Let's see some homemade 3 point ballast!

[Mandres]

Yea, the scabbard goes into a 2ft piece of pvc that i already had that i baked and molded. The pvc goes all the way through the bottom of the barrel. Scabbard has some holes drilled in the bottom so it will drain.

Now, i guess I'll have to practice my quick draw time

Clever! I like your setup a lot.

Instead of using a separate draw bar and top hitch, I'm thinking about starting with something like this and then building a small box around it:
https://www.amazon.com/Titan-Attach...p+link+hitch&qid=1561153011&s=gateway&sr=8-33

The price is starting to get up there though ... maybe spending a few hundred on the factory bx ballast box makes more sense?

 

[eubie5]

Yea, i

Clever! I like your setup a lot.

Instead of using a separate draw bar and top hitch, I'm thinking about starting with something like this and then building a small box around it:
https://www.amazon.com/Titan-Attach...p+link+hitch&qid=1561153011&s=gateway&sr=8-33

The price is starting to get up there though ... maybe spending a few hundred on the factory bx ballast box makes more sense?

Yea, I almost went that route

 

[shooterdon]

Mine started with a TSC carryall and used scrap I had laying around. The ballast is 735 lbs of lead ingots. The crates are screwed down and keep the ingots from jiggling out while adding a bit of storage.

 

[srs]

My homemade concrete weight bucket.

 

[fruitcakesa]

It's crude and ugly [my first ever welding from scratch].
I cut up an old boom I had for the I-beams and top link connection. I figure the box alone is 125#
3 - 5 gallon buckets of concrete leftovers from an old job about 300#
Makes for a more compact unit than hauling the box blade around.

 

[PEJ5]

Here is phase 1 of my homemade ballast box. It is a bolted steel frame using a Cat 1 drawbar, 2 foot long 2" receiver, 3/8" thick 3" angle, 1/4" thick 1.5" angle, and some threaded rod.

It will be encased in concrete 24"W x 24"L x 28"H and estimate it will be 1300# including the steel. I plan to add a piece of bent rebar as a top eye, a small conduit to wire lights, a tube (and drain) for rake/shovel, a SMV sign and 2 bolts on top to secure a toolbox for chains, etc. I plan to set the drawbar 5" in from the back and and 9" above the base. I want to be able to set it down as an extra brake.

I welcome any advice before I build the forms. I'll post progress photos.

Peter

 

[aczlan]

Be sure to install a notch for the toplink or it will end up bent into a pretzel...

Aaron Z

 

[4get gto]

I made these from 200# lead rollup door weights.
I have another one not shown that bolts to that one..

 

[Eagleview]

Wide is the way to go, narrow ballasts do next to nothing when your about to cock a leg . The narrow ones in the center of the 3pl are dead in line with the tilt pin on the front axle . As you can imagine, they will offer no resistance to a roll over . If you can make one as wide as the rear wheels, you are much better off . I have a piece of 300x450 hollow RHS filled with concrete, it is fitted with a cutting edge on the front, for grading the driveway and has a towbar at the rear . Only photo I have sorry .

 

[eubie5]

Wide is the way to go, narrow ballasts do next to nothing when your about to cock a leg . The narrow ones in the center of the 3pl are dead in line with the tilt pin on the front axle . As you can imagine, they will offer no resistance to a roll over . If you can make one as wide as the rear wheels, you are much better off . I have a piece of 300x450 hollow RHS filled with concrete, it is fitted with a cutting edge on the front, for grading the driveway and has a towbar at the rear . Only photo I have sorry .

View attachment 613727

That is a great one

 

[PEJ5]

I have the forms built for my ballast and am trying to decide how much concrete to use. I can fill the non-beveled section anywhere from 27" high to 36" high. See sketch. I estimate 27" high to total 1200# (my original design) and every 3" of additional concrete in the rear section will add another 100# so 36" would be approximately 1500#.

My DK5010's loader is capable of about 2600# of lift. I have my tires loaded (880#). I want a tight ballast to get through the sloped (10% to 15% grade) woods section of my property to remove trees and get large rock down to the shore line.

How much ballast weight should I go for.

Peter

 

[MechanicalGuy]

Haven't filled it yet:

 

[Sodo]

Wide is the way to go, narrow ballasts do next to nothing when your about to cock a leg . The narrow ones in the center of the 3pl are dead in line with the tilt pin on the front axle . As you can imagine, they will offer no resistance to a roll over . If you can make one as wide as the rear wheels, you are much better off .View attachment 613727

Hold on there pardner (mate?)!
Actually, the ONLY way a wide weight can prevent tipping is if its so wide it extends out past the downhill wheels like an outrigger.
You're forgetting about the equal amount of weight on the down side,,,,, helping you to tip.

In reality it makes no difference left and right, it's the "center of gravity".
On your counterweight, I notice it's down low, even below the axle....now THAT is significant.
Yours probably works better than most others because its center of gravity is LOW, not because it's wide.

I'm using a barrel, like MechanicalGuy (above), where the center of gravity is at the center of the barrel (about 2 feet high).
It would actually be better to lay the barrel on its side, the CG would be about a foot lower.
To drive on a side-slope PEJ5 should add weight (if needed) as low as feasible.

I have a piece of 300x450 hollow RHS filled with concrete, it is fitted with a cutting edge on the front, for grading the driveway and has a towbar at the rear .

And this too.
You can actually USE it for grading.
Cool.

 

[Eagleview]

''You're forgetting about the equal amount of weight on the down side,,,,, helping you to tip.''

That is like saying the down slope tyre on a tractor will filled tyres is negating the benefit of having the up slope tyre filled . Not in the real world .

 

[Sodo]

You're forgetting about the equal amount of weight on the down side,,,,, helping you to tip.

That is like saying the down slope tyre on a tractor will filled tyres is negating the benefit of having the up slope tyre filled . Not in the real world .

Tipping rotates around the downslope tire.
Downslope tire's ground patch is the pivot point.
Weight of the downslope tire has little effect on stability.
Other than it's own desire to tip over downhill.
Because its center of gravity is above-ground, it too wants to rotate about its ground patch (tip downhill).
If you had to roll that filled tire on a slope you'd quickly wish it was not filled.

I'm referring to the "wide counterweight vs. narrow" part of the discussion.
The wide vs narrow are both centered between the wheels, (as the front axle pivot) thus they have the same effect on stability.
but the counterwight lower to the ground adds more stability.

Eagleview your weight is better because it's low.
Which is more stable?
The front loader bucket being 2 feet above-ground, or 1 foot above ground?

It's like this all day long when I can't use my counterweight.

 

[PEJ5]

Thanks Sodo for the low center of balance advice. The drawbar (see post 106) ended up being about 8" above the base of the form. My 3pt lowers to 6.5" on level ground so 8" allows me to set it down and disconnect. Maybe I'll stick with 1200 lbs, because going the 1500 will raise my center of balance.
Mechanicalguy, You and I are trying to decide on weight. I read your other discussion thread. The 5200 is a big tractor and you think 1100 lbs is enough? I should be okay with 1200.
I am taking my form to a concrete company - they will fill it get $20. The have a forklift so they will put the pallet back on my trailer.

 

[TractorNH]

I've had my ballast in use for a while now and just realized I didn't post the pics of it. My bad, so here it is now.

Estimated weight is 1300 lbs with the concrete and steel. My biggest objective was for it to be quick hitch compatible which it is. It is framed out around a Titan trailer mover hitch which was about $65. I added reinforcing steel and some wire mesh I had laying around. The design was tricky because it had to be built so the forms could be removed. The piece behind the vertical for the top link was a bear to get out after the concrete was cured. The block overall if my notes are correct (without the cutout for the top link) is 22" wide (to fit the QH) x 24" deep x 30" high. Total cost including the one sheet of Advantech I used for the form was $155.













I added bolts into the top to attach a tool box.


Here is the finished product:

 

[PEJ5]

Thanks for the advice. My ballast is attached! Using the forks to remove the ballast/pallet off my trailer without a ballast was a scary experience - both rears lifted!! Once I repositioned the pallet I was able to lift it a few inches while my wife pulled the trailer ahead and I set the ballast down. There is still some painting and light installation, but that will have to wait.

It is 22"W x 24"D x 30"H and weighs approximately 1300 lbs including the steel.

 

[arizona98tj]

I finished my weight box several weeks ago. It is right about 900 pounds by my calculations. Mine is simple....no hitches, no chainsaw holders, etc.

I used a spare drawbar for the lower attachment points and built my own upper point by welding a couple of layers of 1/4" steel. Various pieces of steel laying around the garage were bolted to the drawbar to serve as the internal support structure. Before pouring the concrete, I tied in some rebar to help reinforce the block of concrete. Before I started cutting and welding, I mocked everything up with wood. Once I was satisfied with it, I took it apart and used the wood as a template for cutting and drilling my steel pieces.

The form was made from 1/2" plywood except for the bottom which was made from pieces of 2"X6". A handful of screws kept it all aligned while I put the angle iron on the corners and used several ratchet straps to cinch everything tight. Two pieces of 1/2" threaded rod were used to properly center the upper attachment point in the block so that helped hold two of the sides of the form in place as well. The sides didn't bulge out when I poured the concrete. It worked very well.

 

[PEJ5]

Man, is that ever bright.