How much rear ballast on a BX2660?

[Kabuki Tractor]

How much rear ballast do you carry on your BX series machines?

I just bought my first ever SCUT, its a BX2660 with 60" MMM, and FEL. Right now with no rear ballast using the FEL is down right dangerous! I want to build some kind of ballast box or some kind of block of steel/concrete/lead or something for the 3pt hitch to counter balance this thing. Looking for something easy to set off when not needed. I dont' want to under do it, and I don't want to over do it. How much weight do you recommend?

BTW: Hello to everyone on the forum. Been reading here for months and found tons of good information. All the good information helped me to decided on my purchase. I went looking for a GR series because a friend has one, but after reading the forum on what the BX series could do, I decided that was the machine for me.

 

[TripleR]

We have pretty much relegated "my wife's" 2660, it was "ours" until she retired, but we have done a LOT of work with it. I had wheel weights put on and use an LMC box blade for ballast which worked out pretty well for us. I am guessing the weight of the bb at 300 or maybe less.

I don't remember if the manual has a recommendation or not. A lot of people have fabricated ballast boxes from concrete scrap metal, weight plates etc., so maybe they can help you. Some just get a carry all and stack stuff on it.

Enjoy your 2660, it's a great little tractor.

 

[RaydaKub]

How much rear ballast do you carry on your BX series machines?

I just bought my first ever SCUT, its a BX2660 with 60" MMM, and FEL. Right now with no rear ballast using the FEL is down right dangerous! I want to build some kind of ballast box or some kind of block of steel/concrete/lead or something for the 3pt hitch to counter balance this thing. Looking for something easy to set off when not needed. I dont' want to under do it, and I don't want to over do it. How much weight do you recommend?

Hey Kabuki! :welcome:

I've got a BX2230, so just a tad smaller than yours. I filled my tires (about 11 1/2 gallons each, so about 100-105lbs each I have some wheel weights I can slap on in about 2 minutes that total another 50 lbs on each wheel. Then I have a drawbar with 25 universal gym plates bolted to it, so about 275 lbs there. And I lifted the whole thing off the ground Friday evening.

A lot of guys use a 400 lb box blade on this size unit. It depends on what you are doing, but "enough" is whatever it takes to keep the rear end on the ground for you. Just keep the bucket as low as you can under load, 4WD only going down hills.

Enjoy your new tractor. Oh, and don't forget the pictures!

 

[dsmiley]

I have the ballast box that goes with a BX25 and on it is posted to add 300 lb. to it for a BX Series tractor. I think the box weighs 75-100 lb. so I would say in the 375-400 lb. area total. I have used the FEL with this at that weight with no problem, although the BH is a better counter weight.

Dean

 

[unbidden]

On my bx2660 I have a 300lb box blade which works well for ballast. However I prefer using my ballast box. I filled it with pea stone and have 3 upright PVC tubes in it for carrying shovels, rakes and whatnot. Don't know the weight of it but I have no problems with a full bucket of stone, loom or gravel.

 

[BeezFun]

I made ballast out of an old set of weights. I think I have about 250# on there, it's been plenty for the heaviest loads I've moved.

 

[AHNC]

You will love this tractor. I don't have wheel weights or rear ballast. I do have a rototiller and a box blade that I put one or the other on if doing loader work. I can't see putting money into a Ballast Box when I can put the dough into a useful implement. You can still left a wheel though. Careful.

With the MMM, I find the tractor very stable and better to work with without the FEL. At first I was reluctant to bother removing attachments, but hey come on and off very easily.

 

[Kabuki Tractor]

Just keep the bucket as low as you can under load, 4WD only going down hills.

I normally put it in 4WD if I'm pushing into a dirt pile or what ever, then take it out of 4WD while moving, that way when it stops moving and a rear is spinning, I know I'm near my limits! I always keep the bucket a low as possible while moving, but when lifting like scrap metal up into the back of a truck or trailer and the rear starts to come up with the bucket way up, SCARY!

 

[Kabuki Tractor]

TripleR,

I like those wheel weights. Are they factory? Are they steel or iron? How do they attach? It looks like two bolts going in there but what do they attach to?

 

[TripleR]

TripleR,

I like those wheel weights. Are they factory? Are they steel or iron? How do they attach? It looks like two bolts going in there but what do they attach to?

I guess they are Kubota as the dealer put them on, there was only a $5 difference between them and having them filled.

I honestly don't know what they hook to as I never have taken them off. I initially thought I would do so when I didn't need them, but they really seem to help the stability while mowing across slopes.