Filled Tires or Ballast Box?

[BoylermanCT]

Also consider turf tires instead of R-4's. My father-in-law's New Holland TC29D is about the same size as my tractor and has turfs, and he does much less rutting than I do with my R-4's.

 

[mwemaxxowner]

I just bought a Kubota bx1880, but I haven't received it yet. I also don't plan to do any mowing with it.

When I was looking through my options, I decided to purchase the rear wheel weights for it (they aren't all that expensive). My thoughts were I can remove them when and if I don't need them (although I don't know how difficult a task that is. I keep a good cordless impact wrench around). My dealer encouraged me to fill my tires so I wound up doing that also. I plan to purchase a box blade and keep it on the rear for ballast.

My property is also very sandy.

 

[DKCDKC]

I had my CUT tires filled when I bought it, and have never been sorry. It adds some useful weight for any operation. I have ag tires, but little work on lawns, so they are perfect. I carry a box blade on the back all the time because it is invaluable for smoothing my mile long gravel drive. I use the FEL a lot but have never lifted the rear or felt I needed more weight. I am debating some wheel weights just to ease the pucker factor on slopes - or some extenders.

 

[oosik]

JMHO - I have rimguard in my rear tires and a rear blade on the 3-point. That's 1550# of rimguard and the rear blade is 1050#. Ballast box is a waste of $$$. Why not put something on the 3-point that has more than one use.

 

[RoyJackson]

Go for the ballast box...
Filled tires help with stability, but not so much as ballast. The ballast box best serves as the rear counterweight for loader work and really takes the strain off the front axle

As far as what to use for ballast, I like sand. Although once filled, I've never dumped it out (after at least 10 years), but I can if I want to. Permanent ballast is just that...permanent.

 

[dodge man]

The manual for a JD will say filled tires AND rear ballast. Filled tires also help with stability.

 

[Thomas]

Fill the tires see how it handles than decide on ballast box etc.

 

[beenthere]

I accomplished great stability with 3" spacers on the rear axles. Prior to that, filled tires didn't do the job for me.

 

[hube2]

I have just filled tires on my scut for ballast. I have lifted a full bucket of stone without lifting the rear of the tractor or loosing rear traction. I also move this stone driving down my driveway which is going down hill with it. On mine the fill only adds a little over 200# and I don't see me every trying to lift more weight than a bucket full of crush run. As far as weight on my lawn, I have not seen any damage that concerns me, but then again I don't overly concern myself with the lawn beyond it being green.

Filled tires will also add some stability because it lowers COG, maybe not as much as spacers but they have to help at least a bit in addition to my 2" spacers.

 

[ruffdog]

I used my TC33D mainly for mowing so I had turfs. I did not fill the tires as I used my tiller as ballast. I also removed the loader when I wasn't using it. It only took 10min to install/remove it and it made mowing much more enjoyable.