Ballast Loaded Tires - any down sides?

[Kiotikarl]

Loading tires depends on your application, in my case, i had loaded the rear tires of my DK45SEC for snow removal, needed better traction for winter(R4 tires). The only thing i did notice once the tires were loaded is a lower top speed, quite important when going from place to place.(time is $$) I enventually ended up using street legal studs for better traction. Loading the tires just didn't work in my case.

 

[boggen]

if i had a choice i would go filled tires.

for me though, i tend to choose a higher "ply" rating for tires. and regardless of type of tire, will put a tube in. i have way to many thorn trees and thorned bushes, were the needles are like nails. and having more rubber that a nail or thorn has to go through before i get a leak or a flat. can make me a happier camper.

if this was for construction equipment, and going to different job sites, it might be a different story, but if tractor going to be primarily at the homestead. filled tires for sure.

having weight can be just as important as HP and traction. and the 3 of them are all linked together.

to many times i have been in situations were i need more weight and not have it. vs situations were i had to much weight. and in that, if the ground is to wet / mushy and making ruts. then it is to wet to begin with to even be on the tractor. the exception of FEL and heeping loads of dirt in the bucket. having rear weight on tractor can be the best. doesn't matter on type of weight as long as you have weight in the rear. (tires, 3pt hitch, or other)

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as far as tire changes go. i will pay the $50 to $100 dollar service fee. for tire folks to come out and do everything.

i don't have to take wheel off and put it back on (time saved, dragging out and putting tools away), cleaning up any buckets or barrels for fluid in tires.

i don't waste time, gas, muscles hauling a tire to and from some tire place.

service person most likely has rounded edge flat bars, and air compressor driven bead popper. along with soap or lubrication to getting tire on and off easier.

service person should have an air gun or like, that will have enough torque to tighten all the nuts up to specs.

for the 555c TLB, what are they 28 x 14? just tire alone with no tube or rim on. weighs to much than what i am willing to deal with alone. more so trying to lift it, and pry it around.

ya call around for tire service, including up to 1.5 hours away. there is a huge price differences between places. and different brands of tires, tubes, and service fees.

 

[JDGreenGrass]

I'm new to TBN and planning my first tractor purchase.

Liquid ballast in the rear tires sounds like a good idea, especially if you pick the right fluid. But are there any down sides to the extra weight? Any operations that are more difficult or less safe with loaded rears?

thanks a bunch,

-Jeff

Yes. There are down sides to loading your tires. You can read about them here on TBN.

I've never had loaded tires but, I can assure of this....I never will.

I would add weight first with a ballast box then, if possible, add wheel weights or suitcase weights.

Myself, I would never fill my tires with anything other than air.:thumbsup:

 

[Jay4200]

Can you tell us what you used to pop the bead with...have never had to remove a tire bigger than those on my JD 318 rears from a bead, I remember now what a b---h it was to loosen those little tires, what does it take for a big one? Clamp, or hammer and wood block?

For the big one, just kick it. Really.

I have a bead-breaker from Harbor Freight, but rarely have to use it (worth the $40 just to have around though - EVERYBODY comes over to use it - I don't have mine bolted down, so somebody else has to stand on the back for the really hard ones - factory ATV rims/tires are the worst):

(not mine - found this on the 'net)

I've changed a zillion tires by hand - been riding dirtbikes for many years. What I've found is that the bigger the tire, the easier the change. My first automotive-type tire change was when I put tubes in my tractor's front tires. I expected a nightmare, but they were SOOOOOOO easy I couldn't believe it. The beads popped fairly easily, then spooning them on and off took like 10 seconds.

The big rear on my tractor was the same way, although I didn't have to spoon that on or off - I just worked through the tire/rim gap to patch the tube, so I didn't have to muscle the tire around too much - still GD heavy even when empty. I put it on the bead breaker expecting it to be brutal, and the thing slid off like nothing. Turns out I didn't even need the bead breaker at all - I popped off the bead on the other side just by jumping on the tire. It was just about the easiest tire I ever worked on from that standpoint. Once both beads were popped, I spooned the top bead off the rim then (with the tire/rim on it's side) raised the tire up with bricks (tire in air, rim on the ground) to hold the tire bead up over the rim and maintain the tire/rim gap so I could access the tube without pinching my fingees. The entire process of off/break/patch/fill/on literally took no more than 10 minutes.

The tire guys that do these big tractor tires are poking everybody in the arse.

JayC

 

[jdboy4410]

yes,good and bad in either,the wheel weights for my 4410 are rather expensive for the amount of weight i need.the dealer talked me out of filling the tires when i bought it due to fuel efficiency.it is so easy on fuel,i just wished i had done it.my issue here is,everything i do is on a hill,off camber,somewhat rough ground,and my driveway is a fairly steep grade.i use a 60" snow thrower on the back,without my tires being filled,i have problems getting back up my driveway.i know chains will help,but filled tires i think would be the most beneficial for me considering the terrain i deal with.i have R4 tires.the disadvantage as mentioned in a previous post here,if the ground is soft,it will leave impressions.i have had so many close encounters of being on 2 wheels,that i am ready to deal with the marks.the ballast box will do me no good.i am always using an attachment on the back.they are good if you do mainly loader work.i need the added weight for everything i do.when i bought the machine new,i had bought two weights for the rear,wished i would have bout eight.maybe it would have been better,but probably not enough.i think they are 75lbs ea.it's a toss up,have to see what a filled tire weighs to make a decision i guess.i don't know how much liquid mine will hold to figure the weight out to compare.

 

[dennis52]

His Kubota is one of the lighter 35 hp models, the Grand L's are the ones that are heavy.

Weight can help with hill climbing/descending traction in grass, especially with R1 or R4 tires. Turfs not so much.

Sidehilling they help a bit, but not near as much as setting your tires out wider/widest.

Having had loaded tyres on my old tractor's widened wheels for 15 years I bought a new tractor a month ago and have trialled it with unloaded tyres and rear wheels on the standard width.

I have a front end loader and a 5ft slasher on the rear and these seem to provide plenty of weight and stability to the tractor on my sloping acres.

After 65 hrs of trials of slashing grassed slopes, I have decided to widen the tyres and then review if there is an increased benefit for the reduced maneuverability

As far as loading tyres, on this particular 3700lb tractor, on my grassy slopes, I would need to be convinced that carrying an extra 1600 lb of fluid on top of the 1400lb of loader and slasher I always leave attached, will make a significant difference to stability.

My observations on my land for this tractor doing what I have to do most.

 

[Ed755]

As to benefits on slopes, definite plus to have loaded tires. I had top of bank situations, when my 755 was new , and I reported weekend warrior squeamishness about some of my situations, the dealer picked it up, widened the stance (made it a bit tough to mount /dismount mid-mount mower, but not impossible) and loaded the tires with CaCl. Huge difference, felt safe as houses afterwards. that was 23 years ago, never looked back.

 

[aa2tn]

Hi guys, I bought a JD 950 last year and was doing some box blade work with it. The lack of traction made it almost impossible to pull the box with any amount of dirt in it. I took it in and got the tires loaded with rimguard (beet juice) and what a difference, I would say 3 to 4 times better!!
I took a rear tire off my Kubota L3830 in to be fixed that was loaded and it cost $75 with a new tube and re filling. He would have came right over and fixed it.
Also, I am surprised no one mentioned it but I have always heard that loading the tires was better than cast weights in that it put all the weight to the ground and did not add any stress to the axles and drive line. If you think about it the liquid is sitting right on the ground and the tractor is just rolling the weight along not carrying it on the axle itself ......Jim. :thumbsup:

 

[jeepfreak1972]

I have a new L3800 with an FEL and about 7 hrs on it. I have the loaded R-1 tires on mine and love the traction they provide. They are however hard on the lawn if you need to get on it. I have had R-4's in the past on other tractors and they just didn't have the grip I was looking for. I do wish the R-1's were wider for a bit better floatation although it really has not been an issue. My tires are filled to 75% with Rim Guard so there is no rusting worries. I can still, on occasion, lift the rear of this tractor when doing loader work. I may add cast weights as well to fully keep it planted. I think the tractor would loose a lot of performance with out the loading of the rears. It makes that much of a difference. If you are going to always have a hoe or some other heavy rear mounted implement on the tractor while using the FEL then skip the loading, but if you are going to be using the FEL with the rear of the tractor naked, then in my experience, loading is the only way to go. Oh on another note these tractors have 37.4 gross horse power. Enjoy your tractor, I sure do love mine. Best one I have had.

Thanks for all the comments. The tractor I'm looking at is a Kubota L3800, so HP in the mid-30's and weight around 2600 (w/o attachments, I presume). Most likely R4 tires.

The main work will be clearing snow and maintaining driveway & road. Some leveling and tree/stump removal. No lawn work. Attachments are likely to be FEL, backhoe, box blade, maybe rear snow blower, maybe front blade. I still work at my desk job, so it will be a weekend warrior most of the time.

 

[BernieBenz]

Am just now, at 800+ hrs, replacing the original R1 tires on my 1988 14HP Ford 1120 with loader plus front iron and rear wheel weights, with the optional larger sizes. Expensive! The old tires also had water in the rear tubes, sure rides hard when frozen! Primarily for field utility use, I have reversed the wheels for the widest stance, which put the valves stems inconveniently on the inside. Solved this problem by drilling the steel wheels for a second valve stem on the other side and going with tubeless tires.

Water or CaCO3 solution is OK ballast in tube type tires but the solution is very corrosive if used in tubeless tires. I use my old antifreeze drainings for ballast.