Simple homebuilt rear weights?

[dmessersmith]

I'm soon going to be switching the mower deck off of my 2086 and putting on the snowblower. I'm planning to pick up some tire chains for the rear but I don't want to spend the $$ for CC rear weight bracket and suitcase weights.

Has anyone come up with a simple homebuilt way to add weight to the rear (pics would be helpful

)? How much weight do I need to add to maintain traction?

 

[kmcconaughey]

Dave, here's a rear weight setup that David Kirk came up with. You would likely have to alter the mounting setup as your 2086 will have a different transmission, aluminum vs cast iron but I figured I'd post it as food for thought.

 

[kmcconaughey]

These are not real pretty but they will add a fair amount of weight. These were designed and built by Pat Irlbeck.

 

[kmcconaughey]

I forget who came up with this. I think it was actually a cheap and quick "carry all" but could work as a rear weight.

 

[kmcconaughey]

Here's another "carry all" setup that could make for a cheap weight bracket. This one was designed and built by John Proeschel. I believe that's an office chair caster on the frame to make it easier to roll under the Cub Cadet.

 

[mgonitzke]

We're forgetting about filling the rear tires with either washer fluid or RV antifreeze. This is really the cheapest weight I have found. Those 26x12x12's should hold a lot of fluid. The set of 8.50 turfs I use in the winter have 40 lbs of fluid in them (per tire), and I'm willing to bet nearly twice that would fit in the rears of your 2086. The chains add weight too. I'm guessing that would probably be enough. An SGT is pretty heavy as is, and you don't need nearly as much weight for a thrower as you do for a blade. Fill the rears and you should be good to go.

 

[dmessersmith]

Thanks for all the good ideas Kraig. At least one of them is within my fabricating ability!

Matt: great comments about filling the tires. The tractor is already quite heavy in the rear (not sure what it will be like with snowblower attached) so even 40-50lbs in each tire may be all I need. I doubt the previous owner filled them since I believe he only mowed with it. Any danger of the antifreeze rusting the rims?

 

[kmcconaughey]

Dave, it's best to install tubes first.

 

[mgonitzke]

Antifreeze won't rust rims. Calcium Chloride is what rusts rims.

 

[kmcconaughey]

It's still BEST to install tubes first.

 

[mgonitzke]

Correct. I couldn't find the picture I posted of what happens when you don't have tubes....

 

[dmessersmith]

I'm still debating whether or not have the tires filled with fluid. But I found that a standard milk crate fits perfectly bolted to the hitch plate between the rear wheels. It is sturdy enough to hold me

I cut some material from the crate around the hight adjustment so that it can still be used. Below are some pics.

 

[kmcconaughey]

Dave, that might work, I'd be a bit worried about the plastic getting brittle in cold weather though.

 

[dmessersmith]

I didn't think of that Kraig. Cold plastic with 50-100 lbs of weight in it may not be the best combination

I'll keep you posted as I begin to use it this winter.

 

[kide]

Dave:
If you look around a little bit, you might be able to find milk crates made of heavy gauge steel wire. - I've got a couple that I've found at garage sales - they stack with the plastic ones - not sure if they're older than the first plastic ones or not.. I use one bolted to the tongue of my wood hauling trailer to throw bar oil, tools, refreshments, etc. (You can see just the corner of it behind the 129's fender in my profile pic..). I'll grab a picture of one later.

 

[dmessersmith]

Great idea Kendell. I have seen the metal crates before but don't happen to have one laying around. I'll keep my eyes peeled.

Checked your profile pic... nice wood hauler!

 

[ccote]

I think if it's a "real" milk crate (i.e. stolen from a dairy...) it will hold up just fine. The crappy milk crate shaped things from Target or Walmart will probably shatter in the cold.

 

[sgalante]

I have used a plastic 6 gallon Diesel Gas can attached to the back of my 1512 for at least 8 years. I have cut the top off of it and contoured one side to fit under the gas tank. I had it sitting atop a 3/4" piece of external plywood with a 3/4" bolt attaching it to the rear plate. I have a couple cast iron weights (about 35 - 40 lbs each) sitting in the open container. I live in Upstate NY where we get some fairly low temperatures, so I don't think the cold will effect the plastic that much on that Milk carton.

I say HAD it, because now with the addition of my Cat 0 3 Point Hitch, the setup no longer fits, because the drawbar gets flipped with the addition of the rock guard. I am hoping the additional weight of the 3 point hitch will make up for the loss of the can & weights.

 

[aaytay]

Dave-
I've used both a regular Garden Tractor and a "Super" to throw/blow snow on different occasions, and I can tell you that the 12" wide tires of the bigger tractors do nothing to help you with traction in snow. Also, these tractors are bigger, but with the frame being longer and the transmission case aluminum instead of Cast Iron, the weight distribution is VERY different (i.e. mostly up front) which doesn't help traction at all.

Case in point, I had a cast iron and aluminium transmission sitting side by side on the floor about a year and a half ago. I was able to pick up the aluminum transmission to "waist" height with one arm. It wasn't easy, but it could be done. To lift the Cast Iron transmission right next to it to that height required two arms and a lot of grunting. I meant to weigh them to see what the actually weight difference was, but I never got around to it before installing one of them in a tractor.

Combine all of this with the fact that the 2 Stage snowblowers are larger and more heavy than their single-stage counterparts, and you've got a huge lack of weight on the back of a "Super" Cub Cadet.

My driveway is 110yrds long at a fairly steep grade. From experience, I HAVE to run AT LEAST 100lbs of weight per (rear) tire along with chains or I'm getting nowhere.

I know this isn't an actual weight-plan, which is what you were looking for, but hopefully these thoughts help.

 

[dmessersmith]

Thanks for sharing your first hand experience. My driveway is fairly flat, but I have some steeper grades to the shed, kennel, etc that I'd like to be able to clear.

Just from running around the yard the past week, I've noticed the rears spin pretty easily when turning up even low grades (and this is with the mower deck still on it).

How do you achieve your 100 lbs per rear wheel?