I have seen once a weight that was put on top of the outer upper spring plate and had four holes to bolt it on. You used longer bolts to secure it on. It was maybe 5 inches wide and about a foot or so long. Guessing weight was about forty pounds. One would figure the closer the weight to the wheel the actual down force is greater than much more weight on the seat. Thanks
There's a poster on here who built a weight like that. It's similar in appearance to a weight HD used to sell for sidecars. I had gotten pictures and the dimensions, unfortunately I no longer have access to any welding equipment. I also couldn't get anyone to fabricate it, so I just installed an alternative weight. I got 2 approx 25lb lead "race car weights" from a speed parts vendor. I used a U-bolt to bolt 1 under the axle, it doesn't really hang lower than anything else on the chassis. The other one I bolted to the top of the spring mount. I just finished the install today, haven't had a chance to try it out. Should be okay though. I'll try to get some pictures later this week if you'd like.
just a quick thought from england, i run a cle, when i first fitted it i added balast then took it out when i had got used to the rig, what i did was to fill the cavity under the seat with biulders lead flashing, you know the sheet lead they use for roofing, i folded it flat & screwed it under the seat base you can get about 50lbs that way & it's exactly where a passenger would be, nice thing is when you have a passenger you can take it out, oh yes nobody knows it's there. Hank
Hi,
I've posted about this subject before. I had one of the OEM Harley Weights back around 1995 on a previous TLE sidecar with my former 1993 FLHS. I think it cost about $150 from the dealer and to say I was less than pleased would be correct. The darn thing was a very poor iron casting that looked like it had been poured into a hole in the ground rather than into a mold. It sort of looked like a loaf of bread. It weighed 46 pounds.
One thing that was particularly annoying was the tendency for the tub to bounce on a big bump and hit the weight since it was too close to the tub body. The HD weights were only made up to the late 90's and they didn't sell so HD dropped them when the disc brake came out in 1998 along with the former electric sidecar reverse that was available for the drum brake TLEs at the princely sum of $1,400.00. Ahem.
So, armed with my experience in this area, I set about to build another one for my new 2007 TLE. I built it so that lead could be melted inside for the weight. I used 1/4" plate and I wanted to come close to the original 46-pound weight. Using the weight of lead per cubic inch and the estimated weight of the 1/4" plate cover, I calculated the following approximate size, which was similar to the original weight:
Height is 4" outside. Length is 12" inside. The width is 4" outside at the bottom and 3-1/2" at the top. There is a 4" X 4" 3/4 inch plate welded to the center at the bottom. The bolt pattern is identical to the plate that holds your spring to the frame.
All welds were MIG on the inside so that the exterior would be very clean. 3/4" nuts were welded to the inside in four places to lock the lead in place once it cooled.
As I mentioned, the original weights would hit the body on a bump and scratch the paint. In order to avoid that problem I built a small cantilever mount out of 1/4" plate that raises the weight up 2" and moves it outward 1-3/4". There are four holes in the top and bottom again with the same pattern as the HD spring bracket. There are square 7/16-14 nuts welded on the underside of the top of the mount into which four longer 7-16" UNC bolts screw. I always use coarse threads on hardware since they don't strip.
To fill it with lead, I had some 2" square theater curtain weights that I sawed into 4" lengths. I turned the casing upside down and leveled it outside. I preheated the casing with a barbeque propane tank and a Harbor Freight propane roofing torch. (A great tool, by the way). I had a face shield and gloves on and I added the lead cubes until the molten lead was at the top of the inverted casing. After cooling for a couple of hours, I drilled four 1/2" holes down though the top. The holes are a bit oversize to permit clearance and adjustment of the weight's position. I drilled halfway down from the top and halfway up from the bottom so as not to miss my pattern. Note that I melted the lead into the pre-heated casing instead of pouring it. I don't like handling molten lead.
The weight came out exactly to 46 pounds. Sitting where it does on the outside of the frame it has a noticeable effect on stability. I never, ever attempt to raise the wheel on the sidecar. Yes, I've done it and Yes, I know how to do it. I just wish to avoid such incidents.
By now, I think you should have enough information to make your own weight. I've seen the Harley weights on eBay from time to time but they usually bring more than $100 and they aren't worth the money.
Here are some pictures of my weight. Hope this encourages you to make your own.
Front View:
Rear View Showing Cantilever Mount:
