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Duramax7man7

Hitch Weight Rack...

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WVHillbilly520H
57 minutes ago, Ed Kennell said:

Does this mean I gotta stop moving the 2000lb boat with the Commando 8 ?

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Ed, I would reckon you're in the clear 1) it's not a dump cart, 2) you're not on a slope at that moment in time...:think:...or 3) Toro no longer makes :wh: so that was only a liability comment at the time of printing till end of production...:laughing-rofl:, Jeff.

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T-Mo

Guys, you know the rule of thumb - whatever you're pulling should not weigh more than your tow tractor and the operator and whatever weights or attachments you have on your tow tractor.  This is, of course, for safe braking on slopes and also for not letting what you're towing to pull you back down going uphill.

 

 

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Duramax7man7

"Burning a bit rich, I'd say...?" LOL

 More like smokin' a bit of a transmission! lol

 Good advice. Don't pull more than the tractor up or down hills and on level surfaces, Safely WORK THAT SUCKA! ;) 

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953 nut

I suspect the ability to control the load safely is (and should be) the primary consideration when towing. The greatest threat to safe operation on hills and grades is weight suspended from the front of our tractors (elevated snow blower or snow plow or loader) all of which add to the mass of the tractor while reducing traction to the rear wheels. Wheel weights and loaded tires aid breaking traction more than any other weight.

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WVHillbilly520H

I understand how important it is to safely operate a tractor and wagon/trailer loaded as I used be "young"(10-12 years old) driver of an Allis Chalmers C with questionable brakes and wood wagon(4' wide 8' long bed with 30" sides) loaded all it could handle in some precarious areas in the woods in WV, but dad would just say put it low gear, 4 notches up on throttle and it'll be okay :deadhorse: sure dad I always thought...I was just joking with Ed and I'm sure we all push our limits one way or another with our little tractors,Jeff.

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Ed Kennell

Sounds like we learned some of the same lessons in our youth Jeff.   I had a close call on my Granddads AC in the mountains of SW Pa.    Grandad's  rule was  use the lowest gear available  when pulling a heavy load up a hill or being pushed downhill by a heavy load.

Well this 10 year old was moving a load of field stone on a drag sled from a creek bottom to a stone house we were building on the mountain.    I was able to drag the stones quickly across the flat bottom pasture in 3rd gear at WOT and partly up the hill till the AC ran out of HP.    I probably don't have to tell you what happens when you shift to low gear on a hill and pop the clutch at WOT while attached to a heavy static load.    Of course when the AC reared up, I slid back in the seat and could no longer reach the clutch, so the AC ended upside down on top of the sled load of field stone. 

Some 63 years ago, I was a lot more agile and bailed off with nothing hurt but a mashed steering wheel and hood.        

Be careful boyz.  Stuff happens quick.

 

 

Sorry for the :offtopic: story Andrew, but I guess it is related.

Edited by Ed Kennell
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WVHillbilly520H

Ed, I'm only 45 but I grew up in the "land that time stood still" we used all horse drawn equipment converted over to tow with the AC's (great granddad bought a new B '47 as well my great uncle's) then dad and his brother the C...other than the hydraulic culivators, mold board plow, and belt driven "buzz" cord wood saw, yep just like living in Amish country and we still had draft horses until I was in high school, ok enough off topic but the good ole days for sure,Jeff.

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JimmyJam

I built a "sandbox" weight for my traditional hitch for my B-80. My thought: weight + driveway sand when needed.; then someone said: "weight on rear-end hitch will burn out tranny. Wheel weights are the better option". Uncertain of that theory. Pullers drag 1000's of pounds from hitch. Good question! Weight on hitch vs wheel weights!!!!! Anyone???

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Duramax7man7

"BOTH" .... ha ha!

 The point was made that the benefits of extra ballast weight, to get multiple jobs done in a fraction of the time with a tractor, when compared to back breaking hand work, far outweighs the risk of busting a trans/ axle and spending a few to even ten hours replacing it with a spare one in the free time created with that same tractors high level or productivity.

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WVHillbilly520H

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Ed Kennell

:confusion-confused:    Sup Jeff, Nothing there.

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WVHillbilly520H

@Ed Kennell,Tried to post a link :text-imsorry:, but obviously I ain't no good at that yet ,:confusion-helpsos:...:techie-error:...:angry-banghead:...so anyway...try YouTube "epic tractor fails 2015" kinda goes along with our little foray into weight/hitch follies,Jeff.

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WVHillbilly520H

Yep load 'er down, stab the throttle, and dump the clutch, stand back, hold my my beer, and watch this...:laughing-rolling:...I've got this...:hilarious:

Btw thanks Ed, someday I'll figure out the link posting, till then I'll gladly accept any assistance :handgestures-thumbupright: :bow-blue:...

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JoeliusZ28

I agree with the concerns raised here.  I like to do things right, so in the long term, I'm probably going to pick up the 3-point receiver hitch and maybe add some AG tires as well (trying to avoid scratching up my driveway with chains).  For right now, I have to say the combo of 75lbs and the toro wheel weights works quite well.  You can really feel the difference in traction vs just one set of weights.

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Sarge

One option is to run the rubber chains instead of the asphalt destroying steel ones - lot of guys here like using them it seems . I run ags with chains year round and wheel weights , two also run liquid-filled tires (RV antifreeze) and have far more traction than some of the tractor's components can handle if abused .

Sarge

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953 nut

:woohoo:  Had my first opportunity to see how well the added rear weight works, 6" of wet heavy snow and my driveway is quite steep. Now I can plow going uphill and down, without it I was only able to plow going down and struggled to go up with the plow raised (removing some traction from the rear wheels).

:handgestures-thumbupright:      2 hitch weight box 003.JPG

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Ed Kennell

:text-bravo:That should hold her down Richard.   What are those blocks...about 50lb each?

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953 nut
1 hour ago, Ed Kennell said:

What are those blocks...about 50lb each?

That sounds right, if it was any heavier it wouldn't steer well;  Image result for just right

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