WHAT DOES A PALLET OF SOD WEIGH?

Big_Daddy · Oct 5, 2005

I know it varies, but does anyone know what a pallet of sod approx. weighs? I'm purchasing a Toolcat that has a 1500lb rating, yet the Bobcat rep. tells me that the redesigned boom of the new "C" series Toolcat can accually remove a pallet of sod off a 60" flatbed.

ronjhall · Oct 6, 2005

My tractor will lift 900 lbs. So I find a lot of pallet full of just about anything it will not lift. I have never lifted sod. But just about all the landscape industries put on a pallet seems to weigh closer to 2000 lbs.
Out of a chance I did a search for "pallet of sod" here on TBN. Bingo /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif Here is a thread on how much they weigh. Click Here A couple of others came up with similar responses.

cp1969 · Oct 9, 2005

It will vary all over the place, but nominally it should weigh about 2100 lb. 50 rolls @ 40 lb/ea plus the pallet itself.

WINSTONSM · Oct 10, 2005

I have a 773 Bobcat and the lift capacity of 1700 lbs. When I unload trucks of sod, I usually have to down stack about a 1/4 of it to just be able to pick it up without tipping. Although the weight of sod can vary, I have always had to do this. Moving them around isn't much trouble as long as you keep it low! But unloading would be a little work /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif I'm not much on the toolcat c series, but I would have to see it! Is there a counter weight kit for the toolcat? Sandbags in the back? /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

WINSTONSM · Oct 10, 2005

I went to "ask jeeves" and found this.

How much does a pallet of St. Aug weigh?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1 pallet covers approximately 425-450 sq. ft. & weighs between 2,000-3,000#

If it get rained on a bit, it will gain quite a bit of extra water weight too.

How much does it weigh? Sod weighs in at about 5 lb. per square foot. This could vary depending on thickness of cut and moisture content.

Hope this helps /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Rolando · Oct 11, 2005

You can always put weights on the truck bed, but remember that the Toolcat engine is located close to the rear wheels, so beyond the weight of the engine itself, you also have the moment arm from the front axle to the engine location.

Nonetheless, I'm thinking that while doing loader work and not having any grass to worry about, it would be a good idea to load up the truck bed with weights. You'll use more fuel moving around, but I think it would be worth it for the added stability and to maximize the loader performance.

Big_Daddy · Oct 11, 2005

Is it possible for your 773 to move a full pallet around? Or do you still have to reduce it by 1/4 to even move the pallet. They don't make a counter weight for the Toolcat, but there is a bed that can carry 2,000lbs.

I personally I plan to put a 1/2 pallet in the bed for a counter weight before I lift the remaining pallets off the flat bed. I'll simply keep the load in the back until I have laid out all the other pallets of sod.

There's also a class III hitch that can hold 500lb which can also be used as a counter weight. Now, after saying all that, I'll finish with this.

According to the email I got from a Bobcat rep., he says the new "C" was actually "designed" to lift a 2,000lb pallet 60" in response to customer feedback with no mention of "any" counter weights.

Rolando · Oct 12, 2005

It will be interesting to see how it works out once you have your Toolcat. I'm new at this of course, but it seems that some caution would be in order like perhaps raising the pallet slowly and as little as possible in order the clear the truck bed, maybe doing it with just curling, then backing straight away from the truck without turning the wheels until you could lower the pallet closer to the ground. Turning would introduce some instability.

I have a feeling that once you have the pallet lower to the ground, the Toolcat will handle it fine. Any loader's rating is not set solely by the weight it can lift, but the weight it can handle safely at the limit of it's lift height. I've read many posts on TBN discussing that lift capacities at lower heights always exceed the FEL rating.

Big_Daddy · Oct 12, 2005

Hey Rolando,

Caution will certainly be in order. You may be new to this, but I think you described the exact proceedure needed to attempt such a heavy unload.

If Bobcat were to ask me what I wanted in a Toolcat loader? I think the Toolcat, like all Bobcat Skid Steers, should be able to lift the rear end. Or in this case exceed the 3,000lb tip rating.

Maybe a switch could be installed for limited exp. operators that could limit hyd. lift capacities. Now that the roleback has been reduced, Bobcat won't have worry about law suits due to operators rolling 2,000 back through the windshield and into thier laps.

I keep talking about sod, but this kind of weight would also apply to a pallet of regular sized brick. (not oversized or soild brick) When you begin to build your home it would be nice to know that you could move pallets of brick to the areas around your home where the masons are laying.

Or easily modify a steel mortar box so that with forks, you could take a full tub of mortar directly from the mixer to the masons.

My Dad was a residential mason his whole life. I'm amazed when I think of the benefits in terms of time and money a machine like this could brought his business!

Rolando · Oct 12, 2005

Mike,

You took the thought right out of my brain. I've been following the sod discussion closely precisely because of my need to move building materials around. Not only brick and mortar, but lumber, plumbing fixtures, everything.

I've also been thinking about the ballast question. The moment of 3,000 lbs (a pallet of sod) at a center of gravity distance of 5.2 feet from the front axle (at a pallet height of 77 inches) is 15,600 lb-ft. Not taking into account the weight of the Toolcat itself, the moment of 2,000 lbs ballast on the truck bed at a center of gravity of 7.5 feet back from the front axle is 15,400 lb-ft.

I can't tell for sure where the center of gravity of the Toolcat is without load, but if we figured it to be at the mid-point of the wheelbase, that would be 4,800 lbs at 3.5 ft. back from the front axle, or a moment of 16,800 lb-ft. It seems to me that if the loader can lift 3,000 lbs, the Toolcat shouldn't tip over.

Then if you add maybe 750 lbs of ballast on the truck bed and 200 to 300 lbs in the cab (for one operator), it seems to me that you have a margin of safety. Of course, at that point you have a total load of 4,000 lbs (3,000 + 750 + 250 lbs) which exceeds the machine rated capacity of 2,200 lbs., unless that capacity has been increased for the C-series. The Bobcat web site hasn't been updated since the C series came out last month.

I got these distances from the Bobcat pallet brochure (attached) and extrapolated from there on my CAD program. I'm not a physicist, so maybe someone else more knowledgeable can weigh in (no pun intended).

Rolando