Lift Capacity of a Wagner Loader

I have what I believe is a Wagner Loader, AKA Jungle Gym, on my 2N and wondering how much I can lift with it. I probably have at least 100 lbs in each rear tire and a heavy back blade on it. I'm not going to be lifting it high, just high enough to get it onto a low car trailer. Will either have to move it forward a few feet, or have my future son-in-law back the trailer under it. It's a v6 with automatic transmission and transfer case attached, it's out of an older Ford Ranger. I'm pretty sure when we unloaded it off of the trailer a few years ago we used my 1 ton Cheery Picker with the arm fully extended which would put it at the 500 pound limit.

Thanks for all your comments and advice.
Bill

(quoted from post at 18:15:46 06/17/19) I have what I believe is a Wagner Loader, AKA Jungle Gym, on my 2N and wondering how much I can lift with it. I probably have at least 100 lbs in each rear tire and a heavy back blade on it. I'm not going to be lifting it high, just high enough to get it onto a low car trailer. Will either have to move it forward a few feet, or have my future son-in-law back the trailer under it. It's a v6 with automatic transmission and transfer case attached, it's out of an older Ford Ranger. I'm pretty sure when we unloaded it off of the trailer a few years ago we used my 1 ton Cheery Picker with the arm fully extended which would put it at the 500 pound limit.

Thanks for all your comments and advice.
Bill

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No problem. The loader is easily good to 1000# and if the hydraulics are good can be pushed to nearly double that.

TOH

I do know that it will lift far more than the front end will stand. My Fil broke the oil pan on a 2n with a Wagner wm4 and warped the center axle so the tires were close at the top and out at the bottom, kinda looked like a cartoon tractor. He replaced the oil pan when it happened and I replaced the center axle after I bought the tractor. I lifted half a ton of lime off the back of my truck with it with pallet forks but I couldn't move it up over the 3" hump onto the the barn floor even with 300 lbs of weight on the back and loaded tires.

Agree with the below, but in my 14 years experience of running a later model Wagner loader on a worn out 850, this loader is stronger than most would think. I have lifted and carried some excessively heavy items with this loader, eventually did break a spindle, it was compromised over time from what I could see, fresh metal exposed, with another part of the spindle that had a stress crack for awhile.

The motor and trans with transfer case should be no challenge for this loader. I've never seen the center axle bend or break on one of these, but that does not mean it cannot be done. The spindles usually fail first. There are heavier spindles that are "belled out" thicker than standard ones, I installed a nice used set on my 850 when the one failed. Axle pivot pin on this 850 was as worn as one could be, I used the tractor and loader all those years with only the spindle failing.

Rear ballast, loaded tires are a must, lift heavy weight to high, you'll feel one side or the other of the front end wanting to lean over. This is not a good time to lose a spindle. My spindle broke when cutting with a rotary mower on the back, bucket was low to the ground and made a good skid plate. I just backed up using the loader to support the front end, to a flat area where I could work on it.

Reading your reply reminded me that I also had to replace the pin as well as I believe it is called the bolster that bolts to the front of the engine the center pin goes thru and supports the axle. That had been welded and cobbled up. More than once I have seen one rear tire come up off the ground warning me that it is to much.

Exactly, I was lifting the back end of a Chevy K10 truck with it once, and I did not have this nifty cast iron counter weight on. Tires were both CACL filled, one side lifted up. With the counterweight and in the winter, with double ring chains, it got around real well, but take off that back weight, worthless if the chains were not on.


Those bolsters seem to hold up for the most part, but that pivot pin wear with lots of loader hours, definitely adds up. Thing is, thought this is just an adjustable general purpose ag front end, it seems to take a very long time to run one to destruction. I cannot believe the front axle on this 850 held up all those years. This tractor was fit to be parted out when I bought it, and I should have found a much better tractor, it just surprised me as to the good use I got out of it with some repairs and maintenance. I have a spare bolster and center axle as a core for a rebuild, just never got around to installing it.

These old Wagner loaders, are kind of painfully slow, but they are strong and very useful just the same. I was without a working loader tractor since '15, 850 sat under a tarp after it was retired, no start, but is LP powered, won't take much. I was able to upgrade to a nice low hour 4630 ford that never had a loader on it, FWA too with mechanical shuttle and all of the good features, then another upgrade for a loader, a 555C backhoe with 795 or so hours on it. Spoiled now, but I can never forget all the work I was able to do with the most minimal, old school, slow but strong wagner loader. I may just keep the 850 operational as a yard tractor, in case I ever need to hoist a cylinder off the 555C, the wagner will do that with no sweat. I have a nice original '54 640 with a one arm loader to back that up. Can't knock those either, both can do some serious work, just takes longer than a newer model.