Ballast box--how big?

[dusty3030]

Did you look at the examples I referenced in the "Ballast Photos" thread? I personally built a ballast that hangs below my 72" landscape box that weighs in at 1750lbs. You can find pictures of it there as well.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...575d1394392334-ballast-photos-ballast-010.jpg

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/294304-ballast-photos.html

Yours has been one of the best ideas I have ever seen on making one. To the poster that asked this is a great idea, so much that I has me looking for a cheap, beat up 4 or 5 footer to encapsulate the whole thing in concrete to make a weight - with drawbar out the back for trailer moving and some storage holes out the top, chain box etc.

 

[MorningViewStables]

Yours has been one of the best ideas I have ever seen on making one. To the poster that asked this is a great idea, so much that I has me looking for a cheap, beat up 4 or 5 footer to encapsulate the whole thing in concrete to make a weight - with drawbar out the back for trailer moving and some storage holes out the top, chain box etc.

Thanks! Be aware that I built mine for my specific requirements, mostly field dirt work and sloping hill sides, picking up debris with the 4-in-1 and fork operations. It may be to wide for some, to low for others, etc... pick your criticism. The point is, look what others have done and you can surely figure out what works for you and make one too!

 

[Gary Fowler]

One thing to consider is that it is not only the weight but the distance behind the rear axle that contributes to removing weight from the front axle. Just like a teeter totter board, the further back from the rear axle a weight is placed the better it performs, however getting it too far back removes some maneuverability as in a heavy duty bush hog for example which is a great counterweigh. The blue drum filled completely with concrete that the contributor posted as weighing 975# and affixed to a quick hitch that looks to be a good 18" behind the 3 PH balls so it would produce much better counterweight than the same barrel that was mounted with a drawbar stuck thru the barrel as another TBN poster has done.

 

[Gary Fowler]

For those of you still thinking a barrel of concrete weighs 1400#, lets talk concrete weights of normal concrete (as opposed to lightweight concrete) which is what one would be mixing up or buying from a redi-mix plant. A cubic foot of concrete weighs 145 pounds and a standard 55 gallon drum would hold 7.3 cubic feet of something water, air or even concrete. A std drum is 35" tall x 24" in diameter(remember the old brazing rod trick -a standard brazing rod is 36" long). After doing the calculations, a standard drum will hold 1058# of normal weight concrete + the weight of the drum which varies a bit on whether it is steel or plastic. So allowing for 42# for the drum (very high weight drum) one might realistically have 1100 pounds of weight to contend with when building this counterweight.
The only real difference in usability will be in how far back from the axle centerline that it is placed whether it is centerlined with the 3 PH balls or a fabricated frame is made to carry it further back while still having good maneuverability.

 

[RG1]

Well, I know this- my JD ballast box does not hold as much volume as 55 gallon drum. In the ops manual for my loader it says that the box weighs 88 lbs itself,and when filled with portland cement (which anyone can buy at HD etc and is cheaper than buying ready mix unless you can drive right in to your local cement company and get it filled" it holds 926 lbs of that cement. That's 1014 lbs right there, and in less volume than the 55 gallon drum. Granted, the drum probably won't weigh quite as much as the ballast box, but still......

 

[MorningViewStables]

Along the lines of consideration that Gary pointed out, I considered the "barrel" method. I have a lot of sloping hillside property therefore rollover is a serious consideration on my part. I needed my weight slung wide and low as not to displace my center of gravity upward which would occur if you have a vertical column ballast configuration (barrel style). If you don't need to consider rollover, your CG may not be issue like mine. Again, issues I thought about before I committed to something for my use.

 

[k0ua]

I have a nice metal 55 gallon drum. I was thinking about welding on 3 pt hookups to that with a "frame" extending into the drum and then filling the whole thing with concrete. Would that make a good ballast weight for my tractor?

This is what mine looks like... abut 750 lbs.. I keep several chains and a digging bar in it. so over 800 lbs total. I use the 2 inch rear receiver to carry my sprayer. You could put a bunch of steel pieces or lead wheelweights or something heavy in the mix to increase your weight. I put 3 pipes in for handle tools, I wish I had put in 4. and I wish I had put in some old nuts and bolts or something to make it even heavier.

 

[juddspaintballs]

I could cut one section of a metal drum off, weld it to the top of the other drum for a taller height, and fill that all with concrete. That should put me at about 1500# of concrete and barrel weight. If I lay the drum sideways, that leaves me almost one foot of space on either side of the tractor for maneuverability and keeps the weight low.

 

[RG1]

This is what mine looks like... abut 750 lbs.. I keep several chains and a digging bar in it. so over 800 lbs total. I use the 2 inch rear receiver to carry my sprayer. You could put a bunch of steel pieces or lead wheelweights or something heavy in the mix to increase your weight. I put 3 pipes in for handle tools, I wish I had put in 4. and I wish I had put in some old nuts and bolts or something to make it even heavier.

View attachment 367031View attachment 367035View attachment 367036View attachment 367037View attachment 367038

I really like your setup. That is just so handy. Is there a slot/scabbard for a chainsaw bar in there too?

 

[MorningViewStables]

I could cut one section of a metal drum off, weld it to the top of the other drum for a taller height, and fill that all with concrete. That should put me at about 1500# of concrete and barrel weight. If I lay the drum sideways, that leaves me almost one foot of space on either side of the tractor for maneuverability and keeps the weight low.

Post Pics! I sure others would benefit from your efforts in building it!