Luke'sScreenName
Elite Member
- Joined
- Mar 1, 2015
- Messages
- 3,710
- Location
- Lakes Region, NH
- Tractor
- Kubota MX4800 with BH-90X hoe; Hustler FastTrack 48; B3300SU (sold); 1969 Case 680B CK (sold)
I needed a heaver 3pt ballast so I bought twelve- 100lbs Case suitcase weights for 60cents per pound with the idea of converting a TSC trailer mover I had into a weight rack... I also ended up buying about $80 of hardware and metal. Most of the metal was stuff I already had but wasn't free when acquired. A lot more than my previous concrete box.
I first wire wheeled the weights (glad I wore safety glasses):
Then I attempted my first HF spray gun paint job with rustoleum primer and semigloss black (came out good enough):
Then I welded some 1/2" thick angle to the old trailer mover to hang the racks on and fab'ed a base to keep it up right:
About this time I realized the hitch receiver would be too short and I was going to loose the box on top of my old ballast box. :confused2: I really needed the rack to be ballast, a carry-all box (that can hold long handled tools), bumper-pull AND gooseneck trailer mover... I also wanted to protect the weights some for when I accidentally back into crap... I also wanted to be able to see the trailer ball when hooking up bumper pull trailers (hmmm won't the box be in the way?!)... I also did not want to put a lot more money in this thing so I used the stuff I had. Ok, this was supposed to be quick and simple! :confused3:
So I extended the hitch receiver and supported it better, added some "bumpers" to protect the weights.
Now to move on to the carry-all box: I "re-purposed" a cheap Chinese garden wagon my wife never uses (she won't miss it right? Wrong. - but that's another story
). I figured out how to mount the wagon "basket" on top of the weights where it can be flipped up out of the way to remove weights, comes off with one pin to use the gooseneck ball, AND is see-through to see the bumper-pull trailer ball! I was pretty happy with my creation at this point so I wanted to paint it. I also realized this was going to be a huge PITA. Tons of little surfaces, old powdercoat and paint, rust etc. So I decided to put MORE money into it and have it powdercoated.
I will make another post for the finished product directly... :drink:
I first wire wheeled the weights (glad I wore safety glasses):
Then I attempted my first HF spray gun paint job with rustoleum primer and semigloss black (came out good enough):
Then I welded some 1/2" thick angle to the old trailer mover to hang the racks on and fab'ed a base to keep it up right:
About this time I realized the hitch receiver would be too short and I was going to loose the box on top of my old ballast box. :confused2: I really needed the rack to be ballast, a carry-all box (that can hold long handled tools), bumper-pull AND gooseneck trailer mover... I also wanted to protect the weights some for when I accidentally back into crap... I also wanted to be able to see the trailer ball when hooking up bumper pull trailers (hmmm won't the box be in the way?!)... I also did not want to put a lot more money in this thing so I used the stuff I had. Ok, this was supposed to be quick and simple! :confused3:
So I extended the hitch receiver and supported it better, added some "bumpers" to protect the weights.
Now to move on to the carry-all box: I "re-purposed" a cheap Chinese garden wagon my wife never uses (she won't miss it right? Wrong. - but that's another story
). I figured out how to mount the wagon "basket" on top of the weights where it can be flipped up out of the way to remove weights, comes off with one pin to use the gooseneck ball, AND is see-through to see the bumper-pull trailer ball! I was pretty happy with my creation at this point so I wanted to paint it. I also realized this was going to be a huge PITA. Tons of little surfaces, old powdercoat and paint, rust etc. So I decided to put MORE money into it and have it powdercoated. I will make another post for the finished product directly... :drink:
