Ballast box opinions

[Jaygyver]

Just something else to think about....

Which ever box or way you go, check out the height of the lower pins. How far up from the bottom. I got one that looked better than some with a thicker bracket for the pins and it worked great so later decided I would get one for the other tractor. Well the first one I got was no longer available and didn't notice it until I got it the 2nd one had the pins higher on the box so ground clearance could be an issue.
I have to dig out our shared roads ditch's sometimes and I need to have the box up all the way. Normally I only raise them a foot or so off the ground for normal work.
I had a bunch of river rock so that is what I used and both the box's have a "dump door" near the bottom in case I need to change it out or what ever.

 

[Rmart30]

Get the larger. Fill it 80% with gravel or asphalt millings. Use it a few times to let it bounce and setlle. Top it with 100-200# of concrete.

 

[Runner]

I would weld the nuts for the pins to the inside of the box, the cover the nuts with some duct tape before pouring in the concrete (just to provide a little protection for the ends of the pins and nuts from the caustic elements in the concrete and make a little more room on the end if you ever need to replace the pins). Might also be a good idea to cover the nuts and end of pins with grease to act as a bond-breaker, just in case.

You could then just remove/replace the pins with a pipe wrench from the outside.

Since I was concerned about possibly wanting to emtpy out my ballast box, I lined the inside with plastic sheet and then put a layer of plastic sheet between each "lift" of concrete I poured in. That way, if I ever want to empty it out, I can just whack each layer with a sledge hammer and break it out.

 

[Rockbadchild]

I wouldn't worry about these pins cross that bridge when it happens personal opinion ... the specific gravity of concrete is 2.4 its the same as compacted 3/4 inch minus gravel or rocks ... sand is 1.8, steel is 7... fill it with what you want doesn't need to be concrete if you take steel you would only need less then 1/3 the volume to reach the same weight of concrete.

 

[CH4Ohio]

I bought one of these boxes from Amazon a few weeks ago. $210. Shipped free from California via FedEx. (If I wanted to ship 90 pounds across the country it would cost nearly the price of the ballast box . . .)

I haven't really used it yet, but I'm happy with it so far. Looks good and solid. Welds look good. Tubes in each corner for long-handled tools. Arrived packed well in a sturdy box and the box even survived the trip. Wasn't skinned up at all -- as I expected. Don't think you can beat it for a couple hundred dollars.

I'll probably fill it with gravel for starters. Maybe solid concrete blocks later. I have quite a few brake rotors in my scrap pile at the barn. Might drop some of those over a hickory shovel handle in the corner-tubes.

These sell under several different brand names but they look alike and seem to all ship from the same locations (CA or GA). Probably all made at the same factory. I did drill out the hole in the end of the pins so I could use regular snap-rings instead of the hairpins that came with it.