Building a ballast weight

[Vagabond]

Gonna be (barely) warm enough to pour some concrete the next 4 nights so I'm going to try to build a ballast weight so I don't have to wait until spring:

Should be quick hitch compatible and weigh about 1100lbs... I'm off to go buy a bunch of bags of concrete and some rebar now...

 

[Hkb82]

you could always cover it and add a bit of heat to help be sure it cures properly.

 

[Shawn T. W]

If you put a couple of 2" PVC pipes upright in the rear corners, you have a place to drop a shovel or rake in ...

Are you gonna block off this purple area to fill in the back section?

 

[Vagabond]

Halfway done, the PVC pipes were already planned. I'm also going to cast some coupler nuts into the sides so I could mount stuff on there later. Just got back with the second batch of concrete. My back hurts.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

View attachment 145117 View attachment 145116 View attachment 145115

Halfway done, the PVC pipes were already planned. I'm also going to cast some coupler nuts into the sides so I could mount stuff on there later. Just got back with the second batch of concrete. My back hurts.

Put a strap on the bottom where you have the block or your going to blow out!

 

[Vagabond]

Got it all done a couple hours ago. I added some coupler nuts on the sides so I can bolt stuff on later and Wolfman made me paranoid, so I added the extra strap (there was some extra blocking that wasn't obvious already).

Cranked the wood stove and the space heater and got the garage to 58F, going to let it gradually cool down now, but it should stay 38 or higher overnight and then hit the fifties tomorrow.

 

[DustyRusty]

You didn't engrave your initials or the year into the concrete. The job isn't done until you do that!

 

[McMXi]

That's a fun project, but hard to imagine that 22 bags of 50lb concrete went into that form. Are you going to paint it orange?!

I'll eventually complete the weight storage rack/3-point ballast rack that I started last year, but as usual procrastination paid off since I recently got 6 more suitcase weights when I bought a used hydraulic rear blade.

 

[Shawn T. W]

I put 6 - 80 Lb bags of concrete in mine, to end up with 707 Lb weight (I did add a few rocks too) ... But probably less than 50 Lbs ...

. . . I left the rear and side lips of the plywood high, to kinda form a wall so I could carry smaller items without them falling off ... And made a cutout to carry my trimmer ...

The concrete will build some of its own heat as the chemicals mix with the water ... Finished concrete is roughly 140-145 Lbs per cubic foot ...

 

[Vagabond]

Well, it survived the night, and the concrete set hard. Looks like the garage stayed in the mid fifties all night, and it'll be an unseasonably warm day today, so I'm feeling pretty good about this working out.

I only managed 20 bags in the end, so 1000lbs of concrete, but I might be able to add some more on the "shelf" later if needed.

I wish I'd seen your design earlier @Shawn T. W , there's some good ideas there. I definitely like the weed Wacker carrying notch.

 

[Shawn T. W]

I think you will end up with more than 1000 Lbs ... My bags equaled 480 Lbs ... Plus the steel I welded together, rocks, and plywood . . .

If you take the cubic inches . . . 12"X12"X12"= 1728 cubic inches, or a cubic foot ... Concrete is roughly 140-145 Lbs per cubic foot ...
145 Lbs ÷ 1728 cu in = .083912 Lbs per cubic inch . . .

 

[Steamer Pete]

Concrete needs 28 days to fully cure. Even though "dry", keep it out of the weather in your barn for the next several weeks. Wrap it in plastic to slow the cure, and wrap it with an old blanket to keep the heat generated during curing contained. Sending it out into cold weather too soon can cause the contained water to freeze, expand, and crack your casting. Nice project ! The counterweight I made for my LX2610 was contained in an old electrical panel, and calculated out to about 650 lbs. That, combined with my loaded tires, has never let the rear end come up off the ground. Best wishes !

 

[Vagabond]

It's unlikely to get the 28 days it needs for full strength. I can give it maybe 4 days before winter will keep the garage colder than the cement needs to continue curing (even with heating), but it should be strong enough to hold itself together by then, which is all it really needs to do. If it fails I'll just repair or re-cast it when the weather is better. I want to move some heavy stuff with the loader before spring, so I need to make the best of the brief warm spell we are having.

 

[Vagabond]

Today is the last warmish day, so I stripped the formwork off (and stopped wet curing it)so it can dry out a bit before it gets cold tomorrow:

I did have to patch a corner near the top link that I broke taking some formwork out earlier using hydraulic cement.

 

[Shawn T. W]

I like how you have some of the weight forward of the pins ... And down low, which keeps the weight close and tight to make maneuvering in tight places easier with such a short "tail"!

What are your plans for the two bolts on the sides?

 

[Vagabond]

I embedded 2 5/8" coupler nuts in each side vertically and 2 horizontally on the back. I figured I could use the 2 on the sides to bolt on extra storage or something and maybe put a trash can carrier on the back, but I haven't decided yet.

 

[Vagabond]

Took it for a test run, worked very well, the backend feels much more stuck to the ground. At first I couldn't get the 3 point to lift it, but it was just the stupid draft control lever in the wrong position.

 

[GrumpyFarmer]

Took it for a test run, worked very well, the backend feels much more stuck to the ground. At first I couldn't get the 3 point to lift it, but it was just the stupid draft control lever in the wrong position. View attachment 145421

Looks great.

What’s it actually resting on in the picture? Looks like not seated to the pins but not sitting on the ground either?

 

[Vagabond]

The HF quick hitch top hook is pinching a bit, I have a replacement hook arriving tomorrow that should improve the clearances.

 

[pigdoc]

I have a ballast box for 3-point that I'm never going to use. It came on my L2500, but I have a nice 7-foot Land Pride blade on there now that weighs just about the same. The model number on it is B8160. Fully functional, needs a little TLC (bent, cracked). Located near Reading, PA. Buy me a Big Mac.

-Paul