Water in tires?

[Gem99ultra]

I have a Husqvarna GTH26V52LS garden tractor (26 hp, 52" cut) that I bought basically to mow large areas, including some heavy brush and slopes around the ponds.

The slopes are 25 degrees steep so I always mow those up and down, never sideways. The Huskqvarna has plenty of power to pull up the slopes but traction is always near the break loose point, and as I get near the top I also have a fear that she'll flip over.

Adding 50# weights on each the back tires solved the traction problem but I still feel that the mower is near max on tipping over.

I was thinkng about filling the front tires with water, 1/2 - 3/4 full. Do you think that's a good idea, or not? And if not, any suggestions? Also, if yes, should I add water also to the rear tires?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[hizoot]

I put water/rv antifreeze mix in the rear tires of my John Deere GT275...it made a world of difference in stability and traction. I bought the fitting for this at Tractor Supply. A bonus was the tractor rode smoother....which surprised me, I thought it would be the opposite. I haven't done the fronts yet,but plan too....if I can ever remember to pick up more rv antifreeze

 

[Heinlein0311]

I don't think I would use water because of corrosion and freezing. I have heard of guys using beet juice. We also live in an area where beet juice is readily accessible so I don't know if that would work for you. The mixture with the antifreeze may be a good idea

 

[Gem99ultra]

Heinlein, I live in Georgia. Same weather as I had in Texas. Hot and Hotter And I'm fortune enough to have inside storage for my tractor and mowers. Otherwise, I definitely would consider calcium or bettle juice mixture.

Hizoot - super info! I too, expected that the mower would ride like a brick. Glad to hear that it's the opposite.

 

[NIXON]

Heinlein, I live in Georgia. Same weather as I had in Texas. Hot and Hotter And I'm fortune enough to have inside storage for my tractor and mowers. Otherwise, I definitely would consider calcium or bettle juice mixture.

Hizoot - super info! I too, expected that the mower would ride like a brick. Glad to hear that it's the opposite.

You might also consider windshield washer fluid ( winter grade ) . It's cheap ,and has a fairly low freeze point .

 

[Gem99ultra]

Job done. Added ~2 gallons (exactly 14 pounds) of water to each of the fronts. As Hizoot said - it has better front end traction, and surprisingly - has a better ride!

Thanks for the suggestions. And yes, I will consider beet juice or another antifreeze additive... just in case.

 

[Jesse masterson]

I have the same model you have forget the fluid buy some knobby mud tires like on a 4 wheeler , mine will climb straight up just about anything , my front end docent come up if I lran my bodyweight forward when going up and lean back when I go down . I dont know what you weigh though body weight could make a significant difference . I'm 215. Sorry I didn't see you have already fixed the problem . Good luck.

 

[zman007007]

oh yeah , the old straight water routine, that should rust up those rims real well on the inside where you won"t be able to see it.

 

[cdaigle430]

How do I add fluid in the tires?

 

[Gem99ultra]

Well... job's not quite done. Now the steering is 'too heavy' for spouse to comfortably cut grass. Water's coming out.

BTW - I had no concern about rusting the rims off. I'd be a very old person before that happened. Besides, rims are cheap.

I have a 50# weight on each of the back wheels, so traction isn't an issue. It's the flipping over part that concerns me.