Ballast box question

[jodebg]

My Kubota B2650 came with a Kubota ballast box.

Getting ready to do some loader work and need to fill it.

Thinking of filling it with 1/2" stone from a pile that I have.
For removeable fill materia,l is the 1/2" stone a good option?

Any idea as to the combined weight of this B series box filled?

 

[fatboycowen]

Crushed stone should be around 100 lb per cubic foot. Measure the box, and do the math. Should get you close.

 

[CincyFlyer]

You can use the measurements of the inside of the box and find a chart on materials and get the weight pretty close. Personally, I'd use river gravel so that it will flow out better if you choose to empty it. But in the end, you may not worry about the fill being removable.
I first filled my [Titan] ballast box with sand, because it was, well, a box, and I may want to haul something else in it. The sand leaked out every little crack until I dampened it! After a couple of months I realized I'd never use the box for anything other than ballast (heck, you can get a carry-all for $150) so I filled it with scrap iron and concrete, because I discovered that the more weight the better! (My BH is 1100 lbs, and the FEL is lovely to use with that on, but it's very unwieldy in tight quarters). You can put some old brake disks or other scrap in the bottom of your box [I chopped up an old paper cutter] even if you still use rock so that your center of gravity is lower. You can also pour in sand to make it heavier and still removable.

 

[jodebg]

Is sand heavier than the 1/2" stone? Got a lot of that, too.

 

[fatboycowen]

A little heavier.

 

[CincyFlyer]

Is sand heavier than the 1/2" stone? Got a lot of that, too.

Yeah, it will have less "air". Note that you can also wet it down.

 

[jodebg]

The references that I am finding states that gravel/stone is heavier than sand.

 

[FTG-05]

Fill it up with gravel. Fill it up with sand, vibrate (or drive around) a bit. Fill it up with water.

 

[CincyFlyer]

Fill it up with gravel. Fill it up with sand, vibrate (or drive around) a bit. Fill it up with water.

^^ The best of all worlds, if you are going to empty it at some point. Otherwise, stuff the bottom with scrap iron and concrete the thing. I'm glad I did, I use it whenever I need to use the FEL and the backhoe is to unwieldy.

 

[TheMan419]

I was toying with getting a ballast box. However I recently got a tiller. That weighs 630 pounds. So I am just picking that up if I need weight.

My point being if you have an implement that will work you can use that in place of the ballast box.

The bush hog hangs too far out the back to always be practical, but if I happen to have it hooked up it works.

 

[CincyFlyer]

I was toying with getting a ballast box. However I recently got a tiller. That weighs 630 pounds. So I am just picking that up if I need weight.

My point being if you have an implement that will work you can use that in place of the ballast box.

The bush hog hangs too far out the back to always be practical, but if I happen to have it hooked up it works.

A ballast box is mush cheaper to fix if you back into something, or snag something with it! Plus it's usually smaller, and less likely to be involved in an incident.

 

[FTG-05]

A ballast box is must cheaper to fix if you back into something, or snag something with it! Plus it's usually smaller, and less likely to be involved in an incident.

Both of these are good points.

Having said that, I haven't used my ballast box not one time since I got my box blade and/or +1000 lb 286 Bushhog.

Well that's not really true, my bad.

I did use my ballast box (55 gallon barrel full of concrete) once as a "passive pad compactor" for my 100 yard rifle range shooting bench pad when I had to go out town for a week while building it:




Final result:

 

[TheMan419]

A ballast box is must cheaper to fix if you back into something, or snag something with it! Plus it's usually smaller, and less likely to be involved in an incident.

True but I usually have the bush hog or tiller hooked up. Also while the box does not require any maintenance it does require some space for storage. I think the wet weather made my barn shrink!

 

[jodebg]

Thinking of mounting a hitch receiver under my ballast box. Would be for occasion light use.
Any problem in doing this?

 

[mfosterbedford]

Hope not, because I did. But to help spread out the load on the bottom of the box I selected a receiver that was pretty wide, maybe one foot, and put large washers under the nuts inside the box.

 

[jodebg]

Thanks. Have you used it, and does it seem to work okay??

Hope not, because I did. But to help spread out the load on the bottom of the box I selected a receiver that was pretty wide, maybe one foot, and put large washers under the nuts inside the box.

 

[check 6]

I also have a b2650 and the Kubota ballots box. I filled mine with concrete and installed two 3 ft 2" pvc pipes in the concrete vertically. Make for a great way to transport a shovel or rake

 

[mfosterbedford]

Yes, but only light use and one time so far with an unloaded utility trailer to try it out. We are out of town for the weekend, I'll post a photo next week if that would help
with your decision process. I have a Kubota 2601 and Kubota ballast box, bought earlier this summer so still sorting out how to use everything. The hitch is a Curt 19030. Mike

 

[CincyFlyer]

Thinking of mounting a hitch receiver under my ballast box. Would be for occasion light use.
Any problem in doing this?

The Titan ballast box that I use has one built in! Plus a couple of shovel holders. (My pallet forks also have a hitch receiver; cannot have too many, even if you only have one trailer!)
Just make sure that your ballast weight plus trailer tongue weight are less than your three point hitch capacity. For "real" towing (not just repositioning a trailer), of course, use the draw bar.

 

[mfosterbedford]

Thanks. Have you used it, and does it seem to work okay??

I said that I would post a few pictures of my ballast box and hitch, first time to try doing that on this forum, here goes:



I wanted to have removable ballast and was able to find some tractor weights, held in place with sandbags, total weight just about 500 pounds.