Rear Ballast Weight DIY Build

[EddieWalker]

I've come to the realization that my new Massey Ferguson 4707 tractor needs some weight in it's rear when I'm moving dirt on my land. It's really bad when I'm going downhill and stopping before dumping the bucket. It feels like the tractor wants to flip over, and a few times, I'm positive that one or both of the rear tires have come off the ground.

Rear wheel weights are my first choice, but for just a couple hundred pounds, the prices are ridiculous. I haven't contacted my dealer, I just looked online, and it's over a grand for something that really isn't heavy enough in my opinion.

My next option is a ballast box. I saw some online that where made of metal and you fill them up with concrete, or whatever else you want to use. They seem to be OK, but the cost is $225 to over $350. That might not be a bad deal. I'm still thinking on that. My tractor has Cat 2 pins, so I would need bushings, which I have, or I could replace the pins. I'm just a bit nervous about the metal that the pins are attached to, and if they will hold up over time? and if the metal will start to rust and then the concrete inside will begin to move around?

Amazon.com

Then there is the low cost option of making my own ballast box from a plywood frame around a 3 point hitch. I kind of like this idea the best. To me, the concrete would have something to hold onto instead of being in a metal box that might rust out, or fall apart. The pins are attached to solid metal that goes through the middle of the box, which seems a lot stronger to me. At $52, I don't see how I can buy the metal and weld something together for this price. With free delivery, it seems like a no brainer.

Amazon.com

What am I missing or over thinking?

 

[EddieWalker]

I decided to order the 3 point receiver hitch and a pair of Cat 2 pins from Amazon for $73.02

Once it gets here I'll build the plywood frame and pour concrete.

 

[George2615]

Have you thought about a plastic 55 gallon barrel? I built mine fairly easy and filled 3/4 of the way it weighs 927#. I'm sure if I had filled it with concrete it would about 1K or more. I also obtained an old records safe for free when a Dr. office moved and didn't want to pay to move it. It is concrete lined and weighs over 1K. I just had to weld on some lifting points.

 

[EddieWalker]

How do you attach the barrel to the tractor?

 

[Seven Gables]

Good thinking on 3 pt ballast for fel., makes a world of difference. I use about 1700lbs on 3 pt of 5085e with no liquid in rear tires, 2 wheel weights/tire though.
One thing to remember your going to have to keep the 3pt frame way towards the front of the concrete so the concrete doesn’t block your lower arms from reaching the pins. If you keep the pins towards the center of concrete you could angle the concrete in to allow the arms to reach pins. How much weight are you thinking?

 

[George2615]

I built a steel frame inside the barrel using scrap rectangle tubing, a piece of 1" bar stock and came out the front for the top link. I also added more steel out the back and added a hook for a chain. Sorry for the blurry pics. Its cold out here and I must have been shaking a little. Don't pay attention to the dates. I didn't reset the camera.

 

[EddieWalker]

...How much weight are you thinking?

I have 1,000 pounds in my head, but it will really depend on how big the box is that I make to pour the concrete into. I'll buy a full pallet of 56 sacks that weigh 60 pounds each and use as many as I can. The rest will go towards fencing. I buy a lot of pallets of concrete!!!

 

[oldballs]

Are you sure that you need all that weight? Sometimes just a Back Blade, waterfilled Spiker, a loaded Carry-All, Tiller etc. is all that you need to feel safe and it's something that you already have and paid for. Just thinking.....

Cheers,
Mike

 

[BaznastyDave]

I like the home made jobs

 

[Mtsoxfan]

I bought a box online, about $225 IIRR...
LOL, never used as a ballast box, unless you count the weight of some hand tools etc. And at that, only a handful of times. Just sitting in the barn looking all shiny...

 

[EddieWalker]

Since I've never done this before, I'm not sure how much weight I need. I've only seen tractors using round bales as counter weights at the feed store. I'm guessing they weighed about 800 pounds, so that's probably enough. My plan is to figure out how big the box needs to be to pour the concrete and then fill it up. Whatever the total number of sacks is that I mix will by my weight. The 3 point hitch is scheduled to be delivered next Tuesday the 9th, so I'll start on this when it gets here.

 

[LD1]

The length behind the tractor is as equally as important as the weight.

Ballast boxes (or a homemade ballast) usually keep the weight pretty close to the tractor. Therefore it takes more weight to have the same effectiveness as lesser weight but further back. Without exact measurements and dimensions.....I am guessing a 800# bale would be about the same "effect" as 1200# in a box.

My last tractor was a 2600lb bare weight L3400 kubota. I had a 1000# concrete barrel on the back of it and it was about perfect.

My current tractor is a 3700# MX5100, and can tell you that 1000# is NOT enough. The loader is still strong enough to lift the rears even with loaded tires. But both the 1600# bushhog or my 1250# rear blade keep it planted with no concerns.....but that weight is also further back. Not having a use for it, I gave away my 1000# barrel to my cousin who has a 30hp bota

I guess what I am saying is.....your 7700# tractor is TWICE the machine that my MX is. I am thinking that a mere 1000# of weight, close to the hitch, is just gonna feel like a drop in the bucket. And is far lighter than any mounted implement that is likely designed/matched to your weight/HP.

A heavy ~2000lb 10' rear blade would be a nice paring if doing dirt work. OR if you have 3PH pallet forks....an IBC tote filled with water should put you a tad over a ton of rear ballast. Anything less I think is just insufficient for that size machine

 

[EddieWalker]

I was under the impression that my tractor weighed 9,000 pounds, but Tractor Data shows that the heaviest it could weigh is 8,644 I don't know if that includes fuel and hydraulic oil or not, but it puts me in a ballpark of 9,000 pounds.

Tractor Data also says that the rear lift is rated for 4,850 pounds.

I'm wondering if I should try to get the rear ballast up to 2,000 pounds like you suggest? It looks like the tractor has enough power and weight to handle it. Is too much weight an issue?

TractorData.com Massey Ferguson 4707 tractor information

www.tractordata.com

 

[Seven Gables]

I was under the impression that my tractor weighed 9,000 pounds, but Tractor Data shows that the heaviest it could weigh is 8,644 I don't know if that includes fuel and hydraulic oil or not, but it puts me in a ballpark of 9,000 pounds.

Tractor Data also says that the rear lift is rated for 4,850 pounds.

I'm wondering if I should try to get the rear ballast up to 2,000 pounds like you suggest? It looks like the tractor has enough power and weight to handle it. Is too much weight an issue?

TractorData.com Massey Ferguson 4707 tractor information

www.tractordata.com

Not sure if you’re rear tires are filled? Even if they are 2k wouldn’t hurt a thing , be about perfect I’d say. That 4707 looks to be a very stout 3pt . One thing I find important is to tighten your sway bars as much as possible to eliminate swaying saves wear on components

 

[LD1]

I was under the impression that my tractor weighed 9,000 pounds, but Tractor Data shows that the heaviest it could weigh is 8,644 I don't know if that includes fuel and hydraulic oil or not, but it puts me in a ballpark of 9,000 pounds.

Tractor Data also says that the rear lift is rated for 4,850 pounds.

I'm wondering if I should try to get the rear ballast up to 2,000 pounds like you suggest? It looks like the tractor has enough power and weight to handle it. Is too much weight an issue?

TractorData.com Massey Ferguson 4707 tractor information

www.tractordata.com

Obviously everything in moderation. Too much weight is rarely a bad thing on a loader tractor.

The rear axle is exponentially heavier and designed to carry far more weight than the front axle.

These discussions come up often....and adding rear ballast will only INCREASE the potential weight on the front axle up until you have ENOUGH weight to keep the rear end on the ground. At that point.....any additional weight works to REDUCE the front end load.

Im thinking with 1000# ballast your loader will still be strong enough to raise the @$$ of the machine in the air.

While you will achieve your goal of stability with a bucket full of dirt as compared to the same bucket load and NO ballast......while digging into a pile of dirt to the point of raising the rear.....you are not only adding that 1000# ballast to the FRONT axle....but whatever increase in loader lift force you now have as a result of that ballast.

Lets say you can only lift 1500# before the rear end lifts with no ballast. Your 9k tractor + 1500# loader load all end up on the front axle.....10.5k right.

Throw that 1000# on the back. Now you may be able to lift 3000# with the loader before the rear hikes in the air. So now you have the 9k tractor + 1k ballast + 3k loader load all on the front. 13k total. So adding the ballast....can and does actually increase the potential load you can put on your front axle.

Its not just about stability. But you need ENOUGH ballast to have a meaningful impact on reducing the front axle load.

My simple seat of the pants thinking is 2000# would be a MINIMUM that I would want on a machine that size if its in the form of a ballast box and kept in close. Leverage is still your friend....so an implement sticking further back would have more effect than something short and compact.

Think about this.....a tractor that size with loader wouldnt have any issues with a mounted 10' twin spindle cutter like a 2310 bushhog. And that puts the load ~5' behind the pins and 2100#

 

[EddieWalker]

You make some good points. Currently, it has so much power and traction that I can load the bucket to overflowing by just driving it into the side of a hill. Driving along on flat ground, I never noticed anything. It's when I'm angling down just a little that things get wacky.

Mostly I'm filling in hole from the roots of a tree. Bigger trees have bigger holes. I drive to where I want to take the dirt and then drive back with it. That's been OK, but when I go do dump the dirt in the hole and I'm sloping down, that's when things have gotten uncomfortable.

In the past I've used my 555E backhoe to do this. With the hoe on the rear, I've never thought about rear ballast. It's rock solid. It can also haul more dirt per load, but when I have the grapple on it, I want to use the Massey to fill holes with so I don't have to remove the grapple.

 

[CADplans]

My JD is not quite as big as the 4707,,
but, 950# on my 4052R is starting to feel like "the tail wagging the dog"

I built my weight "box" out of the rear weight off a John Deere track loader that was being scrapped.

I have 600# more weight left from the loader weight that I took apart,,
but, I doubt I will ever go up in weight.

Maybe I will paint it,, when it gets warm,,

 

[MTGreen]

Since I've never done this before, I'm not sure how much weight I need. I've only seen tractors using round bales as counter weights at the feed store. I'm guessing they weighed about 800 pounds, so that's probably enough. My plan is to figure out how big the box needs to be to pour the concrete and then fill it up. Whatever the total number of sacks is that I mix will by my weight. The 3 point hitch is scheduled to be delivered next Tuesday the 9th, so I'll start on this when it gets here.

Not sure for your tractor but the last 2 Deeres that I've had had the a recommended ballast listed in the loader owner's manual

 

[LD1]

My JD is not quite as big as the 4707,,
but, 950# on my 4052R is starting to feel like "the tail wagging the dog"

I built my weight "box" out of the rear weight off a John Deere track loader that was being scrapped.

I have 600# more weight left from the loader weight that I took apart,,
but, I doubt I will ever go up in weight.

Maybe I will paint it,, when it gets warm,,

Your Deere is similar to my mx5100. And at 3770# for a rops machine vs eddies 8700# cabbed machine....his tractor is more than twice the machine. And it would take more than twice the ballast.

In other words....for him to put 1000# ballast on the back, would be the equivalent of you or I putting about 430# on the back of our machines. Which IMO is no where close to enough to be significant.

 

[CADplans]

Your Deere is similar to my mx5100. And at 3770# for a rops machine vs eddies 8700# cabbed machine....his tractor is more than twice the machine. And it would take more than twice the ballast.

In other words....for him to put 1000# ballast on the back, would be the equivalent of you or I putting about 430# on the back of our machines. Which IMO is no where close to enough to be significant.

Yea, he needs the weights I had before disassembly, it weighed almost a ton.

It was so heavy (in one spot) that I did not like hauling it in my dump trailer,,
I drove S L O W !!

Eight plates at 200# each, plus the two brackets. Probably 1900#,, maybe 2,000,, I ain't gonna weigh it!! LOL!!