Ballast Finally Filled My Ballast Box

[Runner]

I finally got around to filling my JD ballast box. Nothing unusual here, but thought I'd post it just as an example of the weight you can get in one. First, I had two, 82 lb bags of pre mixed concrete that had been sitting in my shop for several years and hardened up on me. So, I picked up two 90 lb bags of portland cement to augment the pre-mix.

First, I lined the inside of the box with two layers of 4 mil plastic sheet so as to prevent leakage and to facilitate removal of the concrete at a future date if so desired. Then, I mixed up one bag of portland and placed half of it in the box. After that, I took a sledge hammer and broke up the bag of pre mixed concrete and added that, then, more portland.

I then placed another layer of plastic as a bond breaker and then repeated the sequence of portland and hardened pre mix concrete. This left me with about 6 inches of extra space at the top of the box which I lined with an old floor mat from a car and then added 7, 42 lb quick tach weights from JD.

I originally bought the quick tach weights for the front of the tractor, but I think the ballast box is a good place to store them when I don't need them for front weight.

Anyway, here is the weight breakdown of the box:

Empty Box 129 lbs

Pre mix concrete (2) bags @ 82 lbs each

Portland cement (2) bags @ 90 lbs each

Quick Tach weights (7) @ 42 lbs each

Total Weight 767 lbs

Also, I just purchased one more 42 lb weight which fits perfectly with the other seven and makes a total of 809 lbs.

I figure this should be all the ballast I will ever need.

 

[mjncad]

I think with your ballast box and rear wheel weights, you are good to go and then some.

 

[bxowner]

It looks like the top edges of your ballast box are rolled forward - leaving a wide "slot" for the weights. Is this something you added or have ballast boxes changed? You lined it with plastic to allow for removal - how would you get the cement out in the future?

Looks like the cleanest prep I've seen on this board yet. Nice work.

 

[BlacknTan]

That's a beautiful job, Runner, and since I'm an outcast from the Orange forum, I wonder if you'd be so kind as to tell me what the JD weight boxes go for?
I too have a Quick Hitch, and the Kubota box is a no-go.. I'd like to get the JD, drop it off at a buddy's body shop and have it sprayed orange...

Yours turned out great!

 

[mfreund]

That's a beautiful job, Runner, and since I'm an outcast from the Orange forum, I wonder if you'd be so kind as to tell me what the JD weight boxes go for?
I too have a Quick Hitch, and the Kubota box is a no-go.. I'd like to get the JD, drop it off at a buddy's body shop and have it sprayed orange...

Yours turned out great!

I think that is against the law in all 50 states and most of Cananda!!

 

[dirt ditch]

Class work runner. My 790 has the same 6 wheel weights and 800+ lbs. ballast box but it is not weighted that fancy. Makes it solid as a rock while using the loader.

BlacknTan the JD website lists $206 for the ballast box.
For someone to have to paint it orange to match, that's just priceless.

All joking aside, they are really nice boxes.

 

[Willl]

It looks like the top edges of your ballast box are rolled forward

They come that way from JD.

 

[Ductape]

That's a beautiful job, Runner, and since I'm an outcast from the Orange forum, I wonder if you'd be so kind as to tell me what the JD weight boxes go for?
I too have a Quick Hitch, and the Kubota box is a no-go.. I'd like to get the JD, drop it off at a buddy's body shop and have it sprayed orange...

Yours turned out great!

SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH !!!! Don't rat me out, but I have an orange green box myself.

 

[Willl]

See, you'll come around. Next it's going to be a green tractor painted (yeck) orange.

 

[Runner]

BX,

Since I have the plastic between the box and the concrete and also between layers of the concrete, it "should" act as a bond-breaker and allow me to break it up with a few smacks of a sledge hammer and chisel.

My thought was that someday in the future I might come across some used elevator weights or something like that really cheap that would be easy to add/remove to taylor the weight to exactly what I need.

Now that I have it set up this way though, I'll probably never want to do anything different, but at least I can if I want to. If it was a solid chunk of concrete, there would be no chance of getting it out.