Planning a custom ballast box

Musdalen · Feb 13, 2017

S219 has a great thread on http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/owning-operating/374249-my-new-customized-ballast-box.html. His timing is impeccable for me as I have a new tractor on order (JD 3039 with FEL and grapple) and will be needing to make one as well. And I have somewhat similar ideas, but nothing like his fabrication skills - and I'm a cheap bastard.

What I do have is a King Cutter, 3-pt carry all that is rated for 1000 lbs. It looks like this

and it is 36" deep (front to back), and 28" left to right. I too would like to have a receiver hitch on it so I could use it to drag logs and move a horse trailer from time to time.

My thoughts are to cut the two forks shorter by at least a foot. and then having a piece of angle welded between them and probably braced to the back as well. Then deck with treated 2x6's and build a temporary wooden box to fill with lead and concrete. I don't have any metal fabrication skills so I would like to keep the welding work to a minimum as I will have to pay to have it done. but what would you guys suggest for bracing, if any, and any other modifications (maybe some tiedowns on top for my chainsaw and tow chain?).

teg · Feb 15, 2017

Easy to deck it with 2x6's and strap a 55 gallon drum on it. Fill the drum with whatever you want.

View attachment 498931

sdef · Feb 17, 2017

I needed more weight than a 55 gallon drum would provide so am going a similar route you are considering. Goal is to start at 1050 pounds and work up during testing to 1250 pounds, which I think will be my sweet spot with usage vs. loading tractor on a trailer and having that weight on the back while going up the ramps and removing too much weight from the front tires.

mine is based on a donated 3PH pallet lift I modified to carry a 24" x 48" job site tool box that holds 15 cubic feet. I am ready to test by loading 50# bags of concrete up to my specified weights and see how it goes. Once I get to the proper weight, I will remove the concrete bags, seal the box around the 2" receiver cutouts with ribbon epoxy and then pour the mixed concrete. I figure the box will be about half full and leave the rest for carrying other things. I have lots of onboard tractor tube storage so have no further need of that in this weight box.

Texasmark · Feb 17, 2017

I had a bunch of smaller dimensioned, scrap straight steel lying around and an implement bar like used with a Ford N or Massy TO tractor with the Cat 1 pins integrated into it. So I just tack welded a bunch of that onto the implement bar and slid a couple of 50# wheel weights over it and that worked for me. In the past I have built a form and using a piece of #3 rebar bent in a U shape for a lifting device, just filled it with sacrete. Last one I built was 350#. Course concrete is about half the weight of steel so for small size, go with something in solid steel.

mike69440 · Feb 17, 2017

Musdalen said:
S219 has a great thread on http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/owning-operating/374249-my-new-customized-ballast-box.html. His timing is impeccable for me as I have a new tractor on order (JD 3039 with FEL and grapple) and will be needing to make one as well. And I have somewhat similar ideas, but nothing like his fabrication skills - and I'm a cheap bastard.

What I do have is a King Cutter, 3-pt carry all that is rated for 1000 lbs. It looks like this

and it is 36" deep (front to back), and 28" left to right. I too would like to have a receiver hitch on it so I could use it to drag logs and move a horse trailer from time to time.

My thoughts are to cut the two forks shorter by at least a foot. and then having a piece of angle welded between them and probably braced to the back as well. Then deck with treated 2x6's and build a temporary wooden box to fill with lead and concrete. I don't have any metal fabrication skills so I would like to keep the welding work to a minimum as I will have to pay to have it done. but what would you guys suggest for bracing, if any, and any other modifications (maybe some tiedowns on top for my chainsaw and tow chain?).

Note I have a 700 LB counter weight plus the carry all. I bet those tires are supporting 5,000 Lbs in the photo Below!
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/327912-custom-3-point-attachment-2-a.html?highlight=

Musdalen · Feb 18, 2017

Thanks for some of the suggestions guys. I'm hoping to build something fairly compact because I will be using this out in the timber and in tight places around the barn where small is good. I think I'll have a lot of lead in it along with the concrete.

sdef, I also like that chainsaw scabbard. I have been planning on something like that for certain. I'm tired of carrying my saw in my lap while I drive my 8N in the timber. Looks like yours might be made from PVC pipe? How is it connected to your machine?

s219 · Feb 18, 2017

What I might do in this case is build a braced plywood box around the carryall frame (once you have it modified to your taste) and then pour concrete/scrap into the box. Size the box to get the weight/volume you need. I bet this would result in a skinny/tall box that would be compact. Be sure to run some bolts with nuts and washers, or j-anchors, from the frame into the interior of the box before pouring, that way your finished block will be securely attached to the frame. The plywood could be removed after pouring, or just left on (may look better with it on).

Oh, and I think you overestimate my fab skills and underestimate my cheapskate tendencies!! Although I did blow the budget on my box just because I had to buy 20' sticks of the square tube and flat bar. Until I use the leftover pieces on other projects, I am definitely over budget on my weight box.

sdef · Feb 18, 2017

... sdef, I also like that chainsaw scabbard. I have been planning on something like that for certain. I'm tired of carrying my saw in my lap while I drive my 8N in the timber. Looks like yours might be made from PVC pipe? How is it connected to your machine?

Yes, 4" and 6" PVC pipe. Attached with a carriage bolt in two places through the PVC to a square tube framework that is attached to the tractor on the inside and bottom of the square tubing, with the carriage bolts inserted through the inside of the tubes to minimize potential chain saw interference.

If you look carefully between the tubes, you can see the framework- also orange in color. These things work great and mine are always full of chains and various tools. I sized the larger 6" tubes for carrying chain saw bars up to ~ 24" I seem to recall, although mine are 16" and 20". Paint is Binzer primer with Rustoleum finish. I thinned both paints so they would flow smoothly and they came out great. Paint has stayed on the plastic for a tough 2.5 years and 375 hours of work in the woods. Most folks think the tubes are factory installed.

Musdalen · Feb 19, 2017

I dug out the old carry all today and stripped it of the mostly rotten wood box on it. Looks like it will work really well for what I want. I can shorten it up from front to back (some serious hacksaw work). I'll put a bottom deck on it with 4x6 treated timbers and then build a reinforced wooden box that is 15" deep, by 30 wide and 30" tall. Total cubic feet will be about 7.8 cf and at 150#/cu filling it with cement will work out to 1170# plus the weight of the carrier frame. Now I just need to find some steel and mounting hardware to make a receiver hitch.

CADplans · Feb 19, 2017

Musdalen said:
Total cubic feet will be about 7.8 cf and at 150#/cu filling it with cement will work out to 1170# plus the weight of the carrier frame. .

Is this carrier for a Ford 8N,, with a capacity of 800 pounds?

TractorData.com Ford 8N tractor information