Ideas for rear weights to balance FEL loads (post pics too)

[Spiveyman]

Howdy, I started another thread asking for tips on safe operation of a FEL. I've gotten great responses. One of the suggestions was to make a rear weight, here's that post:

I think a great inexpensive addition for your tractor would be a home made rear weight. You have a good size tractor and it will handle a loader that carries a lot of weight. Even with your size tractor the rear is going to get light with a full load. An effective weight can be made with a drum or garbage can filled with concrete. You get a draw bar, the type that connects between the lift arms, to insert through the can before filling. Some flat stock or even eye bolts can be set in the concrete for a connection point for the top link. A container large enough for 12 bags of ready mix gives you almost 1000 pounds and more would be even better.

A search here on the forum will show some clever ideas people have incorporated on there weights to carry chains and tools.

So this got me thinking, does anyone have any neat ideas or designs for such a weight or something similar that would be functional in some way and also really heavy. Please post pics if you have them as that makes it much easier to understand. I'm not the most mechanically inclined person on the planet. Also I can't weld, but could have someone else do that for me the ideas involve welding. This is your chance to showcase your ingenuity! Thanks in advance.

 

[daTeacha]

There is a thread or two on this topic somewhere on the board, I think in the projects forum.

I made one for my Kubota using a steel rod and two 5 gallon pails. I poked a hole in the end of the pails so the rod would stick through, drilled the rod to accept lynch pins. Then I cut the bottom out of one of the pails, placed them end to end with duct tape, and filled them with ready mix. After it set up I had a more or less cylindrical weight of about 125 lb or so.

On my current tractor, I have what amounts to a box shape of concrete with a hole through it in which there is a steel rod with holes in the end for lynch pins. Concrete is about 160 lb per cubic foot if I remember right. My weight is about 900 lb. You can make one whatever size you need.

The top link is secured to two pieces of 3 inch angle iron set in the concrete and drilled to allow a hitch pin to pass through for the top link. You could make one like this of whatever size you want by forming it up with 2x4 and OSB. Get a piece of plastic pipe --PVC or ABS -- large enough for your steel cross bar to fit in so you don't have to drill a 3/4" hole through 30" or so on concrete. Doing that would be a lot like work as opposed to simply setting a piece of plastic in the forms. Make sure you build the forms pretty heavy, especially at the corners, since wet concrete can spread forms easily and then you have a major mess to clean up and no weight to show for your efforts. You could use a drawbar as the attachment points for the lift arms, but a section of steel rod is a lot cheaper. It needn't be as heavy as a drawbar since all it will do is lift the weight, not pull things.

 

[doxford jim]

I am new to this tractor busness as well. When I bought my property I also bought a couple of the old machines. The tractor I have is an old MF-65 gas engine. What the old man did for a rear weight, which I thought was pretty good, was use a 45 gallon (Imperial gallons - a 55 gallon US drum) drum with the top cut out. A piece of pipe is put through the drum at about 2/3 height from base. A 3/4" bar put through the pipe which goes through the lift arm balls of the 3ph. The drum is filled with assorted rocks [which multiply like rabbits here ]. To hook up I just back the tractor in place and slide in the rod and install the large flat washer and cotter pins to secure. The drum sits on a couple of concrete blocks when not is use.

Is what I am presently using and it does away with some of the rocks lying around. Oh, there are also a few holes in the base for draining out water.

This might work for you and you could always pour some cement or concrete in the drum to add even more weight and rigidity.

HTH

Jim

 

[Spiveyman]

There is a thread or two on this topic somewhere on the board, I think in the projects forum.

Oops... rookie mistake. I got all ansty and a bit too quick on the trigger. Didn't do my homework. There are some good posts out there spread around in several threads. You have to hunt, but you're right it's out there.

 

[3RRL]

There was a thread not too long ago with a clever idea. I don't remember the member, so speak up if it's you. Someone made a concrete ballast box for the 3pt. However, he put PVC pipe in the box vertically and cast it with concrete. The PVC tubes were then used to carry tools such as shovels, rakes, ax, hoe, broom, chainsaw , come-a-long or whatever. Not only did he have a counter weight for his fel, but he turned his ballast box into a useful tool carrying hardware store. I thought it was a terrific idea.

 

[Spiveyman]

Yeah, I saw that in another thread after I started this one, and the guy even posted a picture which was great. I probably shouldn't have started this thread since that one's out there, but perhaps this thread will direct others to that one. You can search on "ballast"

That was a great idea, I agree!

 

[texasjohn]

I've already posted in your FEL thread, including photos... yep, involves welding, but I had the pipe for the carryall, handiest thing I could have done, makes double use of the hay fork as well.. Note that some of the weights are integral to the hay fork so that when carryall is removed, there is still counter weight on the 3PH to assist/maintain balance when using FEL hay spike... of course, you should 1st put a bale on the rear THEN one on FEL spike.

 

[tawilson]

Yeah, I saw that in another thread after I started this one, and the guy even posted a picture which was great. I probably shouldn't have started this thread since that one's out there, but perhaps this thread will direct others to that one. You can search on "ballast"

That was a great idea, I agree!

No harm rehashing stuff. Sometimes new ideas pop up. One time I had to spread some dirt in a tight area and didn't want to put the blade on, so I improvised and set a 50 gallon barrel on my 3-pt with a drawbar, put a ratchet strap around it and filled it with water. I have also done the same thing in the winter except filled with sand, weight plus sand for throwing on the ice.

 

[RalphVa]

I prefer to put an implement there, or my carryall. Can fill it with mulch or whatever. Only problem might be if you need to work in a confined space. A ballast box or wheel weights would take up less space.

Problem with wheel weights is how one gets them up into place to bolt them to the wheel. I remember someone posted something about how they lift them into place. Saw my neighbor had some on his 4310. May have to ask him how he gets them on and off. Possibly, the tire repair guys have ways of handling them.

Ralph

 

[3RRL]

Ralph,
Depending how heavy they are, wheel weights are not too bad to get on and off. You could lift them or use a hydraulic jack to position them so they catch the wheel weight lug bolts. Mine have a separate set of bolts to accept the wheel weights.







The smaller one weighs about 50lbs and the bigger one about a hundred. When I widened my rear tire stance, I put them on the inside of the wheels. In addition, my rears are loaded, so I've got an extra 900lbs for traction and stability down there.
The rears are set at their widest now.

 

[RoyJackson]

Keep an eye out for auctions, Craigslist and even at a few local dealers for a ballast box.
The Deere box goes for about $200. I got mine (never used) for $95 (from a friend who installed a loader on his 970).

I do recommend anyone looking into rear ballast try to keep it as compact as you can.

 

[kevinj]

Howdy, I started another thread asking for tips on safe operation of a FEL. I've gotten great responses. One of the suggestions was to make a rear weight, here's that post:



So this got me thinking, does anyone have any neat ideas or designs for such a weight or something similar that would be functional in some way and also really heavy. Please post pics if you have them as that makes it much easier to understand. I'm not the most mechanically inclined person on the planet. Also I can't weld, but could have someone else do that for me the ideas involve welding. This is your chance to showcase your ingenuity! Thanks in advance.

Look here http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/100598-cheap-ballast-box.html?highlight=ballast

 

[civesnedfield]

Made mine out of an old W14 I-beam. I do work for a steel fabricator so steel is a cheap item for me. The beam and attachments weighs about 600 lbs. As you can tell it wasn't heavy enough. The add on keg is filled with lead wheel weights, and weighs anothe 300-400 pounds. Plans are in the works for a heavier single piece without addons.

 

[Spiveyman]

It's great to see all the different things people use. Sounds like the biggest rule of thumb is use what you can find and make it work.

 

[Mighty Dodge]

Made mine out of a piece of culvert and concrete. It only weighs around 500 lbs though...I think.

 

[civesnedfield]

Made mine out of a piece of culvert and concrete. It only weighs around 500 lbs though...I think.

That is just a sweet idea.

 

[Mighty Dodge]

Thanx, I wanted something easy to build and hook up, no top link just back up to it and lift. The walls of the culvert are pretty thick if you wanted to make it a little heavier you could make a mold out of a piece of sheet metal or formica or something that would allow more concrete. The shaft is a piece of 1" I had laying around.

M.D.

 

[Spiveyman]

Made mine out of a piece of culvert and concrete. It only weighs around 500 lbs though...I think.

That is a great idea to mount it sideways. If you are good and get it centered well you could also role that thing to flatten out or pack dirt. I realize that's plastic and may not be ideal for doing that, but you could cut a steel drum the width of the lower lift arms and fill it this way. That's kind of the spirit of this thread to figure out clever ways to create a rear weight that has more utility than just being heavy. I like it.

 

[MarkV]

Spiveyman, what you need to remember is that your tractor is larger than many of us have and will have greater loader lift so you need more ballast. I have a 1200 pound backhoe on mine and at times it is not enough.

MarkV

 

[bjcsc]

I made one that works great. Details (and other ones) in this thread.