L4400 4x4 New Tires W Water

jyoutz · Apr 17, 2022

Doughknob said:
They are likely not filled 100%. Since even with the stem up, it is still on the rim which is lower than the top of the tire.

There is a notion out there that if one covers the entire rim with some fluid, the rim will not corrode since it gets no air (o2). This is not automatically the case.

park tractor sideways on a good slope with stem up on the uphill wheel and see if it still runs water.

prior setup is more realistic.

There are non-corrosive liquid fills available now. Why would anyone run CaCl anyways nowadays.

5030 · Apr 17, 2022

Water (if the tire has no tube) is still corrosive though not as much as CACL. Water has 2 atoms of Oxygen, one of Hydrogen and as the O2 liberates it self from the solution when it warms, it will most certainly corrode the steel rim, plus the air above the water as the tire rotates mixes with the water and causes corrosion inside as well.

5030 · Apr 17, 2022

jyoutz said:
There are non-corrosive liquid fills available now. Why would anyone run CaCl anyways nowadays.

No one does that I know off CACL in solution is nasty to handle anyway. Pretty good for spraying on dirt roads for dust control, but that is about it. It's also used for pre treatment of pending ice and snow storms. Where is gets in your electrical connectors in your ride and corrodes the contacts.

Slowpoke Slim · Apr 17, 2022

OP,

Your tires have way too much air pressure in them. I would never run 32 psi in rears or 45 psi in fronts. You must be running around with just the center portion of the tire tread making contact with the ground (unless you're going through some very soft ground).

jyoutz · Apr 17, 2022

5030 said:
Water (if the tire has no tube) is still corrosive though not as much as CACL. Water has 2 atoms of Oxygen, one of Hydrogen and as the O2 liberates it self from the solution when it warms, it will most certainly corrode the steel rim, plus the air above the water as the tire rotates mixes with the water and causes corrosion inside as well.

True, but after 20 years of water and methanol in my previous machine’s tires, there was no corrosion.

azbinder · Apr 17, 2022

I have filled more tractor tires than I can count. They get filled to the valve stem, which is positioned at the top when filling, leaving an air pocket. For rear tires, we usually set the air pressure around 15 to 18 psi. This allows the tire to somewhat flatten out when applying a load, giving more traction. As for the front tires, unless they are filled, pressure should be around 25 psi. Your operators manual should have air pressure setting in it. As far as replacing 4 ply tires with 6 ply, that should not be an issue. It will just give you a stronger tire. And seeing that you are in FL, I wouldn't worry about running but water. In Northern Arizona, we used regular anti freeze with water. Just don't remember the ratio though.

MHarryE · Apr 18, 2022

Download load inflation table - Titan- Goodyear and Firestone have them available on line. Use weights from your tractor manual to select the load and find the proper inflation - finding a place to weigh is even better. With a loader a good estimate is 25% each tire.

Special inflation equipment is available to load to 90% but it’s rarely used. 75% max is what tire companies recommend but in the old days the tractors were so light some felt they needed more. Dad was an IH dealer so he had the inflator for customers who demanded more. It is likely you get spray at the top because the dealer loaded to the 75% level which is a normal fill. Firestone and Titan show how much fluid capacity each tire size holds but this is direct from the Tire & Rim Association.

Mrsig · Apr 18, 2022

My rear tire are 75% filled with water I filled them it was very easy set the vale stems at 10:00 fill then move to 12:00 add air. Got the kit at TSC. My rears I run at 41PSI. My front tires I have slime in them and I run them at 36PSI I have over 174 hour with 0 problems and a good ride.

PHIL850 · Apr 18, 2022

Surshot said:
I took my Kubota in for new shoes after 12 years. My tire dealer died of C-19 his son took over. This tractor always rode great, it now rides like it has square wheels.
Son replaced the 4 ply with 6 ply, just for info.
The new industrial tires are water filled, not 2/3 or 3/4, 100% filled. Rolled to the top, the valves squirt water. That seems odd.
The Rears are at 32 pounds, I mostly mow and pick up limbs, trees, etc.

The fronts are at 45 pounds
I get it that the fronts with a grapple and root rake need to be at a higher air pressure due to the FEL weight plus loads.

Seems like my prior wheels were about 2/3 full of water and the rear tires were at about 20 pounds air pressure.

If I remember the original info, 12 years ago, you must have space with a water fill to allow the tire to still flex, otherwise it rides like the tires are all solid.

Filled tires should have a minimum of at least 10% air to allow for expansion/ flex. The tires are overfilled at 100%. I would drain of so that you have about 6” of air space at the top.