Tractor ballast calculator
Enter the empty axle loads, the front weight and the rear implement. See what each axle and each tire carries with the implement lifted.
How it works
- The rear implement hangs behind the rear axle, so it presses the rear axle down and lifts the front. The front weight does the opposite.
- Rear axle load = (rear axle empty × wheelbase + implement × (wheelbase + rear distance) − front weight × front distance) ÷ wheelbase. The front axle gets the rest of the total.
- Rule from the data book: ballast as little as possible, as much as necessary. Too much ballast costs fuel, wears the driveline and compacts soil.
- Filling tires with liquid? See how much weight it adds with the liquid ballast chart, then add it to the empty axle load.
- Check the result against your tractor's permitted axle loads and the load capacity of your tires at your pressure, and the minimum front axle load in your operator's manual.
Method and example (3,000 / 4,000 kg tractor, 1,000 kg front weight, 2,500 kg seed drill → 3,000 kg front, 7,500 kg rear): Continental Agricultural Tires Technical Databook, “Principles of Ballasting”. Checked October 2026.