MX5400- 1065 FEL wouldn’t lift me up today. Forgot to do the math😲

[100AkerWood]

Ever have one of those days….I picked up a ton of pelletized lime on a pallet today at the Farmers Coop. Yippee!!!!

It was a cool day, I had time off, and I’m getting ready for deer season.

Cleared a spot on my 20’ Utility trailer ahead of time to store the lime until I break ground. I attached a Black Diamond 48” pallet forks (375#) and went to move lime off my utility trailer. Damn, the FEL only lifted the full pallet 6” and I had to drag it off the trailer.

At the time I was clueless why it wouldn’t lift a 2000# at least 4’ up? It’s supposed to lift 2230#s? A ton by my calculations.

So, the pallet was at an angle when I backed up and half of the bags slid off the pallet. The pallet was wrapped, but had 20 bags removed. A full pallet is (70) 40# bags of pelletized lime.

Now I have 1/2 pallet of lime on ground and half still on the pallet. I was able to lift the 1/2 pallet (1000#) onto trailer and then got another pallet and loaded up the other 1000# on it and lifted it. So, much for buying a pallet fork and quick work Grrrrrrrrr.

Sitting here I looked up the specs for 1065 FEL. Lift capacity 2230#. Crap, I forgot to do the math (BD pallet jack weighs 375# + 2000# of lime =2375# +/-). If I only offloaded (5) 40# bags of lime, I guess it would have lifted it? (Head banging wall)…

Lesson learned,!!! I still have to get a ton of fertilizer for food plots, bet I offload 300# before I try using the FEL again.

To top it off, the rubber gas pedal cover got knocked off and is MIA. When I find it I’m gonna Shoe Goo that sucker back on!

 

[PaulL]

Lift capacity 2230 at the pivot pin, without implement. With pallet forks on, and with the load centre of mass more like 18 inches in front of pivot pins, I'd be very surprised if it could lift more than about 1,200# to a decent height.

Looking here https://kubota.ca/en/products/implements/loaders-bx-b-l/la1055, I see 1,780# at 500mm forward / 18 inches forward. Less pallet forks, call them 150# perhaps. So 1,600# to max height. However, to 1.5m, you'd lift 2,400#, less forks, maybe 2,250. Hmm. How high were you trying to lift it?

 

[100AkerWood]

Lift capacity 2230 at the pivot pin, without implement. With pallet forks on, and with the load centre of mass more like 18 inches in front of pivot pins, I'd be very surprised if it could lift more than about 1,200# to a decent height.

Looking here https://kubota.ca/en/products/implements/loaders-bx-b-l/la1055, I see 1,780# at 500mm forward / 18 inches forward. Less pallet forks, call them 150# perhaps. So 1,600# to max height. However, to 1.5m, you'd lift 2,400#, less forks, maybe 2,250. Hmm. How high were you trying to lift it?

Paul thanks for the info. I was able to lift the pallet @ knee high 76 cm/30”. Barely enough to get the pallet up to slide it off the trailer.

Heck, I helped a local move a dead moo-er with ease a while back. Never thought the FEL wouldn’t lift a ton pallet.

From your calculations I will need to offload @ 500# before I can do any lifting. I only wanted to lift it about @1 meter/40” for storage and ease of filling the Kubota pendulum spreader when it came time to spread the lime.

I am still learning the limitations of the tractor. Chalk that one up to new tractor experience.

 

[Matt Ellerbee]

We have the same problem at work with our JD110 TLB. Have to take off 2 layers of bag chalk before the loader thinks about picking the pallet up. Not a bad deal, only 10 bags. The bradco skid steer forks probably don't help the situation any.

 

[Dave_eng]

Do not forget the need for rear ballast when lifting at loader's max.

Very easy to end up on your side. Front axle where all the weight is positioned pivots so it offers no roll over resistance

Dave

 

[100AkerWood]

Do not forget the need for rear ballast when lifting at loader's max.

Very easy to end up on your side. Front axle where all the weight is positioned pivots so it offers no roll over resistance

Dave

Thanks. Attempted lift was with LP 5’ bushog attached. Again, a lesson learned that FEL lift capacity is without any skid steer implement. 1600# with pallet forks is @most it will safely lift.

I think the pallet forks weigh more yptham either my bucket or grapple, Go figure…

Thanks for your comments.

 

[jimh406]

But, the rating is at full height. If it isn’t very high, you shouldn’t have had much of an issue. A low trailer with removable sides would probably help. Also, curling back can help.

 

[100AkerWood]

But, the rating is at full height. If it isn’t very high, you shouldn’t have had much of an issue. A low trailer with removable sides would probably help. Also, curling back can help.

Thanks. jimh! I had a low 3500# Utility trailer. It lifted the pallet up enough to slide it to the rear Of the trailer and then off the trailer.


left to curl up, not right….dumped front end of pallet onto ground and the avalanche started.

will offload 8 fertilizer bags directly into the spreader before I try the pallet jacks again….Life is full of lessons, if one will pay attention and remember…LOL

 

[mcmxi]

The 1065 FEL specs are shown below. 2,319lb capacity at a height of 4'-11" and 19.7" forward of the pivot pin, and then you have to subtract 375lb so that's 1,944lb lift capacity. Then consider that the center of the load is probably more than 19.7" from the pivot pin so the lift capacity is lower still.

 

[i7win7]

Crap, I forgot to do the math (BD pallet jack weighs 375# + 2000# of lime =2375# +/-). If I only offloaded (5) 40# bags of lime, I guess it would have lifted it?

Were you lifting a pallet jack with a load on it? Remove the jack first, makes load less tippy. Pull pallet 1/2 off trailer, lower lift and curl back, relift if it will and remove from trailer. Be close to where you plan to set pallet.

FYI a grapple/curl breakout force will allow you to lift more than the FEL lift cylinders can handle. Recently learned this myself.

Maxed out B2650 FEL lift capacity

Had a dead tree at the top of the driveway hillside. Dropped it before it fell in the driveway. Used 2 snatch blocks, 200+ feet of wire cable to increase tractors pulling power 3X. Saved 2 logs for lumber logs. B2650, LA534 loader and LP0660 grapple. FEL could not lift it. Curled grapple down...

www.orangetractortalks.com

 

[100AkerWood]

Were you lifting a pallet jack with a load on it? Remove the jack first, makes load less tippy. Pull pallet 1/2 off trailer, lower lift and curl back, relift if it will and remove from trailer. Be close to where you plan to set pallet.

FYI a grapple/curl breakout force will allow you to lift more than the FEL lift cylinders can handle. Recently learned this myself.

Maxed out B2650 FEL lift capacity

Had a dead tree at the top of the driveway hillside. Dropped it before it fell in the driveway. Used 2 snatch blocks, 200+ feet of wire cable to increase tractors pulling power 3X. Saved 2 logs for lumber logs. B2650, LA534 loader and LP0660 grapple. FEL could not lift it. Curled grapple down...

www.orangetractortalks.com

No....pallet fork, not jack....sorry....I guess the bottom line was the FEL will not handle a 2000# with the pallet forks. I was also unsure if lifting too much might blow cylinder seals.... As I said, I guess I will unload @500#s directly into the spreader when I go for the fertilizer ton!

Thanks for all your comments.

 

[UpNorthMI]

I have been exactly where you are with my MX5800, I used to think it was a beast and would lift anything I asked it to. I transport pallets of lime (70 bags @ 40lbs each) either in the back of my 3500 pick up or several pallets on a heavy duty deck over trailer.

To unload and store the lime I would get another pallet and offload 30 bags, leaving 1,600 lbs on the original pallet. That was a safe load for unloading and moving with the MX. The unloading of bags by hand gets real old so I now just try to buy lime as I need it, drive it close to where I want to use it and then load it directly into my 500lb fertilizer 3pt spreader on the back of the tractor. This avoids the unloading of bags to other pallets and saves the MX work.

I try not to lift at maximum load with my tractor FEL, it's good to have a little safety factor and not to stress and strain everything. The arrival of my Kubota track loader a couple of years ago took lifting to a new level!

The MX and it's FEL does the majority of lifting and loading for me, it is incredibly useful and capable, I find the FEL on my L series to be very mediocre in comparison but it also has it's uses and helps out a lot in the woods where you are not trying to lift pallets of lime or similar. Key point is you have to know the machines limits, have rear ballast and work within those capabilities.