Ballast weight - how high can I go?

[jeff9366]

Rear tires are loaded.

I reiterate 650 pounds to 700 pounds. We shall see if highly respected LD1 concurs.

S. Bunny

 

[LD1]

I reiterate 650 pounds to 700 pounds. We shall see if highly respected LD1 concurs.

S. Bunny

No. I still stand by 1200# mark.

Rear tires being loaded don't effect my suggestion because counterweight is about unloading the front axle. Not simply keeping tires on the ground.

On an l3400 with a la463 loader (460kg lift) 700# in the form of a rear blade was "just" enough. So, 600-700 in tight....not enough IMO.

I used a 1000# barrel of concrete on that tractor. And was real similar in "feel" to the 700# blade hanging a good bit farther back. The 1100# bushhog what ideal.

 

[4570Man]

My L3800 can lift the back off the ground with a 500 pound box blade and loaded tires. That's enough to get by but double that wouldn't be bad.

 

[s219]

I have an 800# ballast on my L3200 and it's great but I sure wouldn't want to go heavier.

 

[4570Man]

I have an 800# ballast on my L3200 and it's great but I sure wouldn't want to go heavier.

Why not?

 

[s219]

Why not?

The balance and stability is good but it makes the tractor ride rougher on hard or uneven ground, and on soft ground rutting is a much bigger problem. I feel like 800# for a basic L tractor is a good amount of ballast for the loader so no reason to go heavier and make the other problems even worse.

 

[LD1]

800# in the form of a ballast box is light enough that you can still lift the rear tires.

Which puts more weight and stress on the front axle than if you had no ballast box.

 

[Fastball]

Sorry for reviving this after a couple of months...
Saw a Kubota ballast box at the dealership - they wanted 800 dollars. I nearly gagged. They apparently had a yardful of them a few years back as part of a promotion, and were practically giving them away.
Anyhoo...not spending 800 bucks, so will fab one up somehow,
Judging from the comments here, anywhere from 700 to 1000 pounds oughta do it. I will scrounge as much scrap metal as I can find, and fill a drum 2/3 full of cement. If I need more, I can load up with stones (I have a mountain out back)

 

[mike69440]

Sorry for reviving this after a couple of months...
Saw a Kubota ballast box at the dealership - they wanted 800 dollars. I nearly gagged. They apparently had a yardful of them a few years back as part of a promotion, and were practically giving them away.
Anyhoo...not spending 800 bucks, so will fab one up somehow,
Judging from the comments here, anywhere from 700 to 1000 pounds oughta do it. I will scrounge as much scrap metal as I can find, and fill a drum 2/3 full of cement. If I need more, I can load up with stones (I have a mountain out back)

You can buy a Titan Box for the same amount as new metal and fabricating yourself. If you have scrap, then it may make sense to DIY.
Ballast Box 3 Point Category 1 Tractor Attachment

 

[TheMan419]

Sorry for reviving this after a couple of months...
Saw a Kubota ballast box at the dealership - they wanted 800 dollars. I nearly gagged. They apparently had a yardful of them a few years back as part of a promotion, and were practically giving them away.
Anyhoo...not spending 800 bucks, so will fab one up somehow,
Judging from the comments here, anywhere from 700 to 1000 pounds oughta do it. I will scrounge as much scrap metal as I can find, and fill a drum 2/3 full of cement. If I need more, I can load up with stones (I have a mountain out back)

man they must be happy about their orange paint! Several manufacturers sell them for $250/300. Or you could get a carryall and build a box to go on that. Then you get a carry all out of the deal too.

I have been rethinking the idea of just using a random 3 point piece of equipment as ballast. The box is closer in to the tractor so useful in situations where you have close quarters. The bush hog just hangs so far off the back. The tiller I have is closer in but a pain to hook up.

As for how much, depends on what the lift capacity of your FEL is. On my little tractor the 500 lb bush hog seems to make things VERY stable even if I have a full load in the bucket.