Ballast Front weights

[hayden]

Anyone have experience with front weights on a B2910 or similar model? I'm looking to weigh down the front a bit more to counter my 3PH snow blower and get better front traction.

I have a loader, and considered simply casting cement in part of the bucket, but I'd like to retain full use of the loader.

Anyone used the Kubota front weights? Ho wmuch $$ are they and how do they mount?

Peter

 

[RobS]

Peter, since you're out in the snow anyway, how about a front loader bucket full of the white stuff. Certainly not as heavy as concrete, but a lot easier to dispose of when you need the bucket for something else. In fact, wouldn't that something else be... snow... this time of year /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[paccorti]

Peter,

Just curious, what symptoms do you observe that leads you to believe that you need more weight in the front? When I have my rotary cutter (660 lbs) hanging off the back of my TC35 I find that I have plenty of front weight with my loader attached (at least I think I do). I've never used a rear blower, are they really heavy? Are slippery conditions in the snow the complicating factor? Maybe some chains would help.

Peter

 

[Pks]

Hello Peter,

I push and pull a 6 foot rear blade for my snow removal. Most of the storms we get are 4 to 6 inches. For snow falls less than 8 inches the loader on the front is enough weight. But the blade only weighs 273 pounds. When the snow is heavy or really deep (ten or more inches) I fill the loader with as much heavy snow as I can find. That additional weight makes a big difference. However, after I put chains on all four tires, loading the front bucket became un-necessary. So now when I load the bucket, while having the chains on, my little B2400 4x4 really has a lot of traction-especially on ice.

I suppose a concrete block would be nice, but then I'd be forced to get it in and out of the bucket. I'd have to remove the weight any time I wanted to use the loader functions in the snow. Maybe with a snow blower, you don't need to use the bucket in the winter. With a blade, eventually snow piles up and needs re-arranging. That's where the bucket is real handy.

For plowing in the summer, I fill the bucket with bowling ball sized rocks. I know that if I had Ag. tires, the additional weight would not be so important. But since the R4 tire I use is a compromise, I am forced to add weight as necessary.

That's how I do things with a blade, but I'd much rather have a blower. Now if I could just get my boss to give me a fat raise...

Peter

 

[hayden]

I'm hoping to keep the bucket empty for the reasons mentioned in some of the other replies, hence the interest in the front weights.

The basic problem is traction - no big surprise. I find that pushing (actually backing) the snow blower up a steep incline, of which I have many, I tend to slip and need to raise the blower to take a smaller bite of snow, then go over it again.

Chains are an options, but I've heard of people having trouble with clearance on these machines with R4 tires. Do they really make a difference compared to R4s? I could see a big improvement over turf tires, but it's harder for me to see the difference between R4s and chains on R4s. Can anyone comment?

 

[ronjhall]

Peter, Chains on a 2910 with R-4's should not be a problem with tensioners.
I believe there is 1 ¾" all the way around. Have you tried putting chains on the front tires only? That would give you a lot of push when backing up hill.
I looked at my 2910. I don't think there is enough clearance to mount suitcase type weights out front between Loader frame and front grill protector. You may be able to get several Bar Bell weights out front. If a bracket was made to fit on main frame just below grill.

 

[MReeter]

Hayden,I agree with Ron H,not enough room for suitcase weights,your best bet would be to fabricate something to hang some weights on.Also I think you can buy some spacers for the wheels to accommodate some chains.

 

[Pks]

Peter,

I am presently using chains on the front and rear tires of my B2400. The tires are R4s and having chains on them is a huge improvement on my blacktop driveway/sledding hill.

Before I used chains, the R4s would not grab an icy surface. Since my drive goes straight up a 27 degree hill, having any ice on it stopped the tractor in its tracks. During our first ice storm this year, my wife's eyes opened up real wide when she watched the tractor and me slide sideways down the ice covered drive. Even the neighbor mentioned '...you need chains'.

As for clearance, the rear tires have LOTS of clearance for the added width of the chains. The front chains encroach slightly upon the horizontal steering arm. This is the steel bar that the steering knuckle attaches to. After about 10 hours of use, a small amount of paint has been removed from the steel bar. If you like, I can try to get a photograph of it and post it. I don't have a digital camera so it'll take a little more time. But I'll do it if you think it will help you find a solution. Let me know.

Peter

 

[hayden]

Where did you get the chains? I've looked on tirechains.com and found rear chains, but not fronts.

THanks for the great info!

Peter

 

[Pks]

Give me a day to find the chain bag so I can get you the exact size and manufacturer. Until then, I can tell you this much:

I got them from Alderman's. Their web site is http://www.aldermans.com I usually am in touch with Tim Alderman via email. I let him know what I'm looking for and he passes it along to his staff. They have been quite helpful...and very patient with me.

The chains they found for the front tires are a simple "ladder" configuration with a 2 link spacing. The ones for the rear tires are the ladder style with a 4 link spacing. The ladder configuration means; if you stretch the chain out on the ground, what you see looks just like an extension ladder (aka a continuous H pattern). There are NO diagonal cross over strips or loops or wedges.

I learned more about chains from these sources:
http://www.peerlesschain.com
http://www.bbchain.com
http://www.labonville.com

The Labonville catalog explained alot about special chains for the logging industry. But their sizes weren't much help. I suppose I could have called them but Alderman's was pretty easy-they are just a short drive up the road from me.

Remember, the available size and style depends on your tire size! So be certain you read the tire size from the sidewall. I have seen enough errors in manuals to be distrusting of them.

I learned that there are two general classes of chains: really good ones and OK for for light to medium duty use. The really good chains will be twice the price of the others. The main difference in the two classes is the hardness of the steel and the number of links. Really good chains will have very good steel and be properly case hardened. The half price ones will have standard chain steel and only be slightly hardened. Mine were made in China. Russia, Norway, Finland and USA all make supper high quality chains for the logging industry (see Labonville reference above). When my Chinese ones clink together they don't sound like heavy case hardened steel. I paid about $70 for the set on the fronts. The rears were about $120. Don't get me wrong on this. These are perfectly good chains! I use them on pavement and they only show a little bit of wear on them-mostly paint scratches. I'm just not sure how long they would last if I were using them to plow pavement every day of the winter. For the last 6 weeks, all we in lower Michigan have been getting is mosly rain and 50 degree days.

I'm not certain of the amount of air necessary in the R4 tires while using chains. I'm still experimenting. I can say this, at 40 PSI the rear tires fit the chains nicely but the ride is a little bouncey. I am going to try 30 PSI for the next snow fall to see what changes occur.

One other observation I have noted, don't try to make sharp turns (steering locked to the left/right) while the chains are getting lots of grip. When I need to turn real sharp and the chains are not slipping, I pop it into 2wd for the turn. Once the turn is comple I then pop it back into 4wd.

On a personal note, I'm perfectly happy with them! Nothing like having good traction while plowing up hill! I'm not sure I get this much traction in sand during the summer months. I'm certain I was smiling the first time I used them, I sure was happy to have them!

Peter