Brand new tractor - should I load the tires myself?

[TrentonMaple]

Got myself a brand new LS 3039 tractor with FEL. The tires are not loaded. (The old Ford 8N that it replaced had loaded tires)

Dealer wants $400 to load both rear tires with Rimguard.

Is this something I should attempt myself with the Gempler's attachment using washer fluid? Or is this a job better left to a pro. I'm just a little bit nervous as this is a brand new tractor and I don't want to mess anything up.

 

[jeff9366]

Now that you have Four Wheel Drive, do you NEED loaded tires?

If you will be doing any kind of crop or turf work preventing/reducing soil compaction should always be on your mind.

I suggest working your new tractor for awhile before filling the tires. Nothing lost by testing first.

 

[boggen]

filling tires... gets a little expensive. in various parts needed to make filling and unfilling tires much easier.

i have a 30 gallon pull behind sprayer. and use the sprayer tank and pump, and some extra fittings. so i can toss what ever i want to fill tires with into the tank. and use pump to fill up tire (be careful way to easy to cause tire to over pressurize and explode and harm you or kill ya doing it this way) but i also use same sprayer with hose and fittings connected to pumps inlet. to suck fluid out of the tires, and let the sprayer pump fill up the tank. when i have to deal with a bloody thorn or like in a tire. it so happens the sprayer is able to hold the fluid form the tire for a few days if need be, till i get a new tube or get a pach-kit to fix leak. (( i do run tubes in all tires, regardless of tubeless tire or not)) to many stinking thorns *arghs*

if your not going to be messing in fixing leaks in your tires by yourself.... then ya most likely better off letting dealer deal with filling tires.... and when ya call up local ag tire place to come out and deal with tire. letting them drain and fix and refill tire backup. ((it will add extra cost to unfill and refill)) but *shrugs*.

if you have another way to remove tire from tractor and pick it up (fully loaded with fluid in it), so you can haul tire to some place to get it fixed by all means. but if you don't have another means to pickup up tire with fluid in it (2nd tractor for example) then you will most likely want some sort of setup to drain fluid from tire, so you can man handle it enough to get it in back of truck, to haul it some place to get leak fixed. and then when it comes back to fill tire back up with fluid.

other words.... at least for me, ya might as well invest in something to deal with filling and un-filling rear tractor tires. and do the filling of tires your self.

================
do you need rear tire filled with a fluid NO. would it be recommended? when asking me, it would be a big YES. more so with FEL (Front end loader) work, and dealing with hills. and overall extra weight filling rear tires give for traction.

 

[k0ua]

If I can do it, you can do it.. Use common sense.. You need your fill adaptor, a 5 gallon bucket for the fluid to pour into a pump, and some hose.
Jack up one side so the the tire is just barely touching the ground, but still touching. Let most of the air out but not all. You don't want the bead to unseat. It would be a good idea to put a few hours on the tires so that the bead is stuck good and seated for sure. get you pump going and pump in a couple of gallons, If your pump starts to labor against the "head" pressure which will build back up as the fluid goes in, the remaining air in the tire will compress. So burp out some of the air with the burp button on the fill valve., then continue pumping in fluid. Repeat. Keep track of the calculated amount of fluid for 75% fill and stop when you get to that amount. Quickly remove the fill adaptor. By the way this is all done with the valve stem at 12 o'clock. And quickly put in the valve core. You want weight of the fluid on the ground, but not so much that the tire "squishes" and possibly break the bead. Air up the tire and check pressure to normal recommended pressure. Jack up and do the other side.

Just think through all of your moves first then do them. You always want to maintain some air pressure in the tire, but not too much that the pump cant pump over this head pressure. Like I said, just use common sense. Oh, I also put a shut off valve in line with the hose to prevent air from bubbling back when I refilled the bucket from my jugs of fluid.

 

[OZisKTB]

Now that you have Four Wheel Drive, do you NEED loaded tires?

If you will be doing any kind of crop or turf work preventing/reducing soil compaction should always be on your mind.

I would work with your new tractor for awhile before filling the tires. Nothing lost by doing so.

What does your tractor and FEL manual say about tractor weight loading?

My JD with a FEL is unsafe to operate without loaded tires, wheel weights and 1100lbs on the 3 point. This discussion should have been part of your machine orientation.

 

[tcreeley]

My NH TC30 is rear filled with beet juice which is the same as rim guard I think. -Never a problem with them. (Never had a leak in the rears, - someone plugged my fronts before I got it- still going great.)
I think you need them filled- to deal with the snow, and to balance your FEL. I would stay away from wind shield washer or the salt mix they put in tires and on icy roads that rusts everything. Beet juice works and is environmentally friendly and windshield washer fluid isn't.

see below for info on doing it with rimguard:

admin, Author at Rim Guard - Liquid Tire Ballast

I'm not sure it is worth the hassle of doing it yourself - but it will save you some money. What is the cost of the fluid for the tires along with a pump? Do you have to change the valve stems?

 

[RollingsFarms]

My 67hp tractor with unloaded rear tires weighing 6300# WILL NOT budge my 6' disk on my fire breaks. Has plenty of power just no traction to dig down. Lock it in 4wd and it's better. My 56hp tractor I had prior to this one had loaded rear tires and pulled way better then my 67hp tractor with unloaded rear tires.

 

[k0ua]

Windshield washer fluid is not that bad for the environment, it degrades in a very few days, There are millions and millions of gallons of it sprayed on the environment every year.. I would not worry too much about it. Of course it is not safe to drink, but animals will not drink it. The active ingredient is methanol, a primary toxic alcohol. You do not have to change your valve stems with methanol mix (windshield washer fluid). Another alternative is RV anti-freeze which is Propylene glycol, which is safe to drink in small amounts. Not to be confused with Ethylene Glycol, or ordinary anti-freeze.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Filling the tires will make the tractor more stabil on slopes and help maintain traction when pulling ground engaging tools or even with FEL use. I wouldn't be too concerned with soil compaction with such a small tractor unless you are running it back and forth several times in the same tracks which will eventually compact the soil and kill your grass at the same time. Normal mowing patterns are not going to severely impact the soil. Every few years, you may want to run a sub-soiler over your pasture land.

 

[Natureboy]

TSC currently has RV antifreeze on sale for 3 bucks a gallon. As said, jack up the tire so its still touching the ground. Remove the valve stem core to let the air out. I use a pump from a tow behind sprayer also. When you pump about 2 gallons in, remove the hose from the pump to burp the tire. Bigger the tire, the longer it takes. Using a 2.5 gpm pump should make sort of quick work out of it.