Best Rear Ballast?? Heavy Hitch vs. Ballast Box
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- čas přidán 20. 08. 2018
- Tractor Time with Tim compares the Heavy Hitch Weight Bracket to a Ballast Box for compact tractors. Tim puts both the Heavy Hitch and the ballast box on Johnny, our John Deere 1025R to show some of the differences. Katriel is home for a few days and joins in the discussion!
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I really appreciate your scriptures at the end of your videos Thank you, Tim. And God bless you and your family.
Great stuff folks ! Thank you all ! Wonderful to see the family together !! You are blessed !! And so am I !!! Please be safe and God bless you all !!!!!! Eddy
It was very nice to see Katriel again. She is a great sport about letting you tease her.
Yes, she is. We have a great time together!
Just got off the phone with Guy in Wyoming..he speaks very highly of ya buddy...cant wait to get out there to see ya!
Thanks Tim and Katriel, I will be doing the same when I receive my new Kubota. Very helpful.
Welcome home Katriel. Enjoyed the video. I have that economy ballast box with cement cap block for weight in it. Y'all take care and God bless.
Thanks Tim for the comparison almost bought a ballast box but was concerned about the approach to the trailer as well because this has been a problem will definitely be looking into the heavy hitch system and using the code 👍🏻
Thanks for the comparison. Very informative.
Welcome Home Katriel AKA Flip Flop Farmer Great to see you. I was scared she was going to drop one of those heavy hitch weights on her foot when she was lifting them. Tim you made some great points here comparing the box to the suit case weights If I had a tractor and needed weights I would definitely go with that setup over a weight box. This should be a great video for anyone considering what type of weights to get for a utility tractor. A great fun filled fact video. May the lord turn his face on the TTWT Family and give you peace. Have a great week. God Bless!!!
When I got my used x595/45 loader, it came with a Deere weight box. Ground clearance is a big issue and I went with a heavy hitch style setup. I use the weight box when doing loader or snow work around the neighborhood where inclines aren’t an issue and I can use it more like a cargo box. I use chain as added weight in the box, and can carry fuel and other tools. If traveling, or doing yard work I use the heavy hitch. The heavy hitch is also easier to put on and off. The small wood harbor freight furniture dollies work just fine on the Deere weight box.
I like the John Deere weight box as it has lots of clearance. Never had any issues that way. Filled mine full of stone dust (called blue stone in some areas). Made a plywood top for it to keep the rain out. And like Tim said, a furniture dolly works wonders for storage.
Nice video tim and the green box looks good with the flowers,and good to see katriel back 👍
Made my own out of 1/8" plate and some 1 x 4 solid bar stock and filled it with concrete. Measured at 1500 pounds. Took a few hours cutting and welding.Bought a 4000 pound easymass rear counter weight for 100.00 at auction.
I agree with your overall assessment on the Titan box. I have one for my BX. I had the same debris from China inside too. The sliding door moves better than yours, but had a lot of rust in this area. I bought this because I could have it in 2 days vs. waiting for the Kubota model, plus had to pay the freight charge on top of that. It has a lot of bad points, but I am just using it when moving mulch or stone once in a while, so it’s good enough for me. I am using 3-4 80# bags of dry concrete mix inside. It sits ok on a Harbor Freight dolly in my garage. I bought a 2” rubber PVC coupling and cut it in half, and inserted each half into each of the tool holes. Protects the tool handles and gives it a finished look too. Will repaint it orange this fall. I am not using a quick hitch so I have a lot of clearance with the 3 point hitch fully raised. Good video!
Great to see you, Katriel! Hope school is going great!
Tim KD5VMV School is going well! Just started yesterday!
I made a ballast out of concrete, used pins and flat steel. Its 12Dx24Wx18H 500lb. My 1023 digs like a champ now
I was going to mention that option, but forgot.
Thank you for your insight with tractor weights.
Interesting video, good seeing the daughter back in a video
John Deere box raises 13" off the ground. I have the heavy hitch also and it reduces the length of the tractor which I like. The ballast box does give me extra lift capacity when needed.
I like the idea of the simplicity of suitcase weights but eventually purchased a ballast box - sand bags is more user friendly with a ballast box and when finished I lower the box onto a small dolly and easily push it under some racking out of the way. Great video as always 🙂
Great video. I was just looking at the orange version of that one. I do need some rear ballast!
Always enjoyable. Thanks.
Great to see The Band back together!
Well one thing I can say for the ballast box, we get our fair share of snow and filling with loose sand gives an additional traction option on ice since our entire drive is a hill. Plus if it starts to rust over the years I would rather it takes winter damage than the heavy hitch system which is a small investment of its own.
Pitchfork and torch holder for storming the castle in your tractor.
That quick hitch moves it back several inches from the rear wheels which doesn't help when raising the front for loading.
The heavy hitch is great but pricey especially when my dealer wouldn't sell the loader without the box. I welded a receiver into my JD box and filled with concrete. I hit it from time to time on dirt mounds when working but really not that often. I don't trailer though so that's a BIG difference. I haven't run the numbers but I would suspect the HH can't compete with raw weight of the factory box with concrete though.
I use a $20 Milwaukee furniture dolly available at HD. 1000lb capacity, works great, just have to push a little at first to get it going the right direction.
Great video!!! I’ve been looking into ballast for my ford 1310 I’d definitely take the ballast box off your hands for you lol
Nice vid. If I have ballast wheels on my BX23 with a front loader, do I still need to have weights in the back? I do like the use of the ball hitch though.
Yes. Not nearly enough weights. Check your manual. The Deere manuals specify the amount of weight necessary. Usually 500lb or so on 3 pt PLUS fluid and wheel weights on tires.
I'm glad I saw this video. I have a 2025r coming tomorrow.
Welcome to our channel!
Congratulations!
The lower pins on the JD ballast box are welded on a bit lower so it sits higher off the ground when raised up.
Love you guys haha always make me smile
The only thing better than going to the farm is having Katriel home from Uni / College!
Tim yalls little girl is growing up thanks!
Contest, how many cheeseburgers will fit in the big green box? Extra points if Tim can eat them all:-) Welcome back Katriel!!
Well done TTWT
For 90% of loader work I do. I have either my 6' box scraper or 7.5' TR3 rake to be the counterweight. Since I don't have a quick hitch, implements are closer to the rear of the tractor for better balance.
Heavy Hitch It Is.... I was really considering that Titan Box but this has persueded me to go with the Heavy Hitch with the front bracket option. Thanks for the Great reviews!!
Nice video, Tim. Thumbs up.
Yes!!! She’s back!!!
...for a limited time only ...
I built a ply wood box around the door in mine and filled with concrete I use it for chain and hitch storage
On our fruit farms we used a 50 gal drum filled with concrete that we ran a steel bar thru for our lower link before we filled it with concrete and for the upper link I welded up some steel and set it into the drum then filled it up with concrete from construction of a new cold storage. It might be a bit too much ballast for Jonny though we’d it on a 2140 Deere
Good to see Katriel back in a video. Will be get an update on her summer travel and work experience? Also I agree with Christy she should give the box back to get it out of here flowerbed. Great video on the ballast options.
We’re trying to work in a summer update. It was quite an eventful summer for her.
Tim, could you tell me what model rear wheel weights you use on your tractor. I got the same tractor and I wanted to order them for mine.Thanks...Dave
Ballast box height= Angle of DEPARTURE :) :) :) The front is the approach !
One advantage I see with the Heavy Hitch over the ballast box is....that it won't talk back! LOL Great video!
Ha!
Ahh nothing wrong with John Deere colors in the garden. Yellow mums green box. Pure gold
Was wondering when Katriel would be back... good to see you again!
Joe Schratz Thanks!
Great video guys! Hii Katriel!!
1:04 - That's a dog door. When you are ready to ride, whistle for dog, open door, dog gets in, close door, take dog for ride.
I also welded some big chain in it before the concrete, so I can lift with bucket
Shorten up your top link to tilt the box forward and give you more ground clearance at the back of your box.
Hey Tim, do you run the 70lb weights on the Heavy Hitch or the 42lb ones?
Good video Tim Ilike the weights better .How much weight can you put on back of little tractor? Thanks Tim for your video's
Haha, i can imagine Tim sitting in that box :D
Thanks Jonesy
Was thinking about getting one of those Chinese boxes, but Amazon had the green one getting so-so reviews while a red one that appeared completely identical except for the color got stellar reviews. I agree with your assessment though, and will look at either a heavy hitch or a JD BW15073...
we had the ballast box for the jd 748 and use to put two 25ltr tanks of diesel in them yes it used to drag when coming on and off trailor and I know your ball hitch setup is simpler on your truck but if you had an adjusting plate to set the ball hitch higher maybe longer ramps it might not drag
I have adjusting plate on trailer hitch. My trailer manufacturer said to make sure trailer is level when driving when using torsion axles. So I do that.
Welcome home Katriel
What is the distance from the ground to the lower lift pins... I know it says 9” on amazon but it looks more like 12 or 13”
I was always taught to back the tractor on the trailer. That would eliminate the problem of scraping the ground. Also is recommended by John Deere in the manual?
What about changing the top link to a hydraulic cylinder type top link. That's what I did when my roto-tiller dragged the ground when loading the tractor on my trailer with the tiller attached.
Tim we have been looking since the FEL arrived H H is a good place they are easy to talk with shipping is great we have a fastenal local about 8 miles now I must just spend the money
God Bless you and your family
PaK
Hey Tim idk why someone doesn't make a ballast box with the side facing the tractor longer and the outside shorter and have the bottom on an angle to help with approach angle
The width is limited by the 3 point hitch lower links and rear tire track width.
Love watching yalls videos wish y’all were in Texas I’d come visit and get y’all to do a few projects for me
Tim, what did you increase your hydraulic pressure to on your old Johnny?
The only thing i wanna know is.....How you added more juice to ol johny. Other than that.... The easiest solution with the ballast box would seem to be to re-weld the Lower link and top like brackets lower. That way you could pick it up higher. I like the idea of the ballast box mainly for keeping extra tools, chain saw, Chain, Hand tools, fuel, etc... But if all you need is weight that heavy hitch is more practical.
My compact JD 2305 with unmodified 3 point hitch and Harbor Freight quick hitch will raise the same ballast box 16" (at the rear end) above a level slab.
The trailer issue might be resolved if you back up a trailer and have the box fit between the ramps.
Just bought bx2380 and that ballast box was on the invoice, I insisted they take it off because I had no need for it, just a wasted tool was all I could see, will carry my box grader at all times anyway, or a rear blade or a snowblower didn’t think I needed it. Did I make a mistake? Will also have liquid ballast in the tires too. What do u think?
Your box blade is likely sufficient ballast...but it is BIG/WIDE. It may limit your mobility in some situations.
In any case, you can decide this over time.
Would the amount of ballast need to be adjusted based on fluid filled tires or would you use same ballast weight either way ?
Same amount either way, really. I’ll try to go over that in a later video.
Hi Tim, really enjoy your videos. I'm fixing to purchase a heavy hitch for my 1023e but I'm not sure which one. I'm leaning towards the Super Duty. Would that work well for my tractor? Thanks
I recommend the offset or double so that you can optionally use the 70 lb weights.
I have a video showing the differences
since you are hauling johnny with a dump trailer you can lessen the ramp angle by raising the bed till the the ramps are straight to the floor
The hinge is right at the rear of the trailer. It doesn’t help much (if at all). We have tried it.
Not everyone uses a quick hitch or quick attach on the back which does allow for more clearance on the back of the tractor using the box. I am one of those. I never really needed one. For a while, the main thing I had attached to the rear was the tiller... and quick attach is pointless in that regard because you still have to get of and attach the PTO shaft. Now that I have added a bunch of other items, this year I will probably get a quick attach to save some time swapping between those things but prior to having all of the things I do now, I saw no real need since I just had a tiller, rear blade, weight box setup... I had thought about getting a quick attach when I got the box. It was actually the clearance thing that caused me to NOT buy the quick attach then. when I got the box because I knew I would not use it with the box at all at that point.
Now that I have more stuff and have modded the box, as I explain below, for more clearance, this year I will probably go for it and get the quick attach finally as it should not hinder things at all in this regard.
There is a lot more clearance without the quick attach. And for the times I need to use the box, I do not have a need for the quick attach because it is primarily during snow plowing season I had use of the box for full time weight.. In the summer that is not an issue as I am using any number of attachments usually. And when I do use the box, I have a solution I added to handle the clearance problem anyhow.
It is very easy to add another set of arms lower than the stock ones on the ballast box and move your pins down to those if using the quick attach mount.... but it also gives you even more height just on the standard 3 point arms too. I.E. I just added another set of arms I can move the two lower pins too if I decided to add the quick attach and then the box on the rear of the tractor. If you can't weld, you can easily find someone around that can weld two new small steel arms with the proper holes to move the pins to if need be.
For me at least, the box offers a LOT more use as well, not just for counter weight. One, I use it for carrying rakes and shovels etc. But during harvest, it is great for picking sweet corn because we throw the corn into the box, move to where we shuck it, open the bottom gate and dump it out, then throw all the husks back in as we husk the corn.. once done, take that to our compost and open the door for easy dumping. One of the most recent things we did with it was to use it to pour both gravel and wood chips in a line and in a thickness wanted based on how far we opened the door. In the winter, I just fill it with gravel which easily dumps out after spring arrives.
You pointed out the door and it being a pain to open/close. That is a good thing. Not only do you then not lose much of anything you have in the box, it gives YOU the option to adjust it if you want. What I did was grind down just a tad.. and I mean a sliver on both edges then apply a good s=graphite lube that does not evap or rub off easily.. My door opens and closes smooth as silk without losing anything noticeable of smaller particulate material I might put in it.. like grass seed! I pull a seeder BEHIND the box, refilling the seeder from the box as needed.. It works well for fertilizer as well.
I am one of those that hates buying one use things. I.E. the attachment and individual weights. If I cannot see a way to use something for more than just a one off thing, I am not going to spend the money on it. Spending a lot of money on a the weight attachment and individual weights only good for that one use when for less money I got the box and can use it for multiple things, for me, was the way to go.
I have not had any problems at all with clearance but again, I do not use the quick attach on the box unless I am using it for something like picking corn or a one job thing... and I have mine where I just moved the lower pins down to a second set of arms welded on to give me more bottom clearance and have had no problems at all with clearance.
Tim, I am thinking about getting 70 lbs weights for my rear tires for my 1025R and I also have a blade on the back. I live in Minnesota and I also have a very steep driveway, I find myself sliding when it is icy and not having much weight on the back. I purchase a quick attach snow plow for the front. Do you think the rear weights will take care of the problem? My whole back also lifts up when I try to lift a round bale. I know that's too much for the small tractor but I managed to do it. 1200 lbs.
Get the 72 lb weights AND rimguard in the tires. Rimguardsolutions.com/TTWT
But you still need 3 pt attached ballast for loader work.
I think that when you moved that great big rock a while back you had Many Katriel and Jim's on the back of Johnny. So to me the Heavy Hitch just needs a step on the back that people can jump on to add ballast as needed. One of me or three Katriels.
Love your videos! When you you have time can you do a video on grasshopper front mount mowers and implements?
Nice video guys
The John Deere ballast box has none of those issues. I filled it with concrete and pvc pipe for shovel holders. Works great.
Agree. I wish this comparison would have used the JD ballast box as then several of the mentioned issues would not exist. Don't get me wrong, the HH is a very nice and capable solution but a lot of the issues shown are unique to the Titan implementation.
I see your daughter is home and now she gonna to keep in line. I know you two are happy she home couple weeks
Didn't i see her in Italy? You go girl! Good job!
I say to keep the planter ,, just get a nice john deere sticker a big one that fits the front of the box proportionately..and i think it would actually look cool...
Or, what does the tiller you already own weigh with a shelf welded on top to store cinder blocks or 50 pound concrete bags
As for the door on the ballast box not moving freely; you mentioned it was an inexpensive offering from China, so some file or grinder tuning is typically required. Not a big deal, all things considered.
Do you leave the Heavy Hitch with weights on Johnny when he's not in use? If you do, is that putting stress on the tractor? I have a ballast box on my 2038R in the winter for snow blowing purposes. When I'm done snow blowing I am able to drop the box so that it's sitting on the garage floor.
HH is on and off my tractor frequently. I sit it on the cart when not in use.
I have no worries about ‘stressing’ the tractor with the ballast while sitting in he shed.
I got a 2007 john deere 790 with a 300 loader , which class hitch do I need and how much weight should I get for it ? Is there a kit for bar and weights ?
790 needs a 'Cat 1' hitch. I would recommend the "double" bracket. Initially with 8x 70lb weights. If you find that to be insufficient, You could add 8x 42lb weights on the same bracket.
To my knowledge, there is not a 'kit'.
One more piece of advice...the shipping on the weights is much cheaper during 'normal' times. Fastenal (the shipper) closed down during covid. I would recommend calling heavyhitch.com to see when Fastenal opens back up. Have them hold the shipment of your product until then. ...you will save hundreds of dollars by doing this.
Love it
Where you get the box?
Great Video! but what did you do with the chinese box did you sell it or what you wanna do with it?
Still sitting in Christy’s garden
lol! :´D
You made it sound like Johnny has arthrightis, excuse my spelling, great video!
I built my own ballast. It holds solid cement blocks.
Lifting those weights in her flip flops could be dangerous if she dropped one on her toes. Glad it went well. Oh and good info in the video..
I do agree the heavy hitch is a lot better system.
However for the ones that already has the ballast box. Has anybody thought about relocating the 3 Point pens hire on the box and setting it on a custom built dolly that way you'd have the ground clearance as well as a way to move it around. The dolly would have to be with the wheels sticking out to the side on a frame to make up the difference when you set it down to disconnect but it could be done.
Check out the Artillian ballast box dolly. I think it might be what you are looking for.
I want a rear weight that allows a trailer to be towed. The lifting pins have to be high enough to attach it to the tractor but lift to clear the trailer drawbar. I think extending legs is the only answer.
Hey Tim the back door is because us poor folks use the box for groceries.
I just came here to see Katriel. Hi Katriel!!
As always..interesting video. I have two questions for you. with the HH can you turn the suitcase weights the other way so that they face inward towards the back of the tractor instead of outward? Second question is...will a couple (or 3) suitcase weights just fit behind the seat (loose) if put in width wise? You may recall i'm the poor soul who has virtually no room to put ballast on the back due to space considerations. I have the 170lbs on each wheel cast iron option and am considering your suggestion for liquid ballast in the tires as well. I'd like to get some weight though in the middle and to put 2 or 3 suitcase weights behind the seat if possible might help. Thanks ! :)
You can put SOME weights on the inside I think, but not a full rack.
On the dual, and possibly the offset, bracket you can turn all of the weights around to face the other way. The inside ones may hit the handles for rotating the top link, unless you are careful to set them vertical. However, you cannot place them backwards on these brackets if you have a quick hitch. (Which you probably do not have if you are so space constrained.)
Cheers.
So you did do the modifications:) fun, just did ours.
Was thinking about you. Need to follow up offline.
OK, ......You guys are keeping secrets! :(
ReGift the ballast box. Give it to Randall for his new BOY coming soon
I do believe they make a seat that mounts in a standard 2 inch reciever hitch... just an idea for you Katriel lol.
With the ballast box on, could you backup on to the trailer ?
No. same angle.
I think there should be a "hypothetical example", for entertainment only, of what could have been done to give him a little more juice. Preceded with a huge disclaimer of course.