Custom Rear Ballast and Tool Carrier Build

MatHaas · Apr 28, 2018

Well I finally got around to completing my rear weight ballast on my Mahindra 3550.

My goal was to shoot for around 1200 lbs, have it hold my most common ground work tools, carry my tool box, have a hitch, and ride on my backhoe mount so I can easily switch between ballast for loader work and backhoe without involving 3pt lower arms.

So here is it. I used a lot of spare steel I had laying around from other projects

1.5" x 0.25" tube inside 2" x 0.25" square to sit in the backhoe lower mount.

Bottom part of frame

Coming together, showing how it hooks on

Skeleton framed out

Test fit looked good

Ready for skin. I think it was 14 gauge

Tacked up

Testing. Really liked the way it was looking

0.125" top, slight recess so when using it as a work space, nothing rolls off

The fun part started when I decided to practice on the TIG

Made adjustable legs to let it stand when unhooked. Maybe I'll put wheels on in the future when I get my garage built. Another fun occasion to practice different settings and techniques since this stuff doesn't really matter much. I usually only TIG aluminum.

[self thought: I'm not going to lie, when you start TIGing, you realize how much you hate MIG and all of the spatter and sparks. But TIG really isn't practical in most cases, takes much more prep work, etc. I just wish I could TIG everything though (quickly). :laughing:]

Got the top cut out and put my inserts to hold the tools. 1.75x0.095" tube for rake and shovel. 2"x0.120" square for sledge. 2.5"x0.120" square for axe and cant hook.

Mocked up. Adding in cut out for chainsaw and bar clamp

And then picked up the concrete. $3.97 a bag

And then the miserable part of mixing 13.5 bags in 75 degree weather

I taped a piece of cardboard against a spare chainsaw bar I had to put in the scabbard. And after a grueling day, I forget to check it before I left for the week. Turns out it was still a little snug and like a bonehead, I completely forgot to consider the chain on there also. Probably another layer of cardboard and I would have been ok. But it ended up being too snug after drying. I tried drilling material away, using a hot piece of steel to melt the material some, and 50 other things but never got enough room to fit the saw back in. Mangled the scabbard in the mean time too so I cut it flush and taped it for now. Maybe I'll fiddle with it again another month. Such a disappointment because it's really the only thing I failed on for the build and it was simple... I'm still mad about it hah.

Here it is top welded on, tubes TIGed flush, and painted.

Here how I did the tool box. Counter sunk holes in the box and TIGed in nuts flush. Then little pieces of angle tabs.

A few flaws, and failed on the chainsaw scabbard but all in all I'm pretty happy.

13.5 bags of concrete at 80 lbs each; 1080 lbs. frame was probably 60-80 lbs. tool box and all tools. Thinking it's right around that 1200 lb mark.

:drink:
-Haas

tomplum · Apr 29, 2018

Very nice build and well thought out. As you are probably thinking, wheels are a good thing when you keep it inside.

MatHaas · Apr 29, 2018

tomplum said:
Very nice build and well thought out. As you are probably thinking, wheels are a good thing when you keep it inside.

Much appreciated sir. Thanks. And Yes, agreed, wheels will probably be added some time in the future once i have a garage to park it under. I made the feet on the legs large enough to bolt wheels fast when that time comes.

3Lfarms · Apr 29, 2018

Sweet build!
What type of buggy is in the background? I cant make the pictures big, so I cant see much, but I see some nice bypass shocks

MatHaas · Apr 29, 2018

3Lfarms said:
Sweet build!
What type of buggy is in the background? I cant make the pictures big, so I cant see much, but I see some nice bypass shocks

Haha, was wondering if someone would notice the 5-tube 3.0 bypasses. I'm in the process of building an Ultra4 car(truck). If I ever get time... lol

texasranger556 · Apr 29, 2018

How do you get it on and off the backhoe mount? On my tractor I have to use the backhoe hydraulics to get the pins lined up, with no hydraulics it would be much more difficult.

Very nice build. Your welds make mine look like a blind chimp with Parkinson's did them by comparison!

MatHaas · Apr 29, 2018

texasranger556 said:
How do you get it on and off the backhoe mount? On my tractor I have to use the backhoe hydraulics to get the pins lined up, with no hydraulics it would be much more difficult.

Very nice build. Your welds make mine look like a blind chimp with Parkinson's did them by comparison!

When I park on a level. I really just back up until the bottom pins contact the backhoe subframe. I then let the upper 3 pt arms down enough that they just float and the pins are usually pretty close or in. I can reach the top pins from the drivers seat so at most I either barely need to move forward or reverse and just put it in 1st gear low range with my foot on the brake and barely nudge it until it gets started. Then a few light taps with the hammer and it's in. Using a true 3pt mount with the tilt being controlled by the adjustable top link is fool proof but I wanted to keep it simple and not have to spend time pulling all of the links then. Guess you could rationalize that as the trade off when comparing designs, time spent in one area or the other. I control the tractor pretty well too and it's usually pretty easy. An extra minute at most bumping forward or back to get it perfect.

And thanks! I unfortunately don't get to weld often. So I'm pretty inconsistent. Haha. It's just when projects come up I get some good torch time. I started on that race car in 2014

ashamed

and have moved 4 different times between two states since, spent a lot of time on my career, and then all of the other normal life priority stuff. (Everything is still at my dads currently an hour from where I work and have an apartment.) Needless to say this tractor purchase is the next step in me getting my land prepped to build this fall and hopefully in a year I'll be fabbing every day after work in legit garage! Hahaha. Then ill be dropping dimes and weaving like a pro!

texasranger556 · Apr 29, 2018

Ah, sounds like your backhoe mounts different than mine. It has a downward facing fork for the bottom connection, so once its in the correct horizontal position, it has to come up about 3 inches to engage the pin in the fork and for the top pin to line up. I agree swapping three point arms on and off is annoying.

I hear you on moving. Since college I've lived in PA, WA twice, MD thrice, and Australia for 4 years within a 10 year span. Finally settled (I think) and own rather than rent, but with family growing hobby time is always shrinking.

Do you have a build thread on the buggy somewhere?

MatHaas · Apr 29, 2018

texasranger556 said:
Ah, sounds like your backhoe mounts different than mine. It has a downward facing fork for the bottom connection, so once its in the correct horizontal position, it has to come up about 3 inches to engage the pin in the fork and for the top pin to line up. I agree swapping three point arms on and off is annoying.

I hear you on moving. Since college I've lived in PA, WA twice, MD thrice, and Australia for 4 years within a 10 year span. Finally settled (I think) and own rather than rent, but with family growing hobby time is always shrinking.

Do you have a build thread on the buggy somewhere?

Yea here is my backhoe mount

I just use the lower J hook to rest in and use the three point lift arms to lift it. So as it sits on the ground on all 4 retractable legs, I back in until the lower pins touch the mount. I then lower the 3pt lift arms down into the top tabs and put the pins thru. Then I lift the whole thing off the ground, retract the legs, and lower it in the bottom J hooks. So the weight is on the J hooks and the upper lift arms are stopping it from tilting back.

Ahh sounds like we've been thru the same steps! I'm just shy of 7 years out of college and I've been on the move the whole time. Like you though I'm hopefully I'm coming to the point of settling. Been at Hershey Med Center for 4 years now, found 13 acres last year that I bought and hope to finally have my giant garage and house 20 min from work and no more running around. Then the real fun begins haha. And the income from all of those sacrifices will hopefully start paying off.

No current build thread, I just put random pics on instagram when I do something new (mat_haas).

I actually broke my phone when carrying the front axle two years ago and lost 80% of my photos I had building it from scratch to that point. Killed me because I had some funny ones too lol.

Here's what I started with tho