Ballast Temperatures..

Hey guys. I just started a stealth cab grow (details found elsewhere), and i did all the wiring myself. Now i have a bit of experience with this sort of thing, though ive never actually felt the temp of a fluoro ballast in operation. Im running 4x36watt out of 1 power point, which shouldnt be a problem, and ive wired them up correctly, there running nicely with no noise, earthed ect ect.. theyve been running now for only a couple of hours and ballasts are getting pretty hot. Like.. i can still touch the casing without it burning my hand but its pretty uncomfortable.. i was just wondering.. is this too hot? Am i over loading them or something perhaps? Ive been regularly checking them and they dont seem to be getting any hotter, and my exhaust fans easily dispel the heat so that isnt an issue, i was just worried about burning them out really quickly or starting a fire or something..
Essentially.. how hot is too hot?

I have a remote ballast and that sucker gets pretty hot. You can still touch it without burning but it is pretty hot. I've been using it for 6 months and no problems. I think it is normal.

a t8 or t5 ballast will be hot, too hot to hold comfortably but if you get a burn after touching for 10-20 seconds, it would be cause for concern

My HPS ballast runs at 155 degrees and my t5HO light 140 degrees it's normal but I too was concerned at first but have had zero problems.

my 1k HPS ballast runs at 80 degrees Fahrenheit but is loud as all get up

i've been using a lumitek 400w ballast for a year and a half and it's pretty much as hot as you described. it's worse in the summer. in the winter it's just very warm. it's also a good idea to feel the plug where it plugs into the wall to make sure that's not hot. warm is fine, but the plug should never be hot.

Cool thanks guys, really put my worries to bed. I left the lamps running all night with a smoke detector in the cab just incase and when i checked em this morning the ballasts were no hotter then 12 hours before. So i guess thats just the temp they run at.