Ballasting Rear Wheels

Rear wheel ballast should be chosen so as to give 10 to 15% wheel slippage when operating. Field tests have shown that maximum horsepower available at the drawbar occurs in this range.

Rear wheel ballast should never be such that the engine cannot be fully loaded at rated engine speed while the tractor is moving at 7 km/h (4.3 mph). If the engine labors or stalls below 7 km/h (4.3 mph), there is too much ballast on the rear wheels.

Too little ballast leads to:

• Excessive wheel spin and thereby loss of power
• Increased tire wear
• High fuel consumption

Too much ballast leads to:

• Increased load and thereby loss of power
• Overloading of tires and gearbox
• Soil compaction
• High fuel consumption

NOTE: Do not use more than 3 weights on each rear wheel. Comply with the legal limits on tractor width.