Top link options for ballast barrel

[Fastball]

Hello all...
Just trying to get a ballast barrel project going here. I have a 50 gal plastic barrel, a drawbar, scrap iron, cement and rocks.. What I DON探 have is a welder, nor access to one. What I壇 like to get are options for attaching something to the drawbar inside the barrel that can go up and be attached to the top link WITHOUT any welding. I see tons of great and creative ideas here that all include the phrase 殿nd just welded a piece of.. in the description. I can bolt, screw, nail, tie and glue. I can wrap with wire, string, zip ties and baling twine. ****, I even have an office stapler.
Suggestions, please? Pics?

 

[flingwing1969]

I suppose you could get a piece of round stock long enough to go through your barrel, side to side. Grind off the edges and drill for ouch-clips for your lift arms to go into - also drill a couple of holes in the middle section to put bolts through so that the stock won't turn on you after you pour the concrete. Get some flat stock long enough to go deep into the barrel and drilled to take the top link pin - bend the flat stock on the bottom so that it won't move around easily in the concrete. Position the rod and the flat stock, check that it all lines up with the TL and lift arms. Pour your concrete and give it a shot.

 

[flingwing1969]

Here is kind of what I was thinking.

 

[rgr33]

The illustration by flingwing is exactly what I did, although I used Drawbar for the bottom piece, as I had an extra one in the barn, and I bolted some square tubing below the top of the cement for a spacer on the top piece.Not sure that the spacer was really necessary, but once you pour the cement, you can’t go back and re do it.
Has worked well for several years, though not the prettiest ballast compared to others I’ve seen.

 

[Ford850]

First, here's a thread that has some good ideas, including how I made mine without a welder. http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/130192-55-gal-rear-weight.html
I liked the idea of getting it tucked in close to the rear of the tractor. But if doing it again, I might just get a carryall frame from Rural King or TSC, and add a small wood deck out of 2x8's. Then set the barrel on it and hold it in place with a couple ratchet straps.

 

[Fastball]

Was wandering around the hardware store today, thinking of ideas. I saw some all-thread, maybe 5/8”. I figured I could slide the drawbar horizontally through the barrel about 12-15 inches from the bottom. Then I could take the all-thread, slide it through the holes of the bar with a couple of washers, and then tighten nuts onto the rod to hold it in place. I could then thread on a coupling nut and a matching diameter eyebolt that can accept the 3/4” top link pin. Would a threaded rod of 5/8” diameter be sufficient...or should go thicker?
I dropped in to our local garage, who had no problem with me scrounging through a pile of old brake rotors, pads and drums to make up some weight. I’m assuming steel is heavier than cement, per volume.

 

[Msamt]

I bolted two end stays from TSC onto a TSC drawbar, no welder. I did dork up the angle and bent up a few top links on the lip of the barrel, but eventually welded some extensions on (after I got a welder).

 

[flingwing1969]

Yup. Looks good. Use whatcha got. Or whatcha can get cheap.

 

[Wolfy]

I made a ballast weight a long time ago. I had a old John Deere 3pt rotary tiller that was just shot. So I cut off the top frame and used that for the concrete block. If I could do it over, I would have placed a 4" pipe in the concrete and slid the bottom drawbar through it. Would make hooking up the block 10X easier.