Ballast Ballast front tires on 4WD?

[BurningBushFarm]

Hey -- maybe someone answered this already. Can't find it searching.

Is there any plus to filling the front tires with water / antifreeze mix?

We have a YM2000D. Rear tires are weighted with water/anti-freeze mix (tubes in, original tires). Hubby was fixing slow leak in one of my front tires (no tube) and found it had no water in it -- had thought they were filled too.

It has a FEL. I use that and my bush hog (which I leave on mostly -- good counterweight for FEL work?)

So -- any thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

 

[streamin]

I'm no expert but I would think it could add more stress for the front steering. not sure I would chance it for what small amount the tires would add up front.

 

[284 International]

All of the manuals I've seen for compact tractors explicitly prohibit liquid filling the front tires. On one of my Yanmars I have filled the front tires with liquid ballast, but I have not done so with any of the loader-equipped machines. I don't have any empirical data, but I would rather have the cushioning impact of more compliant, air-filled tires when carrying a heavy load across broken ground than the harsher and more potentially damaging impacts to the front axle components that liquid filled tires would give.

On my non-loader tractor, it gives a little bit more traction from the front end, and my use doesn't involve the kind of impacts or the loads that a loader-equipped tractor would experience, so I want all the traction I can get. With a loader, if more front weight is needed, I can just scoop up a bucket of dirt, but I feel more comfortable with squishier tires to provide more cushioning to expensive front end components.

I think the heaviest implement one has is the wisest for safe and effective loader work.

 

[DT86]

Unless you are having issues with the front end feeling light I don't see gaining anything.

 

[California]

I agree with 284, we need to protect the expensive and sometimes unavailable front ends in our Yanmars. So just air, for resiliency, seems best for the front tires.

On the other hand - The commercial farmers around here recommend water ballast in all tires to improve traction and rollover resistance. This is a bias toward productivity, reasonable since these guys all have spare tractors to put in use if one breaks.

 

[BurningBushFarm]

Thanks guys. Makes sense.

So the wheel will be on tomorrow and off I will go.

Merrily, of course.

 

[kenmac]

B-4 I had my loader installed ,I had water in the fronts to keep the front on the ground when using the boom pole. Now that I have a loader ,I have no need for water in the fronts only water in the rears

 

[Gary Fowler]

Contrary to what a lot of folks post here, a properly filled tire (70-75%) will have the same resiliency as an air filled tire. You leave the 25-30% air cushion at the top so it will compress just like solid air. When properly inflated to the same pressures, you shouldn't see or feel any difference in ride between the two.
Yes, most CUT manufacturer's recommend not filling the front tires with water as there reason is it promotes wear on the steering components. This could be a somewhate true statement as a weighted tire will take more pressure to turn when not moving especially which could promote some additional wear although turning with a full FEL bucket puts way more stress on the steering components and axle. For the weight you would gain on a small CUT tire (maybe 80 pounds per tire), it really isn't an issue worth investing time in. If you intend to install front weights to gain 100 pounds, I think the water would be a better choice.
My opinion (and it is just that) is that if adding 100 pounds to the front end will damage the components, then they aren't designed properly to start with.

 

[RDrancher]

I ran my old fronts loaded for a few months and noticed no difference in performance whatsoever. It did rut things up with a full bucket a bit more. Not worth the time it took to do it in my opinion. Replacing the fronts with 10 ply SS tires made a huge improvement though!

 

[California]

... promotes wear on the steering components. This could be a somewhat true statement as a weighted tire will take more pressure to turn when not moving

Without power steering (many people in this Yanmar forum) we aren't as much cautious about stressing steering components as the front drive train. Loaded front tires that improve front traction can increase shock loading when rear tires lose traction. On 30+ year old equipment it doesn't seem a good idea to create stresses beyond the original designer's intent.