Ballast B2710 - Rear Ballast for Loader Work

[gordon]

Re: A fitting end...

Ok I'm with you now to much ballast==looking at sky without looking up!
I have run into that problem--looking at the sky that is then comes neutral and back down to earth./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
Gordon

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Re: A fitting end...

Yeah, you can do your imitation of those tractors at the tractor pull, where they pull that sled with the frontward moving weight. Of course that's what I've heard, I'd never watch that stuff, with War and Peace still not finished.

del...

 

[Thomas]

Re: A fitting end...

Del,
Famers might be one of the first that introduce recycling to the country,for the wasted very little.
Pick there fields of stones and built sone walls,the wood they burnt to keep warm was from the new fields they clear etc...
Ahhh like the old saying goes..waste not want not. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

Stay safe and /w3tcompact/icons/cool.gif

Thomas..NH

 

[gerard]

Re: A fitting end...

Like Bird I usually use my box blade (with about a two hundred lb weight set across tha back) as rear ballast but I have unloaded tires. If you have loaded tires you'd probably be ok without anything unless you had a full bucket of wet sand/dirt etc and were going down a hill forwards but you can feel pretty easily how light you are in the rear end. If iffy I just keep the load low, hand ON the lever, and if you start to go you just have to dump the bucket. I also found that the york rake, even though much lighter than the box blade, also works well due to the leverage factor and it "extending" further back from the 3 pt.

 

[TomG]

Yes, a little experience and a feel are developed for how much ballast is needed. The first thing I did when I got my tractor is to order a load of gravel for the driveway. There was no implement on the 3ph, and I now recognize the rear end was light when going downhill. I haven't forgotten that feeling, and now I don't have to think about it. A though just comes to mind--'Oh, guess I need more ballast.' I get a clue that front ballast is needed if the steering is very light.

It may be a good idea to experiment a bit so that a sense is developed for when ballast, or stability, isn't quite enough. That way, a warning light will click on if a task is attempted that the tractor is not capable of--heavy ballast or not.

I think the idea is to use just enough ballast, not as much as a tractor will carry. Heavy ballast has some liabilities of wear and tear, fuel consumption and soil compaction.

 

[DRFoster]

I spent most of the day yesterday working the loader without the snowblower on the 3pt. I "sense" the backend being lighter, but not out of control. Being leary of it, I have been keeping the loaded bucket low with my hand ready to dump should it feel "tippy". So far so good. I'm moving rocks from one place and dirt (what little I can find) to where I've removed the rocks. Anybody need some rocks? Free for the hauling They don't call these the "Rocky Mountains" for nothing.

I checked into a carry all from TSC. Sure wish we had a TSC close by. The closest store to us is 400-500 miles away. I called them about mail ordering a carry all, they wanted $50 for shipping. I'm going to do some searching locally before I order one from them. Even if I don't really need the ballast, this thing sounds generally useful for the price.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Fred G, how did you fit so much weight on each wheel? When I made them, I could only fit six 25 lb weights on each wheel. If I put more than 6 on, they would stick out beyond the tire. If you have 275 lb on each wheel, that would be 11 weights, almost twice as many. Did you use larger weights or put some on the inside of the wheel?

Andy