Tractor kicked my butt today! Need help and advice - with pics!

[square1]

Have you considered laying the weight flat on the ground and flipping the tractor over on top of it?

 

[woodchipper]

You may want to put your weight back on the ground, and flip it with the bolts facing up. Then thread a nut in each bolt/stud, Then take a hand grinder and "charpen" the ends of each bolt to a good taper. Remove the nuts, so they will make the thread good again. Before lifting the weight back up, bring the tractor wheel closer, as when you lift the weight again, the studs will be in contact with the face of the rim. Use a Hydraulic bottle jack to lift that wheel just enough so it will spin freely. This also puts the face of the rim at an angle, so you can easily have the lower bolt in place (6 o'cklok). Put the nut on at least three full threads. Raise the weight a tad more and turn the wheel as necessary. The use of some 2x4s and a peice of plywood may prove handy so not to damage the wheel when attempting to raise the weight of the ground, as it will bounce against the tire and rim.
Hope that helps!

 

[GPintheMitten]

12 o'clock first because the weight is angled in at the top the way it is being lifted.

 

[mjarrels]

Call your local government for help?

mark

 

[FTG-05]

I certainly don't envy you having to wrestle that weight onto your tractor's rim. I think you might have the best luck handling it if you make up a hook similar to one that BHD linked to and built it to ensure the top arm clears the top of the fender so it will lift it evenly. Get the tractor as close as possible, jack the wheel up, align the holes to the studs and then work the weight over. Maybe have something like rope blocks or comealong to pull on the cable lifting it just to have better control of it in the in/out direction.

That being said, you would have had a LOT easier time getting it bolted up if you had installed lengths of 3/4 pipes where you installed the bolts. Hindsight is always 20/20. Oh well. Then you could have temporarily used a long length or two of all thread to get the weight lined up and sucked into the rim where you could have installed the permanent bolts. Six 5/8" grade 8 bolts are overkill too. For that weight three grade 5 bolts would be way more than adequate.

Good, I like overkill.

The next attempt will be even easier than the pics you and Xfaxman showed: I plan to make a simple tool that will fit into my shop lift, so other than lining that tool with my existing lifting tool will be the only time I'll have to wrestle with it. Once I can lift it with the shop lift, I can rotate the shop lift arm, lift either the arm or the tractor or both and swing it into place. The tractor wheel will be elevated so it can rotate, should be able to line it up and slide it right in. That's Plan B in any event. Gotta finish up the shooting bench first though.

ETA for another comment: I looked at a bunch of "concrete wheel weight" threads and pics all over the net before starting mine. One thing I rejected early on: Grade 2 POC threaded rod. I *knew* that welding/casting my Grade 8 bolts would be a PIA to install, I just didn't know how much of a PIA - with my current install procedure. With the ideas posted here, I think I can overcome this one-time PIA install issue. Once it's installed, I won't care, the +260 lbs - per wheel - will work to keep me alive and tractoring-on!

 

[FTG-05]

Have you considered laying the weight flat on the ground and flipping the tractor over on top of it?

Yes, actually I have. But I don't think the deer pole will take that much weight.....

 

[GPintheMitten]

I'm glad you haven't given up completely. But I'm also glad you are going to recast the weights. Good thread
Got us all thinking. And it will help the next guy who casts concrete weights.

 

[FTG-05]

I'm glad you haven't given up completely. But I'm also glad you are going to recast the weights. Good thread
Got us all thinking. And it will help the next guy who casts concrete weights.

I'm not planning on recasting any weights, I don't know how you got that impression.

I do have to cast the other side wheel weight. I did one at a time on purpose: to learn.

But this wheel weight that I have right now, will be installed, one way or another. There is no recasting this one, it's being used, period.

 

[GPintheMitten]

I'm not planning on recasting any weights, I don't know how you got that impression.

I do have to cast the other side wheel weight. I did one at a time on purpose: to learn.

But this wheel weight that I have right now, will be installed, one way or another. There is no recasting this one, it's being used, period.

Oh. Ok. Sounds good.

 

[winniedog]

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