Will I Break the Front Axle? Extreme Lift Capacity, How Much Pressure Can It Take?

Increase hydraulic pressure on John Deere 1025R. How much lift capacity does it add? Tractor Time with Tim shows how easy it would be to tip the tractor.
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[@doctorrowbotham3544]

Thank you Tim and Cristy. The analytics are great! The "tippy demonstration" with the bucket in the air was also a great demonstration that even with proper ballast, raising the center of gravity is not a good idea. Thank you!

[@vincentpira]

Great video Tim and Christy, that small portion of the video showing how much the tractor moves with the loader at max height should be shown to all new tractor owners. Would likely be an eye opener to a lot of people.

[@miketoney1660]

anyone who has operated a front loader much is guilty of not letting the bucket down when on the move, usually takes only once possibly twice almost flipping tractor and it makes you remember to slow down and think about what you;re doing. lol

[@BiffsEquipment]

You’ve turned your 1 series into a monster Tim! Great job! Nothing better than learning the limitations of these small tractors and pushing them straight to the brink.. that’s my kind of tractor videos !

[@MessicksEquip]

I love this project. Wish I could do this kind of thing without getting in the world's most trouble. I do think you made a mistake with your axle capacity, The total capacity is 1349, that's not per side. I've seen that referenced in trainings a few times, and it was never multiplied.

[@robertbunch8362]

All you have to have is a brave, risk-taking, understanding finance committee like Tim's! It's a fun job, but somebody's gotta do it, and Tim does it for the Deere 1025r. So, now it's your turn to do it for the Kubotas.

[@Pinz314]

The total capacity is indeed 1349 lbs. The tires always have a load rating on them (this is the max wat the tire can handle, the rating of the vehicle can be lower). The capacity of the 4 ply on a 1025 should be around 900 pounds each.

[@TractorTimewithTim]

Thanks Neil. I’ll check into that if I can.

[@chrismichels4616]

I agree that the axle rating should not be doubled. What concerns me is that in the current configuration, the graph at 4:48 shows that you reach the axle capacity with approximately 200 lbs in the bucket. That is way less than the loader lift capacity even at standard hydraulic pressure. So either your ballast is way under Deere’s recommendations or the front axle is way under designed. I would love to see the axle weights at Deere’s specs for lift capacity and ballast. This is yet another reminder to me to take rear ballast specs seriously and to add some more ballast to my box soon. All the numbers and analysis is great. Please keep it up.

[@MessicksEquip]

@@chrismichels4616 your correct. I've heard this criticism leveled by tractor engineers before. In a race for the highest loader lift some tractor manufacturers are overloading their front axles. There is probably a 3-5x safety factor in that number, but it probably impacts the longevity and causes the oh so common front axle seal leaks. I really wish more companies would publish that number like Deere is. Gotta give them props for that.

[@digdrivediy]

This is great! I admire all the work and effort that you put into this video to provide us with this info. I'm the type that likes to squeeze a little more out of my tractors so this is right up my alley. Great video guys and I'm loving the Johnny X series!

[@jammin60psd]

These type of data points are amazing! This is such a great series.

[@wayneweis653]

Excellent demonstration.

[@HalDIY]

Why do I keep getting a "Here, hold my beer..." feeling when I watch this project? Fascinating stuff and I love the info and the fact Johnny is strong enough to survive all this. Gives me a lot of faith mine will hold up just about forever. Definitely makes me want to check the hydro pressure to be sure it is up near max spec but Johnny has been tipsy way too often without getting all carried away about it. Takes months to get a tractor fixed and there is no way I could keep up without one, been there, couldn't do that. Ultimately I think if I needed that kind of power very often I'd opt for a bigger machine. Keep up the great work, but stay clear of heavy loads and leaking hydro.

[@jamesmaddox1450]

Awesome technicalities! I think you're the only tractor channel who even knows how to get this much into engineering type skill sets.

[@TractorTimewithTim]

Thanks for the kind words!

[@FelipeColby]

That you could shake it that much with the weight up in the air, versus down low, is a great demonstration. As an aside, would love to see Clifford on those scales

[@Kcolby47]

Wow, what a fun way to experience “Tim’s Gone Wild with Johnyy X”! Great job Tim and Christy. Blessings.

[@Vigo327]

I came down here to tell you that i LOVE the weight distribution graph before i ever got half way through the video. I can't tell you how many forum threads speculate along these lines. This is a great reference point for any future discussions along those lines.

[@MrRfries]

Tim, I love this series!!! Keep it going. Push it to the limit.

[@miketoney1660]

i do enjoy your videos, johnny-x is my favorite so far, love seeing the little tractor doing big tractor stuff, great job on keeping your audience entertained even when its to cold, wet and messy to be outside, thanks

[@rubywagoner9886]

Good Morning; Ty, Ruby, and Thomas from Orange County, IN here. We enjoyed your video, it was very informative. It's good to know that someone else can damage a new cabinet just like I can! I believe your going to have some snow to play in the next couple days. Be careful traveling, God Bless!

[@Jtwizzle]

All these numbers are great never to much data in my eyes! Good stuff

[@drewwestenbarger535]

Your center of gravity demonstration will forever stick in my mind. Thanks Tim!

[@seanstractortracks5744]

Tim, this was awesome with graphs and the high CG demo. I enjoy all your videos but this one especially. Be careful out there with all that power.

[@k6outdoors]

Really enjoy seeing the numbers! As an engineer I geek out about this stuff as well, good stuff as always Tim!

[@robertbunch8362]

I really appreciate this video because it gives me more confidence in running a higher pressure. My 1025r is a 2018 and it's manual says the pressure should be set at 1990psi. After watching Kevin's video about boosting the pressure I tested mine and it was giving me 1850psi, so I bumped mine up to 2100psi. IIRC, Kevin bumped his up to 2300psi. But, after seeing that everything on your machine can handle 2900psi, I may just go up to 2500psi. This video brought back memories last year of when you (and many others!) bent the ram on the bucket cylinder on the backhoe. Well, running 2900psi might just be able to bend the newer, larger diameter ram under the same conditions since the percent increase in pressure is greater than the percent increase in ram diameter. This is getting really interesting! Poor Johnny-X!

[@ATR-42]

This series is so much fun, loving this!

[@RockhillfarmYT]

Great demonstration

[@joshuahausbach2867]

Please keep going with this series. The data is very interesting and it is disappointing that JD doesn't provide it up front.

[@robertbunch8362]

JD does give all the same data, but applied to the specs they build into these machines at the factory. Their specs are very conservative to protect their interests in the warranty. These machines have safety and reliability margins built in by Deere. Tim is just pushing to see where the outer limits are of these margins.

[@btsllc9676]

Great video as usual, but most thankful to see you were not injured. Prayers for the both of you because it can be stressful for a spouse when something unexpected occurs and praise for a good outcome.

[@stephenphilbrook6239]

Love this series! Thata why I always get a kick out of people who want to see how high they can get the pressure because even if the tractor can physically handle it, it's just too small to be safe. I've lifted rocks with my grapple at normal pressure that lifted the back tires off the ground.

[@TractorTimewithTim]

Make sure you are running lots of rear ballast. You shouldn’t be able to lift rear tires at standard PSI with recommended ballast.

[@fsj197811]

Really appreciate this test as I'm going to need to unload about 1000lbs out of a trailer bed but I have my relief set for 2500psi. Thanks again and hope you two are doing well.

[@TractorTimewithTim]

You will not be able to do that.

[@Bryan46162]

The tractor is not necessarily overbuilt. It has to be tough enough to take max weight PLUS the bounce when you're driving around. Hitting a pothole while carrying max weight can easily send shockwaves to a single wheel/axel of double or even triple the weight of the entire load.

[@frankpaglianite4158]

Tim, another good video but the cold weather is no excuse not to enjoy little Johnny, I have the 54 Inch snow blower and i am having a blast in the snow with it. I live in northeastern Pa,,, in snow country,,, so have plenty of snow to play with and if I run out of area I snow blow my lawn clean for fun. lol

[@kengoldbeck6363]

Excellent visual demonstration of the safety associated with carrying your load high.

[@WichhartAcres]

That's impressive!! Thanks for posting!

[@amossnowdaharleyman9179]

Weights: bought 90 pcs of 94 pound suitcase weights from the Kubota research facility over in Dallas a few years ago at auction. $6.00 each :). They were loose on skids so carried wire mesh baskets to put them in.Had to load them by hand into the baskets. Hell of a workout for this ol' man.

[@rjmerritt6]

I just had my dealer turn the hydrologic pressure up to 3,000psi on my 2038r. It seems like a noticeable difference. Would love to see you do the same test on the 2038r. Awesome content 👏

[@Bobsutubes]

I find this series very interesting, it helps owners make informed decisions on how they operate their tractors. Very much appreciate your safety discussion and visual. Safety can not be emphasized enough. Thanks...

[@harmab2]

Hi Tim. Great video, thank you 😊. I'm going to try to fb you some pictures

[@harmab2]

Are you on massageinger?, I got a few pictures of a tractor. Your love to see

[@davidsmith-ri3fi]

When that rack tumped over i yelled "Tim" .. i felt stupid because I know you can't hear me ... lol ... I love this video ... thanks Tim ...

[@kellyiliketractors4855]

I love it! Please show the front axle loading with different rear ballast weight. Start with low enough rear ballast to have the rear of tractor up in the air.

[@timraber6575]

Very interesting on how unstable the small tractor can be if not used properly. The weights on your stand was a great demo on how fast things can go wrong. That makes your point even better.

[@0331USMCGunner]

Thank you. I just put a Tar River Plow on my 2021 1025R. And despite the ballast box full of pea gravel, I can definitely feel the difference on the front which caused some concern. All is well so far though.

[@thom71]

I bumped my pressure on my Massey GC-1720 to about 2500 to account for the fact I switched from the massey quick attach to the ssqa quick attach. The difference in how they mount I lost a fair bit of lift capacity and increased the pressure a bit to account for that. Great demonstration Tim. Very informative today. Thanks.

[@clintbowen1305]

Looking forward to similar tests on the 2038!

[@mymorristribe]

I love the technical analysis you do on your channel. Keep it up!

[@markmccoy1304]

I have the LS MT 240e. 40 hp. The manual says loader lift is 2150 lbs. My friend at John Deere says that’s impossible yet this little Tractor is lifting this off the floor. He was saying it couldn’t because the back end would not stay on the ground. To me it is a very strong Tractor. Thanks for sharing.

[@duaneamos4413]

Great video....interesting information...appreciate the time and effort in making your videos!

[@elijahcavin2408]

I really enjoyed this video! It's cool to see you modifying this tractor.

[@tombarnes1871]

Thank you folks, very informational. While I have owned several orange tractors over the years, it is good to understand the dynamics at play. As Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry once said “It’s always good for a man to know his limitations”.

[@UncommonNews777]

This video deserves a thumbs up at the very least.

[@PurpleCollarLife]

Excellent experiment!

[@dennisschluttenhofer4321]

Tim, I had Pomp's put foam in my front tires because I was doing allot of loader work and I was traveling sideways on a hill. It increases the tire's weight BUT, there is no tire smushing and on the slope there is no worry that the side forces will force the tire off the rim.

[@donaldstrishock3923]

Tim & Christy good demonstration on what NOT to do. You know every other vidio out there is about a "silly oil change service @ 50 hours" or about how New twak-tor loaners OVERLOAD there rigs and are SO PROUD of it===DANGER. With a flimsy front axle they POUND them before the first payment is made! Your Very fine demonstration is a "horrific static" load (as specified). Then the "green horns" pill the hydraulic system (VOIDED warranty). They go from a wheelburo,to a wagon & four wheeler to a compact tractor believing they are D9s dozers or 977 high-lift track loaders. Then there is a lot of "Bo-hooing" for warranty claims IF they live through their STUNTS. "Easy does it" is the way to go all ways. I have lifted a back wheel off the ground "all tippsey" in less than 2 seconds by lifting off ONE corner accedently overloading a fulcrum point on the slightest of uneven grades- just with the loader 10-12 inches off the ground ( kind of scary), then regrouped (off the tractor) assessed the situation and approached the chore with a different technique & mindset. Your vidios are Highly Instructive & Informative. Thanks for the great Video Tim & Christy and happy safe tractoring.

[@ryanday3583]

Can't wait to see the 1025r pull the ts10

[@tandp3]

Tim if you call it extreme experimental or just EE with will keep most everyone happy. Both you and Christy have a blessed day.

[@nealtubbs9608]

Very interesting. I liked how you showed the dangers of lifting heavy weight at raised levels.

[@rjmack3790]

Interesting information Tim. Anxious for you to weigh the 2038r with everything on it so I know how much mine weighs. Thanks for the continued great content.

[@tommcmillan3143]

Tim, Very interesting, and good to learn the full design envelope of the tractor, the graphs were great. Good instruction on where these design numbers come from and to respect those safety warnings! Thanks!

[@amangill0001]

Nice loader and good work feeling happy when I saw your video I want this loader in India please help me

[@mentholman3201]

This is very good, non-bias info. Thank you

[@FloridaDeere]

Fun and very informative video. I'm about to adjust my pressure as I am out of the warranty period, probably going to 2100 or 2150, from about 1850. I would not think about touching on 2900!!! You're crazy Tim. I love those charts, that is golden information.

[@the_great_lord_ilpalazzo]

This was very interesting, thank you. I would love to see the rear ballast weight test as you mentioned. I think it would also be very informative and helpful to repeat the tests, but have a set of pallet forks on the loader. I know that I have run into some issues by underestimating the effect that the increased leverage has.

[@TractorTimewithTim]

Yes, moving the load further to the front of the forks makes a large difference.

[@davehudson4607]

Nice test. Good job, answers a lot of questions. 👍

[@ericlaker1983]

Very impressive findings with front axle weight! Great info. Tim and krisity.. keep up hard work hope your ok with weights flipping over.

[@hdbikerdave5835]

Very interesting and informative. Thank you for taking the time to put this together and sharing.

[@BrickyardPowerMan]

Excellent video showing the benefits as well as the risks.

[@blackhawkinternationalsecu6962]

That's very interesting Tim. Its actually a help to me. Thanks!!!

[@tractorstrailsandlivingfree]

Hey Tim, hope you're ready for snow/ice! Here in Northern Ohio, I know we have significant amounts coming midweek and Northern Indiana as well. Be safe all!

[@rcguymike]

I liked that chart! Wish we could see that for all other models👍 excellent work!

[@butchinhowser]

Great video again. I appreciate all the details you give on each segment, very informative.

[@Ray_1990]

Great video! Shocking it can lift that much now. Data is pretty cool too

[@bibleandbibs6407]

Thank you for the in depth experiment. I appreciate your efforts. I am using the heavy hitch with 6 x 100lbs on the rear. BTW i just used the ttwt on bolt on hooks for a pressure gauge.

[@TractorTimewithTim]

WooHoo! Thanks!

[@williamcoffman7149]

id did the same thing just last week getting the hydro guage and ordered their tie down system for my 1025r named "Moose"

[@danielclapp636]

Excellent video guys. Front axles take a beating regardless of ballast on the back. That front end is the pivot point no matter what’s on the rear end. I realize ballast sure does help, but jeepers, that front end is supporting all those weights plus most of the entire tractor weight. Take care you two. Central Maine Dan..

[@BillyP55]

Wow, one of the most interesting videos I've seen on the 1025R!

[@garycox7508]

Really enjoyed the video, Tim. The more numbers, the better! This may have been addressed by other posters, but I didn't read all the comments (shame on me!) so I"ll say it anyway. If you want to look at the dynamic loading from "bounce" etc, you could do that with an accelerometer app on a phone (tape an old phone with the app and appropriate internals to the loader) and drive around a bit to get vertical acceleration data. Then, you can derive force being driven by the bucket with a simple F=ma with "m" being the mass of both the bucket and its contents (just weigh the bucket as it is lowered to the ground, which will also capture a portion of the loader weight as well). You've got a constant 9.8m/s^2 pulling down by gravity, of course, so you just have to subtract that out (if the app doesn't do that for you automagically). Then, since you have a scaling factor from your static tests of how much bucket weight corresponds to how much load on the axles, you then multiply your calculated F by that scaling factor to get load added to the axles. It's not going to be accurate to a zillion decimal places since it discounts some of the geometrical details on how the load is translated to the frame via the pivot points of the loader etc, but it should be close enough to get the result you were musing about in the video.

[@mistersniffer6838]

Your a crazy beast and bad example, and, its AWESOME!!!

[@johnkovac4436]

Really enjoyed experiment

[@Wickhaven1]

Definitely convinced me to stop using (only twice so far) my single axel quad trailer. I was right at max (in my head) and will now use my other trailer because I’m in the 2100 lbs range based on your data..

[@JelenOutDoors]

That was a superb video!

[@ilmo2313]

Heavyweight Xtreme. We will not make it to Louisville this year; our middle granddaughter is in cheerleading competition and running track. Busy times for her and we're trying to keep up. So we are going to follow her wherever she goes.

[@roybrown6831]

I love the video and your channel, Tim and Christy. Also love to see your faith come through. Only one thought as a high school math teacher. In the last graph, the x and y axes should be switched since changing the weight is what causes the change in height. Thanks for your channel.

[@alittleofthisandalittleofthat]

Snow… I can send you some. We just received our third nor’easter this winter. Last three years not too much snow, this year it’s making up for it. My rear 54” blower and 66”HLA snow pusher took care of things. 👍. Need a cab someday soon.

[@mal15102]

Excellent video. The math for weight distribution and it's effects on the axels, however, is quite simple. It could be presented as a formula.

[@TractorTimewithTim]

Do so. Provide the formula. Thanks!

[@kentandrews1560]

Thank you again tractor owners try to get as much out of there tractors as they can, with the X series of videos you show the tractor, with modifications physically is able to do greater things, but always are also reminding and showing the safety side of these extreme experiments, thank you for including the example of cab tractor over turned example at the end of this video. As always I love your videos your format subject matter and quality please keep the good work

[@TractorTimewithTim]

Thanks for the kind words!

[@macdawg6403]

Being an Engineer by trade .. Love the numbers !

[@1of7]

Great stuff! Thanks Tim.

[@stevenmcintosh3303]

Great video and very informative. I would like to see how rear ballast impacts weight. On these 1 and 2 series tractors I don't think we reach JD's recommended rear ballast with an ordinary ballast box or single row HH. Would love to see impacts on axles from different rear ballast amounts. Once again, great video!

[@robertbunch8362]

Steven, one thing to consider is that just adding a LOT of ballast weight to the 3-point so close to the rear wheels also adds a lot of weight to the overall tractor. And, very few owners have enough weights for the 3-point to equal what the backhoe offers. The backhoe also does not put any strain on the 3-point. If the tractor has enough clearance behind it to move around, then the backhoe can effectively add the equivalent of 1000+lbs of ballast at the rear without adding any extra weight at all to the overall tractor's weight just by extending the backhoe's boom and dipper to the rear. Sort of like free ballast!

[@cptbimes1]

There should be front/rear weight distribution graphs for every JD series. This is great information.

[@jeffstrains4014]

Pretty neat experiment! We have a New Holland 555e and an old Kubota 8950, its crazy how much more the back ho lifts vs the tractor. I unloaded some skids of slate rock that where around 5k tractor could use another 500 psi boost. As always Tim enjoy your videos

[@tractortyme]

Very nice data extraction, Tim. Johnny X is such a beast :)

[@nunyabeeswax8666]

You could put a G meter on the front axle to record what the tractor is experiencing during the bouncing and then just multiply your static front end weight chart times the G load to see what the front axle is really “feeling”.

[@mal15102]

Excellent suggestion!

[@enduser1982]

this is kick ass! thanks for making this flick... i did exactly this to my 89' 318 with 44 loader.. upped the psi from factory 650psi to 1000 which is separate from the GT hydraulics. upped the GT from 600PSI to 1100 got 850 on the rear, i can now lift a bucket of 3/4" stone. dirt whatever and it wouldn't do it before. thanks again it's interesting

[@patrickhollern5661]

Wow!! Very cool, and thanks to you guys I bought a heavy hitch toothbar for my Massey gc! It’s awesome!!

[@TractorTimewithTim]

Congratulations!

[@Drew-in-NoDak]

I think this is the most fired up comment section I have seen in a while! Exciting.

[@robertbunch8362]

I noticed one comment below asked the question about how much effect the extra pressure would have on the hydraulic drive. When I installed my HydrosPlus 9.5gpm system I wondered the same thing about the increased flow rates. I was shocked at just how small the input shaft to the pump was. It is a splined shaft so any tiny alignment imperfections can be accommodated, but those splines do experience a tiny amount of movement against their mating part and over their lifetime will wear just a bit. Any extra flow, and especially extra system pressure, will accelerate the wear, not to mention adding to the "twisting force" on that tiny shaft. Maybe we could get Kevin to do a destruct-test to see just what kind of pressures and loading that shaft can handle before it twists off. I'm pretty sure Deere has done longevity tests on the stock system to be sure it will last longer than the owner will live.

[@gclaytony]

Shock loads can easily cause spikes in the hydraulic pressure to the operating limit of the hoses/connections with the standard pressure of 2000#. Working with offshore hyrdraulic cranes, static lifts (from the deck on the platform) are about 50% higher than the shock load delimit for loads to/from the boat deck on the moving ocean. (going by memory from a decade ago). Keep in mind that all the pressure is contained by the cheapest parts on the tractor the o-rings on the hydraulic cylinders.

[@tractorboy31]

Something that would be interesting to see is how the weight shift from front to rear as you lift higher. Next year I may be looking to get some suitcase weights for my JD B as I'm thinking of naming her Johnny Thumper as she was doing 15hp before she siezed up over a winter nap. Going to get her some high compression jugs and head and block work and the machine shop thinks I can get around 40hp on premium pump gas and start doing some pulling

[@thomasyerbey337]

Hey Tim 🚜 great video 🇺🇲 I appreciate you sharing this information 🇺🇲

[@peanutsmith1462]

Love the video Tim I would love to see Jonny X with about 500 lb of weights and a 3/2/1 bottom plows just to see what it does looking forward to seeing more

[@TractorTimewithTim]

I don’t think we will be impressed with the pulling power (unfortunately).

[@mdh7812]

I think doing a video with different amount of rear ballast would be very educational on how it effects the weight on the front axle. I would really like to see you do a video on it. Would also like to see you do a video on how much difference there is on the front axle when you move the load away from the tractor, lets say on a set of pallet forks. This was a great video, well done! I do enjoy watching your videos.

[@randalmiddleton8068]

That data certainly brought attention to me... GWT has always pushed the need for having the correct amount of rear ballast, but I've always thought it was overkill at times. Wow was I wrong... time to get this corrected !!! Thanks for the wakeup call.

[@TractorTimewithTim]

Yep. We have tried to communicate this need in as many ways as possible.

[@andrewjohn9813]

Great job pointing out how tippy it was with the load and I've found my 2025r with the mouser cab is extremely tippy even with no attachments and loaded tires even found some spots I can't mow with it unlike the 1025r I had

[@MJF40]

Wheel spacers ? I know cabs are heavy and raise the center of gravity , but longer and heavier the 2025r should be more stable.

[@andrewjohn9813]

It definitely is not I am looking at wheel spacers but for the time being and for wanting to keep the wheel base narrower than the blower and mower deck I haven't gotten them yet just need to know the limitations of how it's set up

[@MJF40]

@@andrewjohn9813 I found loading the tires and 2 in out back helped. No issues with mower 60D and have 60in plow. 350lbs heavier plus higher and longer should equal out. But COG cab vs no cab is a big difference.

[@RossOnTheLand]

Wow! I've lifted the back end of my BX off the ground trying to pull stumps out but didn't know how much force it was putting on the front.

[@richcreager7877]

I bet his wife is sitting off camera with pen and checkbook shaking her head thinking dam this is gonna be expensive lol