How much abuse to loader and front axle/drive unit?

[Kingcreek]

OK. I've read the posts about stripping out front axle drives and overloading and such and now I'm getting concerned.
My '99 GL3010 had 950 hours on it when I bought it but was (and still is) in good condition- better than average. Now has 1150 hours on it.
I had an old corn crib taken down, ground leveled and some trees cleared for a second greenhouse and it generated a lot of good black dirt, which I really needed to fill and taper out a steep hill close in front of the house. The other work was done with an excavator and dozer but I'm left with only my little tractor to move this dirt to where I need it.
I spent about 6 hours moving some 12-16 tons one bucket at a time. a woods 72" grader blade (600#?) was on the rear the whole time and my rear R4s are filled for ballast. It was all done in 4 wheel drive and my loader has a heavy round-back construction bucket. I know there is still a lot of weight on the front. I'm moving this dirt about 180 feet from pile to fill.
I need to move and grade another 12-15 tons and finish grading it out before winter. Am I asking too much of the "L"? Should I pay for a wheel loader to come in and knock it off in a couple hours or just continue with my do-it-myself approach? I could probably find some other work around here for a hired big loader but money is tight right now. I just don't want to spend it later on repairs or have my tractor down when there's 2 feet of snow in the drive.
Thanks folks.

 

[Kytim]

It's just me but, if it won't do that get rid of it! If you have kept up on your maintenance and not abusing it then use it!

Not quite the same but, I spread 3 dumptruck loads of dirt in the spring with my B7100 and a box blade to fill in a large swooping area. these are tough little machines but use them correctly.

 

[Kingcreek]

It has had good maintenance and no problems but I'm wondering at what point does use become abuse?
I'm hauling full loads of dirt each trip.

 

[kubotasam]

I agree with the others. "Use your tractor" that is why you have it. If you are in doubt add more weight to the back. Can you get some suitcase weights onto the back blade?

 

[Kingcreek]

Probably can't add much weight to the box scraper but its pretty big and heavy on its own. I'll just go easy and careful. I could try to do more in 2wd but I like to avoid lots of shifting in and out of 4wd. I don't know what the box scraper weighs but I'm guessing 600 or so. Its not so much that a full bucket doesn't put obvious load on the front end. I'm also running downhill loaded and uphill empty.

 

[Eric McCarthy]

That much repeated work in 4wd is bound to trash it sooner or later. Its alot like a truck, ya wouldn't hit the high way and run cross country in 4wd. Put in 2wd and take smaller bucket loads down the hill. Anything you put in the bucket on the tractor is bound to be faster and easier then anything you can shovel or wheel barrow or bucket brigade doing.

 

[TripleR]

I honestly wouldn't worry about it, regular dirt is not going to max anything out. My son and I mucked out a pond and a full bucket of that stuff was really heavy compared to what I usually haul. My L5030 had 1400 hours when I traded it and there are lots of good years in it.

 

[MagKarl]

I wouldn't even hesitate. Mine never comes out of 4wd. Shifter was rusted in place when I bought it. I freed it up, just to make sure it works. You can't effectively do loader work without 4wd in my opinion. You need it to push, pull, and for braking control when the heavy load lightens up the rear end. Try stopping going downhill or backing uphill out of a hole with a loader full in 2wd sometime.

Have faith that the Kubota engineers took what the loader could lift into account when designing the front axle components. Hard work is not abuse in my opinion. If I can't work it hard, what's the point.

 

[tempforce]

i'm looking at the b3300. i'm going to be moving buckets of gravel for a teardrop driveway. about 100 yards long… i don't see any problem with my planned job..
now when it comes to lifting logs with a grip unit,(replacing the fel bucket). i may run into problems of overloading. i probably should consider skidding the logs, instead of lifting...

 

[Eric McCarthy]

now when it comes to lifting logs with a grip unit,(replacing the fel bucket). i may run into problems of overloading. i probably should consider skidding the logs, instead of lifting...

Cut the logs down to the width of your bucket on the loader and you'll be surprised what you can pick up. I help a friend of mine out with his tree company every now and then and we pick up some big honking tree trunks with a JD skid steer.

 

[jcasper]

I'm with the others. If it won't do that get rid of it.

I've used my loader a lot. I've got 280 hours on my B7510. It's useless in 2wd.

The last job moving a lot of dirt the front axle seal started leaking. I kept it topped off with 80w-90, finished what I needed and the leak has slowed.

I also had my father-in-laws L4330 to use and used it for the majority of the leveling. I had 300 truck loads of dirt to spread.

 

[MagKarl]

If your loader will lift it, your tractor should move it. Be smart and safe, but you should be fine.

 

[gpreuss]

Be real careful going down that hill loaded. Touching the brakes will try to have you doing somersaults. Have PLENTY of ballast in the back, and don't get sideways to the hill. Keep a hand on the "lower" lever for the bucket - if something feels squirrelly(?), set the bucket down as fast as you can.
I probably had near a eight hundred hours of loader work on my L185, and never had a problem.
If I dug, I did it in 1st. Moving dirt, 2nd unless it was dead level and smooth. Abuse is when you charge around ramming into a hillside or bouncing along with an extra 1000 lbs in the bucket.
Treat the tractor fairly, and it will return the favor.

 

[hodge]

I agree. Your tractor was made to work, within parameters. It is built heavy, and will do the job. If you routinely push it past its limits, you will break something and prematurely wear parts out- that is what you are concerned about, and that's legitimate.
There are two camps generally- learn your machine, listen to it, and know when it is working within its limits, and when it is beyond the limits. Balance, struggle lifting, having to ram the bucket into the material to get a full load, hydraulic whine, front tires bulging too much, steering hard, etc.- if you know your tractor, you know when too much is too much.
The other camp is to work the crap out of it, and if it breaks, it was stupid. Don't do that.
It was engineered to use a loader, and to utilize 4WD for more effectiveness and better control. Use it like it was engineered for.

 

[elkhound]

I agree. Your tractor was made to work, within parameters. It is built heavy, and will do the job. If you routinely push it past its limits, you will break something and prematurely wear parts out- that is what you are concerned about, and that's legitimate.
There are two camps generally- learn your machine, listen to it, and know when it is working within its limits, and when it is beyond the limits. Balance, struggle lifting, having to ram the bucket into the material to get a full load, hydraulic whine, front tires bulging too much, steering hard, etc.- if you know your tractor, you know when too much is too much.
The other camp is to work the crap out of it, and if it breaks, it was stupid. Don't do that.
It was engineered to use a loader, and to utilize 4WD for more effectiveness and better control. Use it like it was engineered for.

Well said. I believe this goes for everything, not just loader work.

 

[Kingcreek]

Thanks fellas. The loader hasn't struggled but I'm always watching those front tires and feel the difference in the steering and I worry most about the front unit. I try to keep bounce to a minimum but the track between the big pile and the fill point is rough and hard from the many trips over it. I did drag the box scraper some to try to smooth it out a little but there are some tree roots and bumps anyway.
I haven't had any problems but I estimate I moved a tandem load of dirt or more so far and need about that much more. I guess I'll just go slow and easy and keep plugging away at it in my spare time.

 

[Bluegill]

Weight on the 3pt hitch takes weight off the front end. Tire ballast does not.

If your front tires are mashed half flat and it's hard to steer, you need more weight on the back.

Lot of heavy loader work without the right amount of weight on the back (3pth) can and will cause damage to the front end. I know this for certain!

 

[Kingcreek]

Blue, maybe you missed the part where I posted I have had a 72" woods box scraper on the entire time. It's got to be 5-600 pounds.

 

[Bluegill]

Blue, maybe you missed the part where I posted I have had a 72" woods box scraper on the entire time. It's got to be 5-600 pounds.

No, I caught that. But wondering if that is enough weight? I also wrote that for the benefit of others that might not know any better.

I had to rebuild the front end on our old L3750, because of years of loader work with not enough weight on the 3pt.

 

[rednecklimo85]

I moved 70 yards of fill to fill in an in ground pool so we could buy our house with a b7200 and the only thing i had to be really careful about was the steering box, it's had IIRC 3 steering box's put on it, and this one feels a little funny when fully loaded. The hour meter stopped on this one years ago, at around 2400 hours, and It performed perfectly.