Tires Loading tires?

[drzmatt]

How much should it cost to load the 12-16.5 industrial tires on my Kubota 7610? Can I do it myself? I live in upstate NY so what do I do to prevent them from freezing solid? How much weight will loading the rear tires add to the tractor? Will it have a negative effect on mowing?

 

[Henro]

It does not cost much if you use windshield washer fluid. Get the winter blend which is good to either -20 or maybe -34 or so?

Forget how much weight it adds for your tire size (or mine /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif ), but it does make a difference.

It does add weight, and any extra weight will cause the tractor to push down on the grass harder. Depends on how soft your ground is probably.

Be sure to read this thread before you start though...

GregJ ran into some problems with his 12-16.5 wheels...

Filling tires with WW fluid using a cheap drill pump is quite easy, if the tires don't fall off the wheel rim like Greg's did... /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

[Bob_Skurka]

I can't really add to what Henro said, but I do have something that you might want to consider. Although not as common as it used to be, some folks use automotive anti-freeze in their tires as ballast. Anti-freeze is very toxic & sweet smelling and if you get a leak and have a pet you have the recipe for death.

 

[JDFANATIC]

Ditto Bob,

That's why I loaded my 2210's rear tires with RimGuard.

 

[Phred]

In the other thread someone points out that WW fliud is non-toxic.
I do not think this is true for all types. Some of it is basically methanol and water. The amount of methanol is just enough to reduce the freezing point.
While it may be that different brands use something else.....
methanol is in fact toxic. Small amounts can cause blindness and large amounts can cause death.
I doubt that most pets would drink it.

I have been thinking about just buying some methanol and mixing my own. A lot cheaper since I would not need to pay for the water portion of the WW fluid. Looks like about 30% methanol would be overkill for Arkansas.
http://www.satelliteindustries.com/tips_tools/p2.htm#msolution

Fred

 

[chrisjbell]

One of my favorite subjects /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif. There are tons of posts about this topic - do a search if you want plenty of details.

But yeah, load them up. Definately do it yourself.

Get a little valve fitting at your local tractor supply store (mine was about five bucks) and then figure out how to pump the fluid in. Henro's suggestion of a drill pump sounds like just the ticket (those are cheap, too - certainly a lot less than paying to have it done /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif).

I used water, because I have tubes (no corrosion issues) and I live where it doesn't freeze, so I just used my garden hose. You might be able to figure out another way to pump the washer fluid in with something else you already have around.

 

[dmp437]

RimGuard has a sheet showing weights of loaded tires when loaded with their product at Tire Chart
I have my rears loaded with RimGuard and when mowing the front tires tend to do more damage on wet ground due to their narrow width. I went with RimGuard because it's non-toxic to animals, doesn't kill the grass if it leaks, and is resistant to freezing to 35 degrees below zero. Cost was $200 fluid and labor. For $200 it wasn't worth time to mess with it.

 

[Bowhunter]

I had the local garage fill my rear tires with used antifreeze. He put close to 50 gallons in the pair and for weight I just used an approximate 8 lbs/gal to give me an idea. I did end up having to let some of it back out as he overfilled them.

 

[Varmintmist]

One thing about Henros link. It read like the guy totaly filled the tires. That is a mistake, you want them loaded to the top of the rim, about 70%. Leave airspace in there for expansion and ride.

I got about 45 gal in each rear. loading tires gravity style

 

[Currmudgeon]

Do you use the original, automotive type Schraeder valve cores?

I saw some cores at TSC designed for liquid filled tires, but they look like they need a different valve stem or tube. The diameter appears bigger than a regular Scraeder.

Who carries the adapter to fill the tires? My tire store doesn't know nuthin, but they deal with car tires mostly.