Ballast?

Keep the bride in the car. For safety's sake the heaviest passenger should be in the sidecar.
For driving with an empty sidecar try dropping a 60# sand tube behind the seat and see how it rides.
With the long trail of the CB hondas some low speed nose wiggling is normal without a damper.

Lonnie

I tried to utilize my then 127 pound Pyr -X as ballast in my Watsonian GP. Got her snuggled down real good and even put up the convertible top as it looked like possible inclement weather. All went well until I climbed onboard and engaged the starter. As soon the engine caught she went straight out through the canvas top. Maybe she did not like the three into one running out on her side through open pipe. Never felt the need for ballast. However, my weight challanged friend in Canada who weighed close to 400 pounds did fill the entire wraparound frame on his english Hedingham with lead shot to keep the sidecar in balance with him and his 1800 GW. The one third rule is just that. A basic guide for most situations. But then, one must temper that with the real world - like WHO will be riding, and WHERE and how BIG will each person be. Certainly, one would not hook up a light 150 pound sidecar to a 750 pound tug. Nor would one hook up a 300 pound Watsonian four seater to a 275 pound 150 cc stepthrough. Let commonsense prevail. But human beings being what they are will commit both extremes - we have seen them at the rallies. I used to be asked to try out sidecar rigs. If they would not pass the stand on one side, swing body out while lifting on the handle bar test there was no way I would try out. The rig might have been safe enough for the driver who brought it to the rally but it was unsafe for me! Always put big moma in the sidecar and little Joe on the pillion.

Hal Kendall

For my GL1800/Escort rig I when empty I carry two collapsible five gallon plastic water containers, which is about 80 lbs total. If I pick up a passenger it is easy to dump the water is easy to dump. I just seat belt the containers into the sidecar so they can't move around.

I use two car batteries on the seat of my sidecar, approx. 80 lb.

I'm going to give this subject a little bump...where do I get the shot several have spoke about?

Gunshops and reloader suppliers have it. Since lead shot has been banned for most purposes it may be on a back shelf in 25# bags.

Lonnie

Lead can be available - least it was in 2089 - from hardware stores - in 5 pound ignots - these are about 5 or 6 inches by 2 inches by three inches - in a trapezoidal form. These may be drilled or mounted in any fashion. I got mine from an ACE hardware store. Drilled hole then mounted by bolting. Was fairly inexpensive.

Hack'n - 5/13/2010 4:06 PM Gunshops and reloader suppliers have it. Since lead shot has been banned for most purposes it may be on a back shelf in 25# bags. Lonnie

It's getting pricey. I was at the local big box gun shop lately and they wanted $45 for a 25# bag.

Battereies i if used - must be careful to vent outside the cabin. Cost of new lead or washed lead from about $1.50 to $3.00 per pound. - reclaimed lead shot, or bars or ignots.
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Salvaging lead from batteries can be hazardous to your health. The "maintenance free" batteries are not like the older lead plate batteries. The ones these days have calcium and other alloying elements in them.
The danger comes when alloys containing calcium are melted with those containing antimony and arsenic (such as in wheelweights). Compounds are formed in the melt which becomes mixed with the dross. When the dross is discarded, if it comes in contact with moisture highly toxic gases can be released.
For instance, an alloy containing calcium mixed with wheeweights will have a silvery-looking scum that forms on it fairly quickly. It tends to cling to the ladle and often ends up in the mold. In the melting of these two alloys small crystals are formed and a reaction can occur. Two of the most common reactions are:

2Sb + 3Ca=Sb2Ca3
or
2As + 3Ca=As2Ca3

Neither one of these compounds can be fluxed back into the alloy and will become dross.

The danger lies in what happens to the discarded dross.

If moisture is introduced, the calcium oxidizes for form lime while the hydrogen combines with the antimony or arsenic to produce either stibine gas or arsine gas. Both are actute poisons.

The gases are heavy and will lie in low places, such as the bottom of a garbage can.

As little as 50 parts per million of arsine can impair the function of the blood or cause pulmonary edema. A few breaths of it can be fatal.

Calculations show that 1 pound of the above alloy can produce about 0.1 cubic feet of gas. If trapped in a garbage can, it could prove a fatal dose should one inhale it after taking the lid off. It would only take 0.3 cu. ft. of such gas to contaminate the air in an average basement or garage.

It is best not to mess with melting down batteries.
The above information was gleaned from "CAST BULLETS" by Col. E.H. Harrison, article "Battery Plates: Bad News For Casters" by Dennis Marshall, page 116.

2 50lb bags of sand behind the seat... 6 bucks at Lowes 🙂

I added a weight over the frame outside of the tub. on my Harley TLE sidecar. It is a steel casing that I welded and filled with molten lead. It weighs 50 pounds and is approximately the same size and shape as the original Harley-Davidson cast iron weight that is no longer available.

With 50 pounds out at a distance, it gives a very good downward force. I can feel it working when I take a long turn at high speed. The wheel really doesn't want to come up. I don't want it to come up either. LOL.

I've shown these pictures before.

The farther out the weight, the less weight is needed but 50# is about tthe minimum, IMHO.

I had to build a caltilever mount to keep the weight away from the tub. The original Harley weight would always cut notches in the fiberglass body.

I also had to make a new foot step mount to move it forward about 3 " to just clear the front of the weight.

A HD does not need ballast...rookie or not. I am the odd-man out in that I do not believe in ballast. It is a crutch. A sidecar specific rig (Ural/Dnepr/Cj/BMW/HD/etc.) does not need ballast. Cobbled together rigs and rigs not designed for chairs...may...need ballast.

Xpehbam - 1/3/2011 6:43 PM

A HD does not need ballast...rookie or not. I am the odd-man out in that I do not believe in ballast. It is a crutch. A sidecar specific rig (Ural/Dnepr/Cj/BMW/HD/etc.) does not need ballast. Cobbled together rigs and rigs not designed for chairs...may...need ballast.

Your opinion is duly noted. If you don't feel that you need ballast, by all means, don't use any.

That said, I've riddien both with and without ballast and I prefer it. I don't do much more than 50 pounds and that's over the wheel on the spring.

Calliing it a crutch is somewhat harsh. "Crutch" is a word used to belittle the efforts of others.

This is an old thread. Are you trolling? Dd you look for a thread with which you could disagree?

No ballast needed? Not if one drives a well matched combo with caution after enough seat time to know what to expect under (most) all conditions.
No brakes needed either unless you want to stop quickly when you wish to.
No parachute needed if the plane is on the ground.

Let common sense prevail.

Lonnie

Double-wide EML conversion: No ballast required; chair has never lifted in "regular" driving; only got light once.

Sportster with Texas Sidecar: Quite difficult to keep the chair down unless there is 30+lbs of ballast; un-expected situations could get ugly without ballast; better is the usual load of 80lbs (including Maddie the dog).