Axles

[Nicksacco]

Neil from Messicks posted an interesting video
I wasn't sure where to post it, because it's not a "fix it thing".
Anyway I thought it was good info and we might want to review our tractor paperwork!
What are y'alls thoughts on the subject?

 

[ve9aa]

The video was good!

I thought a lot of the commenters (to this video, on youtube) were wrong in that quite a number of them thought adding rear 3-pt ballast would not take weight off the front end. Anyone that's used a see-saw as a kid knows that's not true.

As soon as you add rear 3-pt ballast, some weight comes off the front end. How much would be a mathematical calculation.

Thanks for posting !

 

[loggin]

Good for him to make this video!! I've always liked most of his videos. I am surprised to see something like this and wish we had more discussions about these sorts of things. Find that all to often you have the full force of corporate lawyers coming down on anyone that tries to draw attention to some blatantly obvious shortcomings in their products. Which unfortunately keeps the status quo and prevents discussions about improvements.

Once again well done!!

 

[D2Cat]

Maybe the information will cause some to consider what they grab with their grapple so they can show how much their machine can lift!

 

[GreensvilleJay]

hmm, he used a BX23S and with 450# in the bucket the front axle load is 2050#, so 1025# per tire yet the stock tires on my BX23S are only rated for 770# each !
it'd be interesting to hear how it's possible to overload the tires as often as I do even without a 'full load' in the bucket

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Here is another good one!

 

[Nicksacco]

Watching these videos makes me think how scary, heavy a tractor can become eh?
Easy to take for granted the capabilities of the axles, tires, hydraulics, transmissions and other mechanics being pushed beyond recommended capacities.
I think this is a lesson in "Just because you can, doesn't mean you should".

Of course I looked for overloaded videos and came up with these.
Hmmm, so this is what differential braking is for!

The Racing tractor at around 1:05 is hilarious (and scary).

 

[PaulL]

hmm, he used a BX23S and with 450# in the bucket the front axle load is 2050#, so 1025# per tire yet the stock tires on my BX23S are only rated for 770# each !
it'd be interesting to hear how it's possible to overload the tires as often as I do even without a 'full load' in the bucket

1. Load ratings are often conservative. So yes, overloading, but perhaps not a problem
2. Properly ballasting on the 3ph will reduce load on the front tires, thereby not overloading. Neil is always very clear that you should ballast, and that in this video he didn't just for illustrative purposes, not because he recommends it.
3. More pressure in your tires can make them more able to take load. The BX front tires are tiny, any significant load in the FEL does require quite a bit of pressure in the tires.

I used to load my old BX very heavily, and often without ballast. I'd put it in 4wd because otherwise it wouldn't drive as rear wheels were too light. Obviously not recommended. But it never broke. They're tough.

 

[PaulL]

Followup Messicks video, on ballasting as well.

Basically, if you ballast your tractor on the 3ph at 500lbs, as recommended, and then load the loader with 450lbs (the capacity to full height), the load on the front scales was 150lbs over the axle load limit.

But then you remember the front wheels and tires aren't load on the axle - they're on the ground. Subtract 150lbs for them, and what do you know. The engineers have sized the front axle to exactly the load you have when you're operating the tractor as recommended. Funny that.

Japanese engineers are usually pretty good.