Front weights

As much as it takes to counter the weight at the rear.


And load your tires.

i have l3800 and book says 275 pounds for front weights you can mount 220 with suit case weights. that all i have on mine with a brush cover in front of hood

I've been mowing with my FEL removed more lately and can tell I need some weight on the front. My question is.....when you add weight on the front, say 250#.....do you remove it when you put the FEL back on? Is the additional weight with the FEL in use going to push the front axle to capacity?

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Suitcase weights have to come off when you put the loader on. I built the pictured bumper weight from a 20' stick of 1"x4" bar stock, and leave it there. The weight is about 240lbs. Steering - even uphill - is no longer a problem with my 5' bush hog.
The weight issue is a consideration. Kubota says the front axle is only good for about 2600lbs - you have to get the info from your dealer. Just the loader empty adds about 2200 lbs to the front axle, in addition to the normal weight of the tractor. If I leave the weight on, and put a thousand pounds in the bucket, I'm WAY over the limit. You have to keep in mind that the CG of the loader, load, and weights is all well in front of the front axle.
So I don't drive fast on uneven ground. Never with a bucketful. But for normal running around with an empty bucket I seldom use even 5th, and don't worry about the weight

I like it, that's a great idea.

gpreuss said:

Suitcase weights have to come off when you put the loader on. I built the pictured bumper weight from a 20' stick of 1"x4" bar stock, and leave it there. The weight is about 240lbs. Steering - even uphill - is no longer a problem with my 5' bush hog.
The weight issue is a consideration. Kubota says the front axle is only good for about 2600lbs - you have to get the info from your dealer. Just the loader empty adds about 2200 lbs to the front axle, in addition to the normal weight of the tractor. If I leave the weight on, and put a thousand pounds in the bucket, I'm WAY over the limit. You have to keep in mind that the CG of the loader, load, and weights is all well in front of the front axle.
So I don't drive fast on uneven ground. Never with a bucketful. But for normal running around with an empty bucket I seldom use even 5th, and don't worry about the weight

Click to expand...

I've seen your pic before and really like the idea too. I was thinking of making a weight and mounting just like you did, but I'm not going to be tugging a couple hundred pound weight every time I take the FEL off/on, so that's why I was asking about the additional weight - once on, it's staying on.

I didn't realize the capacity was that close - doesn't leave much room does it? You think 100-150# would make enough difference to be worth it?

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Weight at the wheel/tire has no impact on the axle.

The ideal is to create a balance.

My 7100 would not lift my rear mower without without becoming light in the front. By countering the rear with weight in the front the rear weight neutralizes the weight in the front.

If you add 200lbs in the front just as weight to the rear when using the bucket thus neutralizing the additional 200lbs......such as a box blade or other.


150lbs of suitcase weight and over sized loaded tires.

Just to clarify - the suitcase weights come in at least two sizes. The ones I bought for my L185 were 55 pounds each. At that weight they are fairly easy to move one at a time. I ended up with 4 total (220 total) and use them all when pulling the 4 foot shredder. I actually add about another 75 to 100 pound weight on top of the 220 and feel much better when I have to lift the ~500 pound shredder off the ground.

I think for larger tractors, each weight is closer to 100 pounds each.

Truth is, we do not know the basis for the load limit of the front axle. I think it probably has to do with stress when in the higher gears. If you are in 7th or 8th (10-15 mph) and hit a rock or chuck hole, and have an extra thousand pounds in the bucket, sure, you are going to break something. Hit the same thing in 2nd or 3rd and you will most likely be fine. I just keep it in mind that the tractor cost me a bunch of $$, and it can break, and use it accordingly.

Mr. Murphy made a couple of good points in his reply. One is that real wheel weights do not strain the axle. They also improve hillside stability considerably!
His second point is that rear weight lifts the front end, so you are just pushing it back down. Even though the brush hog has a trailing wheel, you are still picking up a couple hundred lbs with the 3ph, so you need to counter that on the front end.

After re-reading his comments, I'll start eyeing the local steel mills' drops bins to see if I can find some front wheel weights, and reduce the mass of my bumper.

By the way, Mr. Murphy, nice looking tractor!!