DIY 500 lb Ballast Box for $70.00 - out of concrete. (Video)

[charosenz]

Here is a video of a Ballast Box I made out of Concrete and a round bar.

Very simple, durable, and inexpensive.

DIY tractor ballast box of concrete part 1 - YouTube

I plan on getting Part 2 done soon.

Hope you enjoy it.

Charlie

 

[Woody65]

Nice video but you are teasing us with not having part 2 ready!!!!!!!

 

[rgr33]

A ballast box is on my project list too Charlie, interested to see how yours comes out. I am thinking about using a 25 gallon plastic drum filled with concrete, the shaft running through top and bottom, with barrel lying on it's side.

 

[charosenz]

The box did turn out real nice. Concrete is so much faster, cheaper, and weather proof compared to a steel box...

I was going to make part 2 today but I had to get the mower on the tractor and ran out of time. I want to have the box on the tractor for part 2...I will probably make part 2 next weekend.

One thing that was a problem for me was the box bulged out from the weight of the concrete and I had to trim it to fit inside the quick hitch. Fortunately I have a concrete saw so that was not a big deal.

RGR33 I like the idea of using a 25 gallon water drum as long as it calculates out for the right amount of weight.

 

[charosenz]

Here is the link to part 2.

YouTube


The part that I would do differently next time is to make sure that I built the box with more strength to prevent bulging. I had to trim off about 1/4" off each side around the rod with a diamond concrete saw because it bulged out. Other than that it works great.

You just cannot get a more durable, inexpensive ballast box than doing it this way.

Hope this helps someone.

Charlie

 

[PhysAssist]

Here is the link to part 2.

YouTube


The part that I would do differently next time is to make sure that I built the box with more strength to prevent bulging. I had to trim off about 1/4" off each side around the rod with a diamond concrete saw because it bulged out. Other than that it works great.

You just cannot get a more durable, inexpensive ballast box than doing it this way.

Hope this helps someone.

Charlie

...And we thought that the first video was a tease...

Your link sent me to a youtube page marked private.

 

[charosenz]

Sorry! It was labled public during the download. I will try to fix that when I get home tonight.

 

[charosenz]

Ok. I was able to check this on my phone. It says public on my end. But I did a reinstall, hopefully it will Play now.

 

[charosenz]

Try this link

DIY concrete tractor ballast box part 2 - YouTube

 

[Woody65]

Nice job!!!!!!! Now I have to just find time between the rest of my projects to do it.....

 

[topbuilder]

Very nice! Are you going to wish you would have tied the top link into the concrete? Then you could set your pipe lower, giving you a tad more ground clearance. Just a thought, you know we would never re-engineer a completed project here.

 

[PhysAssist]

Very nice! Are you going to wish you would have tied the top link into the concrete? Then you could set your pipe lower, giving you a tad more ground clearance. Just a thought, you know we would never re-engineer a completed project here.

Thanks- the new link worked great.

I have to agree with top builder, not only would a top link connection let you get a little more ground clearance, but it would also keep it from swinging and causing oscillation over your center of gravity.

The other things that your ballast device is missing out on by not having some kind of enclosure around it is a boxed area on top for carriage of accessories, tools and other sundries, [in our case- chains, fittings, hammer, a chainsaw, and on only a few occasions- me...], PVC pipes for carrying long-handled tools, and protection to keep your concrete from crumbling when it inevitably gets banged into things.

 

[charosenz]

Trust me, I know, I know! (finding time to get it built)

But honestly if you are lifting heavy loads with the front end bucket, it is important to have ballast back there for safety and to prevent stress on the front axles....

 

[charosenz]

It would be easy to put some small plastic tubes (vertically) in it when pouring it to put things like shovels, etc. Good point for people to consider.

I would not want to lift this higher, as it would eliminate the benefit of reducing the center of gravity - which for me is very important for safety reasons.

I have not noticed any swaying with this so far but if I do, it will be easy to sink some bolts in to it to attach a bar for the top link. Of course this would not really offer much help in lifting it higher, but would allow for it to be tilted some.

All good suggestions for everyone to consider.

Thanks for posting.

 

[PhysAssist]

It would be easy to put some small plastic tubes (vertically) in it when pouring it to put things like shovels, etc. Good point for people to consider.

I would not want to lift this higher, as it would eliminate the benefit of reducing the center of gravity - which for me is very important for safety reasons.

I have not noticed any swaying with this so far but if I do, it will be easy to sink some bolts in to it to attach a bar for the top link. Of course this would not really offer much help in lifting it higher, but would allow for it to be tilted some.

All good suggestions for everyone to consider.

Thanks for posting.

Thanks for sharing your build, and for accepting comments with an open mind.

I do get what you say about not wanting to lift the ballast higher- but sometimes it is nice to have the option for better ground clearance, and even with it lifted, it is still unloading your front axle.

Thomas