Multi-Purpose Rear Ballast Project

[Spencer]

I mixed and poured the concrete in small batches. I wanted to try and eliminate as many air pockets as I could. It was nice to have my tractor help to get the concrete mixer up to the right height.

 

[OkieG]

Heyyyy....I guess it doesn't matter if you're going to pour concrete all around it. I think that qualifies as a non-point/doesn't matter. Duh.

OkieG

 

[Spencer]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( This is possibly a non-point, but is there some reason why you don't want the horizontal drawbar sitting under the square tubing. Would support be better...or maybe it doesn't matter?

OkieG )</font>

It was just a matter of making everything at the right height. I wanted the lower 2" receiver tube and the bar for my lower lift arms to both be at a certain height (centered at 8" and 14" respectively) when the ballast was sitting on the ground.

 

[Spencer]

Here is a better picture of my tractor helping out on the project. That pile is premixed gravel/sand from a local concrete supplier. I used 65 shovel fulls of the gravel/sand mix and 13 shovel fulls of portland cement.

 

[Spencer]

The box held together with all the concrete in it but one side had a bow at the top. I should have reinforced the outside of the box with 2x4's.

 

[Spencer]

I took the box apart about 3 hours after I finished pouring the concrete. I have read where it is good to leave the concrete forms on as long as possible to slow down the curing process, but I thought that the concrete would cure more evenly with the box off.

I think the angled corners turned out nice. They should also help so that my lower 3-point lift arms don't hit the sides of the concrete. Some of you have been brave enough to admit your design flaws to us. I remember one guy bent his toplink when he lifted his concrete ballast up all the way. I remember another guy had to chip away some of his concrete ballast until it was light enough for his tractor to pick up. I tired to keep all of those things in mind when I designed this but who knows, I may have some problems of my own. I'm not sure how long I should let this cure before I try to pick it up with my 3-point. I am real curious if it will fit right.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( </font><font color="blueclass=small">( This is possibly a non-point, but is there some reason why you don't want the horizontal drawbar sitting under the square tubing. Would support be better...or maybe it doesn't matter?

OkieG )</font>

It was just a matter of making everything at the right height. I wanted the lower 2" receiver tube and the bar for my lower lift arms to both be at a certain height (centered at 8" and 14" respectively) when the ballast was sitting on the ground. )</font>



Just out of curiosity, how far off the ground will the bottom of the ballast be when you 3pt is all the way UP?

Or rephrased, did you make sure there is enough clearance between the bottom of hte ballast and the ground so that when you are working on rough ground the bottom of the ballast won't be rubbing on the ground or coming into contact with things on the ground?

 

[chim]

By golly that should keep your tractor's rear tires on terra firma. It llooks like about a 2' cube. If that's the case, it should tip the scales at around 1200 pounds. Nice welding............chim

 

[RonR]

Looks Great.

If it were mine, I'd all the time be catching my shins on the drawbar pins!

 

[Spencer]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Just out of curiosity, how far off the ground will the bottom of the ballast be when you 3pt is all the way UP?

Or rephrased, did you make sure there is enough clearance between the bottom of hte ballast and the ground so that when you are working on rough ground the bottom of the ballast won't be rubbing on the ground or coming into contact with things on the ground? )</font>

Bob, ground clearance was the first thing that I took into consideration when I was designing this. I'm not saying that I won't have any problems, but I did try to address it from the start. I don't have all of my paperwork anymore because I started this back in March, but I did calculate exactly how much clearance I should have.