Need advice - 15-20HP

[tacticalturnip]

Good to see Mario is home!

Be sure to get some ballast on the 3 point hitch, your front axle will thank you.

 

[3inthedirt]

Good to see Mario is home!

Be sure to get some ballast on the 3 point hitch, your front axle will thank you.

I’ve got beet juice all around for now. Considering rear wheel weights or separate ballast box. For today, it was just having some fun and learning the controls. Extremely intuitive so far!

Biggest decision of the day was to use the tractor or ride the dirt bike. So I did both!

Every day should be like this…..

 

[Shawn T. W.]

How was the delivery handled? Did they bring it to your house? How big a truck was it? Was it Bruno's truck or someone else's?

Good to see Mario is home!

Be sure to get some ballast on the 3 point hitch, your front axle will thank you.

Yes, and definitely get some additional ballast on the back, behind the axles ... Here are a couple of videos that show different scenarios with scales, and how it will effect the front axle ...

Think of a loader tractor as a teeter totter ... Even if the rear tires don't come off the ground (and hopefully you don't tip over sideways!) most of the tractor AND load weight is on the front axle, which is the pivot point until there is enough weight on the back, usually more is needed on the back than you are lifting, which includes the weight of the bucket, if you look at the tractor from the side, you will see the big prybar normally called the loader mast that is what the loader hooks to, is forward of the center of the wheels, so that load on the front is trying to pickup the back ... The rear axle is stronger and is solid mounted, the front has a pivot point side to side in the middle and doesn't give any stability until it bottoms out on the frame rail ...

We just don't want you to get hurt, doesn't take a lot to tip over a tractor on uneven ground, especially if the load is up higher than the hood ... And overloading the front axles and tires will shorten there life span.

 

[3inthedirt]

Thanks. Shopping ballast boxes already. I don’t weld. AI is telling me that this tractor should have 450 to 600lbs. I know you have more.

The trailer was too long to make the hairpin turn on my street so I met him at a church on the main road 1.5 miles away and drove it home. Was a subcontractor but he stayed in touch along the way. He had two stops in Mississippi before me and one in Virginia afterwards. Absolutely no hassle. I’d do it again.

 

[Shawn T. W.]

Yes, my ballast box is 707 Lbs, but it's quite close to the tractor, as I built it primarily to also be the trailer hitch for my water wagon, while carrying a tote of water on the forks up front ... It acts similar to the backhoe as far as balance.

600 should be OK, my Backhoe weighs 651 Lbs, but again hooks closer to the tractor, but also sticks out behind aways ...

If you do a ballast box, AND you don't have a quick hitch, you will quickly find that a furniture dolly is very helpful to set it on, if you have a hard surface, wrestling a heavy attachment like that to line up with the three point is something you will probably only do once!

The farther out it hangs, the less weight you need (remember the teeter totter?) but also is easier to bump into things turning or backing up ...

My brush hog only weighs 518 Lbs, but is 8' long, and it is much heavier than the backhoe as far as how light the front end reacts to steering, I need to put stuff in the bucket to mow with it!

 

[Shawn T. W.]

Another thought on the ballast box is to make it "adjustable" as in fill it with whatever you gonna use to say the half way mark, then when doing lighter lifting chores, just use that, maybe pour some 145 Lb cement blocks (cement is roughly 145 Lbs per cubic foot!) with a loop of rebar or a piece of chain buried in the top, so you can use the loader to lift them into the box ...

Some people just buy the solid 4X8X16 cement blocks and stack them inside the box, but then you gotta handle them ...

 

[tacticalturnip]

Thanks. Shopping ballast boxes already. I don’t weld. AI is telling me that this tractor should have 450 to 600lbs. I know you have more.

The trailer was too long to make the hairpin turn on my street so I met him at a church on the main road 1.5 miles away and drove it home. Was a subcontractor but he stayed in touch along the way. He had two stops in Mississippi before me and one in Virginia afterwards. Absolutely no hassle. I’d do it again.

Roading a subcompact a mile and a half? I hope traffic was kind to you, that sounds like fun to be- but potentially puckering at times.

Awesome of the driver to look out for you.

Now that you've got Mario be sure to stick around, post your projects.

 

[3inthedirt]

Only one car on my road this morning. Every day we have atvs, UTVs and farm tractors on my road. Very rural here for the time being- but the Yankees are coming!

 

[tacticalturnip]

Only one car on my road this morning. Every day we have atvs, UTVs and farm tractors on my road. Very rural hear for the time being- but the Yankees are coming!

The lucky ones, anyhow; some of us will probably be here until the bitter end.

 

[Shawn T. W.]

The lucky smart ones, anyhow; some of us will probably be here until the bitter end.

Fixed it for ya!

I was born in Vermont, got tired of the cold after 40+ years, moved to Arizona for 13 years, didn't care for the summer heat or the 10 months of brown dead looking grass ... I guess I'm what's is refered to as a "half-back" ... As in I moved half way back, Missouri has a bit more humidity than both places, and it does drop below zero for a day or two each year, but we don't usually get snow more than once a year that lasts more than a day or two ...

One thing to remember to do on Mario is to change out the front axle fluid way before the book calls for, I'd recommend at the 50 hour service, there is no filter up there! I did mine earlier than the book, but it had 244 hours on it and it looked horrible! My dealer saw the picture and said it was "normal"! (I don't recall what the book calls for, but I change it now with every oil change, and it's clear!)

I did end up having the front seals changed on mine before the two year warranty was up, that's when I started learning about how much rear ballast I really should have, from reading forums!

 

[3inthedirt]

Technically, I’m a Yankee. Lived in NJ for 68 plus years. Been in SC 4 months. However, after paying tax on my vehicles in SC, I have earned my SC citizenship.

I reckon you'd consider me a flat lander as well.....................

I always cut any maintenance schedule at least in half on everything I own. Cars get oil changes at 2500 miles. Not knowing just how much Mario will be working yet, I want be sure to get any condensation out of the fluids as well.

 

[Shawn T. W.]

Shopping ballast boxes already. I don’t weld. AI is telling me that this tractor should have 450 to 600lbs

Check out this thread I started, especially posts 2 & 6 ...

https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/threads/how-much-ballast-do-you-need.659531/#post-7400627

 

[3inthedirt]

I ordered this too.........

Sentinel for Massey Ferguson Subcompact GC Tractors

In stock and ready to ship Only 7 bolts to install - no drilling required Will not interfere with the use of a mid-mount mower. Protects hydraulic filter and cooling fan

www.retailrems.com

 

[Shawn T. W.]

I got one of those too, did you get a step also? Very handy, I use mine to get on, but half the time I don't use it to get off!

 

[3inthedirt]

Did not get the step. I’m not giving in to old age yet!

 

[Shawn T. W.]

I don't need it yet, but it sure is handy!

I figure eventually I'll need it, so mights well get it now, same as my truck and house, looking at ways to make it so I can still use it the longest I can, before I either croak or get shuffled off to the old folks home mumbling!

Actually thinking of getting his grab handle that goes on the loader mast, I now just grab the top of the horizontal loader arm ... Don't like to grab the steering wheel to pull on!

 

[3inthedirt]

First motorized wheel barrow project. Relocating extra stone from fireplace project to back of property. Pallet forks would have been nice, or chains with hooks…