Rear weight box/suitcase weights on 1450/Quietline?

[EricWww]

I've searched here and around the web- one thing I'm not too clear on are rear weight box/suitcase weights on a 1450/Quietline.

Background- I have a 1450 in the winter I run the QA42 snow thrower. The driveway it's being used on is basically a big hill, in some situations I lose traction when the slush and hill are just right. I already run beetjuice in the rear tires in addition to one set of cast iron wheel weights.

Given the see-saw effect of the heavy front QA42, I'm thinking a rear weight box or suit case weights will work best. I am aware I can add a second set of wheel weights but checking other options. I've seen front bumper suitcase weights but not rear. I don't have easy access to welders, metal working stuff so something I can buy off the shelf would be ideal. I do not run a sleeve nor 3 point hitch.

Soooo....
1) would this weight box fit a 1450? Picture stole from eBay. I've seen a few weight boxes around but they always list the narrow frame tractors, however the bolt pattern looks similar to my rear.

2) Any suitcase weight options?

[finsruskw]

Build a box or rack of some sport and fill or hang from whatever is about the only choice you have to float this boat.
You already have the bolt pattern right there on the cover plate, or......
Obtaining an IH 3 point setup would make life easier in any respect.

Good luck!

[darkminion_17]

That will not work on a 1450 as is, but will work on a Original as there is no oil check plug on the back cover, you can always drill one in it though to make it fit your 1450...

[ironman]

No mention of chains or what kind of tires you are using?

[Jumper]

I don't have pics of my 1450 with the weight box and loader attachment, but this is what worked best for me. Build a bracket that will get the weight box out past the edge of your fenders. Make the bottom of your weight box at least the same height as the centerline of your rear axels, this will help keep the weight box from bottoming out on uneven ground. Hope this helps. Another tip that really helps is weld a recovery hook on the bottom rear of the box, really helps out when you get hung up.

[Slowgear]

I am also looking at ways to add weight to my cub cadet. I would think suitcase weights would be a top option but I have not found hardly any reference to them being put on these tractors. To my mind, they'd be great for versatility. I want to put weight on the rear when I'm snowblowing or plowing, but weight on the front when I'm pulling logs out of the woods or heavy trailers. And no weight at all when I'm mowing or driving around on my lawn with a light trailer. I don't see myself regularly installing/removing wheel weights or filled tires, and while a weight box would be good it's still not as versatile as weights designed to be moved around the tractor as needed. As far as where to put them, I know you said you're not interested in fabricating anything but I wouldn't think it would be too hard to find a way to bolt something on, at least to the rear end.

At least that's my uneducated opinion. Maybe someone with actual experience can weigh in and correct any inaccurate assumptions.

[ol'George]

Adding liquid to the tires helps, and hurts nothing.
It quietly increases traction with no ill effects like added wear on the rear axle bearings/shafts.
Heavy wheel weights do the same thing but they don't allow purdy chrome hub caps.
My regular mower (782) has loaded tires and it works well, especially on inclines alongside the highway.

As a side note, all my vintage farm tractors have loaded tires (Chloride)
And have for over the 50+ years I've owned them.
Now I don't suggest to use chloride in lawn/garden tractors, but used antifreeze or Washer fluid works better than nothing.
My heated, cabbed and dedicated snow thrower has loaded tires, wheel weights and chains.
It goes where needed and does what it should effortlessly.
Just my way of doing things. your mileage may vary, no live animals were used in testing.

[Slowgear]

Originally Posted by ol'George

Adding liquid to the tires helps, and hurts nothing.

I'm new to all this so please don't take this as argument. I'm interested to know this stuff and I'd rather learn through other's experience than through my own wallet. At risk of showing my ignorance I respectfully offer a different perspective:To me it seems valuable to be able to make the tractor lighter at times. My Ford 1700 has loaded R1 tires, 2 sets of heavy wheel weights, and a loader. It has all the traction advantages you mentioned, compared to my Ford 1510 which has wide turf tires and no loader. Those are essentially the same tractor, same basic weight but by my estimate the 1700 is around 1000lbs heavier and incredibly capable compared to the 1510. There are many places I can't go with the 1700 because it either tears up what it drives over or sinks into what it drives over. The 1510 has no problem driving around my lawn, the soft edges of my gravel driveway, or over my sewer lateral (access to one part of my yard). And I can transport it on my 3000lb trailer. In the near future I won't have the luxury of having two compact utility tractors. Theoretically I could take those 100lb (each) wheel weights off but there's no way to reasonably remove any of the other weight if I needed to access some weight-sensitive area and didn't need ultimate traction for the task. If I had that added traction in suitcase weights though, several of those issues would be solved. Before I got a Cub Cadet, my 1-wheel-drive 300-ish lb JD Sabre with tiny bald turf tires did about 60% of the tasks that will now fall to the Cub Cadet, and I'm guessing I'm not the only person who doesn't need maximum capability of my cub for a lot of the time.

I can't argue with the added wear on axle components, but adding ~100lbs on the front or back of the tractor can't be that much harder on components than the weight of a front end loader or some of these larger ground-engaging implements cantilevered out like they are, right? Removable weights have the advantage in that they would presumably be removed when not needed, returning the tracter back to stock weight. Am I wrong?

Another point in support of loaded tires - I'd add that there's no less-obtrusive place to hang weight on your tractor than inside the wheels. We're talking orders of magnitude difference between a ~3000lb+ tractor (my 1700 example) and a cub cadet. When I downsize my tractor fleet and reassign some of the 1510's duties to my new-to-me 1650, I anticipate fairly common situations where minimum weight and maximum contact patch will be what I want. I don't even have any suitcase weights but I think they will be part of my program.

One more thing I've noticed with my bigger tractors is that the loaded tires are a much rougher ride at speed. On the road or a packed gravel surface on the 1700 my speed is limited by the roughness of the ride, it gets bad enough that I got scared I couldn't stay in contact with the controls safely. With the 1510, no such problem. That's certainly harder on the axles and everything else too, versus smooth cruising that's not shaking the paint off the machine. Granted, this anecdote is tall skinny ag tires vs wide high-volume turf tires as well so it might be tire shape and construction more than the fluid in the tires causing the difference. And with the lesser size/speed/weight of Cub tires maybe the differences become negligible anyway.

Anyway, please forgive my long-winded commentary. I need to figure out what I'm going to do about weights too so I'd also love to hear more input from anyone with applicable experience.

[kalebevans]

I'll weigh in for fun. I've got a 169 with Carlisle All-Trail 2 tires on it. When I put them on I loaded them with RV antifreeze and they're pretty heavy. I use the 169 as my main machine for mostly mowing and blowing snow. If the blower breaks down I'll push with the blade, but my place is full of hills and I can't push far before I run out of room to maneuver our truck and car in the driveway- the drive is S-shaped with hills and the house requiring me to get the snow completely out of the way, making the blower the best option. I have steep areas on the lawn as well, so I'm happy with my loaded tires in the summer to stay stable and not spin tires. I used to take my single set of IH wheel weights off for the summer, but I can't tell a difference in turf damage between this heavy old thing and a newer, much lighter John Deere I use at my dad's place for just mowing. I do like tire chains once it gets icy, but I'm on a very steep hill. They allow me to work across the slope and push into snow moving uphill without issue; I spin a bit trying to back up uphill on the cross-slope with the blower raised without the chains. The city street in front of my house is 13 percent, and parts of my drive aren't much better. I could probably get by without the chains for most things, but I'd have to use the city road to get up the hill and then blow down the sidewalk instead of up, and with the poor visibility of the hill I avoid getting out where a car might hit me. Oh, I do have a weight box I made out of scrap c-channel that hangs off the back that holds a five-gallon bucket full of steel and lead scrap. That probably adds 150 pounds and is a lifesaver when it's slick. We're getting our first snow right now, so I'm excited to get out soon for the first run of the year.

[ol'George]

lets put things in perspective.
Larger tires like say on my ol'farmall 400 TLB or my J deere 730 are about #600 EACH tire worth of liquid ballast.

A cub cadet garden tractor loaded tire is about #50 per tire.( give take)
That is like setting 1/2 a bag of reddy mix on each fender.
or a large man instead of a thin man, in the operators seat.

BIG difference in comparison.
And if you are bouncing in a loaded tire at higher speeds either /or it is over filled and/or over inflated not allowing the sidewalls to flex a bit.
Not trying to argumentative (not that you are in any way) just comparing things in relation.

Just like turf tires compared to AG tires .
In a field tilling/moldboard plowing, ags win hands down, but if mowing the lawn,
they are a little rough on the sod especially if heavily loaded and turned short.
There are those that swear by AGs for snow work, God bless them!
But most of us find turfs with chains/ ballast of any kind seem to have better traction.

I should add any spinning of tires on see-meant or black top will leave marks that some find offensive if using chains.
Please do as you wish and what makes you happy.
Mowing a lawn is like a hair cut, in a few weeks one gets to practice it over again.