Tractors with Front Loaders, Ranked by Lift Capacity

A single loader can carry four different published lift ratings. Kubota's detailed sheet for its L60-series loaders shows it on the LA1055: 2,361 lbs to full height at the bucket pivot pin, 1,784 lbs to full height measured 19.7 inches (500 mm) ahead of the pin, 2,974 lbs at the pin when the load only goes 59 inches high, and 2,407 lbs at 500 mm forward at that same 59 inches. The spread between the lowest and highest of those is almost 1,200 lbs, and the pin-at-59-inches figure is the one that flatters most. A load in a bucket sits ahead of the pin, and stacking bales or filling a spreader takes the loader high, so the full-height, forward figure is the closest to real work. Where a maker states its measuring point, the comparison pages show it; compare like with like before reading two positions on this list as a real difference.

The loader number also describes the loader, not the whole machine. When two tractors of different size share one loader they carry the same rating, as several pairs on this list do, but the lighter tractor has less behind the front axle to keep its rear tires down. Farm-safety guidance from the University of Maine is to add weight to the rear of the tractor to counterbalance the loader, carry loads low, and set the wheels as wide as they go.