My l 3301 is very light on the rear axle. Would it be better to fill the tires or just put in a implement?
Rear ballast
- Thread starter Swando
- Start date
Depends on what you are doing and where you are located. If you live in below freezing temps in the winter, I would advise against filling the tires. A box scrape will make a good ballast, but your best bet is to to get wheel weights.
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I had a L2250/FEL for 31 years in the Chicago area. It came with filled rear tires,
Calcium chloride solution. Sold it last fall, rear wheel starting to rust out.
They use "beet juice"or any one of severel non freezing fluids now. My next tractor will use a ballast box filled with concrete or just hook up my box scraper.
Calcium chloride solution. Sold it last fall, rear wheel starting to rust out.
They use "beet juice"or any one of severel non freezing fluids now. My next tractor will use a ballast box filled with concrete or just hook up my box scraper.
You need weight on the REAR to properly transfer weight from the front axle to the rear axle. Loading the tires help greatly with traction, bot not so much as ballast to offset the loader. The manual for your loader should list recommendations for ballast as well.
What?
There are many options for filling tires that don't freeze. Calcium Chloride, Rimgard (aka beet juice), Windshield washer fluid, and RV antifreeze are some of the most popular fluids used.
Not only are only you worried about the safety factor, working the front axle pieces are the next concern.
We have used Rim Guard for twenty years at our dealership. No issues with cold temps here in Michigan.
Pat
We have used Rim Guard for twenty years at our dealership. No issues with cold temps here in Michigan.
Pat
I'm in Michigan as well, and never had a problem with filling tires. In fact, I would think it is easier on the tractor to fill the tires vs. adding weight to the 3 point hitch or front frame. With the tires filled, the entire load is transfers to the ground and the wheel bearings see no change in load at all. The only added load is the increased inertial load needed to get the tires rolling and stopping (minimal though). Whereas, if you load a ballast box and hang it off the 3 pt hitch, you load up the 3 pt system, and add that weight to the wheel bearings (and still have an increase inertial load). They are designed to handle it within reason, but it just adds to the long term fatigue of those components.
I would fill the tires, and then add weight as needed from there.
I would fill the tires, and then add weight as needed from there.
If using the loader, I prefer a ballast box. It takes a lot of weight off the front end reducing bearing wear.
If filling the tires watch what you fill them with. Almost everything they fill them with is hazardous or corrosive (Beat Juice is OK). Local dealer claimed windshield washer fluid is safe. Then asked him to look at the windshield washer fluid label or to look up methanol. At some point you may have a puncture and it becomes a real pain dealing with the fluid.
Just picked up this ballast box and very surprised by the cost, quality and features. If you sign up they offer a 5% coupon. Order it from Amazon on Tuesday before noon and it was at my house on Wednesday afternoon. This was with regular shipping. (Didn't realize price was better directly from manufacture at time of order with Amazon... Learn from my mistake)
http://www.palletforks.com/three-point-attachments/ballast-box.html
If filling the tires watch what you fill them with. Almost everything they fill them with is hazardous or corrosive (Beat Juice is OK). Local dealer claimed windshield washer fluid is safe. Then asked him to look at the windshield washer fluid label or to look up methanol. At some point you may have a puncture and it becomes a real pain dealing with the fluid.
Just picked up this ballast box and very surprised by the cost, quality and features. If you sign up they offer a 5% coupon. Order it from Amazon on Tuesday before noon and it was at my house on Wednesday afternoon. This was with regular shipping. (Didn't realize price was better directly from manufacture at time of order with Amazon... Learn from my mistake)
http://www.palletforks.com/three-point-attachments/ballast-box.html
I prefer a ballast box primarily because my Bota does not have power steering and the ballast box makes steering considerably easier with my FEL and front mount snow blower. Loaded tires would not help in that case. Also, my FEL manual recommends using a ballast box.
I have my rears filled with washer fluid. If I do any heavy lifting, I sometimes will prefer to have an implement on the back as it just makes it feel that more planted to the ground. I usually use my box blade.
I recently bought a Heavy Hitch brand 3 point attachment for hanging suitcase weights on the back. As soon as I get some weights I will use that and can use as little or as less additional weight as I want and not have to worry about an implement sticking out behind me.
I recently bought a Heavy Hitch brand 3 point attachment for hanging suitcase weights on the back. As soon as I get some weights I will use that and can use as little or as less additional weight as I want and not have to worry about an implement sticking out behind me.
Putting weight on the 3PH lightens the load on the front tires. Filling the rear tires does not.
So, it depends why you want the weight. If for traction, both methods work. If you want to protect your front axle, hang weight on the rear.
So, it depends why you want the weight. If for traction, both methods work. If you want to protect your front axle, hang weight on the rear.
Thanks 200mph. I like the Titan ballast box. I could build one, but the time involved would be days.
I did have my rear tires loaded when I bought it. Then I wanted a ballast box for the rear. I checked with craigslist. And I found several. Some brand new. Some used. One was used and poured with cement. It was JD also, its been several years, but I think I gave $200. for it , all filled, 660 lbs I think.
You can see it <<<over there.
You can see it <<<over there.
I'd go with calcium chloride and get tubes for your tires! Water weighs 8.345 lbs per gallon and a calcium chloride solution will weigh around 11 to 12 lbs per gallon.
Calcium chloride flakes costs around $10.00 for a 50# bag; if one is clever, one can make an inexpensive pump to fill the tubes in the tires - better yet, gravity will do it without any expense!
Calcium chloride flakes costs around $10.00 for a 50# bag; if one is clever, one can make an inexpensive pump to fill the tubes in the tires - better yet, gravity will do it without any expense!
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Personally, I just add an implement off the back. On my blades I have created spots to add some old weight lifting weights if need be and it works great. One thing to consider between the implements and the ballast box, I work mostly in wide open areas. An implement on the back lengthens your tractor obviously. With length comes the issues of swing and also if working in uneven areas the possibility of hitting the ground with the implement if starting up a slope. If working in tighter areas, the box would be a better choice. If working in the open, all options come into play. M2C 
The first day I brought my new L3301 home I was a moving a trailer around with the front end loader, no rear implement. At one point as I was backing up my sloped driveway in front of the shop, I thought I had backed over something as the tractor started to tilt. Then I thought that maybe my dealer had somehow not attached the front axle correctly or some major mechanical mishap! THEN I realized it was a simply a case of having zero ballast. I was spoiled by my much smaller '95 B2105 having fluid filled rear tires and usually, almost always, having some sort of implement on the rear.
So, 2 days later, after a trip to the local commercial truck supplier (55 gallon drums of windshield washer fluid for about 100 bucks each, I ended up using one plus 8 gallon jugs so returned one drum) and buying the trick little Schrader valve to hose bib fitting (NAPA, ask for the fitting made for putting fluid in tires, about 10 bucks) AND the proper arrangement of the garden hose divider valve (you have to allow the air to get out of the tires as you fill, partially fill, about 75% with the valve stem at 12:00, as you pump in the fluid) I had my start on counter weight, REQUIRED.
Now that the tractor is in daily use, I always have something additional hang off the rear, now it's my 5' box scraper. I just used my forklift attachment to off load a trailer with several thousand pounds of steel, and ran out of lit power with the FEL before raising the rear end. So for me anyway, fluid filled tires and an implement provide the needed counter weight. I see some comments about "increased wear on the bearings" or other stresses caused by packing the weight around......it's a frigging tractor, it's made for this, any accelerated wear is going to be infinitesimal!
So, 2 days later, after a trip to the local commercial truck supplier (55 gallon drums of windshield washer fluid for about 100 bucks each, I ended up using one plus 8 gallon jugs so returned one drum) and buying the trick little Schrader valve to hose bib fitting (NAPA, ask for the fitting made for putting fluid in tires, about 10 bucks) AND the proper arrangement of the garden hose divider valve (you have to allow the air to get out of the tires as you fill, partially fill, about 75% with the valve stem at 12:00, as you pump in the fluid) I had my start on counter weight, REQUIRED.
Now that the tractor is in daily use, I always have something additional hang off the rear, now it's my 5' box scraper. I just used my forklift attachment to off load a trailer with several thousand pounds of steel, and ran out of lit power with the FEL before raising the rear end. So for me anyway, fluid filled tires and an implement provide the needed counter weight. I see some comments about "increased wear on the bearings" or other stresses caused by packing the weight around......it's a frigging tractor, it's made for this, any accelerated wear is going to be infinitesimal!
I have both FEL and back hoe and that was how my tractor came when I bought it. I wasn't really looking for a TLB in the first place but wanted a FEL as I had some terraces to build. I was moving ~50 tons of 4-8" cobble into gabbion baskets with no problems except for a few tight spots on my hill. I thought it would be more maneuverable without the back hoe and removed it.
Without the counter weight of the back hoe, first I noticed the steering was very hard, then I quickly found any bump or slope on the rear axle made it feel very unstable - like put out a leg to keep from flipping unstable! Except I am not on a bike - so my leg won't prevent the flip and I better change my reflexes ASAP!
I put the back hoe back on and it is like night and day the difference in stability. Since then I have found a heavy box blade and that works well even though it isn't as heavy as the back hoe. Why not have a useful implement instead of a weight box?
I'd say using a FEL mandates a counter weight of some sort. Tractor owners with power steering may not notice the immediate effect but the instability is the real danger.
I am still pretty new to this whole thing and don't have loaded tires so you could start there. It seems to me these tractors are built balanced and as we add implements we need to preserve the balance - capisce?
Without the counter weight of the back hoe, first I noticed the steering was very hard, then I quickly found any bump or slope on the rear axle made it feel very unstable - like put out a leg to keep from flipping unstable! Except I am not on a bike - so my leg won't prevent the flip and I better change my reflexes ASAP!
I put the back hoe back on and it is like night and day the difference in stability. Since then I have found a heavy box blade and that works well even though it isn't as heavy as the back hoe. Why not have a useful implement instead of a weight box?
I'd say using a FEL mandates a counter weight of some sort. Tractor owners with power steering may not notice the immediate effect but the instability is the real danger.
I am still pretty new to this whole thing and don't have loaded tires so you could start there. It seems to me these tractors are built balanced and as we add implements we need to preserve the balance - capisce?