Any Ideas for a Cheap Compact Rear 3 Pt Counterweight?

cat fever · May 16, 2017

If you look at post #25 I said I was going to build a ballast box. Here it is, 10 cubic feet so around 1500 pounds plus the steel.
It is now in the barn waiting for a paint job.

Luke'sScreenName · May 16, 2017

cat fever said:
If you look at post #25 I said I was going to build a ballast box. Here it is, 10 cubic feet so around 1500 pounds plus the steel.
It is now in the barn waiting for a paint job.

View attachment 509674 View attachment 509675 View attachment 509676

Well done.

cat fever · May 16, 2017

Thanks, I just did what other's have done. (copycat)

Looking forward to using it.

Luke'sScreenName · May 16, 2017

Yup, but I was pretty proud of my scabbard idea (at least I think it was mine

). :drink:

captronr · May 16, 2017

Having sold my 3PT implements, and not having storage space for equipment, I discovered that I can easily mount a 50 gallon trash barrell on my 3PT, plan to fill it with water, and it will add enough weight to make my BX2200 loader lift better.

When done, dump the water and reuse the trash barrell.

Ron

jmc · May 16, 2017

Luke'sScreenName said:
Yup, but I was pretty proud of my scabbard idea (at least I think it was mine ). :drink:

That's great! Missed it on the first look. Did either of you have to stuff the scabbard with something to support the wet cement pressure?

Luke'sScreenName · May 16, 2017

jmc said:
That's great! Missed it on the first look. Did either of you have to stuff the scabbard with something to support the wet cement pressure?

Absolutely. I believe I used plywood (maybe 3/8" or maybe 1/2"). Also used a lag bolt to hold the bottom in place and also to provide a drain hole once the concrete set and I screwed it out.

Aaron L · May 19, 2017

Pretty slick.:thumbsup:

Bronco82 · May 19, 2017

That chainsaw scabbard is INGENIOUS!!! Thank you for that.

JWR · May 21, 2017

sixdogs said:
Uhhh, Cleveland?
Not going anywhere.

But I have often thought of adding a substantial (1500 lb) weight box to a tractor and haven't because I wasn't sure if it was fully OK to do or just sort-of OK to do. Not sure of the impact on the hydraulics and that invites my question.

I suspect that Luke's puzzling over "where you were going with this" was because there is no other obvious place to mount any counterweight on the rear of a tractor. If not the 3pt hitch then where ? If your 3pt hitch won't stand the counterweight, nothing else back there is going to. Of course size matters (and each person's situation and job to be done differs) but on an 81 horse tractor weighing around 9,000lbs with loader, etc. I have a 1400lb 7ft bush hog that stays on the rear most of the time. Seems to serve extremely well for a counterweight. And I'm definitely not worrying about the hydraulics handling it for the practical life of the tractor. To answer your question, I think it is fully OK.

With some very heavy 3pt mount items (like a 2 ton boom cutter) it is very advisable to make a support structure that allows the load to rest on the tractor frame and tow bar. Initially the load is on the 3pt but after the hydraulics bleed off the load is on the support structure. I don't think we are into that sort of overkill for a normal counterweight, however.