Front ballast / Suitcase weights - DIY or cheap

[ldunlap]

I would consider selling the 5ft bush hog...

Sounds like the best advice, since I live in town and would have to go looking for work.

(If my wife had suggested it, as they say, "That's when the fight started")

 

[pmsmechanic]

Before I sold the 5ft. bush hog I would find a way to make it work. Either put some weight on the front or remove the top link and just use it as a two point mower. If you do that just be careful that you don'e bend the pto shaft by lifting the mower too high

 

[ovrszd]

Before I sold the 5ft. bush hog I would find a way to make it work. Either put some weight on the front or remove the top link and just use it as a two point mower. If you do that just be careful that you don'e bend the pto shaft by lifting the mower too high

I agree. Especially if the tractor has enough HP to handle it.

A 4ft brush cutter is really small. For example, would you want a 48" mower for your lawn?

 

[pmsmechanic]

Especially if the tractor has enough HP to handle it.

I had a 5 ft John Deere given to me so I use it but if I was buying one I would seriously look at a 6 ft as it would cover my tire tracks. I wouldn't be worried about the power because I can always slow down through the tough spots.

 

[SkunkWerX]

Travelrider, Have you done anything or tried anything yet?

Here's a very easy approach, get a 5 gallon bucket, fill with sand. Hang it on the front. See what that does for you?
In my experience, I think 100#, maybe 150# is all you would need just to get the wheels down firm enough for proper steering.
If you can fill the bucket with scrap steel and fill the voids with sand, you'll get more weight in the bucket.

 

[aczlan]

Now, I like that idea... A class 3 hitch on the front and then I can add a weight hanging off the hitch... Not sure how to attach the hitch. Might require some fabrication. There's nothing up front to easily attach a hitch to on this tractor.

You should be able to put a piece of flat plate (or angle) down each side of the front of the frame and run a bar across them to put weights on.

I am needing ideas as well. I have a B6100 two wheel drive that I purchased this summer, along with a 5 foot bush hog. This combo was purchased new together. The front end comes up with the bush hog attached, plus 66 lbs of train rail. I found out that the mower should have been a 4 foot or smaller, however, I have what I have. Any suggestions or ideas would be appreciated.

Before I sold the 5ft. bush hog I would find a way to make it work. Either put some weight on the front or remove the top link and just use it as a two point mower. If you do that just be careful that you don'e bend the pto shaft by lifting the mower too high

If the B6100 is like our B7500, the 3 point arms may not have enough "reach" to bend the PTO. In our case, I generally remove the top link and let the back wheel of the cutter run on the ground.

Aaron Z

 

[snowmansimon]

Here is my front weights for my BX1860. Weights seemed to be about $1 per pound in Canada.

I bought some steel tubing, plate and pipe for about $55. I acquired a few pales of wheel weights from a few shops around town. I then melted down the weights on an outdoor propane burner. Placing the weights in I could only get about 1/3 the weight as melting them down. Total cost was under $100 and the weights are about 55lb a piece. Made 5 of them for box blade work for landscaping around the house.

 

[pmsmechanic]

I bought some steel tubing, plate and pipe for about $55. I acquired a few pails of wheel weights from a few shops around town. I then melted down the weights on an outdoor propane burner. Placing the weights in I could only get about 1/3 the weight as melting them down. Total cost was under $100 and the weights are about 55 lb a piece. Made 5 of them for box blade work for landscaping around the house.

Just be careful melting lead. The fumes if you get it too hot are kind of hard on your health. I don't know all the details but I would do some research before I tackled this.

 

[snowmansimon]

Just be careful melting lead. The fumes if you get it too hot are kind of hard on your health. I don't know all the details but I would do some research before I tackled this.

Yes 100%!

I should have mentioned I wore a respirator and when pouring the lead also used full leather gloves and a full face shield.

These front weights and chains on my turf tires turned this little tractor into a beast for dirt work compared to without the weights and chains. I was second guessing my purchase of such a big machine to only mow with once the landscaping was done. I figured I would buy a tractor instead of paying someone else to do it. I'm glad I did tho as I watched the neighbors get stuck on the steep backyard slope with their ride on mower with no 4x4.

 

[pmsmechanic]

Yes 100%!

I should have mentioned I wore a respirator and when pouring the lead also used full leather gloves and a full face shield.

These front weights and chains on my turf tires turned this little tractor into a beast for dirt work compared to without the weights and chains. I was second guessing my purchase of such a big machine to only mow with once the landscaping was done. I figured I would buy a tractor instead of paying someone else to do it. I'm glad I did tho as I watched the neighbors get stuck on the steep backyard slope with their ride on mower with no 4x4.

And I should have mentioned that I think you have a pretty neat idea here for making weights!