Ballast Bio-Ballast?

[Fallon]

I finally took my L3200 in to the dealer the tires loaded & daym it really ups the traction. I can actually stall it in low now rather than just spinning.

I was chatting with the guys while filling & he mentions its not beet juice or calcium. I was expecting beet juice. Apparently its not sticky & doesn't require the pumps to get cleaned after filling. Price was a hair cheaper than RimGuard at the JD dealer.

http://www.envirotechservices.com/bio-ballast/ doesn't have too much info on the product. Anybody know what this is made out of? I'm happy with its performance so far, just curious.

 

[joshuabardwell]

Uses & Application
Increase traction
Increase pulling power
Counterbalance for weight equalization

That last one is wrong, I think. Filled tires ride with their weight on the ground, not the axle, and so provide no counterbalance.

 

[Fallon]

That last one is wrong, I think. Filled tires ride with their weight on the ground, not the axle, and so provide no counterbalance.

Depends on the terminology. The weight in the rears will counter some of the force trying to tip forward at max loader capacity. It wont provide a lever hanging off the back pulling weight off the front axle. You still need proper rear ballast on the back to save your front axle.

 

[TomSeller]

Depends on the terminology. The weight in the rears will counter some of the force trying to tip forward at max loader capacity. It wont provide a lever hanging off the back pulling weight off the front axle. You still need proper rear ballast on the back to save your front axle.

Right

 

[Gary Fowler]

Seems like I heard this product mentioned a couple years ago, but it was only available in Canada at that time. Now they say they are located in Greely, Co. MSDS says that it is corrosive to some metals, hopefully steel and copper alloy (brass as in valve stem in the tractor tires) isn't one of them

 

[GPintheMitten]

I think it's soilent green. Good stuff, said to edible too.

 

[bdog]

That last one is wrong, I think. Filled tires ride with their weight on the ground, not the axle, and so provide no counterbalance.

Not really wrong. On my old tractor with empty rears when I picked or should I say tried to pick up a pallet of concrete with the FEL it lifted the rear tires off the ground. Filled the tires up and I can pick up the pallet and move it around now. Seems like a counterbalance to me.

 

[TomSeller]

Not really wrong. On my old tractor with empty rears when I picked or should I say tried to pick up a pallet of concrete with the FEL it lifted the rear tires off the ground. Filled the tires up and I can pick up the pallet and move it around now. Seems like a counterbalance to me.

I think what he was saying is that weight behind the rear axle (on the 3pt) reduces the weight on the front axle as long as you can keep your rears on the ground. Weight in the tire just holds the tire and rear end down, it does not reduce the load on the front axle. Obviously if you don't have enough weight to keep your rears firmly on the ground, you are increasing the load on your front axle. ie if you load your rears and still teeter on the front axle, the entire tractor, the FEL load and the rear tire and fluids are on the front axle. Prior to loading the rears it would have been just the tractor, FEL load and empty rear tires.

3pt loads are particularly helpful if they are heavy and way back there, like a large heavy brush hog. Those "pivot the weight" around the rear axle and reduce the weight on the front axle.

 

[8N Ren]

I think it's soilent green. Good stuff, said to edible too.

Lol

Fallon I got the same stuff in a new set of rears about a month ago works well so far.

 

[Looking4new]

Lol

Fallon I got the same stuff in a new set of rears about a month ago works well so far.

Where did you get it?

 

[Fallon]

Front Range Kubota in Elizabeth, CO, my local dealer about 20-30 min away & where I got my tractor. The Bio Ballast was a bit cheaper than the local JD dealer, which I believe was dealing Rim Guard. I didn't realize it wasn't beet juice until afterwards, not that it would have made much difference.

 

[8N Ren]

Where did you get it?

At Kal-Tire in Steinbach Manitoba, the guy there said they were using this instead of calcium. Sounded like you can still get calcium though, you just have to request it.

 

[RBA50]

I just got my 9.5-16 R-1s filled with Bio-Ballast at Les Schwab tires. I asked about how much it weighs per gallon. They had to look it up, but found a spec of 9.5#/gal. I think that is about right based on the table in the link above. With new air water valves, and 22 gallons of bio ballast, it cost just under $125, including tax. I hauled the tires in and back and reinstalled myself.

Over on Orange Tractor Talks, there is an article about ballast types. One of the comments was from a guy who claims to be the inventor of Bio Ballast. He says he is from the Pacific NW (probably WA, based on where he said he had distributors.) At that time (2010) his biggest distribution was through Les Schwab. Looks like he has expanded since then.

 

[RBA50]

Oh yeah, when I asked if they had a special gauge for checking ballasted tires, they gave me one at no charge! Low pressure, spring loaded to self purge, supposedly non corroding.

 

[oosik]

I went to the Envirotech site. They are tight lipped about the product. However - checking the MSDS sheets - - its made out of plant material - just not sugar beets. I was not able to find a listing for its weight per pound.

If it does weigh 9.5 pounds per gallon - that's right between water ( 8.34 ) and Rim Guard ( 10.85 ).

 

[oosik]

RBA50 - after the first couple of times with calcium chloride in my first tractor I quit using tire pressure gages. I'd go to high noon, blow a couple puffs into the valve stem to clear anything - take measurement. For whatever reason I'd always get that crap coming back in the gage.

There is a much easier, cleaner, more representative method. I drive my tractor out on the hard sand surface of the driveway and check to see the the rear tires are making FULL CONTACT all the way across the bars. If I want to be really **** and do a more scientific approach - measure across each of the bar contract patterns on the driveway - make certain they are both the same.

The "right" pressure for my rear tires is right around 16 to 18 psi.