I have a TerraKing TKV20 for my BX2380, and the tractor needs some front counterweights. I called my Kubota sales guy, and the bracket, 5 weights, and hardware is a whopping $900. I asked about if they get used weights and he didn't respond. Anyhow, I decided to make my own suitcase weights. The requirements are...
1) Cheaper than $900. I'm OK with $300.
2) Retain the brush guard. I really like having the brush guard on at all times. I've heard the Kubota weight bracket requires the brush guard to be removed.
3) The hood has to be fully openable with the weights mounted.
4) The bracket has to be compatible with the front end loader. I'd rather leave the bracket on all the time.
5) Not loose ground clearance
6) Add 200-250 lbs to the front of the tractor
7) Not look awful
So, here's what I came up with...
The Weights
The weights need to fit between the brush guard uprights, so the width of all the weights has to be less than 9". The weights can't really be much taller than 12" and not interfere with opening the hood and not loose ground clearance. For a iron/steel weight to fit all these dimensions and be a minimum of 200# the volume of the weights would be about 667 in^3, this would result in the weights being 12" tall, 9" wide, 6" deep. So...yes, steel plates would work OK, however I couldn't find steel plate (hopefully scrap) that would be cheap enough.
So....I visited a local indoor gun range where the owner was happy for me to scoop up a bunch of the range lead, and I drove home with about 300# of what I scooped up. Next, I bought 4ft of 2x6" rectangular tubing ($72), made a mounting arrangement, welded on end caps and handles and melted & poured a bunch of molten lead into the tubing. The weights are about 56# each which isn't too much to easily handle. I made a propane fired melting pot ($12 of propane, $8 of steel, $14 burner) as a side project. Lead is substantially more dense than steel or cast iron, so a lead-filled weight nicely fits into the envelope.
The Bracket
The bracket is a piece of 3/8" thick, 4.5" wide steel ($30) The bracket is bent since I didn't want to trust my welding skillz. I recently bought a SWAG offroad bending brake for my 20T harbor freight press, and it worked great. The bracket attaches with six 12mm bolts, so I'm confident it won't fall off.
Anyhow, this is my solution for under $200 including fasteners, purchased and scraps of steel, and my retired labor rate of $0/hr. I'd do it again since I saved a good deal of money and it was a fun project.
Jim
1) Cheaper than $900. I'm OK with $300.
2) Retain the brush guard. I really like having the brush guard on at all times. I've heard the Kubota weight bracket requires the brush guard to be removed.
3) The hood has to be fully openable with the weights mounted.
4) The bracket has to be compatible with the front end loader. I'd rather leave the bracket on all the time.
5) Not loose ground clearance
6) Add 200-250 lbs to the front of the tractor
7) Not look awful
So, here's what I came up with...
The Weights
The weights need to fit between the brush guard uprights, so the width of all the weights has to be less than 9". The weights can't really be much taller than 12" and not interfere with opening the hood and not loose ground clearance. For a iron/steel weight to fit all these dimensions and be a minimum of 200# the volume of the weights would be about 667 in^3, this would result in the weights being 12" tall, 9" wide, 6" deep. So...yes, steel plates would work OK, however I couldn't find steel plate (hopefully scrap) that would be cheap enough.
So....I visited a local indoor gun range where the owner was happy for me to scoop up a bunch of the range lead, and I drove home with about 300# of what I scooped up. Next, I bought 4ft of 2x6" rectangular tubing ($72), made a mounting arrangement, welded on end caps and handles and melted & poured a bunch of molten lead into the tubing. The weights are about 56# each which isn't too much to easily handle. I made a propane fired melting pot ($12 of propane, $8 of steel, $14 burner) as a side project. Lead is substantially more dense than steel or cast iron, so a lead-filled weight nicely fits into the envelope.
The Bracket
The bracket is a piece of 3/8" thick, 4.5" wide steel ($30) The bracket is bent since I didn't want to trust my welding skillz. I recently bought a SWAG offroad bending brake for my 20T harbor freight press, and it worked great. The bracket attaches with six 12mm bolts, so I'm confident it won't fall off.
Anyhow, this is my solution for under $200 including fasteners, purchased and scraps of steel, and my retired labor rate of $0/hr. I'd do it again since I saved a good deal of money and it was a fun project.
Jim
