How much weight do I dare put on my bumper?

It will depend upon what you plan to do with the tractor but, in any event, not much.

Shock loading (bumps) will damage the OEM bumper with limited additional load.

Dean
 
400-500# ok, don't know upper limit?

I'd say that is optimistic JMOR. These weights are less than 100# each and three of them took the bumper out. Notice the broken weld on the tab in the bottom right that bolts the bumper to the axle. For heavier overhung loads on teh bumper you really need some sort of stiffener.

TOH

IMG_1243.jpg
 
I expect it to be more....I used 400-500 because I have many times pulled loaded trailers around with mine & probably have almost that much tongue weight empty. If a fellow really wants to know, just load it until it breaks! :lol:
 
I expect it to be more....I used 400-500 because I have many times pulled loaded trailers around with mine & probably have almost that much tongue weight empty. If a fellow really wants to know, just load it until it breaks! :lol:
 
I would not put more than a 100lbs on. My horror story is I had hung a large flywheel from something the PO of the farm had left behind. While brush hogging, the bouncing caused one of the mounting bolts of the bumper to break off, then the other one. Before I knew it I was driving over the bumper/flywheel. Got stopped before it went into the hog, but managed to crack the hydraulic pump casing (the bumper had snagged a bolt a PO had run into the test port rather than the alan head screw that should have been there).
 
(quoted from post at 13:25:58 01/24/13) I expect it to be more....I used 400-500 because I have many times pulled loaded trailers around with mine & probably have almost that much tongue weight empty. If a fellow really wants to know, just load it until it breaks! :lol:

As Dean said I suspect shock loads are the biggest concern.

BTW - did you notice how your response and the following ones were all screwed up? A misplaced bbcode quote tag in my message hosed the server formating of the following responses. Really - that is not nice behavior - I hate bbcode.....

TOH
 
if it was a HD bumper you might get a few hundrd pounds. a nice oe rivited bumper.. i think I'd stop at 150 or so.. just so I didn't kill it.

static load it would LIKLEY take the 4-5 00 jmor said. a good pothole might deflect it though.
 
(quoted from post at 19:11:16 01/24/13) if it was a HD bumper you might get a few hundrd pounds. a nice oe rivited bumper.. i think I'd stop at 150 or so.. just so I didn't kill it.

static load it would LIKLEY take the 4-5 00 jmor said. a good pothole might deflect it though.
ront tires support the 800# front weight of the 8N tractor & my other tractor's FEL will lift my 8N by that OEM bumper. ....and I do not wish to argue up vs down.
 
i'd call that a static load though. and a low duty cycle load at that.

Ie.. temp lifting or dragging by the bumper, vs a 'forever' weight hanging on it.

i know when i strap tie my 850 to my trailer I can actually make the bumper deflect downwards due to lever action on the front tounge.
again.. I have loaders on most of mine.. so have no shortage of front weight. my non loader units have chains usually wrapped around the bumper.. probably in the 100# range. i do know I have stood many times on my bumpers to reach things.


may be a good subject f a stress test for someone with a damaged oe bumper.. one that has no collector value.

laod it statically and then make that a dynamic load and drop the frotn tire into a bunch of gopher holes :) I bet the spindles sure wouldn't like it though.. ;)

i'm not arguing with ya either way.. just guestimating.. I've never put it to a test.
 
(quoted from post at 22:20:49 01/24/13) i'd call that a static load though. and a low duty cycle load at that.

Ie.. temp lifting or dragging by the bumper, vs a 'forever' weight hanging on it.

i know when i strap tie my 850 to my trailer I can actually make the bumper deflect downwards due to lever action on the front tounge.
again.. I have loaders on most of mine.. so have no shortage of front weight. my non loader units have chains usually wrapped around the bumper.. probably in the 100# range. i do know I have stood many times on my bumpers to reach things.


may be a good subject f a stress test for someone with a damaged oe bumper.. one that has no collector value.

laod it statically and then make that a dynamic load and drop the frotn tire into a bunch of gopher holes :) I bet the spindles sure wouldn't like it though.. ;)

i'm not arguing with ya either way.. just guestimating.. I've never put it to a test.
ell, there is certainly no question as to whether static or shock load will do the most harm. Loosely chain 500 # on it and hop a few ditches/furrows/etc. and analysis would show many times the actual 500# weight. Probably the case with the fellow and big flywheel tied on it.
 
It's not the static load but rather the dynamic load that will damage the bumper if the tractor is actually used.

I expect an OEM bumper can be severly damaged by bouncing through a furrow with 100 lbs. attached.

Dean
 
(quoted from post at 17:40:49 01/24/13) Any thoughts on how much weight I can hang on a 4-bar bumper
before it starts to bend or sag or otherwise misbehave?

I am pushing it with 180 lb (140 lb JD wheel wt + 40 lb mount plate).

My property is soft sand so shock loads are small.

Greg

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14111.jpg
 


This topic came up about a month ago and I posted these photos then.
If you want to add more weight to your front bumper you could make up a set of braces that go from the top of the bumper to the axle.
These would make the carrying capacity of your bumper much greater and would not be difficult to fabricate. Notice they install on the back side of the axle.
Ford made front bumper weights for the later style bumpers and made the braces to help carry them. The weights were 100 lbs each and you could use up to 4 of them.
Thanks to Jim UT for these photos.

BumperSupports2.jpg


BumperSupports3.jpg


fordbumperweight.jpg
 
(quoted from post at 02:15:28 01/25/13)
(quoted from post at 17:40:49 01/24/13) Any thoughts on how much weight I can hang on a 4-bar bumper
before it starts to bend or sag or otherwise misbehave?

I am pushing it with 180 lb (140 lb JD wheel wt + 40 lb mount plate).

My property is soft sand so shock loads are small.

Greg

14109.jpg
14110.jpg
14111.jpg
reg, hang that out thee a few more feet & you can either break the bumper or lift rear wheels off the ground! :lol:
 
Even with your reinforced, welded rather than riveted aftermarket bumper held to the axle by 4 bolts rather than two and wide automotive type front tires, you are indeed pushing things with the heavy cantilevered load.

I solid shock would certainly deflect/fracture something.

Dean
 
Yep,

I use it when post hole digging, lifting with the boom pole , or lifting with the hay bale fork, or the platform to move things slowly.

Greg
 
Good thing I'm the only person using my tractor.

It's good to hear from everyone about my make due with what I've got ideas.

Sorry what works for me is like a horse-hair shirt to some.

Thanks for the criticism,

Regards,

Greg
 
Would not be concerned so much about the bumper, but more on sand cast front axle, since the cantilever weight combines additional shear stress to the bending stress already developed from the basic tractor weight.

However, addressing the bumper which is the current subject and not the axle,..

On dynamic loading, DOT uses a dynamic load factor = 3X for highway.

For barn yard and dirt field work could reduce dynamic load factor to 2X.

The static stress on the bumper bar at the bend where it bolts to the axle ~ 15 ksi compared to 36 ksi allowable for hot rolled steel, based on a 400# weight.

Applying a 2X dynamic load factor places the stress = 30 ksi, and safety margin = 16% ,which is safe enough.

The attachment bolts are loaded by a "heel-toe" arrangement.
With a 400# cantilever weight, there is plenty of safety margin on the 5/8" bolts, even using grade 2.
 
Greg, I for one was not criticizing you set up, but rather pointing out, for all, that the further out/longer the lever, the greater the mount stress.
No offense intended. Like, you, I do what works for me.
 
Well I tend to go overboard when making stuff work.
Thanks for the lever arm warning though.
I'm trying to be easy and as careful as possible out here, especially when working alone with heavy and awkward loads.

I really enjoy you guy's expertise and appreciate any comments, keeps me in check!

Regards,

Greg
 

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