Branson tire ballast fluid?

[kantuckid]

I called the dealer/seller of my Branson 4820R which sold new 4/29/21 then used from a private seller last week to me. Only to ask which type of ballast fluid and how much it had? The seller knew it had fluid-nothing more. The young kid in service said they don't "do" the fluid, the tractors come to with Branson having placed the fluid. He was not well clued in from the conversation. Is it done by Branson or not? On another forum I was told dealers only do it with Branson, not the distributor. Maybe I'll just call the owner at that KS dealer?

 

[K5lwq]

It is done at the dealer level.

 

[oosik]

My 2009 Kubota M6040 came new from the dealer with Rim Guard. Word was - "we no longer use CaCl".

Dealer instal for sure. The Rim Guard added 1550 pounds to the tractor weight.

 

[kantuckid]

Calcium chloride is archaic and virtually never used these days and for good reason. Rotted rims were very commonly seen-I know from personal experience!
Dealers don't all do ballast fluid themselves.
I just called the Park City, KS dealers principal guy and he said he doesn't do the fluid there nor does he know what's in the tractors tires but remembers the lady who bought it and as they are relatively new to that Branson line he'll have to check into my two questions. Can't ask for more than that- a friendly call with a callback forthcoming...

People, I know how to sneek a peek in a valve stem-> I want to know how much weight I've got and exactly which fluid.

 

[ljjhouser]

When I bought my Kubota, the dealer sent the tractor to someone else to fill the tires before they delivered it. I think it might have been a tractor tire service. It has to be done at the dealer level. It is an option and there are several choices to be made - which liquid, cost, wheel weights instead, etc. Also, shipping would be a big increase if liquid is added before shipping is completed.

 

[kantuckid]

Well that dealer called me back and said the private seller must have had it placed in the tires after the sale as they don't do that. He went on to say that Branson actually recommends against using any tire fluid ballast which is very wrong minded IMO, for a tractor with a FEL. We all know it makes no sense to ship new ones with fluid for several reasons.
So I just now called my private seller and she said she'd forgotten to tell me that she had it done locally in Mo near her location. The guy there says they use only methanol and likely that he did 35 gallons in each rear tire which would equal ~ 7.8#'s x 35= 273#'s x 2 = 546#'s total. I'll keep using my rear ballast box which is from Titan and full of crushed rocks when loading logs at the mill, etc..
Thanks.

 

[kantuckid]

The Messicks tire ballast fluid chart calls for 55 gallons for a 17.5x24 rear R4 tire. I know this-if I ride my tractor two miles to a rock quarry scales I'll know exactly the weight!
The guy that did the fluid says they have seen wheel corrosion that they know came from beet juice. Many place use it-maybe some has a rust inhibitor added?

 

[Diggin It]

People, I know how to sneek a peek in a valve stem-> I want to know how much weight I've got and exactly which fluid.

That's the fastest and easiest way to tell. Much faster than several phone calls. If what comes out is reddish-brown and sweet/sticky/gooey, it's RimGuard. There are charts that tell you the weight by tire size. That MUST be put in by a dealer or tire store that is an RG agent. It isn't available otherwise.

The only other sort of common fills would be water and RV type antifreeze or windshield washer fluid, but I doubt a dealer/distributor would use either.

 

[K5lwq]

My dealer does fill the tires and uses RV antifreeze. It really depends on the dealer what they offer and the customer as to where they have it done. Many customers will do it themselves.

 

[kantuckid]

That's the fastest and easiest way to tell. Much faster than several phone calls. If what comes out is reddish-brown and sweet/sticky/gooey, it's RimGuard. There are charts that tell you the weight by tire size. That MUST be put in by a dealer or tire store that is an RG agent. It isn't available otherwise.

The only other sort of common fills would be water and RV type antifreeze or windshield washer fluid, but I doubt a dealer/distributor would use either.

I need you to make my decisions from now on, such as when to call vs. messing with valve stems & guessing how much of what they placed in the tire vs. a trully definitive answer. Really?