Ballast How many bags of cement to fill ballast box?

[greg_g]

I'm just using sifted sand in mine. I originally poured in three 70# bags and four 50# bags, which surprisingly filled it to where another full bag wouldn't fit without adding extensions. I thought it would hold more too. But a few rains and a bit of driving around settled the sand to where I can now top it up with maybe two more bags. Unfortunately you can't do that with concrete mix.

I decided I have no need for the John Deere extensions now, so they're for sale if anybody's interested. As new, never installed.

//greg//

 

[jonyyuma]

Well,looks like the 1200 lb HF dolly is having a melt-down...We had one do that too while carrying an electric motor?

 

[RaisedonDeere]

I have the JD ballast box w/ no extension and mine took 7 bags of 80lb quikrete. I added 2 - 2" schedule 40 pieces of PVC pipe one on each side. I used my hand tamper to tamp down each mixed bag I added to the box filling it to the bottom of the lip.

 

[mdelmarcelle]

I'd roll the puppy into Harbor Frieght with the ballast box on it and be like what gives.

I just filled my new JD ballast box (no extension) this weekend....6 80lb bags quikcrete, 1 40 lb bag quikcrete.....

Oh......and don't buy the 1200 lb dolly from Northern tool to store it on......:laughing:

 

[Gobblin Tom]

I am not sure what I want to put in my BB for my 2520?? I thought about just getting 50# bags of play sand that I would leave in the bags that way I could use it in the kids sand box when needed also... I just hate to fill it with concrete which would make it hard to carry tools and chains if I wanted to... I guess I probably wouldn't have it on anyway if I had the chains for pulling trees.. Is that the standard using concrete?? Is that what you are supposed to use in them??

 

[avguy]

I am not sure what I want to put in my BB for my 2520?? I thought about just getting 50# bags of play sand that I would leave in the bags that way I could use it in the kids sand box when needed also... I just hate to fill it with concrete which would make it hard to carry tools and chains if I wanted to... I guess I probably wouldn't have it on anyway if I had the chains for pulling trees.. Is that the standard using concrete?? Is that what you are supposed to use in them??

I had mixed emotions about filling it with concrete too.......but the sole reason I bought it in the 1st place was.....ballast.

 

[Gobblin Tom]

I had mixed emotions about filling it with concrete too.......but the sole reason I bought it in the 1st place was.....ballast.

Point taken!! I have my rear tires filled and have been using for rear blade for extra ballast but that has proven not to be enough weight for me!! The rear blade is a little over 300# and I have the iMatch on there also not sure about the weight of that though, has to be close to 400# with iMatch... The rear tires were filled with around 260# each I believe... I will have to keep following the post to see what to add to the BB....

 

[gdh]

How did you plug the holes on the bottom of the ballast box prior to adding the cement or sand?

 

[sunnyside360]

....... Is that the standard using concrete?? Is that what you are supposed to use in them??

Owners manual specifies filling the box with either sand or concrete.

 

[avguy]

How did you plug the holes on the bottom of the ballast box prior to adding the cement or sand?

I lined mine with duct tape but it still leaked some. I also drilled weep holes under the PVC.