loading front tire on 4wd

[jbreland]

I just discovered that my dealer loaded both the front and rear tires on my Kubota 4900 4wd. It seems like I recall hearing that the front tires should not be loaded on a 4wd tractor , is this correct?

Also is there a way to tell if my tires have tubes or not?
If they don't I don't think I like the idea of the water being in
contact with my rims causing rust.

I didn't ask the dealer to load them, they just did it on their
own. If it's got tubes I'm ok with it but if not I want it out
but don't know of any way to get it out without breaking
the tires down off the rims.

 

[slowrev]

Loaded front tires will put more strain on the front axle parts when using a loader. Air filled tires flex more absorbing shocks.
Ben

 

[slowzuki]

I've never heard of anyone loading the fronts... may make for a rough ride too.

 

[rambler]

The CC only rusts metal in the presence of O2, so if there are no tubes & they are filled, it is better to leave them as is. If removing the CC, you would _really_ need to scrub the rims down _real_ well, or the air in the rim would rust them over 20 years more than the CC at this point.

I would not want fluid in the front tires of a tractor with a loader. If you did not have a loader, it would be useful for traction & weight when using 3pt implements.

Guess it is your call on what to do, but if the fluid is removed, _really_ scrub those rims off well......

--->Paul

 

[Henro]

<font color="blue"> I've never heard of anyone loading the fronts... may make for a rough ride too. </font>

The front tires on both my BX and B2910 Kubotas are foam fillled. Now the tire place I had them filled at used foam with some flex, and not "concrete"...and my Kubota dealer recommended him to me...but anyway, I am happy with the foam filled tires. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

I have lots of loader hours on my B2910 and all seem fine to me. The little BX has no loader... /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif ... but the ride seems fine there too.

On the smaller tractor I filled the fronts for side-slope stability. The larger once was because of puncture fears...after getting my first front puncture after about two hours of work.

I think the key with foam is to have some flex so you don't shock the drive train components too much, as was stated earlier in the thread.

Myself, I like the increased stability that loaded tires give, since the weight is down low where it does the most good.

Liquid in the back, foam in the front, and no tubes anywhere is what I have.

I sleep well at night and would not change anything... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif ... except the rear fill material if I started getting rear flats...then I would transition to foam in the rears too...but flats in the rear have not been an issue for me... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[tillboy2001]

I see a LOT of tractor pictures on this site of tractors with no rear wheel weights but they have loaders. I'm assuming these people are filling the rears with fluid? We opted for 220 lbs of weight on EACH rear wheel (externally mounted metal weights - see pictures in my signature). I just can't imagine this many tractors with no rear wheel weights using a loader. So I have to assume most of the people in these photos I'm seeing are using fluid.

We didn't want the fluid in case of flats and having a big mess on our hands. Plus, I don't know why anyone would be opposed to the external weights. They do the job and they look fine. I'd probably prefer the looks of the tractor better without them, but hey it's a tractor /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[slowzuki]

I would prefer wheel weights but ours are calcium filled. There is 500 lbs per tire and it would be hard to get that in wheel weights.

I am used to the smoother ride of large ag tractors so I already find our new cut quite rough. I can't imagine it on foam filled tires!

 

[Darren]

I've got a L3710 with high density foam filled tires front and back. No problems. For highway travel, you can feel some difference. But ags weren't mean't for a smooth ride anyway.

I haven't noticed any problems during loader work. I don't think the fronts weigh more than fifty pounds each. If that's a problem for the spindles, Kubota is really shortchanging the design.

 

[RalphVa]

A guy I know with a Kubota loaded his front tires so he could offset the weight of a 5' bush hog behind it. He didn't have a FEL. His is about a 17 hp one. Don't remember the model. Think its a B7400.

Ralph

 

[BGL990]

I loaded the fronts on my 990. No problems at all. I wanted all the weight I could possibly get, for traction. I filled them to about 75%, the same as the rears. IMHO, the tiny bit of "spring" you might lose from a 75% fill won't hurt anything, even with heavy loader use. If you are that close to hurting stuff, you are probably going to hurt it no matter what. If you fill much more than 75% (just covering the rim), then you might have problems, but a "normal" fill should be OK.

Also, contrary to what some might initially think, the weight of a liquid fill does NOT put any extra load on wheel bearings or axles since it is essentially sitting directly on the ground.

If you want weight, I say fill 'em up!
/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif


ps. I used auto antifreeze to fill my tires. (emptied the shelf of the cheap stuff 3 days in a row at the auto store /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif). I have no tubes and didn't want calcium chloride anywhere near my machine. With my location and use (no thorns, sharp rocks, etc), the chance of a puncture is almost 0%, so I'm not worried about a spill.