![]() Frankly, if you can afford a $20,000 tractor, then you can afford to operate it safely. However, the cost to safely ballast your tractor could be around $1,000-$1,500 and last for the duration of your tractor ownership. Expecting the best, but planning for worst is a phrase that comes to mind and very fitting when operating a piece of equipment in which the consequences could be fatal. Children, dogs, or tools might appear out of nowhere and create drastic shifts in momentum. Hidden ruts, holes, rocks, and stumps can create sudden changes in balance. Loads in your bucket will shift as you change direction, change speeds, and raise or lower the loader. As Newton’s First Law states, “an object in motion stays in motion.” If your structure isn’t properly balanced, then you’ll find it very difficult to operate your tractor in a safe and effective manner. However, tractor operators encounter a much more difficult and unstable environment than a stationary structure. In the same manner, your loader and bucket are one side of the front axle (fulcrum or pivot) while the rest of the tractor lies on the opposite side. It’s easy to see that this structure is out of balance as the tiny kid dangles his legs in the air while the big kid is planted closely to the ground. In simpler terms, think of a teeter totter with a small child on one side and a large child on the other. It is defined as a material or substance positioned on a vehicle or structure to create balance and stability. However, first we should step back and get a simple understanding of ballast weight. ![]() I’d like to make it clear that this article is not a recommendation on how to properly ballast and operate your tractor, but rather an informational piece to encourage you to take ballast weight very seriously as part of safe tractor ownership.īallast weight or counter weight can be accomplished by many different means and in most cases will require a combination of methods to satisfy the MINIMUM ballast weight requirement. In fact, as I researched tractor manuals for this article, I was unable to find a single machine that could meet the bare minimum listed by using only one type of ballast. I can tell you that the “pucker” effect is very real! Many of you can relate to that feeling and I hope that none of you ever experience a rollover. I’m thankful to say I’ve never rolled or tipped a tractor although I’ve been on three wheels several times in my life. Not only is this a sobering statement, but it means that you need to pay extra attention to what’s required to operate a tractor safely. Tractor related accidents are annually the leading cause of death on farms in the United States. Unfortunately, tractors are potentially much more dangerous to operate than it appears at first glance. ![]()
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