# Homebrew wheel weights images



## Chipmaker (Sep 16, 2003)

Here are the wheel weights I made for my JD GX335. They come out weighing 53# including attaching bolts, spacers and lockwashers and nuts. Back disk is 1/4" steel, and the steel pipe welded to the plate is 3 1/4" x 6" heavywall pipe, poured full of lead, and topped off with a cast aluminum hub cap. The TFM is my homeshop addopted name that I put on just about everything I cast and they stand for "Tyson Foundry & Machine" I live in Tyson, population of 6, and needless to say its the only machine shop and foundry in this one horse town


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## Chipmaker (Sep 16, 2003)

*Wheel weights mounted on tractor*

Here is the weights mounted on tractor. Oh, the pain is that Wally World John Deere yellow made by Krylon.........pretty cheap but nice paint, much cheaper than the JD cans are.


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## jodyand (Sep 16, 2003)

*Looks good*

not a bad job different but still a good job:thumbsup: 
Jody


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## Gromulus (Sep 16, 2003)

*Weights*

Nice job. Too bad freight costs are so high - you could go into business!


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## tisenberg (Sep 20, 2003)

Cool


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## Stewart (Sep 17, 2003)

Awesome Job!!! I wish I had skills like that!.....and the tools too!:dancingfo


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## Greg (Sep 16, 2003)

Super job, Chipmaker!

I'm always amazed at the things you do. Your web site is a real education and very interesting. 

Ditto what Stewart said.

Greg


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## Argee (Sep 17, 2003)

Nice job Chipmaker. Looks very professional, a liitle above what the OEM offers.


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## guest (Sep 16, 2003)

looks good.. you should have told us TFM stood for 'Tractor Forum Member'

but maybe you did not want andys head to swell up too much...


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## Chipmaker (Sep 16, 2003)

Yea, I thought about the Tractor Forum Member thing myself as I was typing up the post. 

I don;t know how many of you may be interested in metal casting, but its really a very cheap hobby to get into and it can be done in your back yard, and neighbors think your doing nothing more than BBQ'ing. Its amazing what you can make this way. If you like working with wood, patternmaking is easy. Materials are really dirt cheap and its economical to do. No big fancy expensive machines needed, but a lathe is a plus. All you really need is simple hand tools. I get more use out of recycled soda and beer cans and scrap than they bring by selling them to the recycler. Those cast aluminum hub caps are predominately a stash or melted down soda cans.


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## PeteNM (Sep 18, 2003)

Chipmaker

Nice job on the weights ! Did you build your own melting furnace and torch? If so, how hot will it get ? A picture of the furnace would be nice if you have one.


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## Greg (Sep 16, 2003)

PeteNM,

Check out his website.... Very interesting.

http://www.frugalmachinist.com

Greg


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## PeteNM (Sep 18, 2003)

Greg

Thanks for the link !!!

Some years ago I made a couple furnaces pretty much like these although a bit smaller. I melted scrap alum. from the dump. Believe me, it works VERY well. They closed the dump so I sold the frunaces, and the alum. went to Mexico. Probably lamp posts now........


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## farmallmaniac (Feb 16, 2004)

> _Originally posted by Chipmaker _
> *Here are the wheel weights I made for my JD GX335. They come out weighing 53# including attaching bolts, spacers and lockwashers and nuts. Back disk is 1/4" steel, and the steel pipe welded to the plate is 3 1/4" x 6" heavywall pipe, poured full of lead, and topped off with a cast aluminum hub cap. The TFM is my homeshop addopted name that I put on just about everything I cast and they stand for "Tyson Foundry & Machine" I live in Tyson, population of 6, and needless to say its the only machine shop and foundry in this one horse town *


where do you get the tools and foundry?
Ryan


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## Chipmaker (Sep 16, 2003)

I made my own foundry furnaces, burners and other associated stuff. Its pretty cheap to get into (foundry work that is) if you can initially work with basic hand tools and have a drill and a welder to use. As for other tooling such as the machine tools, they just came with time over the years........

You can use lots of various forms for a furnace, and burners are made up esentially of common plumbing parts.

You can see what its all about on my website
Frugalmachinist Website


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## farmallmaniac (Feb 16, 2004)

8th grade tech class got me started. We would melt lead? and make little figures from molds lol it was fun tho.
Ryan


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## farmallmaniac (Feb 16, 2004)

oh yeah idk it might be just me but that site isnt working 
Ryan


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## Chipmaker (Sep 16, 2003)

> _Originally posted by farmallmaniac _
> *oh yeah idk it might be just me but that site isnt working
> Ryan *


No its not you, I just got an "e" in among the www's that does not belong there.

Try this link its spelled right this time.Sorry!
Frugalmachinist website


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## farmallmaniac (Feb 16, 2004)

dont be sorry everyone makes mistakes especially me! lol thanks.
Ryan


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## farmallmaniac (Feb 16, 2004)

chipmaker that is an AMAZING site
Ryan


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## Live Oak (Dec 22, 2003)

How much did all of that cost you? I could use a set of weights like that on my F525! Nice work!:thumbsup:


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## Chipmaker (Sep 16, 2003)

> _Originally posted by Chief _
> *How much did all of that cost you? I could use a set of weights like that on my F525! Nice work!:thumbsup: *



Well I don't really have any money in the weights, as it was all scrounged over time, and thrown in a pile and out of that pile(s) of scrounge treasure is what those weights evolved from along with 99% of my other projects.

Most of the lead was accumulated from the picking up of wheel weights as I seen them laying here and there as well as fishing weights etc. The pipe was a drop I found from when a water line was installed by the county, and the back plates are just a piece of sheet steel plate.

The aluminum I used to cast the hub caps was solely soda / beer cans, as they are usually too soft and do not machine all that well if used in any projects that require a good grade of aluminum for strength and machineability, but for a decorative type use, they are perfect. 

So other than time thats about all I have in these weights, as with the majority of my other projects I make......predominately scrounge or trashed materials and personal time.


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## aegt5000 (Feb 22, 2004)

Nice job on those weights, they look “factory”.

Greg…Thanks for the link to Chipmaker’s web page
I really enjoyed looking through it. 
We have some amazing forum members.


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