Scotty321 1 #1 Posted January 1, 2016 Does anyone have any information on the maximum amount of weight that can be put on the 5XI transaxle? The manual says it is an Eaton 11 with a UniDrive. I have a loader and 2 stage snowblower for my DXI and I often need a good amount of counter weight. I am starting to worry that I am over doing it with all the concrete hanging off the back end. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DennisThornton 4,769 #2 Posted January 1, 2016 (edited) http://newhavenpower.com/Toro_5xi_RearWeightBox.html Toro 5xi Garden Tractor Rear Weight Box Specifications Load Capacity 400lb Axle Mounting Kit Included Box Width 41" Rear Hitch Standard Box Length 88" Construction Steel Box Depth 22" Weight 65lb Will give you a little idea of what Toro thinks. The box and mounting brackets are substantial as well. So far I've not found a manual though I have seen a picture that looked like it was loaded with concrete. Edited January 1, 2016 by DennisThornton More details Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shallowwatersailor 3,213 #3 Posted January 1, 2016 It all depends on how it is hung on the rear end. The factory box attaches to the frame and the tow hitch. The weak point is the casting where the pin is. Add how far off of the rear the weight is actually hanging will limit the amount. That is why wheel weights and loaded tires are the preferred method. 300 pounds would be my guess of a maximum amount up close to the rear end. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
doc724 925 #4 Posted January 1, 2016 I use one 50# wheel weight (per wheel) and 240# of suitcase weights. The suitcase weight bracket is attached to the tractor frame. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stevebo-(Moderator) 8,330 #5 Posted January 1, 2016 Mine has the rear weight box full of concrete and I also have 50lbs wheel weights on each rear wheel. Overkill yes but I think it is okay. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dennys502 244 #6 Posted January 1, 2016 I've got the weight box full of cement patio blocks. The best case scenario is wheel weights and or filled tires. The problem with the weight box is it puts the load on the axle and bearing. Add dual wheels and it really gets bad. Wheel weights, filled tires or the combination is the best. I'm going to plasma cut some 5/8 plate and make some nice heavy weights. The tires were filled but the rims are rusting so its time for a change. That big weight box in the back is a pain when trying to use the loader anyway. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Challenger 27 #7 Posted January 1, 2016 (edited) I've read that you need weight BEHIND the rear axle to take weight OFF the front axle. Wheel weights and loaded tires won't accomplish this. Edited January 2, 2016 by Challenger 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DennisThornton 4,769 #8 Posted January 2, 2016 Perhaps a bit off topic for this thread since I think that Scotty is mostly worried about over doing with too much weight. But that means we have to understand "weight". "Unsprung" weight, I suppose a bit of a misnomer when discussing tractors with no springs, but for this topic I mean wheel weights and filled tires, is different than "Sprung" weight, which would be everything else, including any load bearing on the axles, the tractor itself and whatever it is carrying that is actually on it. So any weight that goes directly and straight to the ground and not onto the axle bearings doesn't "load" the tractor the same way as the tractor itself does. I know many here understand that and perhaps could even explain it better but it was not perfectly clear to me years ago. Tire weight does not bear upon the axles like the rest of the tractor does so that is where to try to add weight for traction and the lowest center of gravity. However there are two different issues that weight addresses. Traction of course but also the counter balance needed when a 2 stage blower or full bucket on a FEL tip the scale to the front. Wheel weights or filled tires won't fix that as well as a weight set back off the rear. But that counts as weight directly on the axles! Old rear only drive farm tractors without power steering had FEL options but if you filled the bucket with anything that weighed much you couldn't go anywhere because it lifted so much weight off the rear tires they would just spin and put so much weight on the front end you couldn't steer it! A lot of the old 2 wheel drives had a 3 point hitched 55 gal barrel filled with rocks to help the balance but alas the steering was still stiff. My NH TC-35 (4wd) normally has either a big 2 stage blower, backhoe or HD box blade hanging off the back. One day for some reason it had neither and I lifted a rather smallish pine tree and both filled rears came completely off the ground! Completely changed the characteristics of the tractor! Basically couldn't use the FEL! Oh, if I had not been in the woods and just moving mulch on level ground I would have been ok but my point is that rear weight was needed to do real work! Hang something off the front end and you will need something hung off the back. Just want more traction try to add it as "unsprung" weight as either wheel weights or filled tires. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
clueless 2,975 #9 Posted January 2, 2016 Years ago the old farmer across the street told me that extra weight directly over the rear axles worked best on his old farmall. So for past 10+ years of less exercise and more of the amber liquid I now have the50+ Lbs I needed. That's my story and I'm........ Chris from Florida. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WNYPCRepair 1,914 #10 Posted January 2, 2016 1 hour ago, clueless said: Years ago the old farmer across the street told me that extra weight directly over the rear axles worked best on his old farmall. So for past 10+ years of less exercise and more of the amber liquid I now have the50+ Lbs I needed. That's my story and I'm........ Chris from Florida. Yeah, I have 240 lbs over the axles , and wheel weights 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites