Making own front weight?

[RaTrZ]

Hi all,

Recently became owner of my first mini tractor a kubota B5000DT.

I just need it to tow a trailer, a box on the three point hitch, or a flail mower but one with on engine on wheels.

Now de tractor to always have good grip i thought a front weight of about 40kg would always be enough and never to much since it is a small tractor.

Does anyone have good ideas or experiences with making a own front weight or stick to the originals?

Anyways thanks!

 

[Hugo Habicht]

Hi,

I need tractor weights as well (6 x 25kg) and looking around I was surprised at the prices. Typically in quantities steel processing is very cheap, so I would expect a price close to the raw steel price.

Yet the dealers here in Ireland are charging between 2000 and 4000€ per tonne of old, rusty scrap metal. A friend of mine works in a foundry and they charge about 2000€ per tonne for new castings. So I really do not understand how the dealers make their prices.

I can get flat steel bar, brand new, for about 1300€ per tonne and I am debating buying flat bar 220x8mm, cutting it into pieces and welding 5 of them together (8mm is the thickest my plasma cutter can realistically handle). The two outermost plates would include the hooks for the bar and round bar could be welded on top as a handle.

There would be a bit of work in that but so is in removing the rust and painting old second hand ones.

 

[Runs With Scissors]

What about using old "brake rotors" from cars or trucks?

Many automotive repair shops have stacks of them that they will give away, at least around here anyway.

Or, I recently saw someone on here that made a wooden form, and filled it with concrete for their rear weight.

Maybe a similar concept could be used for the front?

 

[Hugo Habicht]

Yes, that may be an option, but I would like the whole thing look "neat" as well.

And I looked at concrete, a good few posts here on Orange Tractor Talks, problem here is the density is about a quarter compared to steel, so it would be 4 times the volume. For the rear this certainly would be an option.

But I would also like to use it at the front and have a few "lightweight" 25kg (55 pounds) weights that I can mount by hand without help of a three point hitch and where I can vary the weight.

May make a visit to a big scrap yard dealer, maybe they have even tractor weights at a more realistic price.