What should my rear ballast weigh ?

[sailorman]

I 'm pretty much just tryin' to ballast FEL a bit when using for wood hauling, dirt, or road gravel. And I 'd like to stick with and average rate instead of adding or removing weight for a particular job as I 'm gonna use concrete for weight in one of those post cylinder things with a rod through it for lower links.
Stats : Kubota 2320 weight 1477 lbs., FEL with 48 " bucket 562 lbs.
Manual says a max of 660 lbs on lower links.

What do you think would be a weight ? As a side note, I think it will be cheap to do so I might make a few different weights for different jobs.

 

[kennyd]

IMHO, it should be the maximum or close to it the 3PH can lift.
Multiple weights is a waste of time...suppose you are moving some mulch, then you see a large rock you need to move-you gonna go change rear weights?

 

[sailorman]

IMHO, it should be the maximum or close to it the 3PH can lift.
Multiple weights is a waste of time...suppose you are moving some mulch, then you see a large rock you need to move-you gonna go change rear weights?

Thanks Kenny, point taken and a good one for me to consider. But, if I 'm haulin' mulch I doubt I 'd have the weight on at all.

I know its been discussed before, but I couldn 't find it with search. Ya got any idea what hardened quikrete weighs by volume ?

 

[gwdixon]

My understanding is a bag of concrete will weigh whatever the bag weighs plus a bit more. But the approximate weight is the dry bag: 80 lb bag will weigh approximately 80 pounds dried. The water added just causes a chemical reaction with the cement and eventually evaporates.

Maybe an expert on the subject can add more detail.

 

[sailorman]

My understanding is a bag of concrete will weigh whatever the bag weighs plus a bit more. But the approximate weight is the dry bag: 80 lb bag will weigh approximately 80 pounds dried. The water added just causes a chemical reaction with the cement and eventually evaporates.

Maybe an expert on the subject can add more detail.

Makes sense to me and makes me feel a bit stupid ( not the first time :laughing: ) .The water should be evaporated so 80 # 's is 80 # 's. When I decide what weight I want, it should be easy to calculate bags and volume of container. Thanks !!

 

[tdan300]

Concrete will normally run about 148 lbs per cubic foot

 

[dfkrug]

The water should be evaporated so 80 # 's is 80 # 's.

The water and portland cement react together to form a hydrate, which is
your glue that holds the aggregates together. It does not dry. You
may lose some water by evaporation off the surface of wet concrete, but
most of the water you add is consumed in the chemical reaction. So an
80# bag would make maybe 90# of concrete, I would guess.

I use 150#/cf for cured concrete as an approximate weight, but it can
be a little less for small aggregates, and a bit more for large aggregates.

 

[texasjohn]

Yep, rear weight , IMHO, needs to be sufficient to allow you to have max weight in FEL and maintain safe attitude (no wheelies) while traversing uneven but reasonably safe ground at reasonable/safe speed.

For me, I added the appropriate weight to my box blade (a little trial and error involved) and now leave the weighted box blade on the rear almost all the time. It comes off only when a different 3ph implement is required.

Frequently, if a different (lighter) rear implement is mounted, I am reminded of the need for proper rear weight by unbalanced conditions as I encounter/attempt the unplanned task that puts very significant weight on the front.

 

[RoyJackson]

What do you think would be a weight ? As a side note, I think it will be cheap to do so I might make a few different weights for different jobs.

You got some excellent responses here.

If you want an "official" answer, your tractor and loader manuals should have a page or chart with ballasting requirements and weights.

As far as what to use....pretty much anything heavy enough. I prefer a factory or homebuilt ballast box since it keeps the weight nice and compact (less to worry about when you're backing up).

 

[kennyd]

Thanks Kenny, point taken and a good one for me to consider. But, if I 'm haulin' mulch I doubt I 'd have the weight on at all

You NEED rear ballast when anything is in the bucket. If not all that weight is carried by the front axle. Mulch is heavier that you think.