Tire Swap or Add Wheel Weights for Traction

[deere5105]

I have made several inquiries about this issue, but here is my current situation. I have a 2WD John Deere 5105. It has 14.9-28 tires on 12" wheels. If I had bought it new I would have opted for the 16.9-28 tires. I have added a FEL, but have always lost traction before loading/bogging the motor when using ground engaging equipment. I have inquired about mounting 16.9 tires on my rims and all do not recommend this. I have been keeping my eyes open for a set of 16.9-28 tires and rims with thoughts of maybe swapping. This morning on my way to work I saw a John Deere 5210 on a used car lot. I stopped to check it out and it has 16.9-28 tires on 15" rims just like I had been looking for. Tires were in pretty fair shape. I called the owner today and told him I would be interested in possibly working a deal to swap tires and rims with him. He said he would be open to discussing it, but didn't want to do anything to jeopardize the sale of the tractor he had. My question is this, would I be better off adding two 110 lbs wheel weights per side to my 14.9-28 tires or try to work a deal to swap to the 16.9-28 tires. I have my tires loaded with water. RimGuard is not available in my area and the water is not a freeze issue due typically mild winters. I have four suitcase weights I removed from the front when I added my FEL and my dealer has agreed to give me some credit on them on a trade in toward wheel weights. I think ultimately I would be most pleased with the 16.9 tires and the two wheel weights on each side. I am not looking for a 3PT rear ballast box. I am looking to improve my overall traction for pulling logs and ground engaging equipment. I am pleased with my tractor and the 2WD serves my needs. I can do all tasks needed like it is, but am interested in improving it if not too involved. Looking for some advice. All opinions appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Deere5105

 

[Diamondpilot]

You can add wheel weights and the larger tires may help but this is just a fact of life with a 2 wheel drive tractor. That why they make and sell mainly 4 wheel drive tractors now days with FEL's

Chris

 

[deere5105]

You can add wheel weights and the larger tires may help but this is just a fact of life with a 2 wheel drive tractor. That why they make and sell mainly 4 wheel drive tractors now days with FEL's

Chris

Chris,
I understand the 4WD would help with these issues, but the areas I operate in our primarily flat and sandy/dry. We have two other 2WD tractors that operate just fine in these conditions, with very little wheel spin. One is a Ford 4000 and the other a Massey F40. These are older tractors with probably more weight and one has 16.9-30 rear tires and the other I think has 13.6-38 rear tires, respectively. I guess the question is would the 220 lbs of weight per tire help the 14.9-28 enough to not fool with looking for a 16.9-28. I have operated a tractor identical to mine with the 16.9 tires and it seemed to be a significant difference. My 14.9 tires are probably 90% to 95%. Thanks.

 

[jenkinsph]

I think I would go with three 110lb weights per side and give that a shot. That is about a 675 lb increase with attaching hardware. I have had good success with this on my 4520 which has R4 tires and no liquid ballast. I tried to look up your 14.9x28 tires to get ballast calculations and to find out how much water weight you have now but to no avail.

On flat ground with 14.9 tires water filled and 3 wheel weights per side you should be near the maximum weight I would consider necessary. This combination will weigh more than 16.9 water filled tires. I would set the pressure to about 12 psi in the rear tires. You could still go with the 16.9 tires and 15" wheels and add the water and weights to them.

When I lived and worked out of McComb I had a 4020 diesel with 15.5 38 tires on it and thought I would improve it by going to 18.4 38 tires. Found out afterwards that some of the three point implements would rub the tires! So look at the clearance issues before you move up in tire size.

What are you pulling that is giving you such a hard time and what does it weigh, type hitch?

 

[deere5105]

Steve,
I believe the 14.9-28 filled with water is approximately 450 lbs. The 16.9-28 filled with water is approximately the same weight as the 14.9 filled with water and one 110 lbs wheel weight. I have used a similar tractor with the 16.9 tires filled with water and the traction seemed significantly better. I am curious if I can match that kind of traction by adding weight to my 14.9's.

The two implements I have the most trouble with wheel spin with is a 8' 3 PT disk and a 78" BushHog box blade. I can manage with what I have, but am interested if there are fairly simple ways to improve this situation. I have priced new 15" rims and 16.9 tires and I could not justify spending that much on it. If I can somehow work a swap for a few hundred or less then I would strongly consider.

 

[jenkinsph]

Well to look at it another way, my suggestion was to add three weights per side to your existing tires , you could start with one or two and add the third if needed. Since your tires are 90 to 95% this would be the better way to go. Now if you need more floatation then the wider tires may help but in my opinion you won't need it.

The weights will work on either rim size so no issue with interchange.

Bear in mind that you can't eliminate all wheel spin but with the above suggestions you should have no problems with an 8' 3pt disc. My Frontier BB1284 boxblade is about 1250 lbs and if conditions are right I can spin the tires in 4x4 with the rear differential lock engaged. I do not have any fluids in my tires though.

 

[Ford850]

Do you have the rear air pressure low enough so the bar treads are running flat on the ground? From the side, when the bars come in contact with the ground they should be touching all the way to their outer edge to get full traction. If you have a little too much air pressure the bars outer edges are curled up off the ground and you lose a lot of traction.

 

[radioman]

ford850 is right. Try visually checking the tread contact towards the outside the tire. If you primarly do logging with the tractor, have you thought about adding chains ? You do have ag tires right ?

 

[deere5105]

Well to look at it another way, my suggestion was to add three weights per side to your existing tires , you could start with one or two and add the third if needed. Since your tires are 90 to 95% this would be the better way to go. Now if you need more floatation then the wider tires may help but in my opinion you won't need it.

The weights will work on either rim size so no issue with interchange.

Bear in mind that you can't eliminate all wheel spin but with the above suggestions you should have no problems with an 8' 3pt disc. My Frontier BB1284 boxblade is about 1250 lbs and if conditions are right I can spin the tires in 4x4 with the rear differential lock engaged. I do not have any fluids in my tires though.

Not specifically looking for increased flotation, just less wheel spin. I understand not all wheel spin can be eliminated, but at times mine seems a little excessive. I feel like I should at least hear the motor loading before spinning to a stop. Tends to make me think there is wasted horsepower that way. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[deere5105]

Do you have the rear air pressure low enough so the bar treads are running flat on the ground? From the side, when the bars come in contact with the ground they should be touching all the way to their outer edge to get full traction. If you have a little too much air pressure the bars outer edges are curled up off the ground and you lose a lot of traction.

Believe I last set the tires to 10 or 12 psi in the summer. I often look at the tracks left behind and it seems to be in full contact. Good point though.