Tires balast in tires

[MChalkley]

I first saw it in the 1999 edition of the Michelin Ag Tire Data Book. So I called Firestone, because that's what I had at the time, and they told me they recommend the same thing, but that nobody listens to it.

Now that I think about it, though, it's possible that it only applies to radials, but I don't think so.

Mark

 

[MChalkley]

Andy, that's exactly what I'm planning to do. I found a guy on the Internet a while back who would sell me the weights for .17/pound. He gave me the dimensions of the plates and everything - now I can't find it. Anyway, I just need to find the right combination of time and money to go ahead and do it. The ever-present problem seems to be that I've often got one or the other, never both, and frequently neither. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Mark

 

[gordon]

I must compliment you on that idea and a very good job of fabricating on them as well. Did you run into any problems or do you have any hints to make the job go easier? This is a great idea. Mark hunt down that paper!!!!!
Thanks Andy for any insight on this project whoops thanks name taken/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
Gordon

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Firestone, Goodyear, and Michelin farm tire handbooks and ag tractor performance guides indicate that for RADIAL tires, liquid ballast is not preferred. It is acceptable up to 40% fill, but not the preferred route. Primary reason is that with less air volume in the tire with liquid fill, the "air spring suspension system" the tire provides to the tractor is much stiffer. This can cause power hop in 4WD tractors and it makes the ride much harsher. Liquid fill in bias ply tires is OK, but not preferred again due to ride harshness. Some tire companies say that a tube is requied with liquid fill and others say just the opposite. If liquid fill is used, most tractor owners elect to use a tube to protect the rim especially if the fill level does not just barely cover the top of the rim. If no tube is used, extreme care must be used to wash the rim and valve stem to clean off the calcium chloride when the tire is removed for service or replacement. As a general trend since the early 90's, the use of liquid fill in farm tractor tires is decreasing and the use of cast ballast on farm tractors is increasing. The trend is strongest with higher horsepower tractors.

 

[MarkV]

MikeF- Funny you should bring this up. I just filled my tires this weekend with water and antifreeze. What worked well for me was a $10 drill operated pump (Pep Boys) for the antifreeze and a $15 valve stem adapter (Tractor dealer)for the garden hose. Took about an hour to fill a pair of 12.4 x 16 x 36 tires 75% full. Like others said, go with the non toxic antifreeze.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Gordon, I have a few suggestions for you. If you use the standard type weights the hole is just right for 1" threaded rod. The olympic weights have a bigger hole and would require a bigger threaded rod. The olympic weights are also thicker for the same weight because they have a cast recess in them. I did not want the weights or threaded rod to stick out further than the side of the tires because I didn't want it to catch on anything. This limited the number of weights on a wheel.

When I welded the threaded rod on, I did the following: Beveled the end of the rod to increase the size of the weld bead. Tacked the rod on in a few places before welding and checked several times to insure the rod was 90 deg to the plate. If it is not 90 deg the weights will wobble. The hardest part was aligning the bolts welded on the back of the plate with the holes in the rim. I did that by mountining the plate centered and scribing the location of the holes on the plate.

A lower price on weights on the internet may not help much unless it is local. the shipping would cost lots.

Feel free to call me Andy, I only put "Name Taken" in the user name box, because after years of posting as Andy, it will no longer accept my name.

 

[W5FL]

Hi Mark,

Yes, I can see how that would apply to radials. I sure can't see any distortions on the bias tires.

I also filled the fronts (Kubota doesn't seem to recommend that, but no one has yet been able to tell me why). I don't do any high speed driving, either. The weight in the front is not normally needed, particlarly if you have a loader.

 

[W5FL]

Jack, I suggest that the trend is more wheel weights with more expensive tractors.

I have never seen a wheel weight on a farm tractor in this area except front end weights. The local John Deere dealer had wheel weights on his rental and I asked him about it. He said that they had them in stock for a long time and just decided to use them on the rental. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

On Compact tractors, it is very difficult to get as much weight with wheel weights compared with liquid fill. In Texas Calcium Chloride seems to no longer be used. The water and anti/freeze (non/toxic type) include rust inhibitors and are normally used in tubeless or tube type tires.

I really wanted the weights and could get enough for my tractor since it has an option for very heavy cast wheel centers plus the wheel weights. They just cost more than they were worth to me.

p.s. One of the cures that Firestone lists for wheel hop is to add liquid to the front tires, so I am not sure exactly what causes it.

 

[Bird]

Wen, I put water and anti-freeze in the little front tires on my B2710, too, and the manual says not to do it. Someone on the old forum told me that was because you would damage the front axle if you ran it on pavement in 4WD, which I don't do anyway. However, it wasn't long until I ripped the valve stem right out of the right front wheel (tubeless tire) moving a big pile of brush, so since I lost all the water and anti-freeze out the right front tire, I took it out of the left one, too./w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

Bird

 

[W5FL]

Bird, I am kinda used to having flats in the fronts on my other tractor. I sure hope these nice AG treads on these will hold up better. I think I found all of those nails with my last tractor.

On another item, though, I still have not found 12 of the tiller tines. They would not look good in a tire and would cause a lot of damage. I thought after it rained, I could find them. Maybe it is because it has not rained. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif