TRACTOR FRONT WEIGHT GUIDE

TRACTOR WEIGHT INFORMATION | BEST TRACTOR FRONT WEIGHT | TRACTOR BALLAST | TRACTOR COUNTERWEIGHT

If you are looking for a weight for your tractor you’ve probably come across quite a few options. These options will obviously include the actual weight, the design, with or without a toolbox and the mounting type. You then will be able to specify many other optional extras depending on the manufacturer such as reflectors, lights, colour, and some manufacturers offer to engrave your own personalised company name on the front plate.

Tractor Front weights are called numerous different names depending on the design. There are can be called ballast weights, weight blocks, suitcase weights, block weights, concrete weights, front mounted toolbox, front counterweight, Smartbox, tractor weight box, Workbox, Weightbox, Frontbox, 3 point linkage tractor weight box, Transport Boxes. In this article, we are looking specifically at three-point linkage tractor weights.

Ballasting your tractor correctly positively impacts the efficiency of any tractor operation. Correctly ballasting your tractor will determine the amount of tractor wheel slip in any given field condition. This impacts the fuel consumption, field operation time, and tyre wear. The total tractor weight also has significant effects on soil compaction, transmission wear and tear, as well as tractor safety and stability.

In addition to the overall weight of the tractor, the way that the weight is distributed between the axles has a huge impact on tractor performance. Over-ballasting a tractor wastes fuel due to increased rolling resistance. It also increases the wear on the drive train and soil compaction. Under-ballasting a tractor wastes fuel from excessive tyre slip and causes premature tyre wear.

Key reasons why you should ballast your tractor correctly

Stop tyre slip, reducing fuel consumption.

Lowers mechanical and tyre wear.

Keeps all the wheels on the ground when carrying heavy implements, improving safety.

Ultimately, getting much horsepower as possible transferred from the engine to the ground is what we’re trying to achieve, and a proper ballasted machine will do just that.

How to control tractor tyre slippage

Tyre slip is controlled by adding or removing ballast from the tractor to obtain the desired slip. If slip is lower than 10%, ballast needs to be removed from the tractor. If slip is higher than 20%, more ballast needs to be added to the tractor. One way to determine slippage is to compare the number of rear wheel revolutions when the tractor is not under load with the number of revolutions under full load.

How to get the correct weight distribution for my tractor

Most of the tractor weight should be positioned over the drive axles. In the case of two-wheel drive tractors, the front axle must carry enough weight to provide steering control and stability. True four-wheel drive tractors should have equal amounts of weight on both drive axles while operating under load. Because of weight transfer, four-wheel drive tractors should be ballasted with more weight on the front axle. The table below lists the recommended weight distributions for various tractor configurations.

Note: Always check with the manufacturer of your tractor or implement. This is only a guide.

Many Implement manufacturers have calculators to best determine weights and weight splits based on the type of equipment being used and recommended by the manufacturer.

Care must also be used when ballasting; do not exceed the tyre manufacturers recommended load carrying capacity. Tables in tyre manuals list maximum loads according to the tyre size, type, and inflation pressure.

What else should I consider when buy a front weight?

Price – Typically they start at around £755 and increase in price according to the weight, the brand and the optional extras which can make it all add up. Some of the most expensive front weights could set you back more than £4,000!

Lights – Some front tractor weights come standard with LED side lights. Other manufacturers will list them as an optional extra. Agri-Linc offers a LED Magnetic Wireless Front Lighting Set which you can retrofit to your existing front weight or any front mounted attachment.

Colour – Some manufacturers will let you choose any colour you want. Agri-Linc keeps stock of the most popular colours which are Black, Grey and John Deere Green. The Sumo weights normally are in the Sumo Red colour to match your Sumo cultivator. Picking a colour to match your tractor or the cultivator is a good idea to make it look like a perfect match for your tractor.

Reflectors – Most weights need some form of reflector so that other road users can see it. The Proforge Handiweight’s and Handibox’s come with Red/White reflectors. The Sumo weights come with Black/Yellow reflectors and the Proforge Concrete weight blocks come with white and orange reflectors as standard.

Which Tractor Front Weight is best for you?

This guide is by no means a comprehensive overview of all the tractor weights and options available. There are other manufacturers such as Agriweld, Ryetec, Watkings and Lynx in the UK as well as Zuidberg, MX, AGCO, Easymass and Agribumper in Europe. This guide should provide you with a reasonable, unbiased starting point from which you might be able to make the best tractor weight buying decision for yourself, your farm, and your tractor.

Everything here has been sourced directly from each manufacturer’s publicly available websites and other records, with estimates used where precise numbers were not available.

If you see any errors or inaccuracies, please reach out to us so we can correct them.

Here at Proforge, we stock a massive range of tractor weights. If you’re shopping around for a new tractor weight, be sure to check out our the PROFORGE ATTACHMENTS range, visit our yard in Bourne, Lincolnshire or simply pick up the phone and speak to us on 01778 591225. We’ll be glad to hear from you.