Ballast front weights

[cchoate]

What a difference front weights make. Digging with my dirt scoop would cause my front end to lift off the ground. Using 125lbs up front keeps the tires on the ground and stops the tractor from bouncing.

The cost:

25lb weights- $8.00 each at sears (on sale)
3', 1" threaded rod- $12.39 at TSC
3' "C" channel steel- $8 at home depot
Hardware - $6 at TSC

For 1 suitcase weight (55lbs) at my dealer - $76.00
(It can hold 3 suitcase weights.)

 

[cchoate]

Here's a picture.

 

[Inspector507]

Here's how I did mine. There is a bar on the bottom that supports the weight until I slide the pipe through.
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.tractorbynet.com/forumfiles/53-134226-weights3.jpg>Inspector507's weights</A>
Quick change, no tools

 

[Ozarker]

Those look like weights from a Weider Multi-Station Gym.

 

[Inspector507]

Ozarker,
They are from one of those type of machines. They interlock together. Weigh about 11 lbs apiece X9+ bracket+hardware=151 lbs.
Works for me...../w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif

 

[Ozarker]

That's what I thought. I use to sell those to retailers(Wieder and Proform). They frequently got damaged in shipment and I was responsible for having them repaired or disposed of. I usually just wrote off the ones that couldn't be repaired and had them hauled off to the dump. Never occurred to me at the time that I might have a use for the weights. I could have had a whole garage full of them for free if I wanted. But I never saved any of them.

 

[John_Mc]

<font color=blue>I use to sell those to retailers(Wieder and Proform). ... I could have had a whole garage full of them for free if I wanted. But I never saved any of them.</font color=blue>

Sounds like it's time to make good frinds with whoever replaced you.

 

[Ozarker]

Actually, I intend to make some calls to my old accounts and this is information that may benefit others. I use to handle only military accounts but it is essentially the same for civilian accounts such as Walmart, Sears and others who carry that type of equipment.

What happens is that a pallet of box's will get broken and parts scattered. The store warehouse people didn't know enough about the equipment to gather it all up and put the right parts back with the right equipment. It was easier to just let the freight insurance pay for it and write it off.

I would write it off for disposal but I didn't actually dispose of it. The warehouse people were responsible for actually having it hauled off. But they often just put stuff aside and forgot about it. There was a stack of those weights sitting in remote warehouse's (trailers) at Lackland AFB and Ft Leavenworth for at least 5 years that I know of.

I'm betting that if I contact some of the warehouse supervisors in my old accounts I can find some of them that can be had. I'll bet the same is true for any retailer that ever carried the Multi-station Gyms.

It's worth a shot. They are perfect for that task. They are covered in plastic and already have holes in them for mounting.