Mahindra 4540 4WD

Are you planning on using just the backhoe for rear ballast while the loader is on? The backhoe should be plenty of weight to do the job but if it's not on the machine, you will want something HEAVY on the 3pt hitch. Not only is it dangerous to use a loader with no rear ballast, it's much harder on the front axle pivot, castings, and hubs.

 

Ain't gotta be fancy, just HEAVY. And I'm sure there will be plenty of times you will want to use the tractor and loader without the backhoe mounted. So the ballast will get used again for sure.

 

You still may be surprised what you can do without ballast. Our neighbor uses his fel a lot with nothing on the back except for the loaded tires. I recall when I cut down a nice red oak near our barn and he took 3 logs (the tree was on his place) home with him from that tree. I don't remember the diameter of the tree but it was not exactly small. He did just fine with it.

 

The box is a good option and find the heaviest stuff you can get your hands on to fill it. (know anywhere to get spent steel shot?) Loaded rear tires are good on a tractor that sees lots of loader work, especially these "little" tractors. But understand the difference between wheel ballast and 3pt hitch ballast.

Wheel ballast lowers the machine's center of gravity and provides traction.

3pt ballast (or a large attachment like a backhoe) can somewhat lower the machine's COG and it certainly provides traction as well. However, it does one very important thing that wheel ballast does not. It counterweights the loader and material being lifted. This greatly eases the load on the front axle and associated components and Saves a bunch of tire wear too.

 

You'd be surprised how much wood you can cut without chaps or chain brakes and how far you can drive without a seatbelt too.

Too many tractors get sold with loaders and without ballast boxes because it adds few/couple hundred to the total price. A few more get told that simply loading the tires is plenty. And it's rare in my experience for someone to be knowledgeable as to why and how to properly ballast a tractor for loader work. So I spread the word every single chance I get. Loaders will also usually lift far more than their rated capacity to a height of 2-3 feet. Get in the habit of doing that without 3pt ballast, and you can severely overload critical front end components.

 

Nothing compared to yours, but I picked up this cub cadet today visiting family before we leave officially for NH. My grandfather bought this, used it for a half season before he passed. It sat unused for a couple years, so I gave my grandmother $500 Bucks for it. She was happy and so am I. I'll try and get a pic tomorrow when the weather is better