Homemade Lead Wheel Weights

[Polaris2007 4]

After looking around for some iron wheel weights for my C121, I finally decided to take matters into my own hands. I had plenty of lead laying around, so I decided to cast my own wheel weights out of lead. Here is the setup I used for melting the lead:

For a mold I used a 12" cake pan. I set it on a piece of 1/2" steel plate to make sure the bottom of the cake pan could not sag. I leveled the plate with some screwdrivers wedged under the corners. Then I used a really small cast iron frypan to ladel the lead out into the cake pan.

The resulting 12" disc of lead is slightly to large in diameter to fit down inside the first corner of the wheel, so I set up my router to a depth of 7/8", and made this wooden guide so it would cut in to a depth of 5/32".

Here is what the cut looks like:

Next, I put down some masking tape in a cross pattern on the lead disc so I could draw some lines to locate the bolt hole centerlines. Then I found the very center of the disc, and layed out a precise cross from there. Then I measured out each leg of the cross 4 5/16" from the center of the disc and made a mark. That gave me the four bolt hole centerpoints. I then centerpunched these marks and drilled them out to 17/32" to provide good clearance for the 1/2" bolts.

Here are the four holes all drilled:

Next, Since I didn't have any long carriage bolts, I cut eight pieces of 1/2" stainless steel threaded rod to 7 3/8" each. I intsalled the weights with flat washers at both ends, and a lock washer on the inside end. Each weight is 75 lbs, and it doesn't stick out past the tire! Here is the finished product:

[Bill 4]

Very Very nice job, Wish I had the lead to do that so I could make a set to sit inside the wheel, and still be able to bolt on the 75 lbs on the outside for my pulling tractor

[danjmah 71]

I agree, looks great! And nice looking Wheel Horse too.

[btrrg1969 11]

That looks good :ychain:

[MikesRJ 552]

These lead weights look so much better than anything anyone else on the board has done in lead. Great job! :ychain:

[rickv1957 70]

Nice job on them weights!! Rick

[HorseFixer 2,012]

Yep good job! Been there done that! :ychain:

[AMC RULES 36,961]

They look great, mind if I ask where did you find the lead?

[Sparky-(Admin) 19,677]

Those came out great! Could you set the router real shallow to engrave "WHEEL HORSE" ?

Mike........

[MikesRJ 552]

You know, I was thinking about the weight and thought there was no way they could weigh 75 pounds. I began to figure out what they could weigh based on the sizes you stated.

Since the weight of lead is 0.4092 lbs per cubic inch, and you made them out of a 12" cake pan, that leads to the following calculation:

1) The area of a circle is Pi (3.14) x Radius squared (6"x6"=36") or 113.04 square inches

2) The volume of a 12" diameter plate of 2" inch thickness would then be: 113.04 x 2

3) Which gives us 228.08 cubic inches of volume for the plate

4) When we multiply the volume (228.08 cubic inches) by the weight of a cubic inch of lead (0.4092 lbs) which gives us 92.511936 Lbs per plate.

Substantially more than I would have thought! And that doesn't take into account the rabbit you routed around the edge of course, but still surprised me.

[MaineDad 85]

Way to go Jon! Those look great. The C looks great too...

[dgoyette 12]

Those look awesome...very nice job!

[CTPATRIOT 12]

Nice work!Good looking tractor too :ychain:

[jimbotelho 1]

nice job I know what I will be doing shortly. Uncle Bo do you have enough lead for my 2 tractors plus yours?? :ychain:

[Polaris2007 4]

The lead came from an old lead sailboat keel that my father used to have. About 30 years ago when I was 10, he and I melted the keel down and poured it into 50lb ingots. Over the years, he sold or traded the ingots away, and I kept 6 of them. I wish I had kept more. I knew the weights were going to be 75lbs because I used 1 1/2 ingots plus a little more for the rabbet that I knew I was going to route out. I've got some lead left, so I think I'm going to try something similar for the front wheels, as the tractor doesn't steer very well with the blower down right now. Anyone know about how much weight works well up front with a blower?

[jasoncracer 0]

Inexpensive great idea!How was drilling throught that?

[mr.pipes 4]

Lead is very soft and drills easily. We remove leaded toilet flanges by drilling them all the way around the poured lead. Drills about as easy as wood.

[HorseFixer 2,012]

Anyone know about how much weight works well up front with a blower?

You can make them 75 lbs. The reason I feel you need this much weight is I have a the same machine with even a heavier blower setup. When you take the weight off those wheels and the blower picks up the weight off the front wheels as it moves over the packed snow terrain it can even act like a PRY BAR out front of your tractor lightening and taking weight off your front end. You may want to consider Tri Ribbed Tires in the front end for traction con siddering you don't have chains like in the rear.

Click Below or the link in my Signature to see how I did it, Then use Your Router to fancy um up.

http://www.wheelhorseforum.com/index.php?...ic=13093&st=200

[COMMANDO1 23]

great job....how about making me a set. hope you live down the street, not much shipping that way.

[JimD 3,345]

Excellent work on those weights. Nice smooth finish on the outside. The cake pan left a nice smooth rolled edge around the outside and they should look great painted. :ychain:

[MikesRJ 552]

Based on the numbers and calculations I posted above, and assuming you use an 8" diameter wheel weight mold, the front weights would be approximately 20 lbs per inch of thickness at an 8" diameter. I would say that 2ea - 8" x 2" thick plates (two ~40 lbs weights) would do you just fine.

[Polaris2007 4]

JimD, I was thinking of painting them with the same Valspar IH red that the tractor is painted with, but I'm not sure how well the paint will stick to lead. I guess I would use the same primer too. The primer I use is Rustoleum Rusty metal primer. Has anyone tried painting lead? I know that we paint lead sailboat keels with bottom paint, but that is a different paint alltogether.

I will see if I can find an 8 inch cake pan.

[MikesRJ 552]

I've painted lead successfully before. Sand the lead with 220 grit sand paper and prime with the rusty red primer and you will be fine. Just make sure to follow normal painting procedures. Allow the primer to dry, give it a light sanding and shoot your color as normal. Personally I would paint them black, but that's just me.

[Olratlr 25]

Excellent Job and they look real good on the Tractor. :ychain:

[sgtsampay 117]

Is it better to have weights in the wheels or on the back of the unit?

Also, how much is to much weight?

I'm asking as I want to make a wieght bracket for my Raider plow tractor...