So I've got this 1550B that I've had for a couple years... (probably 20). Couple years into ownership, the front weights simply fell off. I was on a slope moving something when suddenly I noticed the front end was a lot more bouncy. Found out there was essentially a 4" square "nut" in there. The nut had a threaded hole at something like a 26 degree angle. (I REALLY wish they had made this mount SQUARE to the weights instead of this angle) Off to a machine shop and they made one for me. Mounted things back on and was fearful the entire time that the weights would fall off my floor jack and crush my head like an egg. Got them back on.....One was using the machined "nut" that I had made which was a replica of what was originally in there. The threaded rod simply screwed straight into it. On one side I had the threaded nut.....on the other side, it had a grade 8 nut that was digging into the frame at an angle but it was working so I left it be. Dont' you know..... year or so later, the nut that I had machined....stripped out and that side fell off.. When the weights fell from that side and were dangling from the other side, it stripped the nut sandwiched between the weights OR maybe there was no nut there. (two weights totalling something like 500 pounds??) The threaded rod however had bent so it was jammed and holding the upper and, more heavy weight. I simply left it like that knowing that I'd know if/when it fell off and could pick it back up. Well.....it stayed like that for probably 10 years. The upper weight hanging on by one threaded rod, dangling at about a 45 degree angle BUT was otherwise out of the way and not moving.....so I left it. Last fall, I had a big saga putting a new king pin in it.....decided while doing all that I was going to fix the weights. Had my machinest pal over.... took some measurements, gave him some thoughts on how I thought it might work and here's what he came up with. Had to trial fit them and about killed myself wrestling the weights around.... turned out they were slightly too tall. Yesterday went back to his shop and he milled about 2 mm's off the height while keeping the angle. Today it's raining so not mounted yet. Here's what we came up with. NOW that you know this, I can ask (because had I asked in the first sentence, you would have thought this was creepy) but what do your nuts look like? Are they parallel to the weights? Are they angled? Do you have a machined "4x4" like I had in the beginning? When I called the dealer about replacing it.....the guy I spoke to had NO CLUE about the machine having weights. He finally said it must have been an option but couldn't find it in the book.
The front of the machine has a housing where the nuts go on the upper side and then the weight fits into this frame. you can see a slight bow on the right side. When these "wedgies" were made, the right side fits fine because of the bow. The left one was slightly too tall and would just barely allow the holes to align and the rod to pass through. So he milled it down yesterday and now I can get full alignment. I was looking forward to trying to put together today but raining...... (and yes, I do now have the locking bolt in that axle pivot)
i havnt seen that weight. Mine surrounds the grill. how heavy is that one?
I've also got a weight that surrounds the grill. So maybe these are an option although the person I know who has a similar machine (1440 verses 1550) says he's got the weights too....but didn't know how they mounted. Between the two weights, the lower one (flat on both sides) has a stamp on it that says (if I recall) 220 or 230 pounds....something like that. Then you have the upper larger weight. It was all I could do to wrestle the larger upper weight from where it sat eight feet away from the machine (I had the loader sitting on top of a huge boluder to prevent it from falling).... anyway the smaller weight was managable but I finally put some 2" pvc sections under the large one to roll it over to positioni. So if the bottom one weights say, 220, then the upper one weighs more.....if they combined weight 220 then maybe the bottom one is 90 pounds? (just a stupid guess) I think it boils down to would they stamp EACH weight with the individual amount (the upper weight has NO such stamp) or would the stamp reference the weight of them combined? I have no idea. Manhandling the lower weight was doable but wears you out. Manhandling the upper weight about killed me. I needed to rotate it so put my foot up against it as a backstop. Nothing fell on my foot at all.....but simply raising it against the foot popped something in my toe which turned black/blue and today, 2-3 weeks later is still being limped on. I can sure tell a difference with both of them back on!
As a side comment, I used a motorcycle hoist to raise both of them BUT, for the larger heavier one, I ALSO ended up using (in addition to the motorcycle lift) a standard auto hydraulic jack. The weight wanted to lean to a side and I needed to correct it while in the air so ended up using both jacks. I also had to put the first one up....trial fit the second (didn't work so needed another shave of the wedgies) then trial fit again. Once it all seemed to fit, I had to take it all apart so I could loctite the upper most nut, then put the weight on..... loctite the nuts under it then put the lower weight on. I (today) still need to cut about 3-4 inches off the threaded rod to clean things up a bit. That means, (and I have double nuts on the bottom) anyway, that means take the jack, hold the weight. Cut the rod, take those nuts off....loctite then wedge the bolts together on one side, then repeat for the other. At least that's my intent. Truth be told, this plonks around the farm so if they fell off again, it won't be any great issue. I don't want them to fall off though.