How much weight?

For a brief period I had use of my IH 350 utility with loader functioning correctly and moving snow. Unfortunately the power steering failed which is common for these tractors especially with a loader. Here's my semi related question. How much weight should I have on the back of this tractor. This tractor has no fluid in the tires and no weights on the wheels. I had about 700 lbs on the back when I was able to use it this winter. Thanks Paul

There are ballast charts online that tell you how much weight in liquid ballast your tires hold. That would be a good place to start.

If you're running 13.6x28 and saturated calcium solution the weight would be around 450lbs per tire for example. So your 700lbs is a good start, and you could get away with more.

Weight on the hitch is more effective than weight on the wheels, because of leverage. If you feel good where you are, you're good, but you can add more if you feel it's necessary.

Your 300 utility is shorter than my Super H, so more weight will be needed by maybe 25%, but I carry 600#, four wheel weights plus hardware, plus I always have tire chains on that weigh 200# per chain, maybe more, I can only lift one end of the chain, and I tie one end to the tire & wheel and roll the tire to get the chain on the tractor, they could weigh more than that. I used to have calcium chloride fluid but removed that 10+ years ago, was about 250# per tire, 12.4x38's, and I miss that weight. I'd like to add one, maybe two 145# wheel weights per rear tire but NOT at the crazy prices they sell for now. In 2006 I bought three sets, 6 weights plus all the 3/4 hardware to mount them from my local CIH dealer for $185 total. I'd have bought at least 2-3 more sets at $60 a pair of weights but that was all he had.
I'd think your 300U needs 800 to 1000# for proper Traction pushing snow, some of that should be tire chains, semi-tractor chains can easily be modified to fit the 28 inch rear tires on your 300U, that's what Dad modified for my Super H and his M. In the 28 years of clearing snow I've spun the rear tires enough to wear the centers of the cross chains about half way through. I priced replacement cross chains last year, they ain't cheap either!

Counter balance weight on rear of tractor is a lot more affective for aiding in rear tire traction & improving performance of power steering than wheel weights or liquid ballast.

Here is results of a test I performed several yrs ago utilizing 2 rd bales of hay & local truck scale. Note differences of 600#s in weight front tires exerted on scale with & without rear ballast.

My M7040 & LA1353 loader with cast rear wheels weighs 7670#s
Kubota M7040 tractor/loader with bale on frt & rear 9630#s
Frt bale weighs 1090#s
rear bale weighs 870#s
Frt axle only on scale with bale on frt and bale on the rear 5380#s
Frt axle only on scale with bale on frt no rd bale on the rear 5990#s

IMHO,there is no 'limit' on how much weight you can put on the rear. The more,the more stabile,plus more traction.That front axle is a fulcrum. The more weight you put on the front,the more it takes from the rear wheels. The more weght you need to hold the rear down.So,fluid in tires,a set(or 2,3.4...) wheel weights. Add a 3 point weight if you want,wont hurt a thing.In other words,the more the better.

Think of it this way.
Weve all seen utility tractors with counter weights made of a barrel of concrete.
So a barrel is roughly 23 inch diameter and 33 inch tall which calculates to roughly .29 yard at approximately 4000# per yard which would give us roughly 1100# in the barrel.
Ive seen larger and Ive seen smaller.

Personally, I would add fluid to the tires (my preference is washer fluid) no matter what else you do. It doesn't add any additional weight to your axles and bearings. Bolt on wheel weights are nearly as good, just not as much bang for the buck.

1000# on the fast hitch would be an advantage to the steering and traction. Several options are easily found on line. Jim

A 350 utility with a swept back front axle has a very short wheelbase.

As others have said, think of it as a fulcrum or teeter-totter supported on the front wheels. Measure the distance from the front wheels to the center of the bucket and compare that to the wheelbase. If they are equal you will need at least one pound of ballast to counterbalance each pound in the bucket, including the weight of the bucket.

Maximum bucket weight (rated load of the loader?) x Bucket distance /(divided by) wheelbase = counter weight

Add extra counter for extra traction in slick, greasy or steep conditions.

As you already know, travel with the bucket low and do not turn sharp with the bucket raised to prevent a rollover.

I am not sure how you are wanting the weight to benefit ya. Traction on the rear, or for stress reliever on the front (for the power steering)???

Any weight added to the back wheels whether it be fluid, chains, or wheel weights, will only benefit in traction and won't relieve any stress on the front axle and power steering. But if weight is added to the 2 point or 3 point (not sure which your 350 utility has) will aid in both traction and stress relief for the front. The added weight needs to create a fulcrum as your loader does, to relieve weight stress to the opposite axle.

For a snow pushing loader tractor, I think rear tire chains would be a must. Almost a have to thing. Night and day difference with or without. Added wheel weight (fluid or wheel weights) wouldn't hurt anything. Add as much weight there as your liking. And for a counter balance for the front axle, I'd add weight to the 2 or 3 point. Atleast half the estimated weight of the loader. Adding a heavy duty rear blade would be a good thing for starters. And then adding weight to the rear blade would be a good idea for the rest if you don't think the weight of the rear blade will be enough.

Repairs for 350U power steering are limited to non-existant and pricey. Manual steering would still be expensive and would be almost worthless on a loader tractor. A replacement tractor might cost less.

Spring and summer are the best time to shop for a winter snow removal tractor and loader as a package. An IH 574 or similar will be a big step up. If you do not have a height limit, a row crop tractor with an old loader would be the cheapest replacement. If your 350 has a pipe loader I'm not sure it would be worth modifying it to move to a newer bigger tractor. Tire chains and a HeatHouser help a lot too.

Well when it comes to weight on a tractor lets just say i may be a little off PLUMB for a tractor with a loader ya can never have enough . Loaded tires wheel weights and yes some on the hitch . For snow removal on a two wheel drive ya can't get enough iron on for traction when you find that layer of ice under the snow or ya have heavy wet snow , This is where tire chains come into play. For me keeping the back end GLUED to the ground is my main goal , once that back end comes off the ground you have problems . I had at one time a 706with a 2000 loader on it and yes at times i was lifting more then i should have. I had the big dirt bucket and the big manure forks and i made up a 6 foot boom pole for handling plows disc and such . It was those 14- 16 foot cultimulchers that would get ya in trouble even hooked on the back chains that were about 2 foot out on the boom pole not at the end. Even with the 18.4x34 tires loaded ten sets of do nuts and what ever else i could hook to the hitch it still could be tippy . Have a steering spindle snap off will let you see your life flash in your eyes .

Ah find a good old fashioned hardware store and find the TWIST chain that matches and buy it by the FOOT , The days of buying a 100# bag of cross repair chains is long gone . While i was doing commercial snow removal And at that time there were only four of us in my town I was the only one that had TIRE chains for my 4x4 and when it got real bad i was the only one still moving . I ate cross bars like M &M's . Tire chains with ice grips even back then were not cheap for a 12x33x16.5 and the ones for the ft axle cost MORE I found a local place that sold tire chains and no longer needed to rely on Over priced Dick Cepick (sp) and by cross bars one at a time . The local place sold them in 50 and 100# BAGS , ya got a LOT of cross bars in a bag . They had a ware house full of cross bars for ALL sizes And had every size tire chain made by Cambell Chain at 1/4 the price from the far LEFT coast.This year i bought a 1250 Cub Cadet for snow removal here at the house for them heavy wet snows that my old snow blower hates and make me cuss and swear as i unplug it The tire chains on it the cross bars are well past there prime and yeps a 7.49 cents EACH X's 9 or is it 10 on each chain that gets a little spendy BUT Tractor supply had the correct twist chain so i bought 30 feet of it and with a few barley pop-s maybe a couple smashed fingers For a lot less then what the cross bars for one side was going to cost. And less then a new set of chains .

I will be more practical for the cost of NA parts to fix it to just replace or upgrade the tractor. Like said if height is not an issue an old row crop model will be your cheapest bet. On old Case would probably be cheaper than most other colors or at least around here it is.

For rear weight on a tractor, weight on the 3 point is the most effective as it put the weight as far back as possible. Remember from a physics standpoint the front axle is your fulcrum. Use a 55 gallon barrel as your starting point and build a 3 point counterweight. Put your lower link arm through the front third of the barrel for a. more weight transfer as the weight is farther back and b. in most cases it means you can do not have to more your draw bar. Add a draw bar out the back of the barrel; it is most helpful for moving wagons, etc. Fill the barrel to the desired height with concrete for your desired weight. Keep the concrete about 2 inches below the top of the barrel; the top space works great for carrying chains, etc.

Different tractor but maybe still an idea of how much weight people add. I had a Farmall 450 quite a few years back and added a Farmhand F-11 loader. 450 had no fluid and no rear weights. Traction was not good and you could feel the rear end get light with a heavy load. I filled the rears with fluid and looked for weights. I happened to find three sets of IH rear wheel weights and installed all three. I had 15.5-38 on the back, I don't remember how many gallons a 15.5-38 holds but I recall thinking I had added a little over 2000 pounds with fluid and wheel weights. That weight made a huge difference. Tractor felt more stable keeping the rear wheels on the ground and you weren't spinning the tires with a load in the loader bucket.

Thank you all for responding. I was hoping to understand 3 things 1. What's an ideal weight. 2. How does it affect my steering. 3. What are some good ideas at weight. All were answered. Thank you for the valuable input. Paul