Ballast Safe weights????

[elbmas]

I am looking for the most realistic and safest way to balance my NH TC29D. Too many options out there and very confusing. Ballast box, weight bar, wheel weights...... They all seem to make sense to me, so I am looking for others opinions. Thanks

Elb /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[dliston]

I went with filled tires, rears hold about 600 pounds each, fronts are filled too, but I can't remember how much they hold.

I might consider wheel weights, but I don't think you can add that much weight with wheel weights alone. The problem that I see with a weight box is that it ties up your 3pt. can't have the box blade on at the same time.

The box blade, BTW, is an excellent weight addition that you get some actual usage out of - I have mine on most of the time when I'm using the FEL.

Doug

 

[markie61]

Filled tires: Rimguard (beet juice), <font color="blue"> antifreeze windshield washer fluid (alcohol based)</font> , calcium chloride with water, just plain water in warmer climates

Wheel weights: factory, homemade, and <font color="blue"> EZWeights($37 adapters with locally sourced plate weights)</font>

Implements: weight bar, ballast box, homemade counterweight, <font color="blue"> various implements (like chipper, mower, boxblade, etc), loader frame and bucket (sometimes full of dirt)</font>

I personally use the ones in blue. The amount of weight I add depends on what I am moving, how much manuvering-room I have, whether I care about tire tracks or not, etc.

Mark

 

[JerryG]

My wheel weight brackets.

 

[rambler]

(I am assuming you have a loader thus the need for weight in the rear, not the front.)

Put fluid in the rear tires. I much prefer Calcium cloride or rim guard - the other options are a toxic hazzard & are lighter than water - if you want weight, get weight with a real ballast. This will be there, all the time, to keep your tractor grounded.

When doing real loader work, hang something on the back of the tractor. A ballast box is best, small & heavy & out of the way. You can use any of your implements, and if you happen to have something on at the time leave it there. But I tend to work in tight areas & don't like the bigger implements back there in the way....

This combo will be the mostest safestest.

The liquid is real low, always there, offering you good stability.

The weight on the 3pt is behind the rear axle, which actually removes a bit of weight from your (heavily stressed) from axle. Acts like a teeter totter to shift weight back to the rear axle, every lb on the 3pt & behind it is worth a bit more than a lb.

This is far & away the best combo.

If you can't stand fluid in the tires, wheel weights work too.

I bought my used compact with loader, it had no weight on the rear. That lasted 6 months, I couldn't take it any more (I'm used to bigger ag tractors...) and got the coop out, got the rear tires filled (75-80% full is filled....). That made it a _much much_ better tractor, I can use it now!!!! I got on of those $75 carry all 3pt brackets from the farm supply store, bolted 2x8s across the bottom, got an ag tractor front rock box at auction for $15 (this is sort of like a metal weight box, but has 2 holes to bolt to the front of a big tractor) and bolted it to the carry all. Fill it with rocks, and I'm all set.

The liquid keeps that tractor nice & stable for general use, and the weight box makes it sure-footed for heavy loader use.

I could not handle driving that tractor without any weight on it. And I'm used to steep hills on my farm, up in tall tractors. But the compact without weight, it was too shakey! don't know how some of you folks can deal with it....

--->Paul