# Safest plow truck ballast



## aeronutt (Sep 24, 2008)

I've always been a little paranoid about heavy stuff becoming deadly projectiles in the event of a rollover accident. Concrete blocks make decent ballast, but keeping them restrained when things go wrong could be a real problem. Also, the farther back you can get the weight, the better it works. Keeping both of these ideas in mind, I decided to spend a couple bucks on used tractor weights and fabricate a hitch mount that keeps them firmly bolted to the truck's frame where they can't hurt anybody and it maximized the center of gravity benefit. The truck now handles beautifully and I feel much safer.


----------



## KL&M Snow Div. (Jan 2, 2009)

Looks like a good idea. Too bad I use my hitch during storms....


----------



## JohnnyU (Nov 21, 2002)

I had the same idea a few years go. It worked great until I needed the weights for the tractor. Now I'm on the lookout for more weights to use my weight bar again!


----------



## mkwl (Jan 21, 2005)

Looks good to me- I's sure hate to slide into the back of your truck :laughing: OUCH!


----------



## dj89 (Oct 16, 2008)

They cost to much around here for that. Plus I spend to much time painting them to look good on my 44 John Deere b.. Good idea if there just extras..


----------



## 04superduty (Jan 9, 2004)

i want to do something similar but those weights go for around .50 to 1.00 per pound if not more. it seems that all the tractor pullers and truck pullers want them so bad that the prices go to high.


----------



## TommyMac (Nov 20, 2009)

aeronutt;898498 said:


> I've always been a little paranoid about heavy stuff becoming deadly projectiles in the event of a rollover accident. Concrete blocks make decent ballast, but keeping them restrained when things go wrong could be a real problem. Also, the farther back you can get the weight, the better it works. Keeping both of these ideas in mind, I decided to spend a couple bucks on used tractor weights and fabricate a hitch mount that keeps them firmly bolted to the truck's frame where they can't hurt anybody and it maximized the center of gravity benefit. The truck now handles beautifully and I feel much safer.


Awesome idea & I bet it work's great....I have a question for anyone with a 5th wheel hitch in there truck has anyone tried a "Mafia Block" with a 5th wheel pin in the middle of the block....We run them on our Mack Tractors & they work great

Tom


----------



## JeepCreepn01 (Oct 31, 2005)

great idea..... now you cant use your back up camera i would much rather have that


----------



## aeronutt (Sep 24, 2008)

JeepCreepn01;899006 said:


> great idea..... now you cant use your back up camera i would much rather have that


 The backup camera works for about 15 seconds in a blizzard before the lens is covered with snow and road grime. I'm not missing anything.

For those who commented about the cost: Tractor weights were certainly not the cheapest option considering the cost of broken concrete, but then again neither was the plow I chose. I live by my grandfather's wise advise: "You'll only care about the cost once, You'll care about the quality as long as you own it."

I found these 95# weights on Craigslist and I also ended up with a set of 5 90-pounders that I need to resell. Fifty cents per pound really isn't that bad of price considering what new ones will cost at a tractor store. I paid just shy of that for mine, but I know they can be found at farm auctions for $25 if you have patience and go to multiple auctions.


----------



## Deco (Nov 14, 2009)

ballast works best when over the wheels


----------



## hedhunter9 (Nov 15, 2008)

Cool.
For those that need to use hitch though, here is something I did a few years back so I could keep using my bed and have a safe ballast.

I took a sheet of 1/2 osb board, cut it to a "T" shape that lays in the bed, that fit behind the wheel wells up against the back tail gate then up between the wheel wells.. I then cut 2 by 4s to fit around the perimeter. Screwed the 2 by 4s to the osb board.

Now I have a 4" deep T shaped mold.. I then filled it with cement with some Re-bar rods
pre-bent and stuck down in the cement, so I would have some way of loading it with my
fork lift.

10 bags of cement... 800 pounds.

Doesnt take up much room. 4 inchs in the bottom of the bed is all you lose.

Cant slide around with a couple of anchors holding it down. and the wheel wells
prevent it from sliding forward.


----------



## cretebaby (Aug 23, 2008)

Deco;899112 said:


> ballast works best when over the wheels


Unless you need counterweight.


----------



## schmol (Nov 30, 2008)

Deco;899112 said:


> ballast works best when over the wheels


How does it make a difference if it's behind the wheels?


----------



## dj89 (Oct 16, 2008)

If you put it behind the wheels it takes weight of the front end.


----------



## EGLC (Nov 8, 2007)

if you have a 800lb++++ plow hanging of the front of your truck I dont think by taking off some weight would be a bad thing nor hurt traction even worse hahaha


----------



## AIMscapes (Jul 29, 2009)

Don't drive home from the bar with those weights hanging off the back............. that is an invitation to get pulled over. If I were you I would store those weights for the winter and put some ballast in the bed. Those are way too pretty to risk some dum dum rear ending you and damaging the weights and the rear end of your truck. Besides, imagine the damage you would do if you backed into a garage door or another vehicle. The concept itself is a good idea, but realistically you would be better off with some weight in the bed.


----------



## Grassman09 (Mar 18, 2009)

Is that not too much tongue weight?


----------



## AIMscapes (Jul 29, 2009)

Grassman09;903376 said:


> Is that not too much tongue weight?


I don't think that tongue weight is an issue here.


----------



## aeronutt (Sep 24, 2008)

AIMscapes;903318 said:


> Don't drive home from the bar with those weights hanging off the back............. that is an invitation to get pulled over. If I were you I would store those weights for the winter and put some ballast in the bed. Those are way too pretty to risk some dum dum rear ending you and damaging the weights and the rear end of your truck. Besides, imagine the damage you would do if you backed into a garage door or another vehicle. The concept itself is a good idea, but realistically you would be better off with some weight in the bed.


You sir, are 

First, I don't drive home from the bar, but that minor detail aside: Pulled over? For what? Those weights stick out less than a tailgate left down and much less than a hitch-mount carry rack. I used these specifically to AVOID ballast in the bed. By placing the weight several feet behind the rear axle, 600 lbs of weights subtracts 200 lbs off the (badly overloaded) front axle thanks to the see-saw effect of leverage. The 200 lbs gets transferred to the rear axle so the net effect on rear axle traction is equivalent to 800 lbs placed directly above the axle. If some dum-dum rear-ends me, I've got 600 lbs of cast iron inertia that needs to be accelerated forward before it gets into the truck. Cast iron plates are a little less susceptible to damage than sheet metal or a 40 lb stock bumper and will cause much crumpling and deforming to his vehicle which absorbs the shock.:laughing: That's why it's called a "crumple zone". So, realistically, I'm much better off without weights in the bed.


----------



## Grassman09 (Mar 18, 2009)

AIMscapes;903391 said:


> I don't think that tongue weight is an issue here.


It would depending on what class it was. Looks like a typical factory GM hitch which is class 3 no?

But then again I drive a 3/4 ton truck and put 2 tons of salt in the back with a 8611LP up front.. Guess I shouldn't talk.

Class 3 (Class III) trailer hitch

Trailer hitch with weight carrying rating of up to 5,000 lbs gross trailer weight and 500 lbs tongue weight. Also sometimes used to refer to a hitch with any 2" receiver, regardless of rating.

Class 4 (Class IV) trailer hitch

Trailer hitch with weight carrying rating of up to 10,000 lbs gross trailer weight and 1,000 - 1,200 lbs tongue weight. Although many times any hitch with a capacity greater than 5,000 lbs gross weight is referred to as a Class 4.


----------



## aeronutt (Sep 24, 2008)

I'm not at all worried about the hitch. It's rated for 1200 and it would take a LOT more than that to actually damage it.


----------



## SuperdutyShane (Mar 6, 2009)

TommyMac;898842 said:


> Awesome idea & I bet it work's great....I have a question for anyone with a 5th wheel hitch in there truck has anyone tried a "Mafia Block" with a 5th wheel pin in the middle of the block....We run them on our Mack Tractors & they work great
> 
> Tom


I dont know if people do that in pickups with fifth wheels.. They might though. I think its a much better idea on a class 8.


----------



## Wesley's Lawn (Sep 18, 2002)

Regardless of the posts above, you will be pulled over for having a obscured license plate. Some cops might not care if your out plowing or whatever but any other time its enough for a officer to have PC to stop you to try and find something else and if they don't you will most likely receive a citation for the blocked plate, all depends on how he was treated by whatever moron he was dealing with before.


----------



## Banksy (Aug 31, 2005)

Just don't forget they're there!!


----------



## aeronutt (Sep 24, 2008)

Sorry guys, they only extend 16 inches and since I know they're back there I know not to bump stuff. I'm legal in Illinois but since I'm in Nebraska and our law say 4 feet, I'm still legal. Like I said before, they protrude less than a tailgate left down and people do that all the time. And they don't obscure the plate any more than a pull-plow in the up position or a tailgate spreader so I'm pretty sure the cops will understand that I'm just doing a job, not trying to get away with something. I bet your plate is completely obscured by snow while you are out plowing. I take the weights off at the same time I take the plow off. It takes 5 minutes. As far as the "truck nutz" comment, well... they do kinda look goofy. Ya got me there...


----------



## poncho62 (Jan 23, 2004)

I have a couple of patio stones in the very back of my bed...sit low and dont take up cargo room.......works for me


----------



## comeeonn (Dec 4, 2009)

nice idea but ill stick to my used brake drums off a kenworth


----------



## aeronutt (Sep 24, 2008)

poncho62;903781 said:


> I have a couple of patio stones in the very back of my bed...sit low and dont take up cargo room.......works for me


I used patio stones before this. You might discontinue using them too if you had seen the accident I saw where the passenger was killed by a cinder block that flew through the rear window. The driver walked away with just bruises. That's why I built this goofy looking contraption: Makes sure my load is not going to go flying if there's a bad accident. If you keep using them, please at least build a sturdy box around them that bolts into the truck bed.


----------



## poncho62 (Jan 23, 2004)

Good point, but patio stones and cinder blocks are different things.......My truck is a Blazer, so it sits on the carpet behind a seat.has never moved an inch..........I guess even they could fly forward, but so would the chain, shovel and tool box I keep back there..........If I had a pickup, I would secure them for sure


----------



## Grn Mtn (Sep 21, 2004)

OP: nice math, bet the truck handles much better. 

couple years ago the cops started pulling guys over for obstructed plates when the weather was sunny and nice, so I mounted mine to the tailgate salter. since you take yours off with the plow I doubt you will ever have a problem.

as far as hitting something, well you put it there, you know its there, I again doubt you'll back into anything unless your trying to break up an ice bank, hehehe.

btw, my 2 second freebee ballast was my kids two person snow tube filled with water and rachet strapped to the bed to keep from sliding, its about 450 lbs.


----------



## poncho62 (Jan 23, 2004)

Grn Mtn;903835 said:


> btw, my 2 second freebee ballast was my kids two person snow tube filled with water and rachet strapped to the bed to keep from sliding, its about 450 lbs.


Bet your kid is pissed at you though....................:laughing:


----------



## Grn Mtn (Sep 21, 2004)

poncho62;903844 said:


> Bet your kid is pissed at you though....................:laughing:


shhhh, they have no idea


----------



## ram_tough2001 (Nov 30, 2009)

I usually put in about 11-15 cinder blocks in the bed of my Dodge. they never move an inch, probly because i strap them down with 2 1/2" wide ratchet straps that are rated for 1400lbs. It works great and i can even slam on the brakes without worrying about them moving.


----------



## AIMscapes (Jul 29, 2009)

Maybe I was a little harsh criticizing your ballast, but it just seems like you went a little overkill. The idea itself makes sense, but I would hate to see those weights lose their green paint after becoming rusty. Good luck.


----------



## Wesley's Lawn (Sep 18, 2002)

Sometimes my plate is blocked by snow but only when I'm on a lot, I clean it off every time we leave. Been ticketed before for it. Doesn't matter if your out plowing have a sander or pull plow, its against the law. The cops and DOT have really cracked down here and aren't letting anything slide. Like i said before, some might not care but all it takes is one officer with nothing better to do.


----------



## Tractor Plower (Feb 1, 2007)

I like the idea. Not only does it work, it sure beats "ballast" sliding around in the back of your truck if it becomes free during the night, and you can still use your bed without obstructions, nor do you have to move it when you want to use your truck. Great idea! I think it looks good and tidy, but being a farmer I'm used to weights on the front of tractors. Nothing like a full rack o' weights. wesport

-Mike


----------



## Deco (Nov 14, 2009)

schmol;899149 said:


> How does it make a difference if it's behind the wheels?


http://www.plowsite.com/showthread.php?t=85592


----------



## basher (Nov 13, 2004)

Deco;899112 said:


> ballast works best when over the wheels


then it's ballast but not a counter weight._"No matter how long you teach a fool, he still knows everything." _Leonid S. Sukhorukov



cretebaby;899128 said:


> Unless you need counterweight.


 "all squares are rectangles, but all rectangles are not squares" smoorman So true
laughing:



schmol;899149 said:


> How does it make a difference if it's behind the wheels?


http://www.plowsite.com/showthread.php?t=85592 also known as Ballast 101



Grassman09;903376 said:


> Is that not too much tongue weight?


if it's a stock hitch its most definitely too much weight



AIMscapes;903391 said:


> I don't think that tongue weight is an issue here.


OK so we will call it "vertical load, "all squares are rectangles, but all rectangles are not squares"...smoorman



AIMscapes;903443 said:


> Better yet Einstein, send a picture of your latest ******* invention to your insurance agent and see what they have to say about your little dingleberries danglin' off the back of your truck. I bet your agent starts laughing before you even start to explain the purpose of your new invention.


An so how is it different then a spreader chute, 12" drop bumper, spray boom, hitch mount spreader or the countless other products I've seem hang or protuding from the rear of trucks ?

If I would make any negitive comment I'd think the weight is a little excessive. They say a pound of vertial load on the trailer ball is the equevilent to one and one half polunds over the axle. So if you have 950 lbs of weights you've added (roughly) 1450lbs of ballast (which is a square:laughing but if you have the hitch, axle and spring capacity and you don't move the weight balance so far to the rear to create understeer it will give you better rear wheel traction..


----------



## T&M SnowMan (Sep 29, 2008)

I use tubesand (60 lbs each), line the floor of the bed with it, roughly 900 lbs plus my toolboxs weight, never have a problem.


----------



## zabMasonry (Oct 13, 2007)

Great idea that looks awesome. couple 'o comments

I'd think you might want to make sure that the weights are well centered on the rack, I'd be concerned if it was my truck that after a night with the weights offset like they are in the pictures that you'd start to round out your hitch.

Also, it would mean painting over that beautiful JD green, but I would consider painting the rear ends of the weights with red and reflective paint just to get some attention. 

I also would like to see the pictures of the new holder for it, so you can just back in and out and detach from the hitch 

I think it looks great Kudos


----------



## Mark Oomkes (Dec 10, 2000)

Wesley's Lawn;903984 said:


> Sometimes my plate is blocked by snow but only when I'm on a lot, I clean it off every time we leave. Been ticketed before for it. Doesn't matter if your out plowing have a sander or pull plow, its against the law. The cops and DOT have really cracked down here and aren't letting anything slide. Like i said before, some might not care but all it takes is one officer with nothing better to do.


Tell them to bugger off. Do they pull over every car going up the road that has snow covering their plate? This is BS. This happens and one of my trucks gets ticketed, I'm going to be having words with someone's supervisor.

Deco.......you need


----------



## TommyMac (Nov 20, 2009)

Deco;899112 said:


> ballast works best when over the wheels


It's not rocket science :angry:....When you put weight behind the rear axle it will increase your rear weight %...Go to a local pit & weight the rear with the ballast over the axle & then against the tail-gate & see which one will give you more rear weight it's common sense....Think of it this way, say you load a pallet of shingles you should load it closest to the front of the bed so some of the weight is transfered to the front & not the rear


----------



## RichG53 (Sep 16, 2008)

I hope you used harden bolts ...grade 5 or 8 ....They don't look like you did ...


----------



## OC&D (Dec 2, 2009)

Good idea. I've never used any ballast except when I had a v-box spreader. Ya got me thinking now though.

As for snowy license plates......I look forward to the opportunity to fight that one in court. In MN you're required to have a front license plate as well. On my previous truck, I never put it on because my Leo plow hoop covered the mount for it and I didn't like the looks of mounting it on hanging under the lights. For the 9 years I owned that truck I never had a problem.....I even took the time to put the new tab on each year....and put the plate back behind the seat where it was since I first got 'em.


----------



## 02powerstroke (Nov 7, 2006)

this is kinda like throwing a french fry in a wendys parking lot and watching all the sea gulls fight over it.....


----------



## aeronutt (Sep 24, 2008)

I'll address a few legitimate points that were hidden in the mess...

I did use grade-5 bolts, but should have spent an extra buck for some lock washers too. They all worked loose.  I'll get that fixed. I pulled the plow off yesterday and removed the weights because the only precip in the forecast was freezing drizzle. Well, we got that, but then once everything was skimmed with glaze ice, the temperature dropped to 5 degrees and dropped just a dusting of angle-dust snow with strong gusty winds and really slicked stuff up. I didn't expect to get the call this morning to go plow. When I did, I wasn't about to stand out there in 5-degree weather with 30 MPH winds and bolt the weights back on so I went without them. Boy, I won't do that again! The truck handled like crap, couldn't get traction, fishtailed all over the place, and was generally unpleasant to operate. Having driven the truck both with and without the weights back there, I have no concern at all for any oversteer being caused by the location of the weights. I agree with previous posts suggesting that using all 950lbs would be too much. The 560lbs from 6 weights was plenty. I might try dropping down to 5. Since I know that now, I'll center them and leave the outside holes empty. I think I'm just going to leave them attached for the rest of the season since it's unpredictable when we'll get called. If the cops bug me about the obstruction, I'll deal with it when the time comes. As far as the "pretty" paint goes, they're only green because I haven't had a chance to paint 'em Farmall Red yet. I don't worry too much about paint because I've got lots more. Green just doesn't look right. I suppose I could go with JD Yellow to make them really noticeable!


----------



## aeronutt (Sep 24, 2008)

Thank you Moderator for cleaning this thread up!


----------



## OC&D (Dec 2, 2009)

Farmall red would be my choice!!!!


----------



## Mark Oomkes (Dec 10, 2000)

02powerstroke;906625 said:


> this is kinda like throwing a french fry in a wendys parking lot and watching all the sea gulls fight over it.....


Negative, better to refer to it as monkeys throwing poo at the walls to see what sticks.


----------



## basher (Nov 13, 2004)

aeronutt;906842 said:


> I did use grade-5 bolts, but should have spent an extra buck for some lock washers too. They all worked loose. !


Maybe Nylock nuts?


----------



## Lawn Enforcer (Mar 20, 2006)

Good idea. I also see having a large object in a hitch for winter is a good way to protect your bumper/tailgate from stupid drivers. I used to take my 30lb tri-ball hitch out every winter, but after a friend got rear-ended and destroyed his bumper, I left it in. Good thing I did, because I was then rear-ended by a woman driving too fast in slippery conditions in a Toyota Yaris. That hitch sure did a number on her hood :laughing: Cop just asked me why I had my hitch in, and I told him I was off to pick up a snowmobile trailer. He gave me the funniest smile ever, he knew why I had it in.


----------

