Backhoes and rim guard

[rScotty]

My B21/BT751 manual recommends rear tire liquid ballast but says it should be removed when the backhoe is in place. Oh yeah, right! Who is going to add and remove liquid ballast?

The added stress on the stabilizers should be small in comparison to the added load when digging with the backhoe, IMO.

The backhoe manual for my M59 says much the same thing.
First it says not to add any weights or liquid ballast to the front tires. Then it goes on to say that any liquid ballast in the rear tires should be removed when the backhoe is on the tractor. Of course nobody is going to remove liquid ballast, so why do they mention it?

There's no explanation as to why, and it says nothing about stress on the stabilizers or FEL. So it may be that the stress Kubota is worried about is somewhere else. My guess is that it would be in the pivoting center axle support for the front axle, and similarly it would be in the outer axle bearings just inboard of the rear tires. Those locations make engineering sense.

I don't use any extra wheel weight myself - but frankly the way the M59 backhoe throws the machine around I can sure see why weight would help. And having followed TBN and TLBs for many years now, I don't recall a single instance of wheel weights or liquid ballast causing mechanical troubles. So if you have weight in the rears I'd just go easy and say not worry about it. Don't put any weight in the front tires of course. Avoiding extra weight up there just makes sense when you look at the modest construction of that front axle pivot.
luck,
rScotty

 

[sandyc]

When I had a tlb I asked the same question. My dealer filled my tires as part of the deal as well. I had no problems at all. The outriggers lifted the rear end and everything was stable .

 

[David_Kb7uns]

Grand L3130GST Bradco 408W backhoe with RimGuard in the tires, there are times I still need more weight. Not sure why Kubota says to unload the tires either.

Davidf

 

[BX23S-1]

My BX23S came from the factory with the backhoe and front loader, my dealer recommended loading the rear tires, and they installed stainless valve stems for free, loaded the rear tires, for free. I have YET to have any issue with the out riggers lifting this tractor when using the backhoe due to the tires being loaded. My backhoe never comes off this tractor either, unless i have to get into the back end of the tractor for some odd reason.

I`ve always had loaded rear tires on ALL my tractors, and with 50yrs running backhoes with loaded tires, never once have i ever had an issue.

Now adding a ballast box loaded super heavy on the back of the tractor, i can tell you that THAT will put ALOTTA stress on the axles & wheel bearings. Loaded tires, not so much... loaded tires arent sitting over the axle. Therefore, has little to no effect on axle`s & bearing`s bearings.

And one more thing, i bought a kubota because they are suppose to be built rugged, but kubota tells you NOT to load the tires on a backhoe equipped tractor, and some dealers tell people not to load the tires, and other dealers tell you that you really need loaded tires...? At that point, i would have to question kubota`s quality & durability.

If your tires are loaded, try not to lose any sleep over the matter. Sometimes people tend over think and over process things a bit to much.
If i didnt think that this BX23S couldnt handle what it was intended for, well then i bought the wrong tractor.

 

[MikeMainekubota]

Thank you all who replied! It somewhat puts my mind at ease(yes I to overthink/analyze).
Just fyi tires are loaded and the stabilizers have no problems lifting the tires off the ground.....Anywho, guess I'll try to stop thinking about it.

 

[Grandad4]

When I bought the backhoe for my tractor in 2003, the manual had the same warning. When I asked the dealer about it, he said adding tire ballast on a backhoe tractor increased the odds of having a 360+ deg. rollover if the tractor tipped to the side. That made some sense to me considering that the backhoe installation for my tractor required replacing the original ROPS with a taller one to better limit the chance of a full rollover. It's been said that Kubota is run by engineers, who are probably pretty conservative regarding safety; this may be an example.

 

[BX23S-1]

When I bought the backhoe for my tractor in 2003, the manual had the same warning. When I asked the dealer about it, he said adding tire ballast on a backhoe tractor increased the odds of having a 360+ deg. rollover if the tractor tipped to the side. That made some sense to me considering that the backhoe installation for my tractor required replacing the original ROPS with a taller one to better limit the chance of a full rollover. It's been said that Kubota is run by engineers, who are probably pretty conservative regarding safety; this may be an example.

Rollover with i alot bigger tractor than the BX series, maybe, but a BX is pretty low center of gravity.
The rear tires shouldnt be loaded more than 3/4 full of water anyway. I believe the manual says that.
I guess if i flip my BX over for having loaded tires with the backhoe, i`ll be the first to know...lol
Seems you`d have to be pretty stupid to not know where your limitations are anyway.

Its settled, i`m keepin mine loaded until i flip it over...!

 

[Grandad4]

My BX has juice in the rear tires, too, and it makes a big difference in traction and FEL operation. The backhoe was on my Grand L, where loading the tires would have added nearly 1,000 lbs. That would have had added lot of angular momentum in a rollover, on top of whatever that 2,000 lb backhoe did to the balance of the tractor. Lots of owners load their tires in spite of the warning and 99.999% have no problems, but I can understand a manufacturer's concern about the 0.001%

 

[drizler]

You don稚 need it with my Massey. I usually just leave the backhoe right on unless I知 mowing. That 1000 lbs feel just right. Even In Winter my old dearborne back blade gives it good enough traction with the 4wd. I do have R1s though and never once thought about buying chains.

 

[MHarryE]

A possibility is a CMA statement. Tire & Rim Association load rating for each tire size states that liquid ballast needs to be included in the total tire load. I'm not saying this is the case but there is a possibility the tires will be over the load rating with a combination of liquid ballast plus backhoe. I've been through this, not with tractors but with other ag tired mobile equipment. An example is our Case IH combine. It has a decal with the maximum bin load in bushels for each grain, each tire, and each header. I'm sure an operator will stop at 208 bushels instead of a full 220 bushels - yeah, right, like I could even distinguish the difference.