Rear Ballast for Loader Work

[Catchthedig]

Generally I've used my 72-inch JD deck mower as rear ballast when doing medium-duty JD950 loader work. It attaches to the 3-pt hitch and I park it in the raised position. But it's awkward to attach/detach when not doing anything else useful. Now my son left behind his boyhood weightlifting equipment, including quite a few 50-lb barbell plates (strong boy!). Is there some way I can bundle these plates so they're easy to attach ? Your suggestions greatly appreciated.

 

[WranglerX]

You can just bolt them to something like this...

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/field-tuff-3-point-trailer-hitch-ftf-013pth-1571208?cid=Shopping-Google-Product-1571208&gclid=CjwKCAjw8-OhBhB5EiwADyoY1aCZjCTp78gTZBhmeR7553e14h2No9eCsJmDhpS6eC55aHAfAkouTBoCh0wQAvD_BwE

 

[Vigo327]

It they are round weight plates they generally have a 1” hole in them, you just need to attach a vertical 3/4-1” round bar to something and stack them up on it.

 

[SmallChange]

You can run that round bar through a hole near the middle of a cross drawbar, and attach it to your top link. Both drawbar and top link end will be rotated 90 degrees to make this work.

 

[MF243RedTop]

Just remember that something attached closer on the lift arms won't have the same counterbalance of your mower that sticks way out behind your tractor . if you're using approximately the same amount of weight..

Some of the best ballast counterweights I've seen is a simple 3pt frame (like the top of a cultivator frame) with a concrete block/slab that's either set there or poured in place..

Here's an image of what I'm describing, once it sets you remove the plywood and you've got an easy 3pt ballast that can be removed easily

 

[WranglerX]

Need ideas?.... Go to GOOGLE IMAGES and use "tractor ballast weight" as search string...

 

[GeneV]

Generally I've used my 72-inch JD deck mower as rear ballast when doing medium-duty JD950 loader work. It attaches to the 3-pt hitch and I park it in the raised position. But it's awkward to attach/detach when not doing anything else useful. Now my son left behind his boyhood weightlifting equipment, including quite a few 50-lb barbell plates (strong boy!). Is there some way I can bundle these plates so they're easy to attach ? Your suggestions greatly appreciated.

Just get a ballast box, put all them barbell weights in it.

 

[oosik]

I have a Rhino rear blade on the 3-point as ballast. It's 1100#. That plus the 1550# of Rim Guard in the rear tires keeps me grounded when I do heavy lifting with the grapple.

 

[LD1]

A "few" 50# weights isnt gonna be near enough in comparison to a 400-500 pound mower deck.

Probably at least 8 plates to equal the mower weight, but it will still be less effective unless you mount those weights a ways back like the mower deck.

 

[dodge man]

I attempted a wooden ballast box. It worked but it was going to fall apart eventually. I also attempted to bolt them to a draw bar, it also worked but not well. Do yourself a favor and get a ballast box. It has more weight in it and I don’t have to keep looking back to see if one of my weights is about to fall off.

 

[Fladogman]

I chose to put my effort and funds into a heavy implement. At least I can use it for other purposes. I'm not sure of the value of a ballast box that only serves one purpose.

 

[sd455dan]

I chose to put my effort and funds into a heavy implement. At least I can use it for other purposes. I'm not sure of the value of a ballast box that only serves one purpose.

Yep, same I have a really heavy 85 inch tiller ~1500lb but usually like to run with an old Gannon Box blade that is a bit over 1000lbs. It tucks in fairly tight and at 76 inches isn't any wider than the rear tires. Also run a full set of 6 1/2 diameter factory weights per rear wheel
Broken a few chains and several 10K rated straps pulling at idle speed.

I had a full set of used weights as well plus some rail road rail.

I do use those on the tandem disc- sure bites in quicker

 

[dodge man]

Some implements aren’t to bad, for example a tiller, it sits fairly close to the machine. A couple things wrong with an implement as ballast, it might not be heavy enough. It also might stick out back a long ways, like a brush hog, and get in the way in tight areas. Also you stand a chance of damaging an implement. Something like a box blade or rear blade, probably not an issue. Something like a brush mower or tiller is back there bouncing around and if you back into something you might damage it.

A heavy hitch is probably the best, it sits closer to the tractor but it also expensive to buy the weights for one.

 

[bdhsfz6]

My brother in law uses this quick hitch on the 3pt of his Kubota BX2380:

3-Point Quick Hitch - 27-3/16 In. Clearance

Amazing deals on this 3-Point Quick Hitch 27-3/16In Clearance at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

He backs up and uses it to grab the bar of an old barbell set with 400# of weights attached. Quick & easy to attach and cost less than $150. It also was a second use for his old weight set.

It isn't much ballast but it's all he needs for the light FEL work he does with the little BX.

 

[SmallChange]

Do yourself a favor and get a ballast box. It has more weight in it and I don’t have to keep looking back to see if one of my weights is about to fall off.

Like Dave says.

In fact, I bought what I am sure is the exact same ballast box that Dave shows in his photo (every little detail matches). I had some big chunks of steel left over from an industrial machine build (and these things were huge, rectangles cut from 3" thick plate). I lowered them into the box and positioned them symmetrically, and then threw in a bunch of old chain and rebar and big messed up bolts and other steel. Then I poured concrete in there, and finally about half an inch of pourable self-leveling concrete (after leveling the box carefully) followed by some FlexSeal rubber so rain couldn't get between the concrete and the box steel. I carefully got it up to 800 lbs total, which is what the box was rated for. I usually store wheel chocks in the shallow tray space left after the pours. And I put a bar across the top, with an eye nut, so I can lift the whole thing with a hoist to mount it.

Now I think of myself as the person who has a perfect ballast box. On that particular small slice of what makes life great, I'm doing ok.

 

[dodge man]

I have a bunch of random stuff in my ballast box, weight lifting weights, old brake rotors and sometimes a couple of suitcase weights.

 

[Vigo327]

He backs up and uses it to grab the bar of an old barbell set with 400# of weights attached. Quick & easy to attach and cost less than $150. It also was a second use for his old weight set.

I get what you're saying but, if you posted a pic of this, i think it would make the rounds of the tractor forums and end up being brought up periodically, forever! It's kind of brilliant in a comical way. Everybody knows about using weight plates.. but what about.. on the bar? And picking it up with a quick hitch? BRILLIANT lol

 

[bdhsfz6]

I get what you're saying but, if you posted a pic of this, i think it would make the rounds of the tractor forums and end up being brought up periodically, forever! It's kind of brilliant in a comical way. Everybody knows about using weight plates.. but what about.. on the bar? And picking it up with a quick hitch? BRILLIANT lol

Here's a pic of a similar setup except using concrete disks instead of barbell weights:

 

[tacticalturnip]

Here's a pic of a similar setup except using concrete disks instead of barbell weights:

View attachment 796579

I want to roll my lawn with it.

 

[Vigo327]

Wow, i like that one too.. I could come up with a form for that pretty dang easily. I just love the idea of picking it up and putting it down so easily. I mean, a ballast box can be quick hitch compatible too but with these ideas you just need two bars out the ends, roughly in plane and parallel, which is even easier than fabbing the 3 mounts for real 3pt engagement and then making sure the thing actually sits correctly on the ground when you unhook. You can put features on one of those to stop it from actually rolling away but it doesn't matter what angle it sits at for you to pick it up.