B2320 needs weight on front How to Homemade?

[JOHNTHOMAS]

OK my B2320 needs weight on the front. Kubota weights are $1.00 per pound. I don't want to pay that much. Need maybe 150 to 200 lbs. There is a front plate on the tractor where weights hang on that protrudes out a bit for the weights. The plate has three holes on each side of it.
Sakrete is under $6 for an 80 lb bag so Sakrete is available for $12 for 160 lbs. I'm telling friends to try and find me 150 lbs of barbell weights and call me if they do.
I guess I can buy L bolts to stick out the front from the holes or some kind of L shaped steel to attach a box to but what I'd really like is what have some of you other cheap skates like me done for front weight?????

 

[crazyal]

Back in the day when I raced I would use old lead tire weights. The tire stores would sell them (usually in a 5 gallon bucket). I would melt them down and pour them into an old valve cover. They usually weighed about 40lbs. Might be more work than you want to do but they do make nice weights. Just be sure to paint them otherwise the rain will oxidize the lead.

 

[Tom_H]

John,

I use barbell weights for ballast on my subsoiler and my PHD. You've seen those pics before. I also have in the back of my mind a rack that will attach to the ROPS sides and go right behind the seat. I shopped my local Craigslist for months and got, if I remember this correctly, two dozen 25 pounders and three 50 pounders for $110 total. I also have a handful of others that I got from a second hand exercise equipment store.

Olympic weights have about a 2 inch hole, whereas standard weights have a 1 inch hole. Standards are usually considerably cheaper and obviously easier to bolt onto something. As far as how to attach these to the front, I'd have to ponder that for awhile. One good thing about suitcase weights is that the design is ideal. The price, however, isn't.

Tom

O.K. So it's a few minutes later here. After looking at the front of your tractor for a bit, here's what I'm thinking. Do you weld? Do you have a heavy duty drill press? I'd get a couple of plates of steel, bore holes, and bolt them to the sides of that front frame so that they cantilever out in front of the tractor. To that, I'd weld a piece of steel plate that'd be like a table top. In the center of that, I'd weld a piece of 1" dia. steel rod sticking straight up. This sub-frame shouldn't be too heavy to bolt on by itself. You could then stack as many discs as you want on it, handling them one at a time. To top off the stack, you use one of the locking collars that goes onto the end of a barbell. If you don't weld, you could use pressure treated lumber to make cantilevers that support a little pallet or box. Put the weights on the pallet or in the box. Use large dia. threaded rod with large wingnuts, oversized plate washers, and lock washers from Grainger to secure the discs. Actually, if you went with the box, you could just toss in any old scrap metal, big chunks of heavy rocks, etc. that you already have laying around.

Hey Al,

Do you use some kind of high quality gas mask when melting that lead? I would really worry about how poisonous that stuff is.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

John,

I use barbell weights for ballast on my subsoiler and my PHD. You've seen those pics before. I also have in the back of my mind a rack that will attach to the ROPS sides and go right behind the seat. I shopped my local Craigslist for months and got, if I remember this correctly, two dozen 25 pounders and three 50 pounders for $110 total. I also have a handful of others that I got from a second hand exercise equipment store.

Olympic weights have about a 2 inch hole, whereas standard weights have a 1 inch hole. Standards are usually considerably cheaper and obviously easier to bolt onto something. As far as how to attach these to the front, I'd have to ponder that for awhile. One good thing about suitcase weights is that the design is ideal. The price, however, isn't.

Tom

O.K. So it's a few minutes later here. After looking at the front of your tractor for a bit, here's what I'm thinking. Do you weld? Do you have a heavy duty drill press? I'd get a couple of plates of steel, bore holes, and bolt them to the sides of that front frame so that they cantilever out in front of the tractor. To that, I'd weld a piece of steel plate that'd be like a table top. In the center of that, I'd weld a piece of 1" dia. steel rod sticking straight up. This sub-frame shouldn't be too heavy to bolt on by itself. You could then stack as many discs as you want on it, handling them one at a time. To top off the stack, you use one of the locking collars that goes onto the end of a barbell. If you don't weld, you could use pressure treated lumber to make cantilevers that support a little pallet or box. Put the weights on the pallet or in the box. Use large dia. threaded rod with large wingnuts, oversized plate washers, and lock washers from Grainger to secure the discs. Actually, if you went with the box, you could just toss in any old scrap metal, big chunks of heavy rocks, etc. that you already have laying around.

Hey Al,

Do you use some kind of high quality gas mask when melting that lead? I would really worry about how poisonous that stuff is.

I don't weld but I have a brother in law with a machine shop. If I catch him at the right time he'll do stuff for me or if I don't ask him very often. Course he'll always do it for my wife, his wifes sister. May get her to get him to make me the flat top plate with side arms and rod sticking up.
Thanks, hadn't considered using the side holes only the front ones:thumbsup:. That's why we need someone with a different view of life to talk with. Some people hate people that don't agree with them, I've usually appreciated them after I decided they were usually "wrong" but still not stupid.:laughing: Truly Thanks.
My brother in law is the Sunday School Superintendant, I'm the door greeter soooo I'll be seeing him in a few minutes.
I've been on the trail of bench weights for a few weeks and found some on Craigs but 35 to 90 miles away so been asking friends and family to keep an eye out locally for me. Found some close but not enough weight. Still hunting.
You know I've been thinking about buying a welder, I'm telling my wife now that Tom says I need one really really really need one. Thanks Tom, she may want to call you so post phone number.

 

[DAY]

Check out the 'thrift stores' (Salvation Army, etc.) they often have weights.

 

[TripleR]

I have a couple of old rail road tracks I am going to have my son cut up for weights when he gets time.

 

[kuboman]

I am one of those guys that likes things to be neat and tidy so I scour the dealers lots and classified ads and it is amazing how many stock weights you can come up with for less than half of new cost. I have a bunch I will sell you cheap, too bad the shipping will mess the deal:laughing:
In the last year I have scrounged over 4000#.

 

[Putter]

I was able to scrounge a weight lifting machine for my weights. Try looking for that in your classified searches. It's nice that they are rectangular. 2" holes so I can run a chain through them to hang.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

I am one of those guys that likes things to be neat and tidy so I scour the dealers lots and classified ads and it is amazing how many stock weights you can come up with for less than half of new cost. I have a bunch I will sell you cheap, too bad the shipping will mess the deal:laughing:
In the last year I have scrounged over 4000#.

Going to Alpine, Al next week. Where are you?

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

Check out the 'thrift stores' (Salvation Army, etc.) they often have weights.

I was able to scrounge a weight lifting machine for my weights. Try looking for that in your classified searches. It's nice that they are rectangular. 2" holes so I can run a chain through them to hang.

Thanks for these ideas.

 

[kuboman]

Going to Alpine, Al next week. Where are you?

Alberta , Canada.

 

[Tom_H]

John,

I would recommend going with 50# discs so that you can keep the COG as low as possible. Mine range from 15" to 17" in dia. with the wider ones being thinner. For something to lock the shaft, go to Google Advanced Image Search and enter the exact phrase "barbell collar"; the first 2 pages of results will give you about a dozen different designs. At Grainger Industrial Supply - MRO Supplies, MRO Equipment, Tools & Solutions you can search for "Set Screw Shaft Collar" and "Quick Coupling Shaft Collar." If you get use a piece of vertical bar that already has small cross drilled holes you could use a hairpin cotter pin or a coiled tension safety pin; you can search for both of those at Grainger, TSC, or just get one from your local tractor dealer. If you happen to find some Olympic style weights with the approximately 2" dia. holes, you could probably just find some old pipe with inner dia. just over 1" and outer dia. of 2", and cut some pieces to use as spacing bushings between the 1" bar and the hole in the center of the disc.

Tom

....we need someone with a different view of life to talk with. Some people hate people that don't agree with them, I've usually appreciated them after I decided they were usually "wrong" but still not stupid.:laughing: Truly Thanks....

You're welcome....I think.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

John,

I would recommend going with 50# discs so that you can keep the COG as low as possible. Mine range from 15" to 17" in dia. with the wider ones being thinner. For something to lock the shaft, go to Google Advanced Image Search and enter the exact phrase "barbell collar"; the first 2 pages of results will give you about a dozen different designs. At Grainger Industrial Supply - MRO Supplies, MRO Equipment, Tools & Solutions you can search for "Set Screw Shaft Collar" and "Quick Coupling Shaft Collar." If you get use a piece of vertical bar that already has small cross drilled holes you could use a hairpin cotter pin or a coiled tension safety pin; you can search for both of those at Grainger, TSC, or just get one from your local tractor dealer. If you happen to find some Olympic style weights with the approximately 2" dia. holes, you could probably just find some old pipe with inner dia. just over 1" and outer dia. of 2", and cut some pieces to use as spacing bushings between the 1" bar and the hole in the center of the disc.

Tom



You're welcome....I think.

Thanks Tom. It was meant as a compliment.:thumbsup:
My Brother in law said he had some channel iron that he could cut for me and cut a couple of holes in the back to bolt to front of weight plate and then use threaded rod to slip the weight over. he thought he may have some a foot or more deep. I was wondering the size of 50lb weights so now I know that. Thanks all for help. Now to find weights other than in Canada.

 

[Tom_H]

John, I found my 17" discs at a metal yard. They had a section that was used metal available for re-use; they had stuff priced lower than new and higher than they could get for scrap. There was a 1" bar with a 50 pounder welded onto each end by an amateur welder. I got the thing for $20 and broke the poor quality welds with a sledge and reciprocating saw. I cut the bar into 3 sections. One is welded onto my subsoiler for stacking discs as ballast, one slides into my home designed PHD ballast frame, and I have one unused piece. I would recommend looking for the bar with a set of weights. That way you get a bar that was sized for the holes in the discs from the beginning. Most 50# weights are right @ 15" dia. or a hair over; the two 17 inchers I have are the pretty unusual.

If you do go with threaded rod, I think Grainger has some up to 1" dia., maybe even more. They also have ultra heavy duty washers, lock washers, and wingnuts in those sizes that you could use for quick lock down. If you go with regular barbell bar, the spring hand-grip design is the fastest; I got a couple for $1.50 each at the used sports equipment store.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

John, I found my 17" discs at a metal yard. They had a section that was used metal available for re-use; they had stuff priced lower than new and higher than they could get for scrap. There was a 1" bar with a 50 pounder welded onto each end by an amateur welder. I got the thing for $20 and broke the poor quality welds with a sledge and reciprocating saw. I cut the bar into 3 sections. One is welded onto my subsoiler for stacking discs as ballast, one slides into my home designed PHD ballast frame, and I have one unused piece. I would recommend looking for the bar with a set of weights. That way you get a bar that was sized for the holes in the discs from the beginning. Most 50# weights are right @ 15" dia. or a hair over; the two 17 inchers I have are the pretty unusual.

If you do go with threaded rod, I think Grainger has some up to 1" dia., maybe even more. They also have ultra heavy duty washers, lock washers, and wingnuts in those sizes that you could use for quick lock down. If you go with regular barbell bar, the spring hand-grip design is the fastest; I got a couple for $1.50 each at the used sports equipment store.

I'll now take the barbell if it's available. I had planned to not take it and just weights. I'll go into super hot persuit this week hunting for weights local. I'll be traveling through a few states next week if I don't find them here.
You keep adding more good info, Tom. Thanks.:thumbsup:

 

[TroyR57]

Jt, I will be on the lookout for a short pices of rr track, for you. Not sure I can find one, but looking.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

Jt, I will be on the lookout for a short pices of rr track, for you. Not sure I can find one, but looking.

Thanks Troy. When are you working in Hazard?

 

[TroyR57]

Looks like I will be in Sommerset some time friday afternoon, and saturday morning. Then heading over to Hazard, to work, Monday for sure, and Maybe some sunday afternoon, I hope not, but got to offer the customer the option. I called and talked to Gary this morning, and ordered some stuff for both tractors. I will also be looking at the RTV 500's or RTV 900XT.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

Looks like I will be in Sommerset some time friday afternoon, and saturday morning. Then heading over to Hazard, to work, Monday for sure, and Maybe some sunday afternoon, I hope not, but got to offer the customer the option. I called and talked to Gary this morning, and ordered some stuff for both tractors. I will also be looking at the RTV 500's or RTV 900XT.

If you make it on Friday I can let you drive my RTV1140 all around the hillside and across/thru the creek. Leaving Sat for Al.