Anyone load their front tires?

[MtnViewRanch]

All that I know is that after about 6 years and 6-7 hundred hours I have not noticed ANYTHING negative about having the fronts filled. Obviously other peoples experiences may vary.

As far as having a big enough tractor so that you don't need to fill the tires, what happens when you need the weight, but there is NO room for that bigger tractor.

Everyone's wants and needs are very different, all of us need to try and remember that.

 

[SPYDERLK]

I have thought about this over the years. The front tires turn slightly faster than the rear do. Loading the front tires supposedly increases wear in the axle.


I may add a little to the tires, as I am out of space on my weight rack.

much more wear on the axle from weight on the rack
larry

 

[SPYDERLK]

All that I know is that after about 6 years and 6-7 hundred hours I have not noticed ANYTHING negative about having the fronts filled. Obviously other peoples experiences may vary.

Ditto at near 1000hrs hard use filled 90%+.
larry

 

[5030]

So bigger tractor that weighs more is better than smaller tractor with loaded tires? I would think that no matter how it is configured, weight is weight.

I guess I need to be taken to school.

Does it matter to the ground how the weight is configured on a tractor?

School is in session.....

Absolutely. Weight and tire loading as it pertains to tractive effort is directly attributable to compaction of the ground under the tires and to crop damage.

That's why track tractors are getting popular. The per square inch of loading is much less but the tractive effort is raised because there is more contact with the ground.

Besides, at speed, track machines ride much better, cross no-tilled headlands perpindicular to crop rows without spilling your beverage or loosening your teeth.

The downside to a track machine is replacement cost of the tracks and turning ability. Again, I'd never load any tire because it causes damage to the crop I harvest. I would actually prefer a less agressive tire than the Ag1 because the lug penetration on an Ag1 tire even not weighted is more than a comparable conventional tread tire. However, I do use my tractors for utility work so it's a matter of being cognizant about how I put the power to the ground and why I buy my tractors with 4wd, not that I engege the front drives much. I don't believe I've ever traction locked the rear or the front.

If I need additional traction, I simply drop a range on the main box. Large tractors come equipped with slippage indicators that actually calculate tire slippage in tillage operations. My friends Case Magnum FWA has an on board, real time digital slippage indicator that alerts him if the ground speed versus wheel revolutions isn't consistent. At that point he can either engage the differential ,locks or set his draft control to a shallower depth.

While my Kubota's are capable of tillage on a limited scale, most owners never see or need concentrated tillage requirements.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

5030, while you make valid points, I believe that the OP was asking the question pertaining to a 60-70 HP machine. Maybe not & I have just misunderstood, but that is the size that he is looking at. :confused3:

 

[Short Game]

If the fronts are foamed, the front drive breaks more often. I have proven this to myself. I learned not to work the front drive too hard in the woods, driving over anything that gets in the way at sharp turning angles. I've popped the cages off the front wheel bearings more than once. I can't say that liquid fills would be the same.

 

[hrcarver]

5030, while you make valid points, I believe that the OP was asking the question pertaining to a 60-70 HP machine. Maybe not & I have just misunderstood, but that is the size that he is looking at. :confused3:

That's true. I didn't realize the size mattered.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Size doesn't really matter, what matters is what you are doing with the machine. I have seen 600hp + machines and they had weighted them down as heavy as they could get them.

Depending on the task, A smaller heavier machine will do as much or more than a bigger machine that does not weigh as much. Conditions and circumstances make a HUGE difference with how a machine needs to be set up.

 

[blunosr]

Hi, I didn't load my fronts because the Kubota guys said not to. But they didn't say why not. I'm not all that concerned with damage to my hay crop, and I do like traction, so I may still do it anyways. It seems to me that in my Ag Eng classes back in university they said something about needing some tire slippage to get maximum traction. We had to calculate what percent slippage was ideal for different tractors/tires/loading. I know that sounds odd, and would definitely damage a sod crop, but I've seen it in action in many tractor pulls.

Bye for now,

Troy

 

[Grandad4]

Have to agree with 5030's original point about having enough tractor for what you are doing. Loading the front's will gain, what, another 5% in pulling power? If that last 5% is necessary just to get your work done with any level of frequency, one could argue you need more tractor to begin with. Kind of like putting chains on all four tires so you can go through the mud or snow. I did that a few times on a Jeep in younger days. Made it seem unstoppable but played heck with the drivetrain. But every owner gets to decide for themselves if more weight (or chains) is a good idea for their situation.