Tire Ballast

3RRL · Oct 31, 2005

I wanted to add some tire ballast to the tractor for better traction and stability. I went online to see how to do it and several article recommend adding calcium chloride with water for added weight per gallon. They provide a chart for inflation, # of gallons to put in and weight distribution by tire size and such.
I also saw several ads on a ballast solution to keep the rims from rusting.
However, I thought I'd read in one of the threads here that you can add anti-freeze as well....is that correct? Is that OK to do? Will plain water work? ...thanks...

greg_g · Oct 31, 2005

Used antifreeze worked great in my Yanmar rears. Water is ok, IF you're absolutely 100% positive that it will never ever be exposed to temperatures below 32 degrees

I don't have environmental concerns on this property, so I'm considering magnesium chloride for my KAMA. I can get that done right at the area Goodyear store.

Keep in mind also, that ballasting must take into consideration the front/rear weight ratio. 2wd, 4wd, and front assist drive all have different recommdeded front/rear weight distribution ratios. Whether or not you mount a FEL or backhoe should factor into the ballasting distribution as well.

//greg//

//greg//

Soundguy · Nov 1, 2005

( I also saw several ads on a ballast solution to keep the rims from rusting.
)

water.. figure about 7# per gallon... virtually free.. prolonged exposure to a rim or leaky tube will yeild some rust.. DOES freeze.. won't kill plants.

CACL.. better weight than water, won't freeze... Hard on metal (rims) if you have tubless tires.. or a hole in a tube. probably cheapest 'loaded' wet ballast you can buy.. kills grass like a nuclear bomb..

Rimguard ( beetjuice ).. good ballast.. won't freeze... fairly spendy$$ compaired to other wet ballast.. and will kill grass.

Antifreeze... slightly better than water weight, won't freeze if mixed strong enough, not terribly expensive,fairly safe for rims, not too hard on plants.. but hard on animals.

eco-safe antifreeze.. same as above.. except may be a little more $$ and less harmfullto animals.. examples are rv antifreeze.. etc

WWfluid. Again.. not much heavier than water.. can be mixed to prevent freezing, fairly safe on rims.. not terribly spendy, and not terribly poisonous.. as it isn't sweet like antifreeze...

Soundguy

3RRL · Nov 7, 2005

( I wanted to add some tire ballast to the tractor for better traction and stability. I went online to see how to do it and several article recommend adding calcium chloride with water for added weight per gallon. They provide a chart for inflation, # of gallons to put in and weight distribution by tire size and such.)

Well, I used the "Tractor Ballasting" article produced by the Department of Agricultural Journalism, University of Wisconsin-Madison. I added anti-freeze and water and tried to get the front/rear weight distribution as they recommended for 4WD tractors.
To get equal amounts in each tire, I measured by having the fill valve at the top of the rim and bleeding off the excess water. The trick is to keep the inflation pressure up somewhat while doing this so you know the inner tube is round. Then I made sure tire inflation is equal at about 16psi.

I did the same for the rears except kept the fill valve at axle height, since I wanted to get the weight distribution somewhat near the chart recommendations. By the way, the valves on the rear are on the inside of the wheels, making this about ten times harder to do than the fronts! I have 14psi in the rears.

Finally, I checked to see if the "footprint" and slippage tests were near the recommendations. I was pleasantly surprised to feel some minor difference in the ride and traction. Feels very stable. I may change the psi in the tires once I use them on the job to see if different pressures give better results.
Attached are pictures in subsequent posts.

3RRL · Nov 7, 2005

A picture of adding the anti-freeze.

3RRL · Nov 7, 2005

A picture of adding water to the tire.

3RRL · Nov 7, 2005

A picture of bleeding off excess water for balance between tires.

TobaccoRoad · Nov 7, 2005

Hey Rob,

Are there tubes in the 554 tires or tubeless?

3RRL · Nov 7, 2005

( Hey Rob,

Are there tubes in the 554 tires or tubeless?)

Yes, there are inner tubes in fronts and rears. One more thing, BE SURE to hold onto the valve stem someway to keep it from slipping into the steel wheel. They did not come with retainer nuts and I am going to put some on my tires. You may want to get some BEFORE you do this so as not to screw up the thread like I did.
Also, lift up the end you're working on to keep pressure off the tires when you let some of the air out, that way you can be more sure you are putting in equal amounts of fluid in them.