These units can also have 400-500kg of ballast. The compartment of the two larger transport boxes, weighing 180kg and 200kg, is big enough to carry supplies of AdBlue diesel engine fluid, bale net, stretch wrap, tools and equipment. The Compact version weighs in at 150kg including the bumper bar, but concrete ballast can be added taking that to 280kg. The linkage-mounted toolbox has a drop-down front door that provides a small workbench surface for in-field repairs, while the linkage mounted transport boxes have a top lid giving access to a storage compartment finished with a hard-wearing textured coating intended to prevent scratches. The marker LEDs are either bright white or flashing amber – with an optional isolator switch available to turn them off in the field – and an external grease gun holder can also be added. Tool boxes, transport boxes and a range of ballast weights with storage compartments are available with optional LED marker lights, headlights and turn indicator lamps, and a bumper bar in addition to the red and yellow striped warning stickers at each side and a central marker pole. Weights can be added or removed individually or lifted off in one go, and just using the wing weights (400kg, 900kg and 1,300kg) leaves space at the centre for an optional toolbox. This arrangement provides ballast in six steps from 400kg to 1,600kg. The low set 250kg bumper-only Base-line unit is for tractors routinely used for trailer operations, while the Weight-line is a 400kg frame to which different combinations of wing and central weights can be added using a clip system. It also minimises the impact of a tractor being in collision with a car.Īll versions incorporate width markers and LED daytime running lights that also act as turn indicators, and can be installed on a number of tractors while allowing front linkage still to be used. Imported by Lincs machinery dealer Robert H Crawford & Son, the AGRIbumper is wide and slim to minimise the forwards projection and to provide a clearer indication of the width of the tractor, especially for road journeys in the dark. This design addresses a number of issues, not least the distance that standard ballast weights – and ballast toolboxes – project in front of the tractor. The 12v pump, delivering 10-litres/min, 20m pressure hose reel, a hand lance, cleaning fluid and disinfectant if required, are contained beneath a lockable lid, and filling the galvanised steel water reservoir with 300 litres of water takes the weight to 600kg. That means mud-splattered or dust-encrusted windows and mirrors can be given a quick clean before heading out on to the road tractor and sprayer can be washed down in the field and operators can be diligent about weed seed hygiene when moving from field to field. The linkage-mounted Hydrapac 600, weighing 300kg, incorporates a pressure washing system into the front ballast unit so that tractors and implements can be washed down anywhere. Second, operators need to carry more tools and equipment than can be carried safely within the stylish confines of a modern cab let alone a standard toolbox.Ĭombining spacious storage compartments with ballast meets operational requirements while keeping grubby drawbars, tow chains, pins, linkage balls, grease guns, spades, chainsaws and whatever else is needed out of the cab.įixed ballast or variable ballast using water-filled compartments, a fuel container and pump, and a pressure washer are some of the variations available on devices that can be fitted either directly to the tractor’s front bolster or three-point linkage. See also: Five 18V cordless grinders on testįirst, tractors need front end ballast to offset the weight of heavy rear-mounted implements and to achieve optimum traction for draft work. The stylish devices, often finished in the colours of the host tractor and carrying a laser-cut nameplate or logo of the buyer’s choice, neatly bring together two requirements. We take a look at some of the options on the market. Some have been conceived by enterprising operators themselves but, for the most part, they are now produced by small engineering firms with numerous imaginative variations on the basic theme. A ballast block that doubles as a spacious storage container is rapidly becoming fashionable for tractors operated on arable or mixed enterprise units.
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