How much ballast for a 40hp machine (TC40DA)

[Handloader109]

I've a 26hp subcompact, and I while I have a cobbled rear weight of about $300 pounds, I just keep my tiller on the rear. Balances enough for what I should lift. If it feels bouncy, I'm too loaded up front. Drop the amount of wood by 20%.

 

[jonsstihl]

any ballast on the rear is better than none, someone already mentioned it but your hydraulics are individually actuated, you can lift with the loader to full capacity and then lift the 3pt hitch to full capacity with both loads in the air at the same time but you can't lift with the loader and the 3 pt at the same time. more ballast equals more stability. I would go as heavy as you can package in a reasonable size for your intended use while taking into account the maneuverability of the tractor as a whole. my heaviest attachement is a snowblower that weights 1200 pounds but it is kind of wide. I use a counterweight that probably weighs 600-800lbs that I built for my B7800. it was great for my B that had 1300LBS 3pt lift capacity but it is a little small for my L4740 that can lift ± 2400 lbs

 

[newbury]

Get a good 6' flail mower and keep it on.

 

[bearthebruce]

I had thought about that. Problem is that its currently behind all of my firewood (Ooops! Poor planning on my end), and I think mine sticks out further than most. It would make it pretty difficult to navigate around where I'm currently trying to work.

I used to use my Hog as a counterweight - very effective... But as you say, hard to maneuver especially in the woods.

We bought a ballast box, filed it with rocks and stones from the property. Estimated weight is 600+lbs. It is almost as effective as the hog but far easier to maneuver.

Lots of relatively inexpensive boxes out there if you don't want to make a concrete drum. Search for tractor ballast box. You will not regret having it.

Tires on our Massey are not loaded... too many stumps and sharp rocks... not interested in punctured tires... The property is a mountain property with trails still being developed. (Wish we had a small dozer - would make the work so much easier!)

 

[Lstlk2hi]

I'm curious how much ballast weight someone would recommend for a 40hp tractor and loader. This past Jan I picked up a (new to me) TC40DA with a cab. It doesn't currently have any ballast. Picking up IBC totes stacked full of seasoned hickory is enough to almost lift the back wheels off the ground. I've been making do this summer by running it in 4wd. My yard is flat, and I'm only lifting them less than a foot, and I'm leaving the hydrostat in low range while moving them. Regardless, I want to add some weight for both safety sake, and to add traction. Per Tractordata.com, the tractor weights around 3500 lbs empty. I'm guessing that the 250TL loader and cab adds another 1,000 lbs.

My old tractor is a Ford 1710. Its a 4wd, but its missing some of the gears so its functionally a 2wd. With the 770 Loader and wheel weights, I'd estimate it weighs 3500 lbs. It has AG tires and I had them loaded with beat juice (32 gal each) and that made a HUGE difference in traction. That brought the total weight to around 4,200lbs. It handles well, but it also made it to where I absolutely can not use it when the ground is soft. The new tractor has 17.4x24 industrial tires and I was able to move it in much softer conditions without rutting things up this spring. I'm not ruling out putting SOME beat juice in the rear tires (they hold 55 gal ea), but I'd like to try adding a home made ballast box first and see how I like that. The question is how much to add. I have access to 30 gal and 55gal poly drums. My math says a 30gal drum of concrete weighs 600 lbs, and a 55 gal drum weighs closer to 1,000 lbs. I haven't done much work with the 3 pt, but Tractordata.com says that its lift capacity is +2300 lbs at 24" so it should do fin with 1,000 lbs, but I also need to be able to lift those IBC totes of firewood at the same time....

Thoughts/opinions???

Thanks,
Mark

Liquid in rears is much better than hanging anything off 3 point. Cleaner, no fail point or chance of chain/cable/rope slipping etc. When you lift bales they would be the large circular? If you have a square baler consider using it on sloped fields? Would a 15' pipe stuffed through bale, chains on each side allow you to pull it to hard enough surface? Happy Holy Dayz girls, guys and kids! Took this picture on Hwy 99 in NoCal one day and didn't hit any trees in orchard. Peace and out,

 

[dodge man]

Liquid in rears is much better than hanging anything off 3 point. Cleaner, no fail point or chance of chain/cable/rope slipping etc. When you lift bales they would be the large circular? If you have a square baler consider using it on sloped fields? Would a 15' pipe stuffed through bale, chains on each side allow you to pull it to hard enough surface? Happy Holy Dayz girls, guys and kids! Took this picture on Hwy 99 in NoCal one day and didn't hit any trees in orchard. Peace and out,

I know it might not make sense but loaded rear tires is good but does nothing to counterbalance the load on front. Tractor Time With Tim did a nice video to prove this. He basically put scales on the front and rear axle and put weights in the end loader where the rear axle had almost no weight on it. He then filled the rear tires. This put more weight on the rear but took absolutely no weight off the front axle.

 

[Shawn T. W.]

Yup, here it is .

Screenshot from it ...

Tire/wheel weight is for traction, rear ballast hanging behind the rear axle is to provide relief from over loading your front axle when lifting with the loader ... Front ballast is so you can steer!

 

[jigs_n_fixtures]

On most subcompacts, the distance between the front axle and the center of the bucket, and the distance from the rear axle to the front axle is pretty close to equal. If you put a thousand pounds in the bucket, the load on the front axle goes up by close to the 1000, and the load on the rear axle goes down, both by about the thousand pounds.