3pt ballast

[RJFEJF]

i have been looking at various ways of carrying rear ballast when using the fel. the nortrac ( northern tool ) 35xt, 35hp, 4wd,coming for xmas is rated at 1874 lbs lift cap. i have been thinking of using a 3 pt dump hauler loaded with 30 to 50 gal buckets, drums, or concrete block with cast in steel handles in which to secure the loadin the hauler with cargo strap or chain. when ballast for the fel is not needed i could use the hauler for wood and tool transport. turning radius is not of concern where i would be using the fel. any ideas or thoughts, has anyone used a hauler with dump bed and tail gate rated at 2500lb carrying capacity? thank you for any comments.

 

[Mighty Dodge]

That would work but having to load unload could get old in a hurry. A dedicated ballast would be easier to put on and take off. Do a search there's a lot of ballast box ideas here.

John

 

[whistlepig]

..........an off the shelf Kubota ballast box. 600 pounds as seen here.

 

[RJFEJF]

your right about the loading and unloading, i figure it wouldn't be to bad if i used the loader with chain & hook to lift only the needed wieght in and then hook up the hauler with a 3 pt QH. being new i was wondering how much ballast ratio would i really need for a fel lift capacity of 1874 lbs. and what would most of you who have had experiance would realisticly load into a fel rated at 1874 lbs over fairly level area. by the way i like that concrete filled culvert pipe. also been toying with the idea of stacking vertical or horizontal stacks of used disk brake rotors available here at the scrape yard at about .25 a lb. i think concrete would be much more cost effective and it don't rust.

 

[Mighty Dodge]

You'd probably want around a 1,200 lbs minimum, 15 - 2000 would be better. My little JD loader's rated at 1,000 lbs more or less I think. I have 320 lbs of wheel weights and the rear ballast is around 600 lbs. and that's just enough to hold the back end down if I pick up something heavy.

 

[RJFEJF]

thanks for the info and comparison. my 3pt lift cap is just over 1600lbs. how far under the 3 pt lift cap would you think would be safe with out damaging the 3pt lift? like about 1400 while moving the tractor about. thanks again Mighty Dodge

 

[plumbstraight]

remember with a lift of 1600 at the lift link ends, 1400 out past that point might be too heavy to lift.

 

[Mighty Dodge]

Woops I was thinking of loader lifting capability. If you're 3pt will only lift 1600 then you'll probably want to stay around 12 - 1500 lbs.

John

 

[RJFEJF]

Lift capacity at the pivot pin on the FEL is 2786 lbs with lift capacity of 1874 lbs, cat 1 3pt lift cap 1655 lbs, so I'm guess about 1400 lbs + or - rear ballast wouldn't be to bad, on the 3pt when working the tractor?

 

[Groo]

a backhoe is the best ballast because you can move it side to side if your bucket is loaded uneven.

failing that, just make sire you keep the weight low.