Science! The relationship of Ballast and Weight Distribution.

You have probably heard that rear ballast is extremely important, buy why? Neil puts this to the test by loading up the bucket with weight and watching how the weight distribution changes as rear ballast is added.

[farmingg]

This is probably one of your best videos, very important subject. It's very diffucult to have a properly ballasted loader tractor with so many factors. I think an easy ballast for any tractor is a bale spear with a round bale. Wheel weights will provide the best overall performance while keeping good rearend stability, but weights further out on the 3pt will have more impact at the cost of some stability.

One has to take mind is the stress that goes into the center of the machine with all that weight hanging off the back and the front... just like how that bar looked like on the 3pt with those weights on either side.

[elcheapo]

Nice work, Neil. It would have been great to see the actual scale numbers with each change you did. Thanks.

[enginebae]

I had a load of cinderblocks delivered and was in a rush to get him going. I usually always have my box blade attached. That day I didn’t and I lifted the pallet off his truck. Luckily the tractor tipped forward before I cleared the trailer or it would have tipped all the way down 😰. I won’t make that mistake again 😂. Just a side note but a grapple can also get you in trouble in a hurry if you don’t have the right ballast. Great video Neil 👍

[BiffsEquipment]

I’d be curious to know what a full bucket of dirt on that specific bucket weighs.. most guys are using buckets for lifting dirt so knowing how much a full bucket weighs then seeing how that affects the front to rear weight with and with out rear ballast would be cool. None the less it was a fantastic experiment and goes to show most tractors are front end heavy right off the gate which you’ll find out quickly the first time you drive fast over bumps like you stated.. I keep about 600 lbs total rear ballast on my bx and it feels very planted even with the hydraulic pressure cranked. Iv got the quick hitch, heavy hitch, 8x 42lbs weights.. plus my tires filled.. I feel that should be about all anyone really needs for weight on their sub compact (judging from experience).

[thebradleysoncatbirdhill]

Neil, your content is always outstanding, but I've really been enjoying the latest videos. The science part of it is so critical, but so often left to the side or never discussed at all by most dealers. You guys are the best! 👍👍👍

[rjmack]

This is an important video for ALL new tractor owners to see! Sadly, my dealer never talked to me about the safety concerns of operating a loader. It sometimes still shocks me that I was able to walk-in, buy a tractor with a loader, backhoe and mower and never got any "safety do's and don't speech. I learned the hard way about a couple things, including how important ballast weight is! My new 2038r is so much more stable then the 1 series. Of course I added rimguard and wheel weights too, which help! Thanks for posting this. Hope more people watch it. It was really something to see you standing on the bucket tipping the tractor. So easy to do!

[bladewiper]

It would have been interesting to see the weigh distribution with the rear weigh and a empty bucket. Every bucket load of material gets dumped out, but you still have the weight on the back.

[ryanv]

Thanks!
Appreciate the real world numbers. I use a box blade for ballast because it is Indestructible and I can hang weights inside it.

[larrysplace]

Oh you’re sponsoring a race at the Grove. That’s cool too. There are definite parallels between dirt racing and dirt work.

[davedave]

Neil, my loader got a little heavy recently & a rear tire came off the ground. I realized then the real risk isn't tipping forward, it's that as it tips forward, the front axel becomes a side to side teeter-totter & it WILL go over sideways. A video showing this instability when all weight is on the front axel might be helpful IF it can be demonstrated safely without damaging you or the equipment.

[earlyriser]

I loved the demo of standing on the bucket and making the rear wheels lift.
I just did that today pulling an old water pipe which we attached to with a chain and 'pulled'. My rear end, with ballast in the tires, almost completely came off the ground. I would have needed another 1000 lbs or more to keep it down. But we did get the buried pipe out of the ground.

[mikecole]

Great video, Neil! It would be good to mention the risk of rear wheel "hops" on downhills or slick surfaces and loss of control due to loss of breaking power.

[briannelson]

Neil you nailed it, I have a neighbor with a small JD who think’s extra weight on the back will shorten the engine I’ve never herd of such a thing. Keep up the good work

[LetsGoStrongBros]

Hi. Another great video. I enjoy your comparison videos. A topic I have been thing about is the pressure on a lawn and potential for rutting from the Bx23s vs a zero turn. I would love to see you cover that topic. Due to the price of the mower deck many say it is better to just buys zero turn.

[misplaced_hoosier]

Your demo at 4:45 speaks volumes!

This demo makes me wish for an afternoon where I could just swap weights and implements around to see what produces the best result for counter weight, cost, and overall length. Thanks Neil!

[TheSnakeman]

Even better information about a very important topic. Thanks Neil/Messicks.

[andydsimmons]

Great informative video. And I love the orange weights on the blue tractor.

[cogentdynamics]

Such an awesome and informational video! Thank you.

[BigD]

Another important thing to remember is that the front axle has a weight limit, and wheel weights or liquid ballast won't do anything to remove front axle load. Don't get me wrong, I highly encourage liquid ballast, but weight on the 3 point (IE: behind the rear axle) is the only thing that will reduce front axle load.

[RS-slko]

Good looking tractor. Good information.