That thing looks about as handy as a pocket on a shirt. Enjoy, John!!
"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"
If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1) And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1) Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT? PB answer: It depends.
Probably not going to hear much out of him till he gets the new worn off the tractor.
He has a new toy to play with!
When I bought my old farmall, I spent days riding, plowing, discing. Etc. I was like a kid in a candy store. I got it out on our gravel road and the wife clocked me at 17 miles an hour. That's a fun ride on a gravel road.
Don't know. That blade hangs way out there, and weighs about 200 pounds. The weight box I'm looking at weighs 132 pounds empty. If I use rocks for ballast, I suppose I could get it up to 350-400 pounds. The box has a sliding front plate for loading ballast. Any suggestions for easily removable and heavy ballast would be welcome.
Last edited by John F; 02/24/1708:55 PM. Reason: corrected blade weight
I am a fan of calcium chloride in the rear tires for ballast. No loading, unloading, or attaching needed. A grader box on the back does help with dirt work though.
I also favor liquid ballast, but after replacing both rear rims on the 801 due to being eaten up by the calcium chloride, I would use beet juice, washer fluid, something not as corrosive.
"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"
If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1) And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1) Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT? PB answer: It depends.
Don't know. That blade hangs way out there, and weighs about 200 pounds. The weight box I'm looking at weighs 132 pounds empty. If I use rocks for ballast, I suppose I could get it up to 350-400 pounds. The box has a sliding front plate for loading ballast. Any suggestions for easily removable and heavy ballast would be welcome.
If you want the most weight cast iron or steel. If you can find some cast you know is scrap it can go in with rocks or concrete. The two I built we just filled with concrete but we built them reasonably large compared to the boughten ones I see. The one boughten one I have I just filled it with crushed rocks with fines then put a 4" concrete cap to make the top flat and solid. If for some reason you want to load/unload it things become more complicated. If I wanted removable weights I would probably go to a tractor salvage and build me a 3pt rack to hold whatever front tractor weights were the cheapest I could buy. Salvage yards have piles of oddball weights along with the ones they can actually sell.
I don't hardly ever use the weight boxes any more because most of my work is now out in the open. A box blade sits on the back anytime no other implement is used and they sit pretty compact on the back. Welded a receiver hitch on the back of it so I can move non-heavy trailers without unhooking the box blade.
As far as fluid, we have went exclusively to windshield washer fluid. I think we pay 50 cents a gallon in 55's from our oil distributer. Back in the old days when our row crop tractors with skinny tires needed all the help they could get, we used a calcium chloride solution for significant added weight (much heavier than plain water). But invariably at some point in the tractors life a leak or seep would occour and there goes your rim. Very corrosive stuff and now fewer and fewer tire dealers want to mess with the stuff. This last spring we had to replace all 4 rims on a Cat IT28 articulated loader because the previous owner had filled all 4 tires with calcium chloride and all 4 of the split rims were no longer safe to use because of rust. You have to keep the fill at 75% or more to keep the insides of rims from rusting also. With todays large tractors and fat tires and duals we just figure the ballast needed and have our tire dealer pump that amount of washer fluid in each inner tire. Or in the case of loader tractors, just the rear singles. We do not have fluid in all tractors, just the ones that had inadequate cast weighting. If a person is far enough south where the tires will not freeze, ordinary water will work.
Fluid in tires does complicate fixing flat tires so it is not an entirely best way to go. But it is one option, and it does keep the center of gravity low for loader tractors. Cast iron weights are not cheap any more.
If you want to see some cast iron weights on tractors these are the two latest tractors I have purchased. Front, side, top and rear depending on the tractor.
Versy 500 rack of cast iron weights behind cab and another above rear axle
JD 9630T rack of weights front and full rack on each side. No front idler weights though.
I like fluid because it's not tractor supported weight. Less wear and tear if the tractor isn't holding it up, like a weight box. Puts the weight right on the tire/ground.
"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"
If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1) And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1) Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT? PB answer: It depends.
Fluid and a pair of cast iron center wheel weights each side made my JD3038E tractor feel much more stable on the pond dam than when I first got it. I was kind of goosey on it before the weighting. Hard to beat that portion of the weight that is right down at the ground for low center of gravity stability.
These little utility tractors have a pretty narrow tread and are not the best thing for sidehill stability. I usually use my Bad Boy Outlaw QP zero turn mower for the pond dam, although I have mowed it with the 3038 and rear finish mower as well as a 15' flex wing mower behind the 5083E. The latter is a really rouh cut. The 5083E I have the adjustable rear wheels set all the way out, plus cast iron weihts plus fluid so it is pretty stable. The 3038E is probably the least stable of any of the above, but adequate.
Moved some fallen trees this morning and glad to have wheel ballast, especially rolling a 30+" diameter, 30+' long ash tree with the root ball attached to relieve stress for cutting up as firewood. I did not expect to budge it, but chains and careful planning got'er done. My link repair on one of the chains is not holding though.
Too bad we're not neighbors, RAH. When we re-cable elevators we end up with several hundred feet of used, but still serviceable cables. The 3/8 and 1/2 sizes are awesome for pulling logs/trees.
"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"
If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1) And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1) Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT? PB answer: It depends.
I have a very capable tractor mechanic that also works at home and is an excellent welder. I'll ask him how he repairs log chains. I think we would get along pretty good as neighbors based on you posts. May not agree on everything, but that would be boring! If you are ever heading north, be sure to drop me a PM and come visit.
John, set you up a spot dedicated to parking that weight box. Three point weights work well, but they are a pain in the butt for those who swap out attachments often. Having a spot with a hard surface to set the thing down on will ease hooking/unhooking chores.
"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"
If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1) And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1) Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT? PB answer: It depends.
I would agree with that sprkplug. If on ground that turns soft after a rain and they fall over, it will take the loader and a chain to upright.
Something I never did to my weight boxes, but still think is a good idea, is to get a stout piece of drawbar material and make a hitch on the back. Or better yet a long weld on receiver tube. It would need to be tied in to the 3pt so it would not just not rip the back plate off. Now a person would need to use some judgement in its use and not overload it or do something stupid. But it is surprising how many times a person needs to move a light trailer or log splitter or whatever but doesn't want to have to hook and un hook the weight box. If a person filled it up above this drawbar with concrete (even if he left the top open as a caryall box) it would stiffen up the light gauge box so it should be ok.
What brought this idea up was my forever hooking and unhooking my box blade for that very reason. Maybe I only wanted to move my log splitter, or paddle boat trailer or two wheel trailer to mow around. I use my box blade as my rear counterweight. Once I welded a 2"receiver hitch recepticle to the box blade, I rarely have to remove it to do light duty trailer moving. Plus the 3pt is hydraulic up down so I rarely even need to touch the screw jack on any trailer. Handy as a pocket on a shirt. Keep a receiver stub with a hole and one with a ball around handy. Also welded a chain grab hook to the top of the receiver, so if I need to drag a limb or something with a chain I can adjust the length right there at the hooking point.
Every loader bucket I have also has two chain grab hooks welded right on the bucket at the point of the upper quick tach points where the bucket is stoutest and all the pull comes from. Would not own a loader bucket without grab hooks on it. Chain lifting length adjustment and lift point right where you need it. Not osha approved so don't do somethign stupid though. Makes hauling long logs or limbs easy. Use to pull fence posts, etc. Lift up weight boxes that have fallen over.