Here's some pictures of my BHT (Big Heavy Thing) that I built this summer. I cut my barrel at the upper ring and used about 2/3 of the drum. I put the 7/8" steel bar just a little above center, to keep it stable on the lift arms, and the top link as close to center as I could. I would suggest leaning it a little forward since my top link touches the barrel rim when it's lifted to the highest point. Here's the finished product less the stay chains. I added a couple lengths of 5/16" chain from the lift pins on the BHT to the top link pins on my tractor. That way, I can let off the hydraulics and let the chains carry the weight when I'm working. They also stabalize the load so I don't need stabalizer bars.
 The whole thing weighs about 800# and used five or six 80# bags of quickcrete. I mixed the concrete right in the barrel and dumped every scrap of steel I could find into the mix. I didn't need the steel in there for structural support or weight but it was a great way to dispose of unwanted scrap. I thought of cementing my wife's dog's feet into it, so it wouldn't go running of anymore, but figured she wouldn't go for that.
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