Ballast What are tractor weights made of?

Mosey · Nov 10, 2003

I have the factory New Holland tractor weights on my TC29D. They weigh about 30lbs each (not very big, about 12" long, 6" wide and 4" thick, sort of oval shaped). I have to take them off to mount the FEL and then I put them back on when I take the FEL off. They hang on the front and there's a bolt and nut to keep them from bouncing off. To make it easier, I'd like to weld the nuts to the weights, so I can take them on and off with just one wrench and not have to hold the nut in place each time.

So, what I'm getting at: Are these weights made of cast iron or weldable steel? Can I weld the nuts to these weights with an arc welder? I don't have a Mig welder. I have a set of torches and know how to braze, so what about brazing them on?

chim · Nov 10, 2003

I believe they are cast iron. You may find it easier to either find large square nuts that prevent themselves from turning, or welding tabs to the existing nuts to serve the same purpose. If something happened to the threads, it would be more difficult to deal with nuts fastened to the weights...............chim

Soundguy · Nov 10, 2003

I agree.. I think they are cast iron... I would try liek the other guy said.. a nut that had a keeper, or some sort of washer headed nut, that had striations on the contact area.. sort of like a built in lockwasher.

On the flipside, as the bolts don't have to carry the weight.. just prevent them from falling off, how about carriage bolts with thumb screw nuts..?

Soundguy

tc35dforme · Nov 10, 2003

Would some sort of lynch pin thingy work?? You could probably drill a bolt and put a hairpin clip through it.

I do wonder though why the manufacturer used a bolt and a nut instead of a pin...

Soundguy · Nov 10, 2003

Nice idea... Drill the bolt and use the clip.. or even use a premade pin that takes the hairclips.. or the real small lynch pins.. perhaps even onve with a chain so you can't loose it. That and a large flat washer behind the clip would be a great idea..

Soundguy

hazmat · Nov 10, 2003

Sight unseen, If I had to bet, it would be for cast iron. I like the pin/clip idea.

Mrwurm · Nov 10, 2003

Yep, I drilled a hole in the end of a long bolt and made my own pin to hold the front end weights on my old John Deere. No tools were needed to remove the weights.

PineRidge · Nov 10, 2003

Mosey if you are dead set on permanetely fixing the nuts to the cast iron they can indeed be brazed. Or you might use JB Weld epoxy. They fix cracks in engine blocks with the stuff. You can get a small tube of it at Home Depot. Warning: DON'T get it on the threads or you will have permanent weights on the front of your rig otherwise you will quickly learn how to use a cutting torch. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

dieselsmoke1 · Nov 10, 2003

Speaking from experience, I'll offer this advise:

I'm a little leary of the lynch pin concept. I think the purpose of the weight bolts are to not only keep the weights from falling off, but also to secure them tightly to prevent them from rattling till they self destruct. Not sure how your weights are made, however if they hang in a slot over a flat bracket, those little cast iron tabs on the back will break off if they're shaken long and hard enough.

Mosey · Nov 11, 2003

Thanks for all the responses. I'll have to ponder it for a while, since I hadn't thought of the rattling issue. I already have rattles in the pins that hold the ROPS in place, so I don't need any more rattles.

RobS · Nov 11, 2003

Danny, I recently got some front weights for my JD and they are retained by a rod with hairclip pins at each end. Keeps them from bouncing out but they are free to swing a bit. Weights are cast iron and I cannot imagine them being damaged by this little bit of bumping around. Putting them on and taking them off couldn't be easier /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Soundguy · Nov 11, 2003

Heck.. if they rattly a little.. fish a bungie cord through the top handle hole ( if available.. and then attatch each side to something solid... should act like a shock absorber... but I agree with the sturdiness of these weights...

I have some NH suitcase weights on my disc.... chained on... that disc moves like a rollerderby.. I spare it no insults... and the weights are about 4 years old now... no signs of distress yet...

Soundguy

dieselsmoke1 · Nov 11, 2003

( Weights are cast iron and I cannot imagine them being damaged by this little bit of bumping around. )

Neither could I till the rear hanging tab broke off on one of my cast iron MF front bumper weights.

Soundguy · Nov 12, 2003

( one of my cast iron MF front bumper weights )

Ahh.. well there is your problem.. a MF weight.. not beefy like those ford weights /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

Soundguy

Taylortractornut · Nov 12, 2003

I had to drill some for a friends old ford. He wanted them like dads yanmars is set up so we went to town drilling. The thing I like about cast parts is all the ******* metals in them. Watever was in the center of the last one we drilled when they were melting the iron must have been tool steel or a good set of valves be cause it stopped a highspeed steel bit. I went to y sacred tools drawer and got out Mister Carbide tipped drill. It was slow going but we drilled past the hard part.

dieselsmoke1 · Nov 12, 2003

( ( one of my cast iron MF front bumper weights )

Ahh.. well there is your problem.. a MF weight.. not beefy like those ford weights /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

Soundguy )

Maybe you're right, or maybe the the blue paint just can't shake em as hard /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

paulBurns · Nov 13, 2003

I would have to agree with Diesel Smoke 1 .I can show you a pile of front weights that the tab is broken off. They are old weights from MF, International and others. They must take a beating.
ON my Yanmar I have two of the factory weights with just open slots. I then took a large 90 lb lead weight and wedged it between them and secured it with a couple of the rubber bungie cords. It looks sorta crude but works good.

Soundguy · Nov 13, 2003

As a fair wager... I'd put a NH 1920 up against any other modern tractor of its hp... I've not universalyy impressed with blue ( or red and grey )..but they did have some good products, and the 1920 and the 2120 were IMHO the better ones..... besides.. the weights are mounted on my disc... which sees lots and lots of bumps and vibrations.. etc. Also.. these NH weights are 50# and 50$ each.. perhaps made better/heavier in the area that the MF ones break...

Soundguy

dieselsmoke1 · Nov 13, 2003

Paint War ?? Oh Goody!!!

Relax Soundguy, I've got no axe to gring on Blue....fine equipment, just like many others.

I guess my point is that cast iron is inherintly brittle. Put a LITTLE stress or impact on it that has not been designed in and bad things will happen sometimes.

Got my first real life OH MY GOD lesson in this with a PTO powered irrigation pump gearbox many years ago. The broken front weight was just a reminder.

rambler · Nov 24, 2003

I won't say they still do, but i'd guess things haven't cchanged much. Tractor weights were generally made from the iron that didn't melt down well into good reusable ingots. It's really crude cast iron, with lots of impurities. after all, it's just weight, doesn't need any structure or holding properties. Like taylortractornut when he drilled it & hit all kinds of different properties. Back in the '80s when scrap iron was worth something, they still didn't take old wire. we had miles of old woven sitting in balls in the grove. they finally took it for free, said a place had figured out a way to swish old wire down & melt it into weights. We were happy to get rid of it.

--->Paul