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Extra Counter Weight on Zero Turn?

farmboy555

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Aug 24, 2006
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191
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KY
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Owner Operator
Both my excavator’s are zero turn and not best balance when not working over the blade. That’s just a zero turn’s nature
Has anyone installed additional counter weight?
Did it help much?
Thanks
 

KSSS

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Feb 27, 2005
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4,319
Location
Idaho
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excavation
Some offer additional counter weight. What brand is it.
 

007

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Dec 28, 2016
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280
Location
Australia
I have the U25 which is half the weight of yours.
I got to the point of melting the lead to make a additional weight but stopped at the last minute.
I was fixated for a while on lifting performance but now i think digging performance is more important.
I figured on a little machine like mine I prob gained 200-300kg downward pressure when digging being boom heavy.
I think my machine turns easier also being heavy on one track.
Its annoying at times but it has its good points also so i just left it.
Quite a number of machines offer additional counter weights but i get the impression the intent is to assist when someone has a heavy attachment not so much to boost the machines performance.
Interested to hear from any one who has done it to small machine.
 

JimP

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Jan 20, 2014
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23
Location
New England
Earlier Volvo ECRs (58 and 88) came with a standard weighted tail and an optional counterweight. Later Plus and lettered models had the counterweight standard.
 

OTG AuGres

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May 16, 2017
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138
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Michigan
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Hobbiest - Forestry and Wildlife Management
My Bobcat E42, although not a zero tail-spin is equipped with additional counterweight. Actually, it was part of the extendable arm option. As 007 commented above, probably more to offset extra weight of attachment (
In my case the extendable arm) than to increase lifting capacity. Going by Bobcat specs, it looks like mine has about 500 lbs less lifting capacity than the standard arm (without addl c/w) and about 200 lbs less than the long arm (not sure if that option has the addl c/w standard). I’ll take the reduced capacity for the convenience of the extendable arm...great option.
 

farmboy555

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KY
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Owner Operator
Just thinking out loud. Do your lifting & Heavy work over your blade
 

KSSS

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Idaho
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excavation
Looking at Yanmar's website (which sucks) it doesn't mention an extra counterweight option that I can find. It does look like you could fab your own and make it look good by getting longer bolts that hold on the factory counterweight kit. I bet you could hang 300 pounds off the back. You would not be zero swing but minimal swing most likely.
 

Ronsii

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Jun 26, 2011
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Western Washington
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s/e Heavy equipment operator
Been thinking about trying to add some extra weight on the new case CX60C we just got... with the cleanout bucket(42" in think... maybe 48) you can't fill it more than half way or it'll tip you trying to load a dump if the dump tires aren't within 2 feet of the tracks loading sandy loam.
 

DGODGR

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Dec 18, 2009
Messages
1,062
Location
S/W CO
I had the additional counter weight installed on my 435 ZHS Bobcat to make it handle the 36" bucket better. I think it helped and would do it again of I had that option on a zero tail machine. I can still get it to tip if extended out with full 36" bucket (over the side) and I still try to work over the blade whenever possible. I always dig with the blade down regardless (for stability) as this is just the nature of the beast with zero tail minis (IMO).
 

farmboy555

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KY
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Owner Operator
It’s a trade off for the zero turn for sure
 

Canuck Digger

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Dec 24, 2012
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263
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Mission, BC, Canada
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Business Owner, Equipment Operator, Fishing Guide
Been thinking about trying to add some extra weight on the new case CX60C we just got... with the cleanout bucket(42" in think... maybe 48) you can't fill it more than half way or it'll tip you trying to load a dump if the dump tires aren't within 2 feet of the tracks loading sandy loam.
Hey Ronsii, not to highjack the thread, but wondering what your first impression is of that machine. I'm shopping hard for a 6 ton machine. My local dealer doesn't even have one yet. Wondering if it's worth the wait. Thx.
 

Ronsii

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Only used it on a few jobs so far... probably less than 8 hours. The cab is not too bad:) I find the hydraulics very jerky compared to our 07' cx36b, the salesrep said it's probably due to the high horsepower it has.... this one also has a hydraulic pin grabber so pretty nice not having to grab a wrench to switch buckets :)

I'll put up more thoughts later as I get more time in it.
 

Ronsii

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@ CanuckDigger: Oh, one thing I remember I found bothersome is the (boom-swing)rocker-pedal on the floor to the left of the travel pedals... like most travel pedals the bottom half can flip up-n-over to get it a little out of the way, but if you do this then the pedal sticks up above the foot rest to it's left and both myself and others have had the boom start swinging due to foot slippage at times when it could have seriously damaged or injured anything along side of the bucket!!! and at high idle this thing pivots fast.
So we are tying to thinkup/design some sort of sliding/flip cover that will be easy to use with feet for a safety cover, our earlier case mini has the boom pivot switch on the left stick and although you can't use it at the same time as swinging the house it is a definitely a safer system.
 

KSSS

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Idaho
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excavation
I am also watching to get your thoughts on that machine as well. It looks pretty good. Wish it was turbo charged.
 

DGODGR

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Dec 18, 2009
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1,062
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S/W CO
Only used it on a few jobs so far... probably less than 8 hours. The cab is not too bad:) I find the hydraulics very jerky compared to our 07' cx36b, the salesrep said it's probably due to the high horsepower it has.... this one also has a hydraulic pin grabber so pretty nice not having to grab a wrench to switch buckets :)

I'll put up more thoughts later as I get more time in it.
I'm sorry but I call BULL SH!TI on this one. I just can't see how this will have any effect on how jerky a machine is. In fact, I find statements like this (from salesman) an insult to my intelligence (and what prompted me to reply in the first place). Why can't they (salesmen) just say that they don't know why instead of trying to (either) placate us, or sound like they are knowledgeable when they are clearly not.
I agree that pin grabbers are AWESOME! I am looking forward to the day that I get a Rototilt or an Engcon coupler. Then I wouldn't even have to get out to couple up the hydros (saves time too!). This would be particularly helpful when going back and forth between bucket and ho-pac when backfilling foundations.

@ CanuckDigger: Oh, one thing I remember I found bothersome is the (boom-swing)rocker-pedal on the floor to the left of the travel pedals... like most travel pedals the bottom half can flip up-n-over to get it a little out of the way, but if you do this then the pedal sticks up above the foot rest to it's left and both myself and others have had the boom start swinging due to foot slippage at times when it could have seriously damaged or injured anything along side of the bucket!!! and at high idle this thing pivots fast.
So we are tying to thinkup/design some sort of sliding/flip cover that will be easy to use with feet for a safety cover, our earlier case mini has the boom pivot switch on the left stick and although you can't use it at the same time as swinging the house it is a definitely a safer system.
This is part of the reason I really have come to love the thumb wheel activation of the boom swing (like on Cat minis and, I believe, the newer Bobcats as well). Less things on the already cramped floor space, more precise metering, and can activate both boom and house swing at the same time.

I am also watching to get your thoughts on that machine as well. It looks pretty good. Wish it was turbo charged.
It seems as though you Tack guys love those grey and red minis. I doubt that Case (or is it Kobelco in "power tan") will get you to switch over.
 

Ronsii

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Just saw this thread pop up and remembered I took a few pics the other day:)

Still haven't had much time in the 60 but everytime I do get in it I manage to get it shaking at least a couple times....each time I get in.

@DGODGR: This machine is actually built by Hyundai.

Here is a pic of the floorboards.
cx60_-floor_sm.jpg

Here is a pic of the screen.
cx60c_screen_sm.jpg

And a final shot of an unlucky tree that was just in the wrong place....
cx60c_tree_sm.jpg
 

DGODGR

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Still haven't had much time in the 60 but everytime I do get in it I manage to get it shaking at least a couple times....each time I get in.
I just remembered something (about my Bobcat 435) that might be happening on your new 60. My 435 has electric over hydro controls (same as your 60?). I have noticed that these controls (EH) do not always have strong enough centering springs. If one accidentally bumps them, or if it doesn't get "eased" back to center (like if you just let go of it), it will often wiggle back and forth, slightly activating the function, and making the machine wiggle. This, in turn, keeps the control lever wiggling. This can often continue, as a vicious circle, until one puts a hand on the lever to stop it. Ironically this seems to only happen to the left joy stick (crowd function). Does this sound like what you are experiencing?
 

Ronsii

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Western Washington
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You know, I'm not sure what it has... I haven't really had any extra time to even look under the hood. The main reason I mentioned it to the dealer/salesman was I wanted to know if they could reprogram it... in case it had EH controls, but I couldn't get a solid answer out of him....

It seems when I'm trying to fine grade it just gets to where you have to be very careful how you move the controls, with normal digging, loading, hogging out dirt it actually has good feel and speed to it and plenty of power:) I'll have to study what is going on one of these times but am usually in a hurry so don't have time to think about it and just work through it.

And in the spirit of this thread not to get too far off topic :) While I haven't added more counterweight to the house I did add a few hundred pounds to the blade which actually helped when I have a full bucket 180 degrees from it... but not so much over the sides :(
 
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