I am seriously thinking about putting a bucket on my BX1870. I already have the valve body since I have the plow. Is a ballast box really necessary? Our property is pretty hilly and I have rear wheel weights. I not planning on using the bucket for extreme work, mainly snow removal and mulch and dirt.
FEL on a BX1870
- Thread starter KJoeZ61
- Start date
Re: Bucket on a BX1870
The ballast box isn’t necessary, however some form of rear ballast is nice - box blade or tiller maybe? I have done mulch without rear ballast, but not sure about dirt. In fact, I did 30 yards of mulch a few weeks back. I would think dirt is more dense. I, too, have the bx1870.
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The ballast box isn’t necessary, however some form of rear ballast is nice - box blade or tiller maybe? I have done mulch without rear ballast, but not sure about dirt. In fact, I did 30 yards of mulch a few weeks back. I would think dirt is more dense. I, too, have the bx1870.
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dirtydeed
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Equipment
B2650 BH77, U27-4R2, BX23TLBM, box blade, rear blade, flail mower, Stump Grinder
KJoe- you'd likely be ok without rear weight for snow (other than traction limited) but you're going to want some rear ballast for any dirt work. Even buckets of mulch can get sketchy when working on hills (actually, anytime the loader bucket is lifted).
BTW, I'm a former Koncrete-Kid.
BTW, I'm a former Koncrete-Kid.
The one thing to keep in mind, since you live in a hilly area, if you are in 2 wheel drive and the back wheels lose traction, you have no brakes. Only the rear wheels have them. 4 wheel drive is how you have "brakes" on the fronts. More weight on the back, and low to ground is best for control and stability
Really going to depend on the terrain, what you are doing and how much your wheel weights weigh. Some jobs it will be just fine and others will require more rear ballast.
Take it easy, use low range and don't hesitate to put it into 4-wheel drive. You will soon get a feel for what is needed for a particular type of task.
In general, rear ballast is a good thing. Too much tends to be way better than not enough.
Take it easy, use low range and don't hesitate to put it into 4-wheel drive. You will soon get a feel for what is needed for a particular type of task.
In general, rear ballast is a good thing. Too much tends to be way better than not enough.
With my terrain I guess its no longer an option, and honestly I wasn't even thinking of the braking. Has anyone used the Titan box? Or should I stay with the Kabota box?
Oh and Dirtydeed I was a Zephyr back in the day!
Oh and Dirtydeed I was a Zephyr back in the day!
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I, myself, would have a hard time spending money on a ballast box. My pick would be putting the money towards a box blade or such as it will act as ballast and add to your versatility. If you truly want a ballast box, there are many DIY options that can be done on the cheap.
If going to spend the money might as well buy a box blade for weight. As I did then u get an implement as well and not just dead weight.
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dirtydeed
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Equipment
B2650 BH77, U27-4R2, BX23TLBM, box blade, rear blade, flail mower, Stump Grinder
What about a tiller? They pack in some weight too? Everybody needs a vegetable garden.
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If I need rear ballast and I don't have the tiller or the snow blower on the rear I built a little wooden box and fill it with sand tubes. Then in the winter the sand tubes go in the back of the truck. I might have $35 in it and that was for the sand tubes.
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What Tractor Dell said ^^^. I recently went down a small hill OUT OF CONTROL on the front tires because my BX2380 FEL with a full bucket of soil was enough to lift the rear wheels off the ground, no brakes no HST control. Fortunately it was a small hill maybe 30 feet of slope but man the tractor picked up speed fast. Then I got a brain and went and put my rear ballast on. And this was fluffy garden soil I had delivered, rock or dense soil would have weighed more. And this was with the MMM deck installed and a 60 lb Land Pride quick hitch installed on the back. Plus my big 280 lb ass in the seat. My rear ballast is 500 lb with the quick hitch, worked great.The one thing to keep in mind, since you live in a hilly area, if you are in 2 wheel drive and the back wheels lose traction, you have no brakes. Only the rear wheels have them. 4 wheel drive is how you have "brakes" on the fronts. More weight on the back, and low to ground is best for control and stability
deathtoblackberries that's a great idea! And what happened to you is exactly my fear. There is no flat land on this property. Land Pride QH10? May I ask what that set up cost?
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With respect to Titan ballast box.
I personally don't own one, but I did order one for my neighbor and helped him install it along with a quick hitch from harbor freight.
The box is well build and has some nice features. It has a panel so the ballast can be removed, 2" receiver and tubes to hold shovel or other items. He loves it and after two years of ownership is holding up well. If I needed to purchase another ballast box, I'd buy the titan in a heart beat. Also need to mention that I ordered the unit on a Tuesday morning and it was delivered to his door the next day without special shipping. (I'm guessing they have a warehouse in PA or neighboring state)
I'm a big proponent in using a ballast box and don't care to use an implement for ballast unless it is actually being used. The box is small/compact and usually the weight can be adjusted upward compared to the typical implement for your size tractor.
If using loader work the effective weight the front axle sees will be less with the appropriate weight hanging of the back.
I personally don't own one, but I did order one for my neighbor and helped him install it along with a quick hitch from harbor freight.
The box is well build and has some nice features. It has a panel so the ballast can be removed, 2" receiver and tubes to hold shovel or other items. He loves it and after two years of ownership is holding up well. If I needed to purchase another ballast box, I'd buy the titan in a heart beat. Also need to mention that I ordered the unit on a Tuesday morning and it was delivered to his door the next day without special shipping. (I'm guessing they have a warehouse in PA or neighboring state)
I'm a big proponent in using a ballast box and don't care to use an implement for ballast unless it is actually being used. The box is small/compact and usually the weight can be adjusted upward compared to the typical implement for your size tractor.
If using loader work the effective weight the front axle sees will be less with the appropriate weight hanging of the back.
Correct that's a QH10. Do not be tempted by the cheaper QH05 I had to return the one I purchased because the Kubota suitcase weights don't fit the QH05. The rounded top tube on the QH05 is in the way of the front part of the Kubota suitcase weights.
If you look close you can also see the Heavy Hitch combo weight bar and receiver hitch holding the Kubota suitcase weights. Awesome product. This is the TALL Heavy Hitch model designed for the larger Kubota suitcase weights, they make a shorter model for the smaller John Deere type weights, the Kubota weights won't fit that one.
I also purchased the Heavy Hitch mobile cart which lets me move this 500lb ballast with ease. I was a bit hesitant due to the cost of the mobile cart but so glad I purchased it now. Installing/removing the ballast takes under a minute. Roll it up to the 3pt installed in seconds. To remove slide the mobile cart into the receiver hitch, lower and roll it away.
Now that said there is one very minor issue. The Kubota suitcase weights are so large they just fit inside the QH10 quick hitch with maybe 1/2 inch to spare. This whole rig rolls right in/under the QH10 quick hitch ready to lift and go EXCEPT for the top pin. Its about 1/4 inch too low to fit under the QH10 top pin hook (that hook is massive, the QH10 is rated for 2,000 lbs). So I have to pull the red handle top pin out of the Heavy Hitch weight bar, roll this rig in/under the QH10 then put the top pin back in. I suppose I could just grind off 1/4 inch from the tip of the QH10 top pin hook that would work too. But its like 10 seconds maybe to pull the pin and replace it. Just wanted to give full disclosure here.
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Well I was walking funny after lol. This is NOT the cheapest way to add rear ballast, in fact its probably the most expensive. I love it, its small so doesn't take up much room in my garage and its small on the back of the tractor. On/off is super fast, the mobile cart lets me roll it out of my way, space is limited in my 3 car garage. It looks cool. But the costs yeah pretty expensive.
The Kubota suitcase weights alone are $576 @ $72 each, I got a small discount on mine but still. By the way fresh from the factory still on the shipping pallet they are already rusting. I cleaned and painted all mine.
The QH10 shop around but its not cheap either.
The Heavy Hitch 3pt combo weight bar and receiver hitch was like $250 or $300 and the mobile cart was another $240 or something.
Then there's my obsession with perfection that cost another $100 or so. After I cleaned and painted all the weights to look pretty, I wanted to bolt the two pairs of 4 weights together so they were not clinking around so I needed a large long bolt and nylon lock nut for each. So I ordered 316 stainless bolts, nuts, and washers from McMaster. And since I was pimping it out an already way over budget I also ordered some tough adhesive back rubber sheet from McMaster and covered the Heavy Hitch weight bar the weights hang so the weights wouldn't scratch the powder coated paint on the Heavy Hitch.
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Very impressive, you really put a lot of thought into this. But that's a little more than I want to go! Going to get the Titan box which will be a little more practical for me. But thanks for the information.