Tractor Rear Counterweight Part 2: Welding & Completion
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- čas přidán 6. 09. 2024
- We'll finish up the rear counterweight getting all of the 3 point connections welded on, then do it's first fitment and test. This will be used on our Kubota L3901 tractor that has a 1,130 lb lifting capacity and will serve as a good ballast when lifting heavy loads. I had this slab of steel that was not being used and found it to be the perfect piece to use as a counterweight. We can add other things to it like a receiver tube for a hitch, pipes and racks for hauling tools and even some d-rings for pulling.
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Part 2 on the same day!? That's a nice gift... thanks Adam; we all appreciate the content!
Trying to keep the masses happy!
@@Abom79 job well done 👏 ✔ 👍
@@Abom79 Seems like a tough job anymore. Don’t let the self appointed experts get to you. We appreciate all the work you put into your projects and videos. I also enjoy the times Abby makes appearances. You two are a great couple. Keep doing you.
A drip hole at the middle post will help clear out rain water.
Watched the video on my tv and had to open it on my phone to come say this. 👍
Was going to comment exactly the same ... Wonder how much is in there from the rainstorm 😂
Right at the bottom, kind of important.
Yep or box the top portion of the post !
@@michelplourde9831 aswell as drain hole
Abby: please don't take this the wrong way but you need to think where you are putting your hands and fingers. This time was not so bad as helping with the gib crane which made most of us out here wince badly. Moving the saw horses you put your hands on top of them once... I don't want to see you hurt is all.
Having said that, your camera work is second to none and your cheerful presence makes me happy, so please stay safe. :)
I suggest you to drill a little hole in the botom of the square tube so it can drain rain water and doest fill up and rust inside, love your videos. greatings from Belgium
Cap that tube for rain, it will also strengthen the top. Then drill the bottom for drainage.
Consider welding an old ammunition box on there. You would be surprised how many times you wish you had something weather tight to put your pins in. Or any other hardware do you want to keep out of the elements, love the video, keep them coming.
Adam, instead of tossing all those short, partially used 7018 rods, weld "ABOM-79" and the date you built the weight, onto the weight. Prevents someone "borrowing" it, and reminds you when you built it. Thanks for the video. Hope to see you at the Bar-Z. Jon
Excellent point!!!!
Well you can be assured no one without a forklift is gonna "borrow" this thing. Not like you can toss it in the back of a pickup on a drive by Haha.
Good idea. Not like you're going to have to worry about warping it. LOL
A LOT of guys put a box on the back to haul tools like chain saws, axes, sledge hammers, shovels, rakes, various hand tools for fixing, repairing, and adjusting all sorts of things. First aid kits, water bottles, thermos jugs, and a lunch box or two.... I would certainly do it
A man who posts part 1 & 2 of a 2 part series at THE SAME TIME is a CZcams legend!
My only concern would be the lack of drainage for the square tubing.
Throwing on some sort of cover would almost eliminate that potential issue.
Other than that: Simple and effective.
A trailer hitch with a hook/ball combo is very versatile. D-rings are great but not as versatile as hooks, and if permanently attached can get in the way.
Cheers, Adam!
You might want to drill a hole in the bottom side of that center tube to allow water to drain, maybe even put some rust converter down in the tube to prevent it from rusting from the inside out.
Nice work! It looks like the vertical tube is open at the top but closed at the bottom. That will fill up with rainwater and rust out the tube.
Adam, you should drill a whole at the bottom of the tube so water can't collect in there. Other than that, great job as usual.
664 cmments, 300 saying "drill a drain hole, Adam". Oh, and thanks Abby for the time-reversed welding shot - cool.
U can tell Adam is a machinist making sure a counter weight is level and plum on the back of the tractor lol....as if it really matters....good content adam ...enjoy the videos bro...GOD BLESS
Okay...I have been hooking up three point implements for a long time. This is the first time I've ever seen someone use a level to check, and make those adjustments. I'm thinking it's not too critical for a ballast bar. But, who am I to say? I really enjoy all of your videos!
should have used a Laser level to be sure it was level...🤔
IKR? It’s a tractor so if he’s using it in that exact location it’ll be perfectly level. I think it’s just his machinist mentality coming out.
@@garymallard4699 no disrespect but I think you missed the point. He moves the tractor a fraction of an inch and it’s no longer level. It’s a tractor as soon as it moves it’s not level anymore, square is the only thing that matters-actually it only needs to look square.
@@corydriver7634
no disrespect taken !! i was joking too...lol...i got equipment on my property...👍
@@corydriver7634
it's Farm equipment...level and square are not necessary or ever looked for....rubber down is level.... on 2 wheels still is plumb!!
square are those wheels grampa designed!!
A fun suggestion for the future - CEE (Cutting Edge Engineering) in Australia - His wife films him welding using an extra welding filter so the audience can see the weld much better.
you mean Karen??
lol only a machinist would whip out the level when installing a tractor counter weight, great job Abom
This was the first time I've seen that! Machinist 👍 !
One last thing to consider. Drill a drain hole at the base of the top link post close to the weight for water drainage. If not, the rain will fill the tube with nowhere to go except the top by overflow and evaporation. Excellent build.
Good call
Throw a vise on that dude as well. Can't tell you how many times I've been away from the shop, building things on the farm and would have loved to have a vise.
Nicely done as always. Nobody’s first time hooking up a 3-point should be that easy. You’re not even bleeding and nobody threw something at ya.
Lmao, Abom hooks up an implement exactly like I would expect haha. With grease and a level hahaha
Nice job, on part one someone commented about welding some gussets on the tabs and also the 20" riser. The jostling of the 900 pound weight back and forth while driving around the property will create a lot of stress on the welds. And also you might want to drill a drain hole on the riser. Will fill up with rain and rust from the inside out. Great build. That chunk of steel is no joke. New subscriber here and can't wait to see more of your videos. Go Bengals.
Its super considerate how all the professional welders showed up to point out all the less than industry standard practices shown here in this home use project.
Isn’t that the norm? 😂
It sure is kind of you to, rather than comment on the project itself, to actively sarcastically attack those that write in. Apparently, you are not into machining or welding, you sir must be a psychologist; are you charging for your therapy today?
@@peterolsen269 You need to find that guy who stole your sense of humor!
@@wildtimbrown I think I can idendify a whole host of people that took that years ago.
Hi Adam, I'd like to give you a little suggestion.
I noticed that the square tube does not have a drain hole at the bottom. You could pour a little rust inhibitor inside and then fill with concrete or similar up to the height possible.
Congratulations for your videos and for your great professionalism, thank you!
Best part of a hydro on a loader tractor is the clutch doesn't wear out. Don't run your sway chains so tight you should have like 1/4" of give so it doesn't load the pins trying to pull the arms off. if you have questions give me a shout. I deal with this stuff everyday for 25+ years.
I just came here to read all the comments from the welding experts telling you what you SHOULD have done. I wasn't disappointed. hahaha
If you come here for the coulda, shoulda, and woulda comments you’ll never go home dissatisfied 👍🏻
Since this is your first tractor, go find an old farmer and ask them about the right/left brake pedals and how to use them. They are an incredibly useful tool. Also, take care when tightening the anti-sway turnbuckles. they can sometimes become tighter or loosen when raising and lowering the hitch, at least ours do. The connecting points on them are not perfectly aligned to the hitch arms and can cause them to bind.
The brakes is really neat for steering when doing a wheelie 🙂
Drill a smal hole in square pipe welded in center - there will be gattering water from rain all time
Hey Adam!
Good build for the purpose! One added item to consider, put a drain hole in the bottom of the square tube so it does not hold rain water! Will help control rust out. In my area of North Missouri, it will also work to prevent freeze up of ice and bursting of tube as well. Also (perhaps) consider welding in a light 'plug' in the top (below 3rd link pin) to control nasty wasp infestation as well.
Ken
Looks great!
I'd take a grinder and round the corners off, as I would be the guy that would smash my shin on one of them sharp corners for sure LOL.
Cheers from Tokyo!
Nice job Abby getting the lighting right and /or filtering right to catch the welding rod as it was burning/welding. I really appreciate that nuance.
Hey Adam. Tractor implement on the tree points are all on a triangle configuration. Uneven terrains make the implement rattle sideways. You need triangular brackets between your 3 points. I think it is unsafe in this configuration. Even considering your heavy weld. Just add two braces between the lowers points and the top, and you will have your triangle. and it will be much stronger.
Get her done!
Three point triangle bkts are a new thing brought in for easy attachment in the 1970s (?) prior to that the mounting as Adam has done it is all there was, the stabilizers ( another extra in the early days) at outside of the arms controls side movement and are perfectly strong enough but should not usually be to tight as they can tighten up as the hyd arms rise on occasion.
Might consider drilling a small hole or two at the bottom of the upright tube, to allow rainwater to drain out. In Flordia you probably don't need to worry about freezing the water and splitting the tube, but up North it might happen.
Need rain and ice control in the center tube by drilling a small hole to let water out.
I haven't stick welded since I left the farm over 40 years ago. The sound brought back a lot of memories of doing some fabrication and a lot of repair on equipment growing up. Thanks for that.
Hey Adam. Tractor implement on the tree points are all on a triangle configuration. Uneven terrains make the implement rattle sideways. You need triangular brackets between your 3 points. I think it is unsafe in this configuration. Even considering your heavy weld. Just add two braces between the lowers points and the top, and you will have your triangle. and it will be much stronger.
Nice work Adam! May I suggest you drill a small hole at the bottom of the top link post to allow rain water to drain out? Having lived at my dad's agricultural dealership and having to hook up all those 3 point hitch implement in the yard to mow the grass underneath them as a summer responsibility, I can confirm that hooking up these 3 point implement on uneven ground was a PITA... I sure earned my allowance those summers. Thanks again for sharing.
The amount of comments made without checking if 300 other people have said the same thing first is astounding.
They all think they are the only ones who thought of it.
Adam you might want to drill a small hole in the bottom of the tube for the top link to allow water to drain. That's the only critique I have for you, well built counterweight.
As someone who has tractors (love my Kubota) and construction equipment... who uses counterweights, boxes and "suitcases"... I think your decision to build a counterweight was a wise one. But low and wide? As you swing corners, that wide weight sill swing outside the circle of your rear tires. Wide also affects the polar moments on turns. And if that weight strikes something, it ain't going to be pretty.
You should consider cutting it in half and stacking it. You can still use it on your 3-point hitch. Just needs some pin placement changes. Really, that kind of weight should have pins in double shear. Easy for someone with your skills and tools. Put some heavy casters on the bottom. It'll make it easier to remove from your tractor, move around your shop and give you distance off the ground if you ever have to fork it.
The finish you get from the CRC Rust Converter is really nice! I always learn something new from your videos. Great work.
Only concern that others have mentioned is water collection in the center tubing. Looks fantastic.
I love how everything in America gets a marketing name, like the " Mini Mega Square", you can't just call it a welding jig.
@mazchen
The naming is the choice of the manufacturer, Fireball Tool's owner...Jason
Ken
Fluid filled rear tires is a must have. Also suggest spending the extra on inner tubes save your rims from rusting out.
Then don't run filled tires...
My dad had an AutoBody shop with a metal working shop. He taught me how to weld with a Lincoln stick welder. I want to get a wire welder but, watching you weld has brought back memories of welding in my youth and I may go with what I already know.
You can have both. Multi process inverter welders are impressive and not terribly expensive.
Nice. You may want to consider gusset plates for lateral stress on lower link hookups and gusset plates on 3 sides of the upper link hookup. 925 lbs of dead weight in my option could cause stress and fracture of the welds. Speaking from experience as a retired farmer.
I don't have a solution to the stresses as described above, but I am very aware of the effects farm implements have on tractors or visa versa. It's a constant battle reinforcing implements due to high issues with simple "need to do something" on a farm.
Trailer hitch on the back- great idea- additional hitch on the front-even better. You won't believe how easy is to park big trailers into tight spots with a front mounted one!
Excellent photography of the welding.
Adam, when you tow stuff with the 3-point hitch you have to take care to keep the pull point below the center line of the rear axle. If you pull from above the centerline you can flip your tractor and you in the seat over backwards faster than you could say "oh shucks". Your roll bar on the tractor will keep the tractor from crushing you, but you will still be hurting. Talk to Brian about this if it doesn't make sense to you. It can kill you.
Many people have died hitching and pulling too high on the machine you have. It can happen faster than a person can react; roll bars or not, it can kill a person. Tractors are a thing of beauty to help a person do what he needs to do, but they are also dangerous until a person understands the physics involved with pulling or carrying a load.
Your welding skills are not rusty at all, Adam. You're a great stick welder!
Don’t forget a weep hole in the bottom of the center beam, seeing as it is hollow.
Was thinking the exact same thing.
That slow mo and slow mo reverse was so cool. And just after that the shoots of welding were so clear when ABBY got behind you like over your shoulder. We were able to see you burn that rod in so clear that was awesome
Drill a tiny little hole on the bottom of square tube for rain drainage
Nice, a twofer, thanks Adam!
I have a Kubota l3800 too, the loader hydraulics are weak to keep knuckleheads from flipping their units over. now that you have weight on the rear, remove the bypass next to the filter and shim with a couple of washers, around .060 thick is good. I can pick up and move my Bridgeport mill and Leblond servo shift 15 x 30 with ease. It will lift the rear tires if i stuff the bucket into a pile of sand where before the hydraulics would stall. now im a knucklehead with a full bucket.
Your font end will not last very long. Loader probably won't either.
@@ShainAndrews it has 900 hours on it and no problems at all.
@@scottvantassel2212 If abused with the extra "capability" it is a matter of time. Some operators use restraint... many do not. Always getting calls for estimates to fix these little machines.
@@ShainAndrews you do you,, ill continue to do me. sorry if that wads your shorts.
@@scottvantassel2212 Could care less what you do. I try to educate the public that these baby machines are just that. Their capacities are engineered for a reason.
That CRC rust converter looks awesome. I will pick some of that up. We also played a drinking game here, every time Adam said those rods were 10 yrs old we did a shot. It made the rest of the video great!
I would like to offer you a suggestion. On the center post for the 3 point hitch, drill a small hole in the bottom so water will drain out. It will fill up with water and debris and begin rusting inside. It isn't like the tube is going to be taking a lot of weight but it will eventually break. Y'all get a lot of rain there. Maybe a one inch hole
I liked and appreciated the over the shoulder shot when you were welding. You could get a real good idea of how you were doing it. Tell the Mrs. I said thank you for that.
Definitely want to weld chain hooks on that bar. Far more useful than D rings. Another use, spike a couple lengths of 6x6 together and put on a short chain to the hooks, makes a quick and dirty drag to level dirt behind you, no tracks left.
Easy. I planned to just forgot 😂
Dang, Abby got some really good shots of those welds, especially the one from around your helmet. You can actually see a bit of puddle forming, and with no dark screen, good work!
The footage at 17:15 is fantastic. It showed the weld actually being formed. Cudos to your videographer (Abby?).
Yep that was Abby taking the videos there 👍🏻
Abby did a great job of videoing the welding. That's tough to do, and she got some outstanding close-up clips of the hot end.
I think she's competing with Karen at Cutting Edge Engineering...
You shouldn't have made the weight out of solid metal, you could have made a box and filled it with comments about drilling a weep hole.
Also: Don't saddle a dead horse.
😂 damn dude good one. Nearly spit my coffee.
Adam, you are a respectable man. Just want to make sure you know that.
From my experience welding farm implements back together I can tell you when you feel it's overkill, run at least 2 more beads. Having said that I should tell you about my welding skills... all my experience with a welder has made me much better with a grinder.
Nice work. I have an older Bx2230. I made a trailer mover with 1/2” steel bars out to the ends and welded uprights. I made my own suitcase weights out of 2” plates and stacked 4 on each side of the center uprights. All said, it’s about 850lbs. Tractor was only rated to lift 5-600. I adjusted the hyd pressure up to where it will pick up 750-800lbs of firewood. I use the forks more than I ever thought I would. I think you’ll be fine picking up 1K pounds on a tractor 4 times the size. Good work
Adam, the amperage of the welds looks to be just a tad cool - notice the curled under toes and and some tops? Beads were a bit slow- overly crowned too, so you might speed up the travel just a bit? Also, the rod angle, while not easy to get higher in that tack up fixture, looks kinda low angle. By adding amperage the welds' would flatten the crown, wet the toes and a more vertical rod angle, that would reduce spatter a little bit, would also help to give a flatter crown profile with more penetration.
Surprised how well the closeups show the arc itself.
You might want to drill a drain-hole at the bottom of the center pole in case water gets in there from the top
I miss the old shop and the work you doing there 😢😀
Gussets plus put some casters on the bottom. That way you can roll it around and get it in place easier.
I was thinking the same thing adam will get it figured out hes the man now belive that
Get yourself a quick hitch, you will not be disappointed. Connecting rear implements can be a frustrating process. Speeco makes a good one
Boy those sharp edges and corners on the weight are going to play havoc with someone's shins at some stage.
Only us machinists would put a level on a tractor counter weight. :-)
I have a 3-point 16'" x 8' platform on the back of my old Allis WD-45 which works great for all sorts of yard tools, some wood blocking plus a box for chains, hooks, cleviss, pins and a heavy duty pry bar. It has saved many trips back to the garage. I also have a receiver hitch.
Good project ... I love your welding. It just occurred to me as I was finishing watching however, you may need to drill a small drain hole at the base of your square tubing ... we farm up in the PNW and I always have to stay aware of which implements are likely to fill with rainwater.
17:37 I do believe Abby has made some of the best welding footage on CZcams. Nicely done.
You can also use the bottom of that weight to flatten all the ruts you just put in your yard. 😁😁😁
I don't think any farmer has ever checked their counterweight with a level, haha. Love it! I need to make one for my tractor, I'll have to see if I have a 950# piece of steel laying around...
"If it looks level... it IS level !"
@@markschweter6371 Yeah we would eye ball it. If it didn't look level it most certainly would get adjusted... after verifying air pressure of course.
You'll need a drain hole in that tubing. Nice job!
Super Nerd moment! Please bear with me! I adore the chipmunk scenes when you're fast forwarding. Tickles me everytime
That’s some seriously heavy steel to weld with no bevel whatsoever.
You could fill the tube with some instafoam to keep it from filling with water. don't forget to put some anti seize on the linkages because they like to freeze up from being outside or not being adjusted all the time. I learned this lesson the hard way when I had to attach a blade, box blade, or mower to keep them level and the adjustments were all frozen with corrosion or the threading was dirty. Great video, enjoy your new tractor.
Adam, speaking as an old farm kid of some fifty years ago, we had an old Ford 9N which is equivalent to your Kabota. Maybe the most useful thing for the three-point hitch was a drawbar that fit between the two lower arms. It served the same function as your 900-pound counterweight except that it was more useful. It was easily handled by one person. It was a flat bar with holes drilled or cast into it about 6 inches apart. What makes it more efficient is that you could add C hooks, ball hitch, D hook, clevis, tool caddy box, or any configuration connection and remove it at will or just leave them all installed together. It would definitely be cheaper than what you spent on the counterweight. I think you would find it more useful too and no welding. Your wife would definitely be able to use it more often and I suggest you would too. Tractor Supply or any other farm store has them for $25 to $50. Once attached you would just leave it there all the time. You forgo the hassle of hooking that monster up when you want to pull something.
In what way would a drawbar serve the same function as a counterweight? He has a tractor to move things around. If a 900lb piece of steel made the tractor tippy then he obviously needs a 900lb counterweight.
@@brianluck84 It wouldn't except as a -platform to connect pulling attachments. The counterweight is a good idea as long as that is all it's used for and it's done on relatively flat and even ground. What makes it dangerous is when it's used as a platform for pulling attachments on uneven or hilly ground under certain conditions and then I think the operator might get a sudden surprise he couldn't control. I live in farm country and the local paper has articles of farm laborers getting hurt or killed when a tractor does something the operator didn't see coming and could not control. Anything that suddenly changes the center of gravity can be a killer. It's about the relative weight distribution and momentum.
If my calculation is correct, 900 pounds moving at 20 m/sec , (which it would in a sudden hard turn uphill while working on a side hill), it will exert 2000
pounds-force. If that force acts on a 4000-pound tractor (I think that Kubota is about 3700 lbs) that is off-balance, and the center of gravity is above the centerline of the weight distribution of the tractor, that tractor and operator are in jeopardy of overturning. I should add that if it is below the center of gravity it will stabilize the movement. The formula for calculating force is mass times acceleration. That's what I remember from my high school physics from about 1965 or so. A real engineer might want to put a finer point on that.
My customer Kent mentioned this CZcams channel to me very cool I’m a plumbing contractor and I love building things and watching people build things
A gusset on the center tube would look good too. Make it beefy.
I thought the same thing. All that weight puts a lot of pressure on the arms when swinging during a quick turn. Don't underestimate the centrifugal force all that weight exerts when it comes to a sudden stop when moving laterally. I think those ears might buckle or at least deform.
Another thing is that during a sideways movement, 900 pounds will come very close to controlling the tractor such as would be found on uneven or steep sidegrades. That is a pretty small tractor for that much weight. It's not the vertical movement, it's the horizontal or lateral movement that might tend to surprise an operator. It might even change the center of gravity if it was raised to clear an obstacle on a sidehill. If the operator turns uphill it could challenge the tractor to remain stable and upright. I came close to getting run over by the tractor I was operating when it unhorsed me. The rear tires missed breaking my back by inches as I fell under the damned thing. These things can kill you.
agreed
Abby is the best. Love seeing Abby helping out in the shop!
You might enjoy watching a CZcamsr that goes by I C weld. I think he is excellent.
Just think of how much money you save not buying snow removal equipment! I think the trailer hitch and hooks are a must! Plus the rack to hang tools on (chains, shovels etc.) would be really nice to have a toolbox on your tractor while working on your property. Wheels to move it when you take it off too.
Center tube probably could use a hole drilled in the bottom to drain.
I have lifted some heavy loads out of the back of a pick up with a similar sized kubota using a tiller as a counterweight. You have to be carful with front end rolling one side or the other seeing how it’s a center pivoting front suspension. It will pick up more than you think but it will want to tip one side or the other if it is not on perfectly level ground
Maybe you drill a hole in the middle one for the water to escape? Nice welds, nice project :)
when youtube subtitles your welds with [Applause] it's a good weld mate
You need to drill a drain hole in the upright, trust me, I have rust stained shoes to prove my point!!! lol
You definitely won’t regret putting a receiver on it, the d rings are a good idea as well. You can also get a receiver insert with a d
If you have a dirt road on the property consider a grading attachment of some kind to level the dirt with.
That's what I was thinking.
28:40 If you are new to agricultural tractors & implements, please be careful to not put your boot toes under the ribs on the tires. Also, watch your fingers when pushing the spherical bearings onto the load's hitch pins - things slide around & can pinch effortlessly. Much safer to just kick the arms into place with your boots. Once you have a finger caught, you'll find it difficult to escape the fix you are in. I grew up on a Canadian Okanagan apple & pear orchard in the early 1950s, and learned all this stuff at my Daddy's knee. Never trust the tractor to stay where you've left it - things roll, and can also slide in mud or on wet orchard grass. You learn, of course, but I'd hate to see you injured in the process. Keep up the good work, Adam!
Abom, please finish the job off with a good paint job! Kubota Orange would be first choice of colour but anything would be better than just leaving it bare metal.
Adam, love watching you create useful accessories whether it be your truck, camper or now the tractor. The possibilities are limitless, when you get to working on the property you will determine your needs and modify or add to appropriately.
Throw some ripper shanks on there. The extra weight will help it dig in.
I just love how you use all kind of equipment to make a simple job as this, to get a perfect result.