Soundguy: Front end weight pix?

[Dingbat]

Soundguy...you have a pix of the front weight you fabricated? The 1700 doing great but she can get a little goosey with a scoop full of dirt. Tnx! Steve

 

[Soundguy]

I'll have to find if I still have that pic laying around somewhere at work. I've long since done away with the front weight, as I wanted the tractor to be as light as possible.. once I had another tractor to do the heavy work with.

In short though, I took two sections of 4" pipe about 3.5 ' long.. bought caps for the ends, bought big 3/8 eye bolts and washers and nuts, as well as 2 3/8 eye bolts with long shanks, washers / nuts.

I drilled 2 holes in each pipe, so that they would sit parallel on top of each other.. I used the long shank eye bolts to bolt them together, and used 2 nuts between the pipes onthe exposed sections of the eyebolts.. that way I could snug the nuts up to the outside of the pipe.. also used washers between the nuts and pipe. The nuts were necescary as the pipe wouldn't lay smoothe due to the offset front he two caps.. made the pipe sit about 1/2 inch apart. Keep the eye section in the top pipe. Next.. drill 2 holes in the top pipe for the shorter eye bolts to exit. My bumper had many pre-drilled holes.. so i chose 2 to line up with.. Add a piece of rebar so that it goes thru all 4 eyebolts.. thus tying the top and bottom units together. Use washer and nuts on the outside of the top pipe to keep the eyebolts from being pulled back into the pipe.
Put a cap on one end of the pipes and stand them up.
Mix concrete and pour in. take the other two caps and drill a real small home in top of each to let air out.. and slide on..

let set, then attatch and paint. Weight will be determined by what pipe you use ( metal or plastic ), and if you use 4" or larger ( like 6".. etc )

4" plastic and the concrete / rebar was fine on my yanmar with the 30" dirt scoop full of dirt...

Soundguy

PS

If I find the pics at work tomorrow, I'll post them

 

[Dingbat]

You always come through! The 1700 is fine 90% of the time and I don't worry too much about a loop ty loop if I have a box blade or scoop to stop it but a little weight will help me keep my drawers clean /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif I'm surprsied at how much it can pull ... I hooked an old tree that had fallen, VERY low on the tow link and she pulled it fine (I left the scoop on for protection). She works great with the 5' finish mower! I did manage to stick it up to the chassis in marsh land....good thing I had the Jimmy w/ 4-wheel drive to get it out! Tnx again! Steve

 

[Soundguy]

Keep in mind that you shouldn't pull from anything higher than the rear axle.. and deffinately not the toplink.. just a bad habbit you don't want to get in to.. drawbar is a better choice..

Also.. many of us weld a trailer ball and or some chain hooks to our box blade for just that. Also, we have drilled our scoops to accept a trailer ball right near the end...

I know you were being safe.. just keep it that way.. I don't want to loose a tractor buddy.

Front weights are eaast to make.. I saw one today made out of a pipe welded to a flat bar.. the bar was bolted to the bumper, with the pipe sticking out front at an 'up' angle.. and he had weight lifting plates slid on it.. then had the pipe cap on it with a large washer.... looked super easy to build.

In fact.. I dont see why you couldnt get two long carriage bolts and just bolt those weight lifting plates right to the bumper.. it alreads has holes in it... just need bolts / washers / and weight.

Also.. if you like to spend money.. regular tractor suitcase weights.. like NH, JD and MF sell will hang on your bumper.. heck.. it will hold about 5 of them, counting on on each side behind the bumber... ( my old green sheet metal let me do this.. not sure how close the red/white sheet metal is to the bumper.. but it is an option anyway..

good luck / stay safe.

Soundguy

 

[jbitting]

Soundguy said...
"Also.. if you like to spend money.. regular tractor suitcase weights.. like NH, JD and MF sell will hang on your bumper.. heck.. it will hold about 5 of them..."

Right..
I picked up 4 of the smaller suitcase weights (45# ea.) which work great to balance the 3pt finish mower... and fit perfectly.
actually, 2 is all I ever use.
Keeps the front from getting light when the deck is raised, yet not enough weight to make steering heavy with the deck down.
I believe they were for JD 650/750/850. Hang right on bumper and are bevelled so they don't interfere with opening the hood.
...but... looking back on it, they were rather pricey... /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif ...and if I had to do it over again, I'd probably make something instead.

Jake

 

[Dingbat]

Soundguy & Jake...thanks for the tips. I was using the drawbar to pull (couldn't remember what to call it) or a chain on the bottom of the scoop in lowered position. The other tractor site hammered that saftey lesson home in my early days. Steve

 

[Soundguy]

Yes they are expensive.. I think I almost paid a buck a pound... thats why I made that weighted bumper after I bought a couple of those suitcase weights..

Soundguy

 

[Soundguy]

Dingbat.. email me.. I lost your address here at my work computer..

Got something to email you..


c.britton@att.net

Soundguy