55 Gallon Drum Ballast

[Hdoilcan]

I filled a 55 gallon drum today with concrete for for counter weight. Any idea how long it should take for the concrete to harded up?

 

[MossRoad]

Give it a couple days. I did that a long time ago when I had a tractor with a 3pt hitch. I welded up a steel cage, put 3pt mounts on it and stuck it in a plactic 55 gallon drum, then filled with concrete. It worked fairly well. :thumbsup:

 

[Retired LE]

I filled a 55 gallon drum today with concrete for for counter weight. Any idea how long it should take for the concrete to harded up?

I have been thinking about rigging up the same thing - only I plan to fill the drum with rocks/gravel. How did you install the brackets? Pics pics pics!

 

[Ford850]

A few shots of mine. The top link connector was from a stabilizer bar I bought at TSC and cut in half. The only think I would do different would be to add a few PVC pipes to carry shovels, rakes, etc. When I built mine, I was thinking "snow plow ballast". But when using it for a "FEL Ballast" the pipes would be handy. It's plenty heavy as is, so losing some weight due to the pipes would not be an issue.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

I built a form and poured a 3'x3'x3' block and forgot about it..eerr.. popped it out a week later. No problems yet. I have even backed it into the dirt bank a couple times trying to maneuver around. Depending on the weight you want, Retired LE, I would look at concrete. 150lbs/cubic foot is hard to argue with. plus, if you hit something with the barrel, you don't have to worry about it coming apart and losing your weight.

 

[Retired LE]

The only thing I would do different would be to add a few PVC pipes to carry shovels, rakes, etc.

That's a good idea. It would probably be a good idea to have the pipes go clear through and out the bottom of the barrel to prevent them from gradually filling up with debris, rain water, etc.

 

[fordmantpw]

That's a good idea. It would probably be a good idea to have the pipes go clear through and out the bottom of the barrel to prevent them from gradually filling up with debris, rain water, etc.

Then your rake, shovel, etc. handles would be dragging the ground, no?

Maybe just put a cap on the bottom and drill some holes to let water out.

 

[AaronS]

I just drilled a 1/4" hole in the bottom of each of mine to allow water to drain. I only filled the concrete up to 3" from the top to allow a place to carry chains and small tools.

 

[George2615]

That's a good idea. It would probably be a good idea to have the pipes go clear through and out the bottom of the barrel to prevent them from gradually filling up with debris, rain water, etc.

I pre drilled some 1/4" holes around the bottom of my plastic barrel before adding concrete figuring as it cured it would shrink a little and rain water could get out. I filled mine about 3/4 full (10 - 80 lb. bags of redi mix). Once cured I drilled more holes around the barrel at the concrete level so it didn't fill with rain water.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

OR, you could put a reducer in and a smaller diameter pipe out the bottom. Works just fine for my counter weight 3'x3'x3' block.