3pt Ballast Ideas and Amount?

[Mighty Dodge]

Mine weighs about 530lbs. I also have wheel weights that are about 320lbs.

 

[jtokc]

I posted this photo before in a different thread about counterweights.

It contains 7-80lb bags of concrete: 2 bags on each end and 3 in the middle formed around a steel bar. Total weight is about 570

 

[Car Doc]

I had a similar need recently and at the same time didn't want to be switching attachments all the time or have to have something on at all to do loader work was my goal.

So I came up with some big 24" x 3.5" 350# each harmonic balancers off huge NG compressor engines to use as rear wheel weights and they work superb I am real happy with them!

But on a smaller scale junk yard flywheels can just as easily be used they are typically 40-50# and can easily be stacked up especially if they are the same. fwtw a Yanmar flywheel would make an excellent wheel weight they are THICK!

The ring gears just drive off with a punch real easy leaving a nice machined round chunk of heavy steel with 6 perfectly centered mounting holes and a perfectly centered hole in the middle. :thumbsup:

I have several mounting ideas if interested let me know.

 

[shawnjvl]

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/164889-simple-three-point-counterweight-3.html Nice 55 build with pics.

 

[284 International]

K0ua's build is really nice. There isn't a picture of it, but he mentions having a 2 inch receiver placed in the box as well. That's an ingenious and handy addition, because it would allow you to insert hitches, tow hooks, or whatever, and still do some other tasks without having to drop the ballast box. He's got contained storage for straps, tools, or whatever else, too. That's a neat setup. Good find, Shawn.

 

[Reg]

Re: 3pt Ballast Ideas and Amount on YM202D?

I was thinking about how to ballast the back of my 2020D. Besides adding rim guard to the tires I was thinking of taking a 55 gallon drum and putting a 7/8 inch bar horizontally to attach to the the 3pt. How much weight in cement bags should I be thinking about?

How about leaving the last implement you used on there ?
The chances are fair that it will be the next one you want to use anyway, so you can save yourself the trouble of taking an implement off, putting ballast on, taking that off, putting the frequently used implement back on again.

To say nothing of the hassle of creating an otherwise useless weight just to hang out there - broom and rake handle holders don't seem worth it (-:

If you do go that route be sure the tubes you set in there can drain, wood handles soften up real quick when left in rain water.

 

[Scotty Dive]

Reg -

Its a fair statment but what ever implement I am using (the only two I have is a RCC and a back blade) have to come off anyway due to my storage constraints. The RCC is 350#'s but really makes the tractor long and while working in the woods I know I will damage it with a tree. The idea of having something tucked in and provide a bit of storage for tools, chains, shovels and can be made cheaply is an attractive solution.

Good idea with the drains for the PVC. We used to have aplace around here that gave away the blue 55 barrels but they moved. So I am on the hunt. Where have other folks gotten theirs?

 

[Reg]

Reg -

Its a fair statment but what ever implement I am using (the only two I have is a RCC and a back blade) have to come off anyway due to my storage constraints. The RCC is 350#'s but really makes the tractor long and while working in the woods I know I will damage it with a tree. The idea of having something tucked in and provide a bit of storage for tools, chains, shovels and can be made cheaply is an attractive solution.

Good idea with the drains for the PVC. We used to have aplace around here that gave away the blue 55 barrels but they moved. So I am on the hunt. Where have other folks gotten theirs?

Ahh, THAT is an easy one.
SMALL local car washes have them for detergents and they don't turn over enough of them to be worth returning.
I have got them for free, though I had to accept a couple that I really didn't want.
If you want ADJUSTABLE ballast on the back get the ones with 2 bung holes and figure a way to make a 3pt drum carrier - now THAT can be a useful attachment in its own right.

You're looking at 440 lbs in water for a 55 gallon drum, maybe twice that for concrete, you might not always need that much.
Sand is another attractive adjustable choice, you can poke handles into that and it won't slosh around.

Yeah, I think a drum carrier would be handy.
I roll them onto their bottom rim and then into the loader bucket, but then I have to tie them in.

 

[shawnjvl]

Reg -

Its a fair statment but what ever implement I am using (the only two I have is a RCC and a back blade) have to come off anyway due to my storage constraints. The RCC is 350#'s but really makes the tractor long and while working in the woods I know I will damage it with a tree. The idea of having something tucked in and provide a bit of storage for tools, chains, shovels and can be made cheaply is an attractive solution.

Good idea with the drains for the PVC. We used to have aplace around here that gave away the blue 55 barrels but they moved. So I am on the hunt. Where have other folks gotten theirs?

Check Craigslist in your area for the barrels, I see them all the time for $10-$20.