Take two bathroom scales. Get two people to help you
lift the back of the tractor and slide the scales
under the rear wheels. Read the scales. Then do the same with the front wheels. Add the four readings together.

Ervie, thanks for the suggestion. I don't think that method gives you an accurate weight as you aren't really getting the weight of each end, your total will be quite a bit high.

My other problem is I'm in a cast after ankle surgery so I can't do much myself yet (though I winterized the 3204 yesterday with help from my brother-in-law).

Ervie's method will work fine.

If you use a hydraulic jack, you can do all the lifting and scale sliding from a chair to keep weight off of your ankle. Use an office chair with wheels and you can roll around too.

"I don't think that method gives you an accurate weight as you aren't really getting the weight of each end, your total will be quite a bit high."

Actually, the total weight will be slightly less than actual using Ervie's method. Some of the weight will transfer to the end without the scales assuming that the scales have thickness. If you blocked up the end without the scales to the same height as the end with the scales, Ervie's method will yield an accurate result. Don't you remember your high school physics and trigonometry? 8^)

-Deerslayer

Deerslayer, I can't remember where I went to high school, forget trig!

I stand corrected, my apologies Ervie. I had been told from a factory machinery point of view that you can't do it that way, I guess I was fed bad info.

Well, I can weigh the 1864 and 214, but the 3204 is up on blocks for the winter so I think I'll leave it there.

Ok....I will give you the answer and you dont have to hurt yourself....the 3204 is 802 lbs without a deck. The 48" deck for that is 265 lbs...similar specs are posted on Cubs site...I can get the 1864 later on tonight

Deerslayer and Ervie are correct.

If you weigh one end, you will do best to raise the other end to the same height. Put those wheels onto a 2x4 to level it out. Otherwise the weight will be just a bit low.

Perhaps the advice you received that said not to do this was responding to the idea of weighing at each wheel, one after the other and using only one scale. This would yield a result that is biased considerably high.

John

I'll bet the error of the un-calibrated bathroom scale(s) is far greater than the weight difference of a CG shift caused by 2-3 degree rotation.

What's the concern about the weight anyway?

John, I think you are right. We needed the weight off a few machines, one with 4 legs, one with 6 legs. We had one scale available. I wasn't realizing the difference when Ervie said to use 2 scales. Live and learn.

Machiem, I used to plow with my 214. I think I've posted here and elsewhere that it was a lot of fun but not all that effective. I basically had to use the tractor as a battering ram when the snow got heavy, and I wasn't always around to plow early to keep ahead of the snow. So, I stopped doing it.

Now I'm running the 1864. I'm curious how much heavier it is as I'm thinking of getting a plow for it and giving it a try. Its a hydro which will be much easier to maneuver than my gear shift 214, and I suspect the added weight would make a big difference in performance. I was just curious about the weight of the 3204, I don't plan to plow with it.

Thanks for asking, I just didn't have the heart to start another "tell me about plowing" thread!

My CC128 with a QA36,me 225lbs,and attached over rear axle are four 30lb concrete blocks.Never tried to weigh this rig,or cared,but as the Rolls Royce people say about what their cars engine HP is, adequate.tbk

If any of those tractors happen to be on an elevator during free-fall, their weight will be precisely zero.

Do people generally leave their mower decks on when plowing snow? If not, the weight of the deck is irrelevant.

weight: JD 214 with 38inch deck 800lbs
Cub 1864 with deck is 880lbs
Cub 3204 with deck is 1,078lbs

The deck installed will change things a bit, but the 1864 is around 890 pounds. I believe that is dry weight.

I own an 1864 and can vouch that it is a HEAVY beast :)

-Larry

I always knew those JD's were lightweights :)

-Larry (ducking...)

Posted by sergeant 5aIL (My Page) on Thu, Dec 14, 06 at 12:06

weight: JD 214 with 38inch deck 800lbs
Cub 1864 with deck is 880lbs
Cub 3204 with deck is 1,078lbs

Sergeant is correct with the weights - Im looking at the brochure for the 1440 through the 2284 back from 91' to 93' and it lists the 1864 with a 54" deck at 880 lbs.

It turns out that the 3204 is heavier, maybe its because the frame guage is 9 guage compared to 10 guage of the 1864, and the deck on the 48" for the 3000 series has the gear box and shaft attachment.

Metal,

Sometimes thats all the mfg gives you on weight specs of the machine (combined with the deck, so you have to subtract)

Thanks for the answers guys, you saved me a lot of work. I have to say I'm surprised by the weights. Ducati, you were right that the 3204 is quite a bit heavier than the 1864. I'm amazed the difference is 200 lbs., after running both tractors I thought the 1864 felt just as heavy if not heavier.

Since the 1864 isn't much heavier than the 214 so I wouldn't expect plowing results to be much different. Hmmmm .... maybe I'll hold off on buying a plow for it after all. Or maybe I ought to take my Dad's 3204 out of storage and put a plow on it.

Any one of the 3 ought to plow snow ok.
Just throw chains and a filled cement block on it and you should be good to go.
***********************
I have 2 Bolens 850 tractors .
One's a 1966 and the other a 1967.
If I remember rite they weigh under 800 pounds.
With chains and a 12'' filled concrete block on a tray on the rear I've cleared my driveway of several 10 12 and 14 inch snows .
Your tractors should do at least as as well as the Bolens.

Just be glad you're not plowing on the moon. Your 800 lb JD would only weigh 130 lbs up there. You'd be all over the place, and suffocating.
Also, a gallon of gas weighs about 6 lbs (on Earth).
-Chris

The part about suffocating is a nice suggestion.

dave01

Machiem, I used to plow with my 214. I think I've posted here and elsewhere that it was a lot of fun but not all that effective. I basically had to use the tractor as a battering ram when the snow got heavy, and I wasn't always around to plow early to keep ahead of the snow.

Your technique is why I don't recommend buying used, very hard on equipment!