Tractor Mike's video: Moving Heavy Loads Tire Pressure and the Actual Lift Capacity of Your Tractor

My last video covered how to be safe with a tractor on slopes. Today, I'll show you those practices in action when moving a heavy load with my front end loader. I'll also cover tractor tire pressure and how the lift capacity of your front end loader is measured. We recently did some landscaping, and part of that was removal of a large crabapple tree in front of our house. The landscape company pulled the tree out by the roots, and I moved the root ball with my tractor. You can tell when you have a serious load and I knew this load was straining the tractor's hydraulic system a bit. Any time you're lifting a load that's close to the lift capacity of the tractor, you can feel the hydraulic system working, the loader moves slow and the power steering can get harder. I could also feel the back end of the tractor getting a little lighter. It's a good time to be locked in 4 wheel drive and have your hand on the joystick so that if anything bad happens you can drop the load rapidly. Make sure you have adequate air in the front tires. If the manufacturer of the tire recommends 30-32 lbs., it might be wise to have 32 lbs. Manufacturers rate lift capacity at two locations. At the pivot pins, where the loader frame hooks to the bucket, and 500 millimeters forward of that, or about 20 inches away. The first number is good for marketing and not much else, the second number more accurately reflects the lift capacity of your tractor. My tractor, at least on paper, will pick up 2000 lbs. to full height at the pivot point, but it won't lift a ton on the pallet forks. Lift capacity at 500 mm forward is 1540 lbs. I don't think the stump weighed that much, but geometry was working against me...a good part of that weight was further forward than 20 inches. I could feel it picking up the back of the tractor. I took it really slow and kept the load low, pretty soon the stump was out on the brush pile. If I had it to do over, I would have mounted an implement on the back to offset the weight of the stump, and I would have been a lot more stable. Any time you're moving a load like that, take it slow, keep the tractor in 4wd, keep your hand on the joystick ready to drop the load at the sign of danger, and avoid all slopes. With an awkward load like this, it doesn't take much of a hill to put you up on one wheel, and it's not much of a step from there to roll the tractor. LINKS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT... The Tractor Fun Store: https://asktractormike.com/products-for-sale/ Support the Tractor Mike Channel: https://www.patreon.com/TractorMike Visit the Tractor Mike website: http://asktractormike.com/ Visit Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Ask-Tractor-Mike-312112962245304/ Copyright 2022 Tractor Mike LLC