Rear Ballast

[boutym]

Anyone have a simple way to calculate weight of a hunk of concrete based on the type of concrete used and any aggregate added to it? I'm wanting to construct a rear ballast for my SCUT for use when I don't have the backhoe mounted. I figure I can build something cheaper and more versatile than shelling out big bucks for suitcase weights since the needed weight will pretty much always be the same and I can incorporate a 2 inch receiver in the design for moving trailers and whatever around.

I figure I can weld up a frame that can be attached to the 3pt with some scrap and then embed this in the concrete. I did something similar for a JD 212 I have that just bolts onto the rear and it worked out great, but what it would weigh when finished was a WAG at best. Frankly, I still don't know what it weighs, but I know it is heavy enough that I ended up laying on the garage floor for a couple hours waiting for someone to come home after I felt something in my lower back pop loud enough to be heard when I was just trying to roll the thing. Heck, I even thought of just making some kind of bracket to hang the weight I have off the back of the SCUT, but it's not an easy on/off the Deere and the Deere gets used quite a bit in situations where the weight comes in handy.

 

[Sysop]

3 cubic feet of standard Portland mix would be just over 400 pounds with your mounting hardware and such. 3 cubic feet would be a block 1 foot tall, 1 foot thick, and 3 feet long.

What is the weight you are shooting for?

 

[k0ua]

Un-reinforced concrete is from 140 to 145 lbs per cubic foot. You can just add up the number of bags of sacrete you use, and add a bit for the water needed.. The water weight actually stays in the concrete when it sets up in the form of hydrates.

I built a ballast barrel with concrete inside.




James K0UA

 

[boutym]

Thanks for the responses. I was just reading that somewhere around 140 lbs per cf is a good average, but that can vary quite a bit. However, where not talking a building or huge slab, so there won't be a huge difference unless I'm embedding big hunks of lead or steel in it. Manual says at least 200 lbs ballast without the hoe attached. I was thinking around 300 - 350 lbs. The hoe is obviously substantially more than 200 lbs. Seems 200 lbs would be rather light if using the FEL much. Without the hoe attached and using the loader with even small loads makes the thing pretty unstable except on level grades.

 

[boutym]

Actually, the ultimate weight I shoot for is going to depend on where the center of mass falls in relation to the rear axle. Further back, lighter weight. Closer, heavier. Although the ideal situation would be to be able to measure the factory ballast distance, unless I could find someone that has that setup I might as well guess. If I could find a picture of the factory setup I could probably estimate pretty closely what I need to know. Granted I don't have get all Einstein on this thing, but if I should have some sort of failure with the rear axle it would be nice to be able to show that my ballast didn't put any stress on it that the factory design wouldn't have. I've fought too many warranty battles over meaningless crap like this. Never lost, but it just eats up time I don't have.

 

[Sysop]

If your tractor is 4WD you need to be more concerned over the front axle than the rear, especially with FEL work. To my recollection, all of the 4WD owner's manuals I've read on various machines specifically state when using FELs rear ballast is required or front axle damage will occur. Rear axles are bulletproof by comparison to the fronts.

 

[pat32rf]

Whatever you build, make sure that it rests on the ground when you lower the 3pth. Mine is mostly steel blocks bolted/welded to a frame. When I stop the tractor I lower the weights and use them as an anchor. When I shut off the tractor I lower the weights, then re-lift the 3pth handle so it raises when I restart instead of tearing up the grass when I forget and drive off....

 

[JerryK]

When I built my one ton rear ballast, I figured about .7 cubic foot per 80 pound bag of concrete mix. This is a pretty standard volume for figuring how many bags per project. So you can shoot for the finished weight you want by building something of the correct volume.. I also checked the weight of the metal frame I built, but did not even try to covert it's area/weight into the final total. You don't necessarily need a 2000 pound ballast, but the more weight back there the better. Without ballast, the rear end does not just lift. But since the front axle pivots in relation to the 'body' of the tractor, your rear end will also quickly jerk sidways X amount of feet without the ballast keeping it firmly planted on the ground. It's quite an experience... that's why I made mine plenty heavy..

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/projects/219062-one-ton-3pt-ballast.html

 

[Shield Arc]

When ever I build something I like it to be multipurpose. I built this ripper, out of some 5 1/2-inch square stock. Then later built a bolt on angle iron frame to add more counterweight when needed. So far it has worked out real well for my small tractor.

 

[bandaidmd]

I threw this one together the other day now just waiting for the concrete truck to show up at the new house across the street for some leftovers (hopefully). All that jumble of stuff inside is my version or rebar.lol
I did add a couple pieces of pvc pipe to embed and use as a tool carrier.