Ballast BALLAST BOX

[flINTLOCK]

I bought a ballast box from NH dealer before consulting the experts on this forum. It has capacity of 400# total including the box when filled with sand or similar material, according to the dealer. After buying it, I read some posts here that recommend 700# or so for counterbalancing loader work. I will be grappling logs for bucking firewood that will probably get close to max loader capacity of about 1500# and moving large boulders when in the way. I see that kubota sells much larger capacity BB's and was thinking of returning my smaller box which has not been used yet. ?? Thoughts ??

 

[scott_vt]

Afternoon Flintlock,
There have been quite a few threads and ideas on ballast box ideas. I built mine for next to nothing, the drum was free and I got the steel rod at work for nothing, only cost was the concrete and I supplied the rocks ! I believe it to be about 700 lbs. It really makes a difference doin loader work !

 

[flINTLOCK]

I thought that the larger box would allow some room at the top for chains, etc, and still get plenty of weight in bottom.

 

[scott_vt]

Hi Flintlock,
I have seen some real innovative ideas when it comes to ballast boxes. My concrete barrel is certainly not one of them ! But it does the job and I do wrap about 15 ft of chain around the barrel for various uses. Some of the guys created boxes that had some storage compartments, one fella even had a scabbard for his chain saw, I thought that was really neat !

 

[flINTLOCK]

Since I don't weld, I'll probably have to rely on storebought, unfortunately.

 

[CinderSchnauzer]

Do a search on "Ballast Box" User "Chris2520" and you will find some pics and ideas. See thread http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...filled-ballast-box.html?highlight=ballast+box

 

[canoetrpr]

You might want to look at loading tires also. I started with only a ballast box and decided that I needed to load the tires once I started to really do something with my FEL.

I wouldn't look back. Loading the tires has made a huge difference. I still use reasonable ballast on 3 PT. when I'm picking something like gravel up.

 

[Timber]

A ballast drum requires no welding to make at all. Mine has a lid and I left about 12 inches at the top for storage. It is over 800 pounds. I use my box blade most of the time for ballast though. If I am moving stone or doing a lot of fork work I throw the drum on

 

[Mighty Dodge]

My take on this, weighs about 500#. The back can still get light if I pick up something heavy with my bucket boom.

 

[flINTLOCK]

Good suggestion. Tires came loaded freom dealer.

 

[Soundguy]

Since I don't weld, I'll probably have to rely on storebought, unfortunately.

Ya don't hfta weld.

if you can mix 'crete and have a few hand tools.. you can make as big as ya want.

here's one that cost me uh.. maybee 15$.

The tub was a cattle feed tub... leftover... there is an old drawbar bolted under it, and then some metal flats sticking out the top that are drilled to take the toplink pin.

Pretty much all i paid for was the concrete.. and some long carriage bolts to bolt the drawbar to the bucket and leave some thread stuck up in the crete for it to grab on to.

Soundguy

 

[jimmer2880]

Looks like a good weight bucket. Pretty in-expensive also (compared to steel).

 

[Zick]

Yup, that's what I did too.

Bought a cheap rubber trash can from Menards.
Bought a cat 1 drawbar
Bought two pieces of flat stock steel

drilled a hole throught the sides of the trash can just big enough to slide the bar through. Slide bar in.
Mixed up enough concrete to fill it. Bend the flat stock end to a 45* so it won't slide out if loosened. Put the metal bars in the concrete before it dried.
Drilled a hole through the top of the metal to slide a hitch pin in to hold top link.

I probably have about 500+/- lbs and it works pretty good. Total cost was probably ~$50

 

[Soundguy]

Yep.. Mine was cheap too. I had carriage bols up in the bucket with the threaded studs sticking a couple inches down to bolt the drawbar to. If I want to ditcht he thing, I just run 2 nuts off and get my drawbar back.

Ditto on bending the metal for the toplink connection.. I bent mine l shaped at the bottom.

I like that design.. cheap.. but works.. if it breaks or gets beat up.. no big deal.. has a flat top to pile a chain or strap on. Only thing I would do different if I build another is to put a sleave tube in it that would accept a trailer toungue.. etc..

Soundguy

 

[flINTLOCK]

Trying to figure how much cured concrete weighs compared to dry sacrete in bags. Probably 10-20% heavier, ya think??

 

[Erik_in_Hoyt]

I bolted some expanded steel to the top of my BB and strap 6 buckets filled with concrete to it for weight. gives me close to 1000 pounds of ballast - and I still have the BB to flatten out whatever i just moved if I want to.
no welding involved, just a couple pieces of scrap angle and some bolts to tie the mesh to the top of the BB.

 

[flINTLOCK]

I guess my question was if I buy 10 50# bags of sacrete, will I end up with 500# of cured concrete??

 

[Zick]

I believe concrete average is 150lb per cu. ft.

So if a 60# bag = 1/2 cu. ft. cured it should weigh roughly 75lb.

 

[westbrooklawn]

If you start with an 80# bag of material, and only add water to it, the resulting mix weight can't be more than the combined weight of the mix plus the water. Since an 80# bag of quikrete calls for adding 6-9 pts. of water, that would be an additional 6+-9+ pounds, bringing the total to 86-89 pounds of wet mix. Now the tricky part... you would think that the water would evaporate and the cured concrete would weigh less than the wet mix... the way I understand it, however, is that during the hydration (curing) process, the concrete actually retains (and may increase) the amount of moisture in the hardened concrete. If that is the case, the original 80# bag of mix would result in 86-89+ pounds of cured concrete. For ballpark purposes, it seems that if you just add 10% to the original weight of the bag mix, it should get you in the range for the cured weight.

As a sanity check, this would mean an 80# bag would result in 88# of concrete... since an 80# bag produces .6 cu ft., this would mean a cubic foot would equal 147#, which is right on target for the average weight of conrete.

 

[flINTLOCK]

Nice description. Just what I needed to know. Thanks much.