Balast Weight

King,

I have seen Steel Plates referenced as being used but I have not actually seen it done.

My friend Gordon Dale did with a piece of steel plate. I'll pm you his e-address....  Or not. Seems we don't have the means to do private messaging on here any longer. I'll see if he'll join in here.

Sounds like lead would work. I used steel. 12"flat stock. 12" wide and had it cut at 15"long if I remember right. I came out right about 50#.  Fits under the seat. Steel vendor can cut what ever to fit your needs, It was cheaper than shot and just one piece. Good luck

Gordon Dale

I once used simple roof lead sheet metal. about 1/8" or 3/16" thick, easy to fold or cut and molded right into the cavity below the seat.

I melted lead bars used for bullet making, used a turkey fryer type  propane burner,with a cast Iron pot on top. melted lead, and poured into cake pan , I modified a bit with a couple of bolts sticking out of it.

mounted perfectly to bottom of frame.

Rick.

For my rig I have two five gallon collapsible plastic water jugs.  That's about 40 lbs each, I just seat belt them in when not carrying a passenger. If a passenger is riding then the jugs either stay home.  If I pick up a passenger I just empty the jugs, collapse them a store them in the trunk.

Quote from WinginCamera on January 14, 2020, 4:41 pm

For my rig I have two five gallon collapsible plastic water jugs.  That's about 40 lbs each, I just seat belt them in when not carrying a passenger. If a passenger is riding then the jugs either stay home.  If I pick up a passenger I just empty the jugs, collapse them a store them in the trunk.

This is a great Idea. I especially like the convenience of being able to empty the "water bags" when a passenger comes along.

I was just looking at them on Amazon, they are under $10 each.

I had a bunch of old window weights of various lengths around which worked nicely clamped to the frame. 

We don't know if the thread starter is still watching this, but I'm glad @Gandolf popped this thread up immediately following mine, where I introduced myself as the author of an Interactive 3D Sidecar Simulator.

Because:

this is exactly the type of questions which my simulator has been designed to give answers for. And  _precise_  answers at that 😉 No guesswork.

What's required though is a little contribution from the side of the one that's posing the initial question:

Describe the rig to the simulator:

• Chassis dimensions: wheel base, track width, lead.
• Individual wheel loads: front, rear, side.
• Tipping angle at the point of equilibrium, when lifting the side wheel up to the point, where you can balance the rig "between two fingers" above the connecting line between front and rear wheel.

In return the simulator gives you the precise location in 3D-space of the center of gravity (CG) of the empty rig.

Now you need to decide, whether you'll be riding alone, with a sidecarist, or even a pillion passenger. Add some luggage if you want. If you add those additional loads and their respective locations in 3D-space, the simulator will compute the precise displacement (i.e.: new position) of the combined CG of all loads.

From there it projects a scale of concentrical rings onto the supporting surface, and you can read the borderline acceleration transverse to the direction of travel at the tipping limit (in right turns).

I'm aware this whole process is a little involved. And probably more so than most of you care to go. But there's no shortcut to a reliable and precise answer.

You first need to know the current state: How fast can I go around my "test curve" (having a defined radius of curvature) at the tipping limit in right turns. Google Maps can help you determine (measure) the radius of curvature.

Second: how much faster do I want to go instead.

If you're not willing to determine the required input values, you'll never know if you added too much, barely enough, or too little ballast weight.

And then there would be no point for asking the forum for advice either. Because: adding a random amount of weight to the car will allow you to go a random amount faster. And you knew that already before, didn't you?

Just keep in mind, that adding weight indefinitely is not a sustainable proposition.

I am going to definitely try that program out. My rig is very light and narrow so I knew I needed some initial weight from the get go. That's where the window weights came in handy because they could be tucked underneath fastened to the frame keeping things as low as possible and not taking up space in the car itself. Now adjusting the toe in, lean, etc, working towards getting it to the happy place....