Marathon County Maple, Day 20

While we were waiting for the syrup to finish, we used the time to build a form for a concrete "ballast box" for Xavier's new tractor—it's a weight you hang from the rear 3-point hitch to counteract the load on the front bucket / forks.

Commercial ones are a box, but X just wanted the weight. This one should hold about 3/4 yard of concrete, maybe 1400 lbs. (The wood frame will be knocked off once the concrete sets.)

Start of the box—why trim any more off the scrap lumber than you have to? (The corners are 4x4s ripped in half diagonally.)


The drawbar will go through the 3" pipe (2 points of the hitch) and the top arm ball between the angle iron that has the 1" bolt through it.


Position's not critical, but why not be accurate?


Xavier overbuilds—he really doesn't want the walls to bow / blow out, so the twisted wire is pulling 1x8s tight against the outsides. And the blocks around the pipe will create a void so the hitch arms won't rub.


The architect. We may be able to mix and pour today, if it doesn't rain too hard.



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