Rim guard or not? Why a ballast box instead of boxblade?

[jedjoe]

'nuff said! I would MUCH prefer a bit of rutting to a toppled tractor (with a driver under it)....Even in Kansas and Iowa there are slopes that can get you into serious trouble...

 

[hognuts1960]

Ballast barrel here. Just some of the same reasons as given by others. Much easier to maneuver in my mostly wooded acreage. It also carries all of my hand implements in the 2 inch PVC tubes as well as several chains. Also has a 2 inch receiver on the back, and hooks on the sides for carrying things. But I can see the other side of using an implement on the back for weight. it is a useful thing on the tractor when you need it. But my rotary cutter sticks out far to much to use at my place. If I had open ground, that might be a different story.

Methanol mix in the tires, as I often need the extra weight for traction when using my rear blade to get up and down the hills and pull the blade. I would not be without the liquid in the tires. But each to their own and depending on what they do with their tractor. There is no best. There is only best for you and what you do. I have found MY best, but that might not be the greatest idea for your operation.

Could you post a picture please.

 

[WilliamBos]

Forget liquid ballast, bolt on cast iron wheel weights.

 

[bud70706]

I see a lot of people buying 3 point ballast boxes or making ballast containers out of drums to attach to their 3 point hitch.

I have never really grasped why not just keep a box blade on the back so you could have not just a weight, but something that can be used should you wish to drag something? I have seen some weld a section of railroad rail onto the top of a box blade to make it heavier.

Also, rimguard is something I have considered, but I am also not sure about this because it seems I can do everything I need to do without rimguard and it will just increase the amount of weight when I trailer the tractor or perhaps increase ruts when on soft lawns.. I have thought rimguard would be good when using my ditch bank flail mower, but so far, I haven't found myself in any situation I would consider to have been tippy.

So, is there anyone here that added rimguard to their tires and regretted it?

I use my Woodland Mills stump grinder. It's compact and I've never needed more ballast

 

[4570Man]

8 foot box blade usually does a good job if your tractor can handle it. If your loader has enough power to pickup rear of tractor with 8 ft box blade you may be overloading your front axle on a four wheel drive tractor. 8 ft box blade with loaded rear tires offsets front loader NH621 on Workmaster 50. When the rear wheels loose traction you are stressing equipment, as well as operator to the limit.
Eample: Forks loaded to maximum and going down a hill. You find out what your front axle is made of plus how much your britches will hold. You will only do that once in your life.

Most box blades are kinda dinky. If you had a commercial quality blade that weighed 2000 pounds it might be sufficient on it’s own without further ballast but most box blades aren’t that beefy. I wouldn’t want an 8’ box blade behind a compact tractor either. It would be ok for some stuff but it would stick off so far it would be a severe nuisance to just leave on.

 

[4570Man]

My BB weighs 1100-1200 lbs. I have 1500 lbs of rear tire fluid. I'm guessing the BB hanging off the 3pt adds more weight than the fluid. But I'm not going to take the time to mathematically prove it.

With that narrow of a difference in weight and percentage wise a fairly considerable difference in the pivot points I’m sure the box blade by itself would be more effective than the fluid by itself. Obviously using both at the same time is the best solution.

 

[ovrszd]

Forget liquid ballast, bolt on cast iron wheel weights.

I've got 1,500lbs of liquid weight at .15 cents per pound. $220.

What does an iron wheel weight cost per pound? Around here it's $1 per pound. So 1,500lb of cast iron wheel weights would have cost me $1,500.

 

[Tony H]

Although loading tires does take the strain off of the axle bearings and put weight right at the tires, Not a fan of weighting tires. Gooping up the rims, bothers me. A weight box gives you the benefit of a lot of weight close to the tires. Yes the fulcrum idea makes sense when lifting heavy weight on the FEL. It takes strain off the front axle bearings. But it works against you when snow plowing. Putting permanent weight on a box will hurt when using the box blade for its intended use. Too much weight= Digging in.

 

[k0ua]

Ok. lets see what I can com up with for pictures as requested.

 

[ovrszd]

Ok. lets see what I can com up with for pictures as requested.

View attachment 726772View attachment 726773View attachment 726774View attachment 726776

Who's that old man you got workin for ya????

 

[Jstpssng]

Forget liquid ballast, bolt on cast iron wheel weights.

I did, and still plan to load them when I get new tires.

 

[beenthere]

I agree, but I also agree with the OP regarding a ballast box. I have never understood why attach a ballast box instead of a useful implement. I use an implement and filled tires for ballast.

Each to their own, but a ballast box for me has less space allowing maneuvering and also has room for hauling chains, clevises, some tools, etc.
Being on a quick hitch, can be dropped quickly to exchange out for a set of forks, back blade, carry-all, chipper, rotary mower, turbo saw, and the list goes on and on.
Non of these attachments I would want hanging on my 3 ph just for a bit of weight.

But some users don't move about in the woods or in and out of buildings to get their work done.

 

[WilliamBos]

I did, and still plan to load them when I get new tires.

Make sure you check the axle ratings of your tractor, you dont want to overload it.

 

[Golden Rocket]

I added liquid (W/S/W Fluid -40C rated) this past year as I had encountered a few rather tippy situations even though I had a Flail mower on the 3 pt. The only issue I have with the added weight is yes, if I am operating on softer soil (pretty hard to avoid this year due to rain) it does tend to mark up but that just means I shouldn't be there yet anyway, wait for it to dry or freeze. This year I also built myself a heavy hitch inspired weight bar and hitch configuration. This is so advantageous in the spring and winter (flail is stored) for the tighter turning conditions I typically encounter around the wood yard area. Once I am into the mowing season, on goes the flail and stays there until pretty much snow season. I also run cast weights on the wheels - my total weight is approx 3600 lbs - it is less of a bothersome sum because of the increased stability for the ton of grapple work I do (not just moving brush - a ton of pulling out brush and root as well)
From my personal experience, there can be no such thing as too much weight, but you can all too easily have insufficient ballast and find yourself in a bad spot. Cheers

 

[LouNY]

1200# of cast iron and no liquid in my tires, I am considering a bit more but she is pretty stable as it is.
Any one that wants it is welcome to load their tires, mine are not and will not be.
Over the years I have had flats with filled tires no more for me.

 

[MossyDell]

I have a Heavy Hitch with about 250lbs of suitcase weights, so ~300lbs total, and since it functions as a hitch I guess it's a degree more functional than a ballast box. To remove it I can easily lift each suitcase weight off and then the hitch itself, so that's handy. The HH wasn't cheap, but it does seem to be made very well, and as you mentioned it's compact - good counterweight and I almost forget it's back there.

I recently got a heavy duty Heavy Hitch stand for my hitch. Unless you are able to unload the weights as Pleease suggests, when removed the loaded hitch is unsteady even with weights on inner and outer racks. I have grandkids around. And my homemade 2x4 stand was inadequate.

It seems like yesterday I was taking off and putting on 70 lb weights. Now my 41 lb weights are a trial. Well, I can take them off and put them on fine but the next day I'm likely to be in pain. I've about worn out my back.

One advantage I can see with a weight box is greater stability when it's off the tractor. Some, I've noticed taper at the bottom, however. Probably still less likely to fall over than a Heavy Hitch, but I'd be cautious.

 

[WilliamBos]

1200# of cast iron and no liquid in my tires, I am considering a bit more but she is pretty stable as it is.
Any one that wants it is welcome to load their tires, mine are not and will not be.
Over the years I have had flats with filled tires no more for me.

No weight here, nor are tires loaded. The 1635 seems to do the job nicely, especially on new R1 Tires.

 

[jyoutz]

Make sure you check the axle ratings of your tractor, you dont want to overload it.

Keep in mind that liquid weight mostly is supported by the ground and not the axle. That’s what is different about loaded tires.

 

[jyoutz]

No weight here, nor are tires loaded. The 1635 seems to do the job nicely, especially on new R1 Tires.

But you cannot safely lift the full weight capacity of your FEL without counterweight.

 

[Jstpssng]

I've got 1,500lbs of liquid weight at .15 cents per pound. $220.

What does an iron wheel weight cost per pound? Around here it's $1 per pound. So 1,500lb of cast iron wheel weights would have cost me $1,500.

That's about what I paid from my Kubota dealer and I looked a long time for wheel weights. If I had to do it over again I would go to EA and buy 1000 lbs... more than I need but I doubt I would have problems selling the excess. I also would not buy a bolt kit... all that it consisted of was some long, overpriced carriage bolts and I only used 1/2 of them.

Edit; I just checked EA's website and weights are up over 1400$ for 1035lbs.

Last summer I had my bush hog on and had a couple loads of gravel delivered. I had some minor health issues which prevented me from switching implements so tried to level it as it was. As I went up on the pile it bashed the mower onto the ground... I still haven't checked to see if I damaged it. I'll stick with my winch for weight.