Front to rear balance

[JohnMiller3]

<font color=blue>… but with the loader the tractor has to have a safety valve. If that means lifting a back tire to let you know it has had enough so be it…</font color=blue>

Unfortunately, you don’t want that “safety valve” to occur at the least inopportune time like moving on an incline with a full load in the bucket or while transversing a section of property…

It’s hard enough maintaining control of the tractor and it attached implements with all four wheels on the ground… let alone with 1 or 2 periodically going up in the air, at a moments whim…

 

[rdbrumfield]

get a smaller bucket or a bigger tractor. I don't mean to be a smart [censored], but every tractor has it's limitations.

 

[JohnMiller3]

Hi Randall,

I took a moment and read your profile…

In your daily tasks, working with heavy equipment and the terrain you live, eat, and breath… I can understand how this becomes part of human nature for you as an operator…but not necessary so for the majority of TBN members…

You will have experiences most on this board will never achieve and could only dream of…

The main point, I was trying to make was directed towards mostly newbies or inexperienced persons trying to get direction and experience “on their own” and survive the process…

Remember the many years ago, when you first started and that logging machine felt like it was gonna tip over and kill ya… you had to “find” the limits of the machine and adjust your confidence level accordingly, even though the old pro’s told you beforehand… /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

By the way... nice meeting ya... /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

 

[rdbrumfield]

Thank you for humbling me. You sized me pretty well. I do love tractors the best though.
Randall

 

[Trev]

<font color=blue>Looks like two schools of thought. An experiment is in order. try plowing with & without the rear weight. let us know which works better. </font color=blue>

Okay, I just plowed with five 60-pound sand bags in the rear dirt scoop. On occassion I could have used more ability to steer. The tractor is awesome, nothing stops it.. but I removed the sand bags and left the dirt scoop on. I'll let you know how it goes during the next phase, after we get another ton of snow dumped on us (which should be soon.) Now I just have the rear dirt scoop, about 250 lbs., and a bunch of chains and ropes in it for pulling people out of ditches. I'll see if this is better or worse on the next pass.

Hey, this is fun!! /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Bob

 

[Trev]

Follow up: Having removed the sand bags, I found I was having some real problems with traction.. having to back up and take a running start at big piles. I've added back four of the five 60 lb sand tubes I had originally. Plus a big bucket, full of chains, etc. I'll let you know next time if I have to go to tire chains or not. I had no problem with the weight on the back the first time, so I'm hopeful that adding it back will solve my problems.

The one place I had trouble steering before, I still did this time. Turns out it's sloped and icy, which wasn't obvious the first time.

Bob

 

[hazmat]

Bob,

Have you tried adding weight to the front? Don't know if you found a place to put it yet./w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

we got 12" of snow. I was wishing for tire chains.

 

[Trev]

Haz,

The only real place I have for adding weight to the front is on the front blade itself. I can hang lots of weight there, but I figure if I put the blade in float, all that weight is going to defeat the purpose of float! Know what I mean? Still, I have the weights, which I figured to use if I have a heavy rear implement.. and I couldn't hurt to give it a try. If I have any more trouble, that'll be my next step. And then, if that doesn't help, I guess it's chains for old Jezebel! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[Egon]

Trev:
Bite the bullet. Get tire chains.
Running at piles of stuff may not be such a good idea. Things can break.

Egon

 

[beenthere]

Trev
When you have trouble steering, do you lift the blade slightly so it is being carried by the tractor? or leave in float? Lifting slightly will add weight to the front wheels. Also, are you using the right and left brakes individually to assist the steering? That will help too.

If I remember right, you have R-4's. I do as well and did not think I had room between the inside tire sidewall and the fender to put on conventional chains. So I made a set that had shorter cross chains and longer side chains, such that the side chains would rid in the "dished out" section "above" the sidewalls and at the ends of the lugs. That combination has worked very well and I don't have trouble keeping them on (especially this year as not even the plow is on) with just three rubber straps. Possibly the correct size could be ordered, but I couldn't find any to order that would fit the way I thought they had to, with so little room by the fender.

 

[Trev]

<font color=blue>When you have trouble steering, do you lift the blade slightly so it is being carried by the tractor? or leave in float? Lifting slightly will add weight to the front wheels. Also, are you using the right and left brakes individually to assist the steering? That will help too. </font color=blue>

I did lift the blade a bit, but it really didn't seem to make much difference. Maybe I should hang those weights out there and see if that makes a big difference. However, I had no trouble the day before when I had all those sand tubes in the rear scoop. I'll experiment a bit. Probably will end up with chains if I have any more problems. The snow had packed down a bit, so now I was on something that was very close to ice.. not quite but close enough! /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

BTW, I didn't have much trouble steering, really.. what I found was that where I was having trouble, it was because there was quite a slope of ice.. only extending about 20 feet. So I start pushing snow up it, and the whole tractor would slide sideways. I thought I was having steering problems.. but I think really I was just having traction problems and not quite realizing what was happening. The tractor didn't tip.. it just kept veering away from where I was aiming. /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Thanks for the advice.. I'll keep you posted....

Bob

 

[Trev]

Just had an interesting experience today. I had the rear dirt scoop off, so I could work with the generator later today. Ended up hoplessly stuck in a ditch. Called the farmer next door. He said "Sure, I'll pull you out. It might be a while though.. say about 15 minutes?" These guys are great! He pulled me out.. and that's the last time I plow snow without the rear weights on! /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif

He said don't feel bad.. he can't count the number of times he did the same thing in the ditches around this area!

Bob