Ballast Tires Adding liquid ballast to tires. Is it a good idea?

[mytonka]

Hi Guys
I have tried to get some info on if it is a good idea to add liquid ballast to the tires. I do not want to hurt the TC5 however I like the idea of a more stable platform.
But will the added weight put more stress on the TC5? your opinions are valued.

 

[GTM Terre Haute]

I'm not a fan of adding Calcium Chloride, an oxidizer, to tires, especially tube less tires. It will cause rims to rust in a heart beat.

I really don't think tire ballast will do much for stability or traction because the tires are not that big.

My 2004 T5C has narrow front and rear tires. The width of wheel base is only 4 feet.

the tires on my 2000 T5D is like newer Terramites, it's front and rear tires are much wider making it less likely to tip over. Not sure actual tire size but tires stick out the rear fender on the D model and are completely under rear fender on C model.

Now when it comes to traction, I feel I have better traction in mud with the narrower tire. The wider tire sits on top of the mud and spins.

Both the C and D models have the exact same front and rear axles.

The bolt pattern for both rims are the same.

I use a 300# weight that I pick up with back boom to transfer weight off front wheels and put weight on rear wheels when loading dirt. I find transferring weight off front wheels is needed when loading sand because he front wheels will go down in loose sand. The more I extend the rear boom back, the more weight I transfer off the front wheels.

 

[oosik]

I've always had liquid ballast in my rear tractor tires. I've found it improves traction and enhances stability. My Kubota has approximately 70 gallons of Rimguard in each tire which adds 740# per tire. You can go to the Rimguard web site and they have tables that show how much weight would be added to each tire.

 

[sweettractors]

Hi Guys
I have tried to get some info on if it is a good idea to add liquid ballast to the tires. I do not want to hurt the TC5 however I like the idea of a more stable platform.
But will the added weight put more stress on the TC5? your opinions are valued.

Liquid ballast is a must for all tractors that we use on our farm. We get better traction and improved stability. Calcium Chloride is not my preferred ballast because of corrosion issues. Ken Sweet

 

[buickanddeere]

In an ideal world the tires would be dry tubeless and the ballast all cast iron bolt on wheel weights.

 

[oldballs]

On my B2620 I have no wheel weights and no liquid ballast. From mowing (MMM) with a few hills and roadside shoulders to plowing, scooping dirt, sand, gravel etc. I don't have a traction or stability problem. I use the diff lock now and then. If I had a traction or stability problem I certainly would add liquid ballast or wheel weights to the tires/rims. Having rear counter balance is often needed when using the FEL. That's my experience so far.
Cheers,
Mike

 

[Matt W]

My T5B has fluid of some sort in the tires from previous owner. If I were to loose it I would immediately have it replaced. Think about the additional penetrating power it adds to the hoe bucket.

 

[Soundguy]

How big are the tires ( size? )

If I didn't have liquid ballast in my tractor tires, I wouldn't be able to feed out round bales to my cows..

 

[Owlswood]

In an ideal world the tires would be dry tubeless and the ballast all cast iron bolt on wheel weights.

I tend to agree with this. Unfortunately affordable wheel weights in this part of the world are only slightly more common than unicorns.

Depends what you want to do with the tractor though. I have a JD420 and 316, one with a blade and one with a FEL. Neither had weighted tires when I bought them. The unfilled/filled difference is the difference between not being able to dig and actually digging. Wheel weights helped but weren't as noticeable a difference as filling the tires. The 420 would not have needed filled tires if I left it as a lawn mower.

No idea if stability is improved. I've only been in one situation where I was concerned about turtling. After watching YouTube videos of tractors flipping I'm going to continue to operate like there is no safety margin.

 

[sixdogs]

It depends what you do with the tractor. On bad slopes or heavy loader work, I understand the need for the weight. But then, you no longer can use that tractor for light duty things such as the lawn or septic system without a lot of effort. On the flat ground of the Midwest where I live, weights are more than adequate and I can add or subtract pretty easy. So it depends where you live and what you do.

The problem I have with filled tires is that I have never seen one that did not rot the wheels. My experience is that it always leaks past tubes, rusts and any flat is a disaster.

 

[Soundguy]

I tend to agree with this. Unfortunately affordable wheel weights in this part of the world are only slightly more common than unicorns.

Depends what you want to do with the tractor though. I have a JD420 and 316, one with a blade and one with a FEL. Neither had weighted tires when I bought them. The unfilled/filled difference is the difference between not being able to dig and actually digging. Wheel weights helped but weren't as noticeable a difference as filling the tires. The 420 would not have needed filled tires if I left it as a lawn mower.

No idea if stability is improved. I've only been in one situation where I was concerned about turtling. After watching YouTube videos of tractors flipping I'm going to continue to operate like there is no safety margin.

Agreed.. wheel and axle weights here are cast from 99.9% pure ground up unicorns. Priced accordingly.

Water +ecosafe antifreeze is rather affordable however..

 

[GTM Terre Haute]

I've always had liquid ballast in my rear tractor tires. I've found it improves traction and enhances stability. My Kubota has approximately 70 gallons of Rimguard in each tire which adds 740# per tire. You can go to the Rimguard web site and they have tables that show how much weight would be added to each tire.

I thought the question was about the stability of a terramite, that has a narrow wheel base.

Terramites are prone to flipping over if you are not careful. They even have a sticker on tractor warning of that. To improve stability, one needs a lower center of gravity or wided wheel base. Can't see how liquid in tires does either. Don't see how you could put 740# of liquid in each rear tires either of the smaller T5C tires and Terramites tires are tubless.

Rear tire ballast will help keep the rear wheels on the ground when you have weight in front bucket. However, tire ballast doesn't remove weight on front wheels. To remove weight off the front wheels, you need rear ballast the same weight and the same distance behind the rear wheels as the loader is in front of the front wheels.

Neighbor uses front loader on his Massey to move large round bales of hay. He has ballast in tires. His front wheels go down in the muddy feed lot with a bale of hay and his rear wheels spin in the snow.

He put a 55 gallon drum full of concrete on the 3 pt hitch, rear ballast behind the rear wheels.

What I'm saying is rear ballast improves traction and transfers weight off front wheels. Something liquid in tires can't do. Not to mention it's a real pain repairing flats with ballast.