Ballast Water tank for ballast?

[N80]

Just brainstorming here (talk about a tempest in a tea pot ) but I was wondering if anyone made, or knew how to make, some sort of water tank that would attach to the three point hitch for ballast. I realize that water only weighs 8 pounds per gallon, but something the size of a 55 gallon drum would give you around 440 pounds on the rear. I see several advantages to something like this. First, easy to handle. You can fill it once you have it attached. When empty, it would be easy to move by hand. Second, it would allow you to simply transport water if you needed to. There were several stretches last summer when it got real dry here and I was concerned about a couple of young trees dying. I carried water in the bucket to water them. That is slow and tedious (water slops out). Just a thought. Probably already been done, but anyone have any thoughts?

 

[Dusty]

Problem with any large vessel that if filled with water is the sloshing from side to side. Fill a large roasting pan with water and try walking down the driveway with it. It is going to slosh all over you. Same with the tractor, it s going to make driving the tractor rather uncomfortable when all that waters starts to move around.
Dusty

 

[1948berg]

Buy an old sprayer!
http://fk.no/ezimagecatalogue/catalogue/variations/17612-300x300.jpg

 

[1bush2hog]

You could use a carry-all available at TSC or Northern Tool to attach the 55 gal barrel to on your 3PH. If the barrel has the top still on it, plug it up after you fill it and this will eliminate any sloshing around. You can also get some fittings and attach a hose bib on the top of the barrel so you can hook a garden hose up to it too.

I use one of the 200 gal. poly tanks from TSC and haul water when I am spraying with my 25 gal ATV sprayer. I put a hose bib on the tank, hook a hose to it, and let gravity do the rest to refill my sprayer. Saves alot of trips and time for me going back and forth to nearest clean water supply.

 

[BTDT]

I'm sure you could find (you may already have one of these) an old water heater tank. Weld on some brackets so it will attatch to 3PH, and off you go.

 

[tawilson]

I've used a plastic 55 gallon drum for ballast in a couple ways. Like you suggested, I put a drawbar on the 3ph, wrapped a ratchet strap around it and filled it with water. The nice part was I was able to transport the tractor with it empty, fill it at the customers site, use it, then dump it before leaving again. During the winter, I've used one with the top cut off and filled with sand. Ice, no problem, sand the driveway.

 

[Henro]

Problem with any large vessel that if filled with water is the sloshing from side to side.
Dusty

Not really. The sloshing problem only exists if there is someplace for the water to move to. If a container is completely full, and closed so the water cannot spill/leak out, then there is no sloshing.

Take a soda bottle with a cap, and half fill it. Shake it and notice the sloshing. Then take the same bottle and fill it completely and put the cap back on. Shake it and see if you notice a difference. You will notice a difference as the water will not slosh, as it is cannot, since it has no where to go...

Myself, I don't see a problem with a water-filled container as ballast as long as it is completely filled and closed so that it stays completely filled.

 

[Dusty]

I stand corrected. I was thinking of an open topped container where the water will splash out.
Dusty

 

[ovrszd]

For my tastes, it would be too bulky for the weight gained. A 55 gallon barrel is bulky enough. Maybe Timber will post a picture of his. And with water you are only adding a little over 400 pounds, where he gained considerably more than that with concrete. A Tote Box with a water filled container is even bulkier and still only gaining 500 pounds at the most, counting the weight of the tote box. For a tractor the size of your L4400 you would need to carry at least three 55 gallon barrels of water to be a substantial ballast. Or maybe a 200 gallon steel tank if you had one. Now we are talking major bulky.

 

[N80]

Yep, I realized all that. It was the easy handling and ability to transport water that made the idea stick in my head.