Tire Ballast

   / Tire Ballast #1  

weehawl

New member
Joined
Apr 22, 2011
Messages
2
Tractor
Kubta L-3200DST 4x4
Thinking about adding antifreeze to rear tires on my L3200 Kubota. Rear tire size is 27x8.5-15 R4. I have the equipment to fill the tires but would like to know about how much water volume is required. If anyone can pass along a formula to calculate the water volume it would be appreciated. Thanks
 
   / Tire Ballast #2  
Thinking about adding antifreeze to rear tires on my L3200 Kubota. Rear tire size is 27x8.5-15 R4. I have the equipment to fill the tires but would like to know about how much water volume is required. If anyone can pass along a formula to calculate the water volume it would be appreciated. Thanks


diameter / 2 = radius

radius x radius x 3.14 = square area

square area x height = cubic volume.

cubic inches / 12 / 12 /12 = cubic feet

cubic feet x 7.48 = liquid gallons. (conversion between feet to gallons)

other words...

27 / 2 = 13.5 radius

13.5 x 13.5 x 3.14 = 572.265 square inches

572.265 x 8.5 = 4864.2525 cubic inches

4864.2525 / 12 / 12 / 12 = 2.8149609375 cubic feet

2.8149609375 * 7.48 = 21.0559078125 gallons

above does not take into account area of rim. that you would need to subtract from 21 gallons. but same math as above to figure out rim space.

i am sure there is a better formula to figure out "donut" shape. but above will give you a rough estimate.
 
   / Tire Ballast #3  
Our just Google - Tire size water capacity and it is already figured for you.:D
 
   / Tire Ballast #4  
You may want to look at RV antifreeze or windshield cleaner
for your tires. Both are less toxic then regular antifreeze and
less expensive. The tire size has me puzzled as I looked on line
and found this scale. I may be missing something, but by this
scale the tire will not hold that much.
www.tractorsmart.com/Farm_Tractor_​Liquid_Tire_Ballast.htm
 
   / Tire Ballast
  • Thread Starter
#5  
Thanks guys for the info. Will get started asap.
 
   / Tire Ballast #6  
A simple call to your local tractor dealer will answer your question. When asked about Rim Guard every dealer told me how much the tire would hold, the weight, and the cost. Keep in mind Rim Guard weighs more but the volume would be the same.
 
   / Tire Ballast #7  
I couldnt find that tire size on any charts so I calculated it by extrapolation of cylinder volume based on 27" OD x 8.5" high minus a 15" x 8.5 cylinder and came up with 12 gal. capacity @ 75% fill = 9 gallons of liquid capacity for this tire. That figure may be a little high.
 
   / Tire Ballast #8  
Thinking about adding antifreeze to rear tires on my L3200 Kubota. Rear tire size is 27x8.5-15 R4. I have the equipment to fill the tires but would like to know about how much water volume is required. If anyone can pass along a formula to calculate the water volume it would be appreciated. Thanks

FirestoneAg and GoodyearAg web sites have tire capacity tables for this.
Not sure if they go down to such a small tire - they may consider it too small to be worth filling ...and they may be right about that (-:

I went for RimGuard in my little tractor, with 17.5Kx24 R4s.
It came to a little over 100 gallons for the pair and that made a BIG difference to a tractor that was previously only about 5,300 lbs with it's loader.
It didn't make it a Cat 3 or Cat 2 tractor by any means - maybe Cat 1.4 (-:
 
   / Tire Ballast #9  
Here is what chart on Balastar.com show.

Tire Size Gallons of Liquid Calcium. Weight (lbs.)

27x8.50 - 15 7 74.9
 
   / Tire Ballast #11  
You should really look into Rimguard. It's food grade, biodegradable, non-corosive, non-toxic and tips the scales @ around 11 lbs. / gal. Anti-freeze would be around 8 lbs./gal calcium is 12 lbs./gal I had 28 gal. put in each rear tire on my B3300 Kubota. 616 lbs. and it cost me $151.00 installed. washer fluid (75 gal @ $2 each)would cost that much and anti-freeze will be more.(50/50 mix = 40 gal. @ $7+/ gal.=$280 ish) Then you have to spend a day putting it in yourself.
If the rimguard leaks out, it won't kill your dog. Just sayin.
 
   / Tire Ballast #12  
I'm still in dis-belief. I took the tires of my jd 425, weighed 33.4 lbs each. I installed 26-12r-12 ATV tires and had them loaded with rim guard. When I put them back on, 180.3 lbs each! The cost was $53 for the rim guard.
72d98c7f.jpg
 
   / Tire Ballast #13  
after reading much about adding liquid to the rear wheels and recently experiencing some lack in traction I been considering doing this to the tires on my Yanmar, I do have a question of concern...... on a larger and more powerful tractor it might not effect it, but with having barely 21 Hp. I'm wondering what this added weight will do to the power?
for example: if I load the tires with say 100 lbs each would it take more power to drive my tractor up a hill? this lack of traction I recently had was when trying to back up a 50 or so degree incline, I was attempting to back up the hill to drop the pulverizer at top to drag and remove the crown from top of the hill,
I simply lost traction about 1 ft. short of getting to the top of the 8 ft hill,
I'm thinking tire ballast, but then again will this only be extra weight to pull up the hill? I mean I don't do this type of thing all the time:cool: but wondering if perhaps there would be a power trade off for traction?
 
   / Tire Ballast #14  
ok i am new to this liquid ballast and would like to get some for my 3038e john deere. how do i go about getting this liquid and i dont know the first thing about doing it so i would like some body who knows what they are doing fill the tires .
 
   / Tire Ballast #15  
ok i am new to this liquid ballast and would like to get some for my 3038e john deere. how do i go about getting this liquid and i dont know the first thing about doing it so i would like some body who knows what they are doing fill the tires .

Any dealer can add it for you, it is cheap compared to bolt on weights.
 
   / Tire Ballast #16  
I have been wanting to put in some liquid ballast on my new tractor but never took the time. WELL I have been calculating the costs. Beet juice based on figures from this forum $2.50-3.50 per gallon x 150 gallons for rear tires=$375-$525. Antifreeze at 60/40 water antifreeze ratio at $12 per gallone antifreeze= 60 gallons for $720. Windshield washer at $2.29 per gallon=$344. I could get by with 10% antifreeze to protect to 25F which is normally minimum temps at my place but still cost me almost $200 and this is all do it yourself except for the beet juice which I dont really have a real figure on. I am thinking that I might spring for the $200 worth of antifreeze to give me a nominal protection. If it freezes the water, it wont hurt the tire anyway as long as it isnt moved while frozen. I have pure water in my Yanmar tires and we had several weeks of below freezing weather around Christmas last year and didnt hurt a thing. I dont need anything in it anyway because it wont crank below 45 F. I guess I will bite the bullet and go buy 4 cases of anti-freeze and pump in 8 gallons on each rear wheel when I get home this time. I really need the weight to stop the tipping tendency when the FEL is fully loaded.
 
   / Tire Ballast #17  
I have been wanting to put in some liquid ballast on my new tractor but never took the time. WELL I have been calculating the costs. Beet juice based on figures from this forum $2.50-3.50 per gallon x 150 gallons for rear tires=$375-$525. Antifreeze at 60/40 water antifreeze ratio at $12 per gallone antifreeze= 60 gallons for $720. Windshield washer at $2.29 per gallon=$344. I could get by with 10% antifreeze to protect to 25F which is normally minimum temps at my place but still cost me almost $200 and this is all do it yourself except for the beet juice which I dont really have a real figure on. I am thinking that I might spring for the $200 worth of antifreeze to give me a nominal protection. If it freezes the water, it wont hurt the tire anyway as long as it isnt moved while frozen. I have pure water in my Yanmar tires and we had several weeks of below freezing weather around Christmas last year and didnt hurt a thing. I dont need anything in it anyway because it wont crank below 45 F. I guess I will bite the bullet and go buy 4 cases of anti-freeze and pump in 8 gallons on each rear wheel when I get home this time. I really need the weight to stop the tipping tendency when the FEL is fully loaded.

My dealer said it was around $150 for both back tires for rimguard, maybe that is because it is a new tractor? I would check a dealer 1st and see what they charge.... jmo ........ might save you some of that green stuff!
 
   / Tire Ballast #18  
So my local john deere dealer would be able to fill the tires. Iron weights are not that much i have 2 -60 lbs for wheel well and were only about $40 and came with smaller set of 2-30 lbs also at auction but need more weight for tires but thank you
 
   / Tire Ballast #19  
after reading much about adding liquid to the rear wheels and recently experiencing some lack in traction I been considering doing this to the tires on my Yanmar, I do have a question of concern...... on a larger and more powerful tractor it might not effect it, but with having barely 21 Hp. I'm wondering what this added weight will do to the power?
for example: if I load the tires with say 100 lbs each would it take more power to drive my tractor up a hill? this lack of traction I recently had was when trying to back up a 50 or so degree incline, I was attempting to back up the hill to drop the pulverizer at top to drag and remove the crown from top of the hill,
I simply lost traction about 1 ft. short of getting to the top of the 8 ft hill,
I'm thinking tire ballast, but then again will this only be extra weight to pull up the hill? I mean I don't do this type of thing all the time:cool: but wondering if perhaps there would be a power trade off for traction?

I doubt it because the average man is about 200 pounds and I dont think your tractor would have this problem starting with you and an additional person or two sitting on it.
 

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