Quick Hitches YABB (Yet Another Ballast Box)

   / YABB (Yet Another Ballast Box) #1  

Hilltop Hillbilly

Bronze Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2012
Messages
54
Location
Upstate, NY
Tractor
CaseIH D40
Following some of the many good tips from this forum, I decided to go with a concrete filled ballast box for the 3PH, to help when the FEL is picking up big loads.

My three requirements are:
1) I want to keep it as tight to the back of the tractor as possible for maneuvering around.
2) It needs to weigh about 1200 lbs to provide adequate counterweight.
3) I want to make it work with my HF quickhitch so I can pick it and drop it easily. I really only need it when working with the grapple. The rest of the time it'll sit on a couple dollies.

I know there's 100 different ways to add ballast (i.e. counterweight), but I talked with a local fabricator and he is willing to build a metal box for $150, and the concrete place across the street from him is willing to fill it up for free with leftover mix, so this turned out to be the easiest way for me to do it.

I drew up a (overly complicated) sketch of the box for the welder, and I'm posting it here for any comments or suggestions before I have it made. Any further thoughts on this much covered topic?


HH
 

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  • 3 Point Hitch Ballast Box Drawing.pdf
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   / YABB (Yet Another Ballast Box) #2  
Some guys put PVC (or other material) pipes in the box before pouring the concrete. These pipes are for shovels and other tools. Good idea, IMHO.
If you do this, drill some small diameter drain holes at the location you plan on installing the pipes.

BTW, I use sand in my ballast box.
 
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   / YABB (Yet Another Ballast Box) #3  
Since you're making one, why not attach some casters to the bottom, so you don't even need the dolly? This way you can just set it down , unhook it and push it away without having to find the dolly --that my wife would have hidden, or parked over -- :laughing:
 
   / YABB (Yet Another Ballast Box) #4  
Since you're making one, why not attach some casters to the bottom, so you don't even need the dolly? This way you can just set it down , unhook it and push it away without having to find the dolly --that my wife would have hidden, or parked over -- :laughing:

The only downside of that is replacing a broken caster, once the concrete is poured.
However, as long as caster replacement is considered (and you use a heavy duty caster) before pouring the concrete, this "downside" is easily surmountable.
 
   / YABB (Yet Another Ballast Box)
  • Thread Starter
#5  
Some guys put PVC (or other material) pipes in the box before pouring the concrete. These pipes are for shovels and other tools. Good idea, IMHO.
If you do this, drill some small diameter drain holes are the location you plan on installing the pipes.

I like this idea a lot. I had heard this before, but forgot about it, so thanks for reminding me! I like the idea of being able to put a couple shovels and a rake back there.

Also, I forgot to account for the weight of the box itself (115 lbs according to my math), and so putting two 4" PVC pipes in the back corners offsets some of that weight (59 lbs), keeping me right about at my target weight.

BTW, I use sand in my ballast box.

I thought about this, but for my needs I can't see ever wanting to dump the sand out. And I couldn't get the sand for free. ;-)

I thought of dozens of other variations based on what I read here, including:
- Just forming a concrete block around the hitch pins
- Having a removable concrete block set inside the box
- Adding pins to an old barrel filled with whatever
- etc.

But for my needs, I think this is going to work out fine.

I *will* be adding a rebar hook in the top of the concrete, so I can hoist it if I ever need to...


HH
 
   / YABB (Yet Another Ballast Box) #6  
I thought about this, but for my needs I can't see ever wanting to dump the sand out. And I couldn't get the sand for free. ;-)
HH

I bought my ballast box used...it already had 600 or so lbs of sand in it. I just never had any reason to change it.
 
   / YABB (Yet Another Ballast Box) #7  
I see your pickup pins are standard Cat I. If you are going to use it with a HF Quick Hitch, why not make them the size needed for your Quick Hitch? Then you won't need the adapters.
 
   / YABB (Yet Another Ballast Box)
  • Thread Starter
#8  
I see your pickup pins are standard Cat I. If you are going to use it with a HF Quick Hitch, why not make them the size needed for your Quick Hitch? Then you won't need the adapters.

Thank you for looking at my drawing and offering a good suggestion! That's a good thought, buy my 3PH *is* Cat1. And the pins will be locked in the concrete. So if I ever didn't use my quick hitch, it wouldn't fit with Cat 2 pins.

Besides, the adapters are cheap and for a ballast box I really don't even need them. It's not like it's a ground engaging implement or anything.


HH
 
   / YABB (Yet Another Ballast Box) #9  
I would make the sides 3 to 4" taller so you have a "box" to carry saws.
, hand tools, chains, and a cooler! You got to have a cooler! :drink: Drill holes in the sides after its filled so water will drain! :thumbsup:
 
   / YABB (Yet Another Ballast Box) #10  
Did anyone mention putting a 2 inch reciever in the back. I did and I am very glad I did. I only put Qty 3 of the 2 inch PVC in the mix. I wish I had put 4. Also think about some hooks on the sides to hang 5 gallon buckets on, and also makes a temporay place to hang your pull chain on when you back up. And I second the motion to keep some free room in the top for all sorts of things, chainsaw is just one.. lunch? extra water? etc.

James K0UA
 
 
 
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