Ballast - Any merit in this idea?

[Luke'sScreenName]

My 3pt ballast is 1300lbs plus 1000lbs of liquid in rear tires and 240lbs of cast iron wheel weights.





By build thread has " frankenballast " in the title. You can search for that if you want. Whatever you do it's incredibly useful to incorporate some storage/carry-all functionality into your design.

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

Above is what I made for my MX. Below is the 900lbs box I made for my previous B3300. A lot cheaper to make.

 

[kenlip]

By build thread has " frankenballast " in the title. You can search for that if you want.

VERY impressive build! It took a while to find the thread. It needed a hyphen i.e. "franken-ballast".

Besides the very clever design and the effort (and expense) in the finish, your welding looks great.

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

VERY impressive build! It took a while to find the thread. It needed a hyphen i.e. "franken-ballast".

Besides the very clever design and the effort (and expense) in the finish, your welding looks great.

My welding is definitely marginal at best. Cost yes... Except that it's my most used 3pt impliment. It's on for loader work (I do LOTS of that), trailer moving, and when I need the cargo capacity. So, for me, it was easy to justify the time and expenses to make it exactly what I wanted.

Sorry, I forgot about the hyphen. :ashamed:

Before you make yours, decide if you're ever going to want a Quick Hitch (best thing since sliced bread if you change 3pt implements often). If so, you'll want to make it QH compatible.

 

[FTG-05]

I agree with you. However, I don't have any rear-mounting implements (yet). At the moment the only implements I have are the 4:1 and the pallet forks.

Ok, then doesn't it make more sense to get some 3ph implements? You need them right eventually, right?

Time, money and effort just to build single-use and otherwise useles item could be spent buying something that is actually useful.

Having said all that, I did exactly the same thing. Built the now useless concrete 55 gallon barrel ballast weight while I waited for my neighbor to finish what he was doing with what became my box blade. He won it at the same auction the I won my tractor and farm. We made a deal that once he was done with it for a one-time job (grading a pad), he would sell it to me for what he paid for it ($250, which was a steal).

Knowing what I know now, I wouldn't have wasted my time with the concrete barrel ballast.

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

There have been several threads lately on why so many people make compact ballast boxes.

 

[LD1]

Late to the thread, but IMO, 1200-1300# is not enough in the form of a short and compact ballast barrel.

1200# hanging 4' behind the lift point....yes. in close, with it's COG a mere foot or less behind the lift points...no.

I have a 1000# barrel. It was perfect for the old l3400.
Wasn't even close to enough for the mx.

I current have loaded tires, which is about 750# of we fluid, and cast enfo weights that add another 600#. But even then, doing loader work, I like my 1200# rear blade that sticks back 4'+ or my 1600# bushhog.

I personally wouldn't worry about making it modular. You either need the weight or you don't. 1600# of my cutter hanging 5' or so back....not even close to making the front end light with the loader on.

I'd say in the form of compact ballast kept in tight, I'd target 1800# +/-. Which is a 2x2x3 foot chunk of concrete. Basically 55 gallon barrel size but square

 

[4570Man]

I prefer to have something useful hanging off the back. The usual candidate is my box blade and it gets used nearly every time the tractor starts.

 

[LD1]

For years I was of the same mindset, that I'd rather have something usefull rather than dead weight off the back. Never owned a ballast box, and never intended to make one. I thought it was a stupid concept and would rather put money into something with purpose.

Then after constructing a garage, helping parents build a house, and building another garage....

Trying to spread gravel in the confines of walls, navigating in and out of tight openings....it was evident that something compact was needed.

At the time, the only thing suitably heavy for good ballast was my 6' 1100# bushhog, or my 7' 700# rear blade. Everything else was light.

And it's amazing how limited you are, in a 30x50 basement, with an l3400 and a 6' hog, or 7' blade hanging off the back.

So I had an empty barrel, and some steel to Fab a hitch. I got with Mommy concrete and daddy concrete and a 1000# ballast barrel was born.

 

[4570Man]

I’d still want my box blade for spreading gravel. The backing straight into the wall distance between the 2 is similar. The ballast box gains a little room in a turn against a wall.