Suitcase weight bolts?

[ruren]

I just picked up three of the Kubota suitcase weights for the front of my B3030. They have a slot in the back and the frame crossmember has holes that the manual says to use to bolt the weights in place. After hanging them on the front of the frame it doesn't seem like they would come off accidentally. I'm looking for thoughts from those with experience with them if the bolts are necessary or are they just there for the lawyers to prevent liability should the 55 pound weights jump off? I'm not against finding bolts to fit and getting under there to bolt them on if they serve a purpose, but it would be easier to remove these when I put the snowblower back on in the fall without the bolts.

 

[corey9212]

The bolts are only there in my opinion to keep the weights from bouncing around and moving from side to side. I used to bolt mine down at first but I put them on and remove them so often that I just put them on without bolting them. They have never fallen off but do rattle and move side to side a lot.

 

[chim]

I'm not familiar with the Kubota weights, bit do have a Ford with them. Mine just hook on a bumper on the front and have a slot in the weight for a large square nut. The bolt enters through the bumper from the back side. I did have one bounce off when the nut and bolt came apart on one of them. That weight was propped against the shed for a few years and just recently reinstalled when I stumbled upon a big box of large square nuts in a skid of misc. junk at work.

 

[savageactor7]

Never bolted ours but we're always on level land. I suppose if your crossing hard ball road at top speed and hit a pot hole they could generate enough force to pop off.

 

[sixdogs]

I bolted them down once but later saw no need for it and haven't bolted thm down in 20 years. Maybe if you travel the highway or never took tem off?

 

[ruren]

Thanks for the responses. I will try them without the bolts for a bit and add them if the weights rattle around too much.