3PTH Ballast Box

[ranger4327]

Looking to make a 3PTH ballast box for my L3800. I am thinking of using cement in some sort of form, with the 3pth encased in it. Whats the cheapest way to accomplish this? Anyone have any ideas? Thoughts, pictures?

I am thinking of purchasing some sort of 3pth, building a form of some sort, and encasing it in cement....

was looking at Northern Tools at

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200315619_200315619

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200342832_200342832


and pouring cement around them in a form....will it work?

thanks !!!

 

[Kytim]

As far as the cheapest form material I can think of is a small steel drum like grease comes in. Or i saw one that someone had a short piece of plastic corrugated drain culvert. you could use the cardboard rediforms for pouring concrete columns and piers. braced up correctly a plywood box would be just fine and could be left on after curing too.

I'm sure there are many other great ideas out there.

 

[ranger4327]

Thanks Kytim.... I think I am good to go for the cement form, but any thoughts on the Draw bar and stabilizer in the links above from Northern Tool ? Just wondering if they would be rugged enuff for the weight of the cement.... Or should something else be better ?

I was just going to build a wooden form or use a plastic barrell kinda like you mentioned !!

 

[Stumpy]

I'd be worried about the cement cracking about the draw bar. That thing will have to endure a lot of jolting. I'd rather have it encased.

This is what Kytim is talking about. Might Dodge has pictures of his on page 2.

That thread has a lot of different options. Personally I'd go with a 55gal or 30 gal drum and weld the draw bar to it. I've seen something similar done with a metal trashcan which was then used as a ballast\salt bucket.

 

[moderatmixed]

Kubota makes a metal box. I started down the same path as you, but by the time I priced the metal, considered the time to weld a three point hitch, etc I decided that the $200 was an acceptable price to pay. I filled it with concrete from Home Depot. I tilted the box by placing the rear on a 2x4 so when dry, the concrete top would slope from front to rear and any water would drain to the back of the box. Lastly I drilled 2 drain holes in the box to allow any water to drain off. The total weight is 480 lbs with concrete and some scrap metal that I through in to provide some structure. Too I added 2"U" bolts so as to provide lifting points. Some times it is just worth paying the price. The box has worked beautifully.

 

[pat331]

Here is my counter weight. I haven't weighed it, but guess it weighs in at 800 to 900 lbs. I made it for at least 6 years ago and it shows no signs of cracking. I put a ball on the back to move trailers if needed. Please post pictures of your creation. Good Luck!

 

[Stumpy]

Filled to the top!? Jeese the front tires must float with nothing in the bucket! I surprised it can lift that thing.

Correction, 55 gallons of concrete is a max of 500lbs or less depending on density. Fill'er up!

Correction to the correction, that number above is actually in kilograms. 500kg=1100lbs

 

[Eric McCarthy]

Do a search on here for ballast boxes, there's been all kinds of great ideas used in the past from fellow memebers!

 

[Kytim]

As has been said, there are many ways/ideas to make a ballast box. If you notice I didnt say how I would make one.

If I was making one, 1/8th or 3/16ths steel welded box with welded pins and toplink and 2" receiver hitch external D rings and chain hooks all connected. poured concrete with mixed sizes of pvc pipe placed vertical for handles and chains. a molded in chicken coup and garden gnome. naw, forget the chicken but everything else would be good.

Not necessarily cheap way to do it though but, would be very versatile. oh, dont forget the slow moving vehicle sign.

 

[pat331]

My L35 handles the counterweight ok, but does groan. If my math is correct, a 55 gallon drum has a volume of appx. 0.27 cy. And a cy of concrete weighs in at 3000 lb/cy, so that figures to be about 817 lbs. plus all the steel I put in it. Maybe one of these days I can get the thing weighed. The L35 has a heavy FEL and the heavy counterweight is needed to keep the rear on the ground. I have to be careful picking up anything that maxes the FEL. The tractor is most stable with the BH on. I have water/antifreeze in the tires and would like to come up with some wheel weights to keep it grounded.

 

[Stumpy]

Whoops just realized the density number I used was kg/m3. That number I gave was 500kg not 500lbs.

http://hypertextbook.com/facts/1999/KatrinaJones.shtml

At most you've got 1100lbs or less there depending on the concrete. The density number you used (3000 lbs/yd^3) is 1780 kg/m^3 for comparison. I used 2400kg/m^3 as my max.

 

[gpreuss]

I used an either 22 or 27 gallon more or less rectangular plastic trash can - I think it was 22 gal. I cut it, and poked a drawbar through it, close to one end. I had half a dozen 5' pieces of re-bar that I put through the holes in the drawbar, the bent them around inside the bin. At one time I had built a third arm for my back hoe, but its bucket was once on the ground when I took off, and twisted up the cylendar to it, so I removed the arm and restored the backhoe to normal. That arm is the ugly iron piece for my 3rd point hitch attachment!
Then I mixed 6 80 lb bags of redimix concrete, and poured it in. The trash can reshaped itseld a bit rounder. I ran out of redimix, and tossed in an additional 2 bags of mortar - I think they were about 50 lbs each.
Since I took this picture I have trimmed off some of the excess steel. Pressure washing got rid of most of the white on the plastic trash can. I figure this for about 600+ pounds.
I like having this as ballast, rather than the RHINO rear blade - it is less apt to dig into the ground as I'm digging with the FEL.

 

[searay]

I'm located in Coutice, right next to Oshawa ON. Did you get the Kubota ballast box locally or did you have to go to the states to get it. I agree with you that $200 is reasonable for a unit thats already painted orange and I may be fussy but who wants to put an old rusted barrel on the back of a new Kubota?