Filled tires at lower levels

[RedDogRacing]

I have a new Kubota l3940, and I am thinking of adding rimguard to the tires.

I hear a lot of recomendations calling for 75% fill. The WHY always seems to say stability.

The engineer in me says that if i need a more stable tractor, that i should add weight, but only below the center line of the axles. This would give the tractor moper weight below the CG making it harder to tip. If weight is added above CG it could cause a tip, thought not likely.

So i went out to start cuting down a bank and I feel the tractor could use a little weight.

I was thinking of filling to the 50% level. Any disadvantages to having less liquid? All I can think of is maybe an effect at high speed. Anthing else i have not considered?

[RaydaKub]

Welcome to TBN, RedDog.
There are lots of threads on this. You are right on in your thinking about where the weight is and why. The 75% mark is so that you don't over fill them and don't have any air cushion for bumps and it still keeps the rim submerged so that it is less likely to rust. It's easy to find, just put the valve stem at the top and when it burps out liquid, you're done.

If you do tubes, then do what you think you need. CalCh is the heaviest, but very corrosive and a lot of guys here will say you should always use tubes. Rimguard is smelly and pricey, but real good weight and safe. Water, washer fluid, antifreeze (poison) and RV antifreeze are also used.
Oh, you already said Rimguard. I think you'd be fine.

[SSdoxie]

The extra 25% is going contribute more advatange in weight resistance to lift the wheel off the ground, then any affect of side load tipping it "might" have.

[tommu56]

My grand father's theory on a JD B's was they should be only 1/2 full to keep the center of gravity lower, in flat ground he said 75% was good but we didn't have flat ground.

tom

[RedDogRacing]

I was thinking rim guard, because i read where the cost is about the same as washer fluid.

[duroc]

I was thinking rim guard, because i read where the cost is about the same as washer fluid.

When I bought my tractor, my dealer was suppose to load the rears with RG, but instead used CC. I didn't find out until I checked tire pressure (which, btw was set at 50 psi instead of 20 psi). Don't know why I didn't pop a tire, but it was then that I decided to go to another dealer. I had my new dealer remove the CC because I know what it did to my 8N rims. Anyway, they dismounted the tires from the wheels and cleaned them both and installed RimGuard. The price was $2 per gal.

[RedDogRacing]

Well, I will have to double check with supplier, I might get washer fluid cheaper then list I have, which says

-20 Washer fluid in 55 gallons is $2 a gallon.

I will see if there are any rim guard dealers in my area.

This tractor will do a lot of mowing 1/4 of the time in yards but the rest of the time there are some pretty good hills that i would like to be able to mow with confidence.

So I am thinking of the best balance between light enough not to damage yard, extra traction and weight for using FEL, and added stability on the hills.

[kiotiken]

I don't know much about it, but have read that you go to 75% to keep the rims submerged and not exposed to air to prevent corrosion. Not sure if that applies to rimguard as well.

[xring100]

Rim guard installed at the dealer was between $300 and $350 dont recall exactly. This was for at least 180 gallons i paid somewhere in the neighbor hood of $1.60 and $1.95 a gallon plus its safer and heavier than washer fluid

Dave

[GolfAddict]

Remember, the weight of the liquid in a tire is "pushing down" on the portion of the tire that is directly on the ground. That is, the weight of any liquid in the tire, whether in the lower half of the tire, at the half way mark, or up at the 75% (top of the liquid you put in) is all weight that is pushing down on the very bottom of the tire where it is contacting the ground.