Ballast JD Rear Ballast Box

[tomd999]

Hiya,

My dealer sells the ballast boxes either empty or filled with Portland for $50 bucks more. I went with the filled even though it might have cost me a couple bucks more than getting bags but I didn't have to do anything more than pick it up with the i-match.

Currently I have the box, 1 pair of weights and loaded tires on the rear and it feels just about right when using the forks to unload pallets from the trucks. Without the Ballistar, it felt light when lifting maximum loads.

Tom

 

[stuart]

If you do not want to permenantly fill the ballast box with cement you can use lead weights which are removable.

 

[nmu98]

Hiya,

My dealer sells the ballast boxes either empty or filled with Portland for $50 bucks more. I went with the filled even though it might have cost me a couple bucks more than getting bags but I didn't have to do anything more than pick it up with the i-match.

Currently I have the box, 1 pair of weights and loaded tires on the rear and it feels just about right when using the forks to unload pallets from the trucks. Without the Ballistar, it felt light when lifting maximum loads.

Tom

Thats a deal. I put more than 80 dollars in portland in mine. Plus the time to put it in. I bet he uses cheap quickcreat, not actual portland.

 

[Runner]

"If you do not want to permenantly fill the ballast box with cement you can use lead weights which are removable."

I'd love to do this, but not sure where I could get them. Junk yard?

 

[stuart]

I got mine in junk stores like Salvation Army and Goodwill.
Look for the larger 40-50lb ones for the bottom and the lighter smaller ones to fit in the open spaces. You can also inquire at a junk yard for a dense heavy metal that will fit into the Box.

 

[Deadman]

Go to a tire store. They have all the old lead wheel weights. They'll sell you 100 lbs for $10-20. Take and melt them down and pour them into your wifes old bread pans and you'll hav beautiful 50Lbs nuggets.
I have 1,200+ lbs in mine, and the box is less than 1/4 full. I have a ton of storage room in there now. I love that part.

 

[4720 OWNER]

Another use for all that lead have not turned into bullets yet. Do your self a favor and do not melt lead inside, the fumes are kind of bad for you. Tire weights are not real lead. Have some real lead and just dropping a bullet will deform it. The wheel weights have some antimony in them for hardness.

I use rocks since i thought the name of this piece of equipment was a 'rock box'. Live and learn.

Have some of the really large square bales may 4x6x4 (?) Probably a good 900#, no problem. Picked up a cow for butcher that was about 1700#, that was about the limit for the tractor with the rock box. Up on the front wheels and the backs touching every once in a while, pucker factor not real high but probably because i did not know no better... Tractor handled it just fine only a question of weight positioning.

 

[Gizmo2]

I'd probably take my box (if I had one) to a concrete place and tell them the next truck in with concrete left over, fill the box. These places are usually pretty good about this and you know that is where the concrete comes from for those large concrete retaining wall blocks. The concrete companies use to dump the left over concrete at the site, now they take it back with them and they have a larger minimum load you need to buy for smaller projects that ensures some will be left over.

 

[mscheer772]

My BB is filled with tire weights. Anybody have any idea what that would weigh?

Someone mentioned usinf their i-match. Did you have to adapt the BB to fit the i-match? Help!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[kennyd]

My BB is filled with tire weights. Anybody have any idea what that would weigh?

Someone mentioned usinf their i-match. Did you have to adapt the BB to fit the i-match? Help!!!!!!!!!!!

No idea on the weight....

But the original ballast box's where NOT I-Match compatible, but about 3-4 years ago they changed the design so they would fit. If yours is the "old" style it can be made to fit if you have a welder

 

[Deadman]

If you didn't melt the wheel weights, then its not super heavy, because all the steel clips are in there. They take up alot of space, and don't weigh much. BUT , you still have ALOT of weight, because even the wheel weights are **** heavy!

 

[RoyJackson]

My box is full of sand. I bought it used and was filled then. The weight was adequate, so I left it in.
It's also handy if you need to shovel a bit out for traction.

 

[FastPauly]

I finally got around and did my portland pour last night.....4 1/2 94lb. bags brought it up to just above the edge of the inner lip. And yea, the BB was stone cold when I went to bed last night....this morning it was hot to the point you couldn't leave your hand on it. It has turned the corner and is slightly warm to the touch now.

I opted out of the PVC pipe tool holders mainly because I didn't have any on hand.....plan on spot welding some metal pipes on the outside.

 

[BamaJDfan]

I have to do the same thing myself this weekend. I think I will add pvc pipes on the inside per a previous post (no welder currently). Question: what QH do you have? Does it adjust up to 20"? I have the same ballast box (15") but also a 20" requirement.

 

[JB4310]

I did mine with pvc when I filled with concrete then realized what if one breaks, you would still have a short hole in the concrete but there would not be as much support to stabilize long handled tools, seen some one else use steel and I think that would be better. But then again I guess they could get bent, at least I could use pauly's idea and weld some on the outside since the box is not very wide to begin with.
Pauly you will have enough ballast now for any application, I had mine filled with just loose stone at first but it was not enough.
JB.

 

[JB4310]

I've got a question about your hitch as well, it looks just like the one I bought from harbor freight last night but mine would not fit the JD i-match bushings which look just like yours.
I had to grind about a 1/4-3/8" out of the j hooks, PITA but better than spending another $250. for an i-match.

 

[Ductape]

I only used three bags in my BB, but i also added a bunch of grapefruit-sized rocks. I mixed the portland cement a little soupy to ensure there aren't air pockets around the rocks. Not sure if its heavier with the rocks vs. 100% portland............... but i wouldn't want it falling on my foot !!!! Be sure to silicone your seams of splooge will ooze out since they are only stitch welded.

 

[Eric102]

I only used three bags in my BB, but i also added a bunch of grapefruit-sized rocks. I mixed the portland cement a little soupy to ensure there aren't air pockets around the rocks. Not sure if its heavier with the rocks vs. 100% portland............... but i wouldn't want it falling on my foot !!!! Be sure to silicone your seams of splooge will ooze out since they are only stitch welded.

Solid rock is anywhere from 140 to 180 lbs per cubic foot depending on the type of rock, Portland cement is 94 lbs. Dry sand is 100 lbs and wet sand is 120 lbs.

Seems to me rocks with cement or sand packed around them would give the most weight for the least cost assuming you have the rocks on hand.

 

[FastPauly]

The QH I have did come from harbor freight. I had the bushings on the BB custom made....the guys at work are always looking for little projects to keep their lathe skills tuned up. The J-hook for the top connection on the QH has several holes for height adjustments. I have only used the QH on the BB and a Woods landscape rake....it worked just fine on both applications. I did grind out the inner edge of the top J-hook mainly just to remove some slight roughness there.

Portland and rocks....if one is not going to do the PVC pipe thing then heck yea.....I wish I would have realized the density of common rock before making that large of a portland investment.

 

[Ductape]

Portland and rocks....if one is not going to do the PVC pipe thing then heck yea.....I wish I would have realized the density of common rock before making that large of a portland investment.

I'm very curious to know what my BB now weighs. Hmmmmmm.......... i wonder if i could use my wifes bathroom scale.................