axle and onto the much stronger rear axle. Think "see-saw effect", with the rear axle as your fulcrum.

 

[S854]

Front axle point duly noted… and yes, I probably have be abusing it… not good - I’ll think more about what and how I’m doing things…

I do usually carry a 6’ BB when using the tractor… it’s “not much” and it’s very close to the (loaded) rear tires… I just replaced the brakes on my 3/4 ton pickup… wondering how best to get rid of them pesky, heavy brake discs.. maybe I’ll fasten them on the back of the BB somehow… any little bit helps, no?

 

[deezler]

I do usually carry a 6’ BB when using the tractor… it’s “not much” and it’s very close to the (loaded) rear tires… I just replaced the brakes on my 3/4 ton pickup… wondering how best to get rid of them pesky, heavy brake discs.. maybe I’ll fasten them on the back of the BB somehow… any little bit helps, no?

Yeah I save all my brake discs as ballast adders. Some implements are easy to add them to with a bit of threaded rod and nuts and washers. Loaded rear tires plus a heavy attachment is a very good setup already though.

 

[Runner]

Front axle point duly noted… and yes, I probably have be abusing it… not good - I’ll think more about what and how I’m doing things…

I do usually carry a 6’ BB when using the tractor… it’s “not much” and it’s very close to the (loaded) rear tires… I just replaced the brakes on my 3/4 ton pickup… wondering how best to get rid of them pesky, heavy brake discs.. maybe I’ll fasten them on the back of the BB somehow… any little bit helps, no?

If you happen to have any suitcase weights, you can hang them on the box blade for extra ballast too.

 

[WinterDeere]

I bought one of the standard (800#ish) ballast boxes from Deere, but instead of bolting the extension onto it to make it taller (1300#?), I welded my own suitcase weight carrier bars onto it. I also sunk 3" PVC tubes into it before filling it with concrete, so I have a handy place to carry rakes, shoves, log cant or peavy, etc.

Without suitcase weights, it's 750#. With all 17 suitcase weights installed, mine being the 42 lb. variety, it puts the box near 1500#. Additionally, nine of the suitcase weights hang way off the rear of the box, so the leverage they exert is amplified.

 

[KWentling]

It helps too if you use the curl function as you load the bucket. It has more power than you lift function.

 

[Runner]

I bought one of the standard (800#ish) ballast boxes from Deere, but instead of bolting the extension onto it to make it taller (1300#?), I welded my own suitcase weight carrier bars onto it. I also sunk 3" PVC tubes into it before filling it with concrete, so I have a handy place to carry rakes, shoves, log cant or peavy, etc.

Without suitcase weights, it's 750#. With all 17 suitcase weights installed, mine being the 42 lb. variety, it puts the box near 1500#. Additionally, nine of the suitcase weights hang way off the rear of the box, so the leverage they exert is amplified.

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Very nice work, Winter. What is the dowel rod in the receiver hitch used for?

 

[Rockbadchild]

KWentling beat me to it but I second his comment.... utilize the tilt (bucket curl) over the lift it will be easier to lift once the bucket is fully curl back and the load is closer to the tractor.

 

[WinterDeere]

Very nice work, Winter. What is the dowel rod in the receiver hitch used for?

Just a means of holding the plow marker, as a visual on how far the hitch receiver projects, so I would stop backing it into things in close quarters.

On my old tractor, I rarely used the hitch receiver on the ballast box, so I'd remove it when not in use. That machine was fine towing trailers from the drawbar.

But on my newer tractor, even the empty bucket is so heavy that the tractor has traction problems without the ballast box installed. So now the hitch receiver is pretty much always left installed, and I keep the plow marker installed on it most of the time when I don't have a trailer in tow.