Rear Ballast Gentlemen, Rear Ballast

[Don87]

I used my MF GC2400 for 2 weeks with no fluid in the tires or rear ballast.( ya really don't wanna be there).
I put a small plastic barrel on my drawbar, with 1 and 1/2 bags of sakrete, bunches of good size rocks, 2 long bolts out the bottom(to hold to drawbar), and a long turnbuckle about 6 inches down from the top( to hook to toplink), with an old tire iron stuck down through the center. Made a huge difference in the tractor.
Loaded the tires yesterday with rimguard..........This machine is so stable now it isn't funny.
I dug out stumps today that were impossible to get out with just the barrel for ballast.
Full loads of dirt and clay in the bucket, tractor didn't bounce at all, and the front tires didn't squat down.
Hope this helps,
Don

 

[hrcarver]

Just hook up a bush hog, it aint all that heavy but the longer length really helps in the front. Beats buying a box just for weight. :thumbsup:

That is unless you will have to buy the bush hog just for weight... :confused3:

 

[dk8019]

I find my heavy duty 6' box blade is excellent rear ballast for my 3023E. Something back there is a must, the heavier the better in most cases!

 

[RoyJackson]

Just hook up a bush hog, it aint all that heavy but the longer length really helps in the front. Beats buying a box just for weight. :thumbsup:

That is unless you will have to buy the bush hog just for weight...

'Hogs in the 5-6 foot size go 600-700 lbs easy. That might be enough weight, but that long length sucks for maneuverability.
Better to go with a box or something more compact.

 

[k0ua]

I made my barrel weight for less than $100 all told including concrete, it weighs about 750 lbs. it sure is a joy not to have to worry about backing into something all the time, like I did with the Bush Hog. It sticks out a little, but about 5 ft. less than the hog, and when working close next to a building, the angle thing does not come into play as it is much narrower than the rear tire. All you have to watch is your tires and the front end loader:thumbsup:
James
K0UA

 

[hrcarver]

'Hogs in the 5-6 foot size go 600-700 lbs easy. That might be enough weight, but that long length sucks for maneuverability.
Better to go with a box or something more compact.

True, maneuverability has never been much of a concern for me...pretty big fields around here.

 

[Famah]

Hello James:

How did you make your barrel weight? Might you have some pics? My new tractor/loader just got delivered this morning, and ballast sounds like a wise first step. Thank you.

Nick

I made my barrel weight for less than $100 all told including concrete, it weighs about 750 lbs. it sure is a joy not to have to worry about backing into something all the time, like I did with the Bush Hog. It sticks out a little, but about 5 ft. less than the hog, and when working close next to a building, the angle thing does not come into play as it is much narrower than the rear tire. All you have to watch is your tires and the front end loader:thumbsup:
James
K0UA

 

[skipmarcy]

Instead of making a weight/barrel whatever, I always keep the boxblade on the hitch - might as well have something on there you can use instead of just dead weight. I too agree that the bushog is great for weight but sticks out too far for most loader work. With the weight hung out so far it puts alot more stress on the tractor too. If I'm doing loader work I almost always need the boxblade too for the job and it is much more compact. My Atlas boxblade is a light duty but I've added some very heavy angle iron which helped and also mounted a 2" ball there so I can move/use a trailer with the box on. I never take my FEL off except when doing a major repair on the tractor, I don't even take the bucket off when cutting grass - most times I end up having to use the bucket to move something or carry debris/rocks in when cutting. I've tried cutting with the bucket off and it makes for a rougher ride too - it seems to help balance out the weight of my bushog better with it on. I've cut so much with my tractor in 8 years I can get just as close to fences/obstacles with my bucket on as with it off. And yes, my rear tires are loaded too, since the tractor was new.

 

[Don87]

Here is a picture of mine. It is a 17 gallon barrel, 2 long bolts in the bottom, bolted to the drawbar. Near the top is a turnbuckle going the entire way through the barrel, with an old tire iron stuck vertically through the center of the turnbuckle. then a lot of rocks inside with 1 and 1/2 bags of sakrete to hold it all together.

Cost: 7 dollars



Don


For size comparison, I'm 5 foot 7, 155 lbs.

 

[Reg]

I'm closing in on the end of my rookie year of tractoring :laughing: Although I've haven't done a whole lot of things with my tractor, I've been really starting to put it work clearing under growth and small trees on my land. (with the use of the FEL)
I began this task the other day without using any rear ballast, mainly because I didn't have anything on the rear and didn't feel like putting anything on. So at it I go and I was a little disappointed in my B3200 performance. The rear was bouncing around even with loaded tires while I was attempting to pluck small trees from the ground.
I know rear ballast can help with a lot of things so I began thinking what route I want to take for ballast weight. I was going to build my own and finally decided to just use my carry all box I built for hauling firewood. I put 11 cinder blocks in it. They weigh 36 pounds a piece so that gave me nearly 400 pounds, plus I'm guessing the box weighs about 150, plus the weight of the loaded rears. I went to work with the tractor and BAM! what a difference. Much better performance.
I know the veterans here know the importance of rear ballast and I have have now seen it first hand the difference it can make. This post is mainly for the other rookies out there wondering about rear ballast.
Most Kubota owners know the B3200 lacks in the weight department but adding weight helps the performance out quite a bit. I may try adding some more cinder blocks to see if it helps more. Now I need a tooth bar to help with digging up these root balls........

For "plucking small trees from the ground" (REALLY ? with a B3200 ?) you would probably have done better round the other way.

I think you mean saplings or shrubs ?; regardless, there is GENERALLY more lift available at the 3pt than at the FEL bucket.
Sure, you're closer to the vegetation that you are pulling up, but we're REALLY not talking about anything with significant mass that is going to fall on you or tip the tractor over as it falls.
IF (& I doubt that this would happen) the 3 pt lifts the FEL off the ground at least you are on the stable end of the tractor - and you can always pre-load the bucket with fill before you start if you think things might get marginal.