How much weight is too much?

[JD4ME2]

I have a JD 366 front blade on order for my 3320, so I will be using the ballast box.
I have 980 pounds in the box, plus the weight of the box 130 pounds. Will 1100 pounds be too much?
I know the hoe weights 1400 plus, but they tell you to always have the loader on with the hoe.
Also the hoe has L-pins so the 3 point hitch doesn't take all the shock.
Thanks for any input

 

[kennyd]

The ballast box sounds like it is a good weight for plowing and much more compact that the backhoe is-sounds like your all set.

 

[JB4310]

I have a JD 366 front blade on order for my 3320, so I will be using the ballast box.
I have 980 pounds in the box, plus the weight of the box 130 pounds. Will 1100 pounds be too much?
I know the hoe weights 1400 plus, but they tell you to always have the loader on with the hoe.
Also the hoe has L-pins so the 3 point hitch doesn't take all the shock.
Thanks for any input

What do you have in the box, lead? I filled mine with concrete and it only comes out to a little over 550lbs

Do you have the standard JD box or a custom made one?

550 lbs works pretty good, twice as much should be even better I guess but that's probably the upper limit of what's needed for snow removal. If the BH weighs as much as you quoted then the tractor can handle it no problem, I have the 48 BH and with it on I find I don't need 4x4 as much

 

[RickB]

I have a JD 366 front blade on order for my 3320, so I will be using the ballast box.
I have 980 pounds in the box, plus the weight of the box 130 pounds. Will 1100 pounds be too much?
I know the hoe weights 1400 plus, but they tell you to always have the loader on with the hoe.
Also the hoe has L-pins so the 3 point hitch doesn't take all the shock.
Thanks for any input

You can't have too much rear weight for snow removal. If the hitch stilll lifts the ballast box, don't worry.

 

[Thomas]

JD4ME2.
" 3 point hitch doesn't take all the shock."
Some tractor model did offer traveling chain for 3point hitch..reduce the stress on arms..chain fasten to arm hook under or near seat.

My L didn't offer the feature,sooo I made my own.

 

[Wayne_H]

If your front wheels are off the ground you might have too much ballast.... usually not a problem with a heavy plow up front. More weight is better for plowing, up front and in the rear!

Wayne

 

[JD4ME2]

I have the JD I-match ballast box with a bunch of old dumbbell weights in it. The weights were lose and dangerous so I cut the handles off. Works out nice for knowing how much
weight you have. Just don't want to break something.
Thanks all
Merry Xmas

 

[Jimbrown]

I think this may be to much!

 

[radman1]

I think this may be to much!

That doesn't seem possible with a truck that big - even if dumping or going uphill.

 

[SPYDERLK]

That doesn't seem possible with a truck that big - even if dumping or going uphill.

Midgets...
larry

 

[mfreund]

I have learned in construction or mining those guys could bend a crow bar in a sand box!!

NOTE: I am not trying to offend just be humorous.

 

[JB4310]

That doesn't seem possible with a truck that big - even if dumping or going uphill.

Severe off road conditions, not uncommon, the articulated ones go over sideways all the time, it isn't even an attention getter.

My buddy has a small one and he said when the back end goes over, sometimes the cab stays upright, they just throw a chain on it and right it with a heavy excavator.

 

[JB4310]

I think this may be to much!

Or this.

Google Image Result for http://www.wallpaperdojo.com/images/funny/Overload_Donkey.jpg

 

[diz]

Back to the point, this is a question I've been confused about as well. The popular opinion here has always been you can't have too much weight in that ballast box. If the 3ph lifts it, don't worry about it. But I've been playing w/ the weight/ballast calculator worksheet from JD website, and that doesn't agree, at least for a 2305. If you play with that worksheet a bit, it's very easy to overload the rear axle. With the loader installed (and the weight they use in calculations for that appears to be the loader + max capacity of load) you can still overload the rear axle w/ a 1k ballast box on an imatch.

I'm not that concerned about the ballast w/ the loader. I have about 480lbs of sand in my box that I use whenever anything's in the loader bucket. But the snowblower is where my questions lie. Given that the blower is about half the weight of the loader, I don't see that I'm that far from overloading the rear axle w/ the blower and my ~580lb ballast box installed.

Unfortunately the worksheet doesn't let you configure w/ a snowblower or anything between the weight of nothing and the weight of the loader, so I don't know for sure. I assume they are using the arm in addition to the weight to come up w/ a CG...

 

[glc24]

I have a JD 366 front blade on order for my 3320, so I will be using the ballast box.
I have 980 pounds in the box, plus the weight of the box 130 pounds. Will 1100 pounds be too much?
I know the hoe weights 1400 plus, but they tell you to always have the loader on with the hoe.
Also the hoe has L-pins so the 3 point hitch doesn't take all the shock.
Thanks for any input

JD4ME2,
IMO,I think you will be perfectly fine. Your rear axle maxs out at 5292. MY 2520 is 2426. If I can have a 650lb ballast box with my FEL,then you surely can have 1000 on your 3pt,even if the blade is lighter than your FEL

 

[RickB]

Back to the point, this is a question I've been confused about as well. The popular opinion here has always been you can't have too much weight in that ballast box. If the 3ph lifts it, don't worry about it. But I've been playing w/ the weight/ballast calculator worksheet from JD website, and that doesn't agree, at least for a 2305. If you play with that worksheet a bit, it's very easy to overload the rear axle. With the loader installed (and the weight they use in calculations for that appears to be the loader + max capacity of load) you can still overload the rear axle w/ a 1k ballast box on an imatch.

I'm not that concerned about the ballast w/ the loader. I have about 480lbs of sand in my box that I use whenever anything's in the loader bucket. But the snowblower is where my questions lie. Given that the blower is about half the weight of the loader, I don't see that I'm that far from overloading the rear axle w/ the blower and my ~580lb ballast box installed.

Unfortunately the worksheet doesn't let you configure w/ a snowblower or anything between the weight of nothing and the weight of the loader, so I don't know for sure. I assume they are using the arm in addition to the weight to come up w/ a CG...

Sounds like they build tractors that will lift more than the engineers want it to carry.

 

[JD4ME2]

glc24,
I put the ballast box on today for the first time and with nothing else on the tractor it steered okay. I thought maybe the front end would be too light. I'm getting the 366
front blade and the hardware alone is approx. 300 pounds so I should be in good shape.
Thank you

 

[KennedyDiesel]

My Harley rake is my favorite ballast (980# spec) aside from the width clearance issue. It carries the weight further back than the weight box too. I also use my loader and pallet forks with my log splitter that only weighs <300#. I carry racks of firewood (1/2 cord) without too much issue, but if the wood is wet it gets hairy so I added a weight bracket to the splitter and hang 6 or 8 of the Deere 40# suitcase weights.

I cannot say enough about the filled tires with Rimguard though. They have been awesome.