Tires filled with Beet Juice too heavy for landscaping and field work?

[jeff9366]

To apply 47-horsepower to the ground with a 3,230 pound bare weight (light) Tractor/Loader, almost all here would load the rear tires with some form of liquid. In Florida that liquid would be water. In Minnesota you need a liquid which will not freeze, at least down to 10 degrees F., which means Beet Juice or a water alcohol mix, AKA windshield washer fluid. I think you will be fine with Beet Juice in R4/industrial tires with all the applications you have listed. Placing tire load in context, the difference in weight between beet juice fill and water fill is only about 15% in filled rear tire weight, maybe (?????) 3% of your total tractor/loader weight.

Some dealers have a policy of loading the rear tires of all tractors sold with a Loader. If you are a first time tractor owner/operator filled rear tires will significantly improve tractor stability, keeping you safe as you gain tractor experience.

If your tractor has a the 375 pound Cab option optimal tire fill might be 50% liquid fill rather than normal 75% liquid fill for open station models.

TYM T474 Dimensions​

Dimensions
Wheelbase:	68.9 inches 175 cm
ROPS Length:	131 inches 332 cm
Cab Length:	133 inches 337 cm
ROPS Width:	54.5 inches 138 cm
Cab Width:	59 inches 149 cm
Height (ROPS):	94.4 inches 239 cm
Height (cab):	92.5 inches 234 cm
ROPS Weight:	3230 lbs 1465 kg
Cab Weight:	3605 lbs 1635 kg
Ground clearance:	12.8 inches 32 cm

You need rear counterbalance to SAFELY lift 1,200 pounds or more to full height on level ground, even with loaded tires.

TYM TX47 Loader
Loader weight:	1021 lbs 463 kg
Height (to pin):	105.6 inches 268 cm
Clearance, dumped bucket:	80.4 inches 204 cm
Dump reach:	16.5 inches 41 cm
Dump angle:	45°
Clearance, level bucket:	96.5 inches 245 cm
Reach at ground:	69.2 inches 175 cm
Rollback angle:	38°
Breakout force (at pin):	3198 lbs 1450 kg
Breakout force (bucket):	3012 lbs 1366 kg
Lift to full height (at pin):	2152 lbs 976 kg
Bucket width:	66 inches 167 cm

 

[3 Horse Ranch]

I recently just purchased a new 48hp HST TYM. About to have it delivered to get started. They did a nice job of getting me talked into beet juice in back tires as it helps with loader work, and i'll be doing a lot of that. Also, I'll be doing a lot of field work (planting, cultivating) AND landscaping around my house. The guys told me last week the extra weight will leave very deep grooves everywhere. Now I'm thinking I should have NOT had the beet juice add instead of a removable ballast or leave box blade on back when loader work. Thoughts or suggestions? I could in theory ask them to pump out the juice, lol.

I think your salesman did a good job talking you into beet juice. You have a tractor that weighs, with the loader, about 4600 pounds and with a cab is a somewhat narrow 59 inches. You will want to have that weight (and then some) for stability any time you use that loader, especially since it is rated to pick up over a ton up to 105 inches. Even without lifting max load to max height the weight in the rear tires will help keep the rear axle firmly planted so you will have less need of four wheel drive when using the loader.

BTW Congratulations on the new tractor.

 

[oosik]

I have beet juice in my rear tires - 1550#. Total tractor weight - 10,100#. I've never had a situation where I wished for a lighter tractor or unloaded rear tires.

If I go out and about on my 80 acres when the ground is soft - I will leave ruts. Loaded or unloaded rear tires. When my ground is dry - barely leave chevron marks.

Loaded rear tires increase traction and stability.

 

[PlasterProspector]

Ruts have been a big concern for me as well. There is a few hundred foot long pathway between hedgerows that needs brush hogging to keep the ticks at bay and that gives me access to most of the property. Running up and down that pathway in the late summer gave me foot plus deep ruts. It's digging up all kinds of large rocks that genuinely concern me. I bent a scarifier on one trying in vain to fix things.

 

[oosik]

Ruts have been a big concern for me as well. There is a few hundred foot long pathway between hedgerows that needs brush hogging to keep the ticks at bay and that gives me access to most of the property. Running up and down that pathway in the late summer gave me foot plus deep ruts. It's digging up all kinds of large rocks that genuinely concern me. I bent a scarifier on one trying in vain to fix things.

May be time to upgrade the pathway with some heavy gravel or stone.

 

[Cougsfan]

I don't think the difference you would see would be enough to worry about. I have landscaped for years with filled and unfilled tires. Both make footprints that are not different enough to notice. A chain harrow will smooth either. Running in 4 wheel drive will cause the tires to make far more tire related landscape damage than filling the tires.

 

[therdriele]

There is no real difference in the ruts you'll make, loaded tires versus not, and a big difference in stability when you're using the loader or working on a slope. Heavy is more stable and that is always good. If you have ag tires, always take it out of 4WD on a landscaped surface and keep your turns gentle. As for the ruts, most people who do ag work know their land and schedule/time their work flow to avoid seasons and situations where you will rut things up. Frozen ground is your friend for a lot of jobs. Ruts can usually be avoided, even on soft ground.

 

[Henro]

Weight is weight if the tire sizes are the same a weighted tractor ( and it doesn't matter if it's cast iron or tire fill) is going to compact the soil more then a bare one.

This is certainly true. BUT how much is the weight difference in percentage? I think that is the significant question. 10% increase in weight, but greater ncrease than that in stability?

Trade off sure, but stability increase is pretty important. At least for many of us.

 

[tjandrews]

We have an old IH 424 that we've used for many years. 2WD, ag tires. There have been times when we had to repair a rear tire and didn't get the ballast back in it right away, and believe me, we'd notice the difference. Not so much on dry, untilled ground, but for any kind of tillage, or when trying to move snow with a back blade there was a BIG difference. Last time we filled them we used windshield washer fluid, the kind designed for deep in a northern winter. Did the job ourselves, pumping it in with a 12V electric pump from a garden tractor sprayer. Works great.

We also have a JD 4600 that we've only had for a few years. It came with industrial tires, and we were told they were filled with beet juice. Even though there's a bucket on the JD and none on the 424, I see little if any difference in tracks left on dry ground. But I do notice a difference in traction with those industrial tires when not in 4WD. The 424 is MUCH better, though I have to admit that the JD in 4WD is better than the 424.

 

[GuyCS]

Not spinning is one thing that hasn't been mentioned. I have filled tires, weights, and a ballast box on my NH 45 hp tractor with a loader. Industrial tires. I live in sand and the spinning of unweighted tires far exceeds the damage of ruts. Leaving it out of 4WD and not taking sharp turns also helps a lot. Or putting it in 4WD instead of spinning, or locking the rear diff instead of spinning.