Front Weights Busted Clean Off
CharlieR
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 10 DFW, TX |
2004-04-05 82260
Does anyone know how much weight can be held up on the front of a Long 520 2WD? I had 700 pounds (100#s from after market bumper/grille + 6 100#s weights). All four bolts went SNAP at once while disking. As far as I know the bolts were tight. The tractor was bouncing a little on the rough ground, but not that much. There appears to be no damage to the tractor. Anyway I really need to mount the weights back on and want to make sure not to over load it.
Thanks.
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Front Weights Busted Clean Off
TomG
Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 5406 Upper Ottawa Valley |
2004-04-06 82285
I don't know how much weight on the front is OK or needed given the operation. My thought about the bolts is to check the grade (grade codes should be on the bolt heads). If the weight is OK for the tractor and the bolts are Grade-2, I'd replace them with Grade-5 bolts. I think SAE bolts are also grade-5. There are harder bolts available I don't think I'd go above grade-5. Maybe there are different opinions. ....
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Front Weights Busted Clean Off
beagle
Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 1333 Michigan Pics |
2004-04-06 82323
Would really need to know more about how the bumper/carrier was mounted to understand if the bolts failed in shear or in tension due to an induced moment on the bracket. Impact loading can more than double the weight on the connection. If you can provide some information; diameter of bolt, distance from connections to the center of the weight, and how the bumper/carrier attaches to the tractor, a solution is possible. Going to grade 5 or grade 8 bolts might keep the bolts from failing, but the soft bolts could have saved you tractor damage.
Be careful of aftermarket products. Things happen that void manufacturer's warrenties. ....
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Front Weights Busted Clean Off
TomG
Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 5406 Upper Ottawa Valley |
2004-04-07 82368
My 'if/then' sentence was a little fluffy I guess. As Beagle points out the first step should be determining how much weight the front end is designed to carry and maybe followed by a related question of how much is needed.
There's a certain logic to the idea that if the weight is within designed limits and the bolts break then the bolts might be the problem. I think most similar applications would use SAE bolts but owners and sometimes techs do stick in hardware bolts in a pinch. You sure don't want to use stronger bolts to carry weight that exceeds the tractor design though. ....
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