OM - Your Rear Door Counter Weight on Your 453

[SkidRoe]

Hi OM,
You have mentioned before that you have acounterweight mounted on your rear door. Do you have any pictures? What are you using for weights and how much weight do you add? Anything that you would change / improve? Do you have to remove the wieghts before opening the door?
I have been thinking of building a weight bracket for my 440B and am looking for suggestions. I was thinking of adding some brackets to the rear sides of the frame, behind the rear wheels and hanging a couple of tractor suitcase weights on them. I have the wide tires, so the weights would not make the machine any wider.
Thoughts?
SR

 

[OldMachinist]

My counterweight bracket looks like this.

I made it fit these 50lb weights that I had laying around. They are used on oil well pumps.

The bracket bolts on the rear door. The door opens fine with in on.

I only put it on when I plan on doing a lot of lifting, mainly logs for firewood. Three 50lb weights are the most I can put on before it starts to get too light on the front end to even drive it with the it lifting up. I have added more weights after I have the planned load on the forks. I loaded a lathe on a guys trailer that way once.
If its on when I'm digging it affects the down force of the bucket and I can't dig as well. Even the weight of the bracket without any weights in it does this. If I wanted to improve the digging down force the weight would have to added up front by either putting garden tractor weights on the front wheels or hanging weights on the front axle tubes. I've seen weights for the axle tubes on larger machines but I don't know if they made them for the smaller ones.

 

[OldMachinist]

My counterweight bracket looks like this.


I made it fit these 50lb weights that I had laying around. They are used on oil well pumps.

The bracket bolts on the rear door. The door opens fine with in on.


I only put it on when I plan on doing a lot of lifting, mainly logs for firewood. Three 50lb weights are the most I can put on before it starts to get too light on the front end to even drive it with the it lifting up. I have added more weights after I have the planned load on the forks. I loaded a lathe on a guys trailer that way once.
If its on when I'm digging it affects the down force of the bucket and I can't dig as well. Even the weight of the bracket without any weights in it does this. If I wanted to improve the digging down force the weight would have to added up front by either putting garden tractor weights on the front wheels or hanging weights on the front axle tubes. I've seen weights for the axle tubes on larger machines but I don't know if they made them for the smaller ones.

Here's what the front counterweight kit look like for the larger machines.

 

[SkidRoe]

Here's what the front counterweight kit look like for the larger machines.

Thanks OM, this is great. I am thinking of adding counter weights to offset the weight of some heavier attachments. As you know, these little machines have plenty of lifting power, just not always enough weight. You are definitely right on the money, it is literally a balancing act!!
It is funny you mentioned about the lathe - I upgraded to a better one this past year myself. I was able to skid my old one out of the garage with the 440, but borrowed my neighbours old 610 to load it onto the buyer's trailer. My "new" lathe came in on the 773. What kind of lathe do you have?
SR

 

[OldMachinist]

Thanks OM, this is great. I am thinking of adding counter weights to offset the weight of some heavier attachments. As you know, these little machines have plenty of lifting power, just not always enough weight. You are definitely right on the money, it is literally a balancing act!!
It is funny you mentioned about the lathe - I upgraded to a better one this past year myself. I was able to skid my old one out of the garage with the 440, but borrowed my neighbours old 610 to load it onto the buyer's trailer. My "new" lathe came in on the 773. What kind of lathe do you have?
SR

I have a 1945 South Bend 16" x 8' tool room.

 

[SkidRoe]

I have a 1945 South Bend 16" x 8' tool room.

Just thought I would give a bit of an update. I went up to the local tractor wreckers last week end and found a front weight off of a Steyr 8160 tractor. It weighs 105 lbs and is 24" x 18" x 1.5 " thick. I also picked up a couple of old 100lb suitcase weights.
There were already some holes in my back door, so I drilled holes in the weight to match and bolted it on. Wow, what a difference!! I had borrowed my dad's transverse wood splitter / tree shear (that thing is fricking evil!!), which weighs about 500 lbs, and it handles it much better.
I have another job this weekend taking down 3 trees and splitting them, so I have added another 100lbs. I moved some wood around with the grapple last night after adding the weight, and it seems even better.
The extra 200lbs doesn't seem to upset the balance of the machine with the bucket off either. If it does become a problem, undo 2 nuts and 100 lbs comes off easy.
I think that the gas engine in my 440B must be quite a bit lighter than the diesel in your 453. I notice that the 463's and S70's have a nose weight on them to combat the weight of the larger engine that those models have.
I will see if I can get some photos this week end of the unit in action.
BTW - that has to be the biggest South Bend that I have ever seen. Makes my little Lienen 11" x 30" look tiny. We also have a Demoor 20" x 60" and a Harrison 11" x 30" at my dad's place. I could not imagine life without a lathe.
Cheers,
SR