Rough ride with filled/loaded tires??

[fud]

There's been a lot of threads about loaded tires for ballast, what to fill them with, how to fill them, etc. But, nowhere have I heard anyone write about how the ride is affected.

Can anyone here speak to how the ride changed over bumpy conditions before and after loading the tires with fluid??

For your reference, I am considering doing so on a JD2520.

Thanks in advance for your comments /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Fud

 

[Bob_Skurka]

The harshness of your ride is directly proportional to the air pressure in your tires and the tire type/brand you use. Depending on the brand, quality and type of tire on your tractor, you may have 2, 4, 6 or more ply tires, you may have bias ply or even radial. So there are a lot of variables between tractors and how they ideally will ride based strictly on the tires on your tractor.

BUT, if you have a tractor with 30psi of air in the tires and you go to the standard 75% fluid fill, then you will still have 30psi in the tire and the ride will not be any harsher. You will notice additional stability under some conditions. A tractor with tires designed for 12psi will ride smoother than a tractor with tires designed for 45psi if both have properly inflated tires. You will also see far more soil compaction and rutting with higher inflation pressures. A combine may have 12psi tires, the sidewall will add an additonal 3psi due to the rigidity, so a huge combine will barely compact the ground while a Ford F150 with 90psi road tires will weigh far less but rut far more.

Clear as mud?

 

[Bird]

Fud, of course, Bob is correct. I filled the tires on my B2710 and couldn't tell any difference in the ride; the only difference I could tell was better traction. And a neighbor bought an old used Oliver 1850 and had no idea the tires were filled until he punctured one of them a few months later.

 

[FortClatsop]

Hi Fud,

I obsessed about this with my 2305. I used 7 gallons of RV antifreeze in tubes (about 45% could have done 10 for 75%) as a compromise. I can't tell a difference in ride but it seems like they shake the mud faster now (maybe its just spring). Yesterday I checked the pressure and found them at 20 psi instead of 26. I wonder if I will notice a difference when I get around to boosting the pressure.

I may someday add three more gallons of fluid. Most of the expense was the tubes, mounting and 14 gallons of fluid. The pumping charge was only $10.

I was removing my bucket and mowing with the loader frame still on but it beat the /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif out of /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif. I removed the whole loader and put weights on the other day. While I thought I would go faster I ended up taking a lot longer. Grass is getting thicker now so its hard to say why I was slower. So many variables to explore!

 

[SPYDERLK]

FUD, With large tires you may not notice at 75% fill, but the ride will indeed be more firm due to the higher compression ratio in the tires. An empty tire with, say 20 PSI, will hit a bump, deflect 2 inches, and the pressure in the tire will rise to maybe 21 psi during deflection. - The load is borne by the greatly increased ground contact area. A 75% fill tire would deflect less, maybe about an inch, and the pressure would rise more during the deflection - perhaps to 25 psi or more. The larger the tire diameter the less you feel this difference because the gradual curvature of the tire causes the bump to be encountered earlier, risen over and set down after more gently. So, without notice, the large filled tire affords multiple benefits:
1. More traction.
2. More stability on side slopes. The weight of the fill centers below the axle which is below the tractors center of mass. It therefore lowers the CM. Also, due the higher compresion ratio, the downhill tire will deflect less than an unfilled tire and run at a higher pressure while on the incline. This serendipity lessens the tendency of the weight bearing downhill rim tooverride the tire contact patch. An added benefit accrues from the uphill tire rebounding less than if unfilled since the pressure in it goes down more quickly. ei The tractors width wheelbase is more closely maintained AND it leans less.
3. Since added loading deflects them less, the tires can be run at (slightly) lower pressure - resulting in more contact area on the ground. More weight with the same pressure per unit area on the ground -- more traction for any given compaction effect. - -NOTE that this benefit is centered around the normal weight encumbrance that you set the tractor up for. If you go MUCH heavier than normal the stiffer tires will increase ground loading per unit area. Traction will still increase but so will compaction. Unlike the unfilled tire tho, the side benefit here is that they wil not deflect so much as to cause damage to the tire from excessive flexing.

On my JD 2010 RC I run 95% fill in the 36" back tires. The tires are soft and able to engulf small objects like a 6" log, but quite stiff to average deflection. The deluxe seat and large rears give me a good ride even tho the chassis feels locked to the ground. I worried about this overfill - incompressible fluid/ high pressure spikes etc - until I thot about the natural springiness of nylon cord. the tire carcass can take it. 20 yrs says so. In my normal circumstances I find this optimum. In the woods tho, a filled 2WD tire will have trouble climbing over a 10"log that would just be engulfed by an unfilled tire. 4WD anyone?
Its all in making informed choices for your needs /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Larry

 

[TwinWillows]

Used our tractor for about 70hrs w/o loaded rear R4's (NHTC40DA & FEL). We did not like having to hang the box blade on the back for counterweight when using the FEL for serious digging so we loaded the tires. Wish I'd done it from the start. Much less wheel slip when loading along with a noticeably smoother ride which I think is due to the additional weight. Not to mention a much shorter/manouverable machine w/o the box blade hanging off the back.

 

[N80]

My tires were loaded and I did not know it. With a loader full of gravel it still makes it feel light in rear. With the box blade on the back it rides much better even with a full bucket. I would think that with no ballast in the tires and nothing on the 3pt hitch it would feel very loosey goosey even with nothing in the bucket.

In that regard (using an FEL) I suspect the loaded tires make a big difference in ride due to the improved balance.

 

[wushaw]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( My tires were loaded and I did not know it. With a loader full of gravel it still makes it feel light in rear. With the box blade on the back it rides much better even with a full bucket. I would think that with no ballast in the tires and nothing on the 3pt hitch it would feel very loosey goosey even with nothing in the bucket.

In that regard (using an FEL) I suspect the loaded tires make a big difference in ride due to the improved balance. )</font>

You are so correct, I've had it both ways and will always have loaded tires.

 

[AndyMA]

[quote

You are so correct, I've had it both ways and will always have loaded tires. )</font>

Me too. I've loaded the tires on all the machines I've had inthe last 30+ years and will continue to do so unless I get a machine specificly for mowing a dainty lawn.

When using a loader, I need filled plus substancial rear weight.

Andy

 

[BamaRob]

I contacted Rim Guard to see how many gallons it would take to fill my tires. They replied, "It says 29 gallons at 75% fill [for the rear tire]. The front tire will take 6.9 gallons. Rim Guard will add 310 lbs. to the rear tire and 74 lbs. to the front tire." So, I can get 620 lbs. of ballast by filling my rears, and another 128 lbs. by filling my fronts. Do all of you proponents of filled tires fill the fronts, also? Any advantages/disadvantages to filling the fronts?

Using the boxblade yesterday evening got me to thinking about this again. Going up my gravel drive (slight incline), every time the box would get full, my tires would start slipping. I'm thinking an additional 600-700 lbs. would help with traction (aside from the obvious benefit when using the loader).

Thanks,

BR