Lifting safe - Ballast Box needed?

[grsthegreat]

Gun safes are pretty tall, and can be top heavy. I hope you have real forks, and not thinking of placing it in lip of bucket.

 

[ljjhouser]

If you don't have good pallet forks, might see if you could rent one for a day somewhere.

 

[beenthere]

OP hasn't been back to read any of these replies. Maybe soon?

 

[Jtschnel]

Thanks to all for the reply’s. I do have forks which will be used. I also forgot to mention the rear tires have fluid in them. For the lift I’ll attach a rotary cutter to the 3ph. As suggested, I’ll lift and have truck drive out from under.

Hooked up rotary cutter this afternoon and almost took out electrical box while backing up. After lift I’m going to get or fabricate a ballast box.

Again, many thanks for the guidance.

Jim

 

[Jims1025R]

Suggest not backing away unless perfectly straight away until the load is near the ground

If ballast/balance are in doubt, this is important, if it's a 2WD tractor, it will spin before being a hazard going backward. But if you're in 4WD and back up too quickly, that can tip the balance. I like the idea you're going to use ballast. As I get old, I find myself pausing and thinking a lot more than when I was young. I think to myself: Will it be quicker to do it safely noe, than to fix it after I get back form hospital later? So I stop and do it the most safe way I can think....

 

[MAX-24-Dean]

I'd recommend getting a backhoe for the rear.

That's funny.

With a backhoe on you wouldn't need a counterweight??? Then you would have something more usefull than a counter weight?

 

[grsthegreat]

a rotary cutter is plenty of rear weight.

 

[Yander]

But that's what I told my wife!

"Honey, I need some tractor ballast and it's going to cost $5,000!"

I would want ballast for that much weight. Hook up an implement or get the ballast box if you don't have implements. A much cheaper solution is a used dirt scoop that can be had for usually less than $200 on craigslist or FB Marketplace. Fill it with dirt, bricks or throw in a few bags of playground sand. You can then use it for other things besides just ballast. They are also very compact/narrow.

 

[sandman2234]

I am interested in how the unloading went? I took my trailer to the store where I bought my safe and they loaded it, then I came home and used my tractor to unload it. Nothing to it!
David from jax

 

[RoyJackson]

With a backhoe on you wouldn't need a counterweight??? Then you would have something more usefull than a counter weight?

True...but a backhoe is mighty expensive ballast.
I've had a backhoe...never had much need for one, but it came with the Deere 4520 I bought (I wanted the tractor for the cab, not the 'hoe).
Frankly, unless one has a need for a 'hoe, it's a waste of money

 

[LD1]

I am interested in how the unloading went? I took my trailer to the store where I bought my safe and they loaded it, then I came home and used my tractor to unload it. Nothing to it!
David from jax

On friday he said its being delivered "next week".

So I assume the unloading hasnt happened yet. But I too and curious for the update when it does happen.

 

[Jims1025R]

The one benefit of a back hoe as ballast is that if you really get yourself mired in, you can grab a bucket load, and stretch it way out, then the front end gets really light, while you try to wiggle yourself out of the mess you drove yourself into . But, on the whole, I agree, for compact tractors, I'm not a back hoe fan, I find the separate excavator much more useful. By having two machines, when you get one stuck, you have the other to get it out with (or get stuck too!)

 

[mike69440]

I find the separate excavator much more useful. By having two machines, when you get one stuck, you have the other to get it out with (or get stuck too!)
Correct, however my Backhoe can lift and swing to side and move my 8,000 tlb tractor, So I have used the excavator for rescue only a few times.
There is 2WD stuck, 4wd stuck, 4WD TLB and come-along stuck, then there is excavator stuck. Yuck, that's a mess!

 

[mike69440]

Correct, however my Backhoe can lift and swing to side and move my 8,000 tlb tractor, So I have used the excavator for rescue only a few times.
There is 2WD stuck, 4wd stuck, 4WD TLB and come-along stuck, then there is excavator stuck. Yuck, that's a mess!

 

[beenthere]

Meanwhile, the OP is interested in lifting a safe, safely.

 

[dj1701]

I would recommend some form of ballast. Better to have it and not need it, than the other way around.

I had my box blade when I moved my new safe.

 

[ning]

I'm thinking when I build a ballast box I'd like to make the mounting extendable so that the box can be tucked in tight (where I see most ballast boxes) or hung out at least a couple feet farther out the back.

The more distance it's got, the longer its lever arm and the more effective it is as a counterweight.

As it is, my light duty rotary cutter (RCR1260 - 5'), which according to specs is 500#, is probably at least as good a ballast as a 750# ballast box because the weight is so far back (a bbox typically starts much closer in, and the rc goes back much farther). Of course, you've got to pay attention when it's on because it swings so wide whenever you turn, so obviously the bbox wins on that account.

But if your bbox had a (heavy duty!) telescoping mount, you could have a compact (side to side) weight that still doesn't stick out as far as a bbox or bh (my typical ballast choice) but could easily provide 2x the ballast with little more construction cost.

 

[WinterDeere]

OP also mentioned a different loader which also shows up on TractorData as the H165 FEL. Threw me off, and now wonder if the 320R gives more (or less) lift to the JD 3046R tractor.
Interesting.

Ah, good eye. I had missed that, and also forgot that Deere still had that loader on the books when the 3046R was first released.

The 320R replaced the H165 shortly after the new 3R series was released. They have similar spec's, with the newer model having 1.5" more reach and height, but suffering a corresponding 100 lb. less lift capacity due to the longer torque arm. Due to the slightly shorter reach of the H165, it may be slightly less tippy on the same machine than my 320R, with the same load.

Glad OP is using a counterweight, anyway. Brush hogs aren't the most compact and convenient things to use, but it will get the job done.

 

[Kschwennsen]

you should be fine, just take your time, if you feel the back end lift just set it back down. Also, make sure to have your tractor level when lifting high.

 

[Pleease]

But that's what I told my wife!

Uh...did that work? Asking for a friend.