Ballast Loader ballast

[glennmac]

Huck,

I feel that the rear weight device, which you easily may become too lazy to remove (especially with the BX's difficult 3ph), should be something that can serve a useful purpose. Therefore, I rejected a homemade concrete weight can even though it might be less expensive. I also rejected a box blade because I just couldn't see myself using it for anything much. The weight box, dump cart or carry-all can be used for useful purposes.


Re the weight box, they are pretty basic devices but there are 2 things to look out for. You need a water drain in them. Mine had a hole in the bottom. Others have a drain spigot that you can open and close. If you were going to fill the box with loose sand you might want the spigot. Loose sand was inconsistent with my usefullness concept, so I went with removable sand tubes, and hence the hole in the bottom worked ok (and you don't have to remember to open the spigot after rain or washing). Secondly, some weight boxes have a tongue on the back with an attachment hole; others dont have this. This can be useful if you wanted to tow a cart or trailer right behind the weight box instead of removing it and hooking up to the BX's draw tongue.

My weight box was made (or distributed) by an outfit called Springfield. I bought it as part of my original purchase at the dealer's cost of $150. He likes to sell them for $200 if he can.

Glenn

 

[DVerbarg]

Thought I'd throw in my 2 cents worth...

Last night I was out at the new house construction site and decided to finish removing the black dirt from the driveway (before adding the gravel). My brother was using a MF275 with a 60" box scraper and I was using a much heavier 72" box scraper. I ended up (since I have a FEL and he doesn't) primarily using the loader and not using the box scraper. He wanted to use my scraper since it is bigger and much easier to adjust the scarifiers (simple pins vs nuts and bolts).

I dropped my 72" box and got tired of waiting for him to disconnect his box and went back to FEL work. I've gotten pretty adept at getting very, very full bucket loads (that toothbar works wonders) and after picking up another good load drove from the driveway drove toward the dirt pile. Stopped in front of the dirt pile and experienced a very weird feeling as the front wheels stopped but the loader kept going! /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif Obviously the rear wheels left the ground but only a few inches. After recomposing myself (and carefully and quickly dumping that load) I went back to get the box scraper. /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif

Was kind of waffling on rear wheel ballast, but now I KNOW that I NEED it! The box is fine but would like some extra ballast as "insurance" to prevent me from leaving a puddle on the seat!

DaveV

 

[glennmac]

Dave,

I agonized over whether to hydroinflate my rears. I did, and I'm glad. I can remove the rear weight device and still use the loader for light to moderate lifting without worrying about what happened to you. Also, none of the bad things I was afraid of happened: the ride isn't stiffer, tracks are not left on my lawn (any tracks are from the front tires, not the rears), and I have not diminished my flotation on moist soil. Or if I have diminished my flotation, it is trivial, and more than made up for by the increased traction that the hydroinflation provides.

Glenn

 

[huckflynn]

I went and saw my dealer today. He liked the box scraper for ballast because of its usefulness for other purposes and because it did not get in the way too much if left on the tractor when not in use. 48" box blade -- $425. Rear blade -- $225. He had a used stone rake for $325.

My interest in 3pt implements was heightened after the topsoil was dropped off this morning and the dump truck left 20 to 30 feet of 18" deep ruts in my lawn. The truck driver was sitting in his truck spinning his wheels into my lawn when he handed me an invoice which stated "We will not assume any responsibility for damage by our trucks beyond the street pavement and/or curbs." To top it off, the invoice was $78 higher than what they quoted me. The driver wanted me to sign the invoice and give him a check. I wanted him to pick up his dirt, fill in his ruts and get out of my yard.

So now I have some real ground work to do with my loader -- as soon as I come to terms with the dirt people. Looks like the soil is not too rocky for that box scraper after all!

Huck

 

[Bird]

Huck, sorry to hear about your trouble with the dump truck driver, but I'm afraid that doesn't sound like anything unusual. At least you can fix the damage with that front end loader, and the box blade you're about to buy./w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

Bird

 

[glennmac]

And you'll know that you've gone off the deep end like the rest of us, when when you deliberately make ruts just so you can have fun fixing them with the rake and blade you're also going to buy.

Glenn

 

[gerard]

Since there's a lot of loaded tire info here this isn't TOO far off post. Talked to my neighbor yesterday, has a M Ferguson 55 hp 4wd w/ hard cab and loaded tires (800 lbs each, big tractor) They are loaded with CaCl but no tubes. The dealer told him that their isn't enough o2 in the tire to rust because of the water. Now I haven't loaded my tires because I figured I'd have to get tubes and then a flat was not an easy do it yourselfer job. What gives?? Conventional wisdom from this board says the CaCl will rust the rims as it's very corrosive but can the dealer be THAT wrong? I know metal rusts just fine under water so this doesn't make sense. Any ideas?

 

[MChalkley]

Yep, the dealer is that wrong. And it's not as unusual as you might suspect (hope).

MarkC

 

[glennmac]

Gerard-

I only know what I read on this subject, here and elsewhere.
I've heard contradictory things on tubes. Most say use a tube. Others say the salt corrosion process won't occur if the calcium chloride covers the rims because oxygen is needed for the process. In rejoinder to that, one person commented that other bad chemical reactions can nevertheless take place without oxygen. Finally, I have heard from a dealer (not mine) that there is a slow corrosion but it will take 30+ years to eat through the rims.

To me, I say err on the side of caution and use tubes. My dealer, who has been in business for 51 years, says the same. So I went with tubes.

What about the flat tire issue? I give it little weight. Why should I compromise a daily performance issue (weight and traction) and a safety issue (corrosion and leakage) by a concern over something (flat tire) that may never occur or should occur only very rarely.

Glenn

 

[gerard]

I guess it depends in the environment you're working. I've been doing a lot of construction/barn renovation -translation nails on the ground. Being as careful as I can, sweeping with a magnet I still got one flat in my rear tire as well as one in my garden tractor. Both easily fixed in 5 minutes with a plug. Not being a big fan of MURPHY I think I'll opt for some removable wheel weights since I think the consensus seems to be in favor of tubes.