Tires To fill or not to fill (tires)

[texbaylea]

My L3130 has water filled rear tires and believe me there is no apparent give in them. I, accordingly, go slow when mowing but I don't have deadlines to meet any longer.

Vernon

 

[L3010Ken]

My tires are 60% filled - ride is soft and they have plenty of give for a smooth ride when brush hogging.

 

[Henro]

<font color="blue">How is the ride with liquid in the tires? </font>

The rears on my B2910 are filled up to the valve stem with WW fluid. I run about 12 psi. These R4 tires are only 4 ply and do have flex to them. The fronts being foam filled are considerably stiffer. But with them so far away from the seat you don't notice it.

Some tractors have much stiffer tires, as much as 16 ply have been reported by TBN owners, which blew me away when I heard the number...I bet those would sure be stiff!

I am a believer in loaded tires. The fronts on both my b2910 and BX2200 are foam filled, and the rears on the BX will be loaded with WW fluid as soon as I get some...

The only concern is the extra weight when mowing. I don't think that is an issue for me, but I have a yard rather than a lawn... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[kenta]

Hello. On a tractor that size they usually only fill the rear tires. The front would only add a few lbs. They used cloride at one time and may still, but here in Vermont they use a safer material, please don't ask me what, but it is just as heavy. Any weight to keep the center of gravity down is good.. Kenta

 

[JayC]

<font color="orange"> but here in Vermont they use a safer material, </font>

Is the material Rim Guard (aka "Beet Juice")? That is a very safe fluid they use. It is environmentally friendly and non-toxic.

 

[Henro]

<font color="blue">Hello. On a tractor that size they usually only fill the rear tires. The front would only add a few lbs. </font>

This is pretty much true with liquid fill I think. But if you foam fill, the tire on the front, although small, does get pretty heavy. Foam is pretty dense, and it fills the tire 100%, vs the 75% fill amount when liquid is used.

The foam filled front tires on my little BX Kubota weighed in at about 60 lbs ea...vs an empty weight of about 40 lbs ea for unloaded rear tires. Forgot to weigh the fronts before the foam was put in... /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

The rears took about 80 lbs each of WW fluid, which would put them at about 120 lbs each when filled. So foam filled fronts do appear to make more difference that one might first think...and they never will go flat either... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[nharrold]

I didn't get the rears on my 2150 filled when I bought it 12 years ago, out of ignorance, and because the dealer didn't suggest it. Regreted it many times when doing FEL work on slopes.

I had the tires on my new 7800 filled, and am quite pleased with the results. One place where I most notice the difference is when using the box scraper rippers in the woods, when they often get hung up on roots. Without filled tires, the lighter tractor can just sit there and spin the wheels. With filled tires, the extra traction allows the tractor to dig in an rip right through the same roots.

The tractor is also a lot more stable when going up/down or across slopes, which is a very real benefit.

The dealer didn't charge me for filling the tires.

 

[bob1234]

I just picked up a b21 and read the part about adding ballast in the manual so I have not done it. Any reason you can think of why they would not want you to do this? I really could use the extra weight especially since my land is mostly sloped. Any other ideas to limit some of the motion while digging?

 

[Jim_Becker]

Personally, I would not favor loading the tires on my BX as I want the flexibility of NOT having that extra weight on the machine when it's not needed. Using a 3pt attachment (or the BH) for any necessary added weight for traction/balance purposes works much better for me for how I use the machine. And with multiple implements, I can choose the amount of weight! About 250 lbs with the "concrete in the bucket with drawbar" attachment; about 450 lbs with the Woods 5000 chipper/shredder (new gloat...) and, of course, the big kahuna...the backhoe for serious weight during snow removal. And when I mow the grass...no extra weight, other than my fat, err...posterior.

 

[Henro]

<font color="blue"> Personally, I would not favor loading the tires on my BX as I want the flexibility of NOT having that extra weight on the machine when it's not needed. </font>

Jim and all,

The first year I had my BX2200 I used turf tires that were unloaded.

This summer I bought a set of bar tires and got the fronts foam filled and put WW fluid in the rears.

With turfs I sometimes would spin the wheels and bye bye grass...with the loaded bars on wet areas I see the bar indentations, but no bare spots from spinning turfs...

All in all I like the filled bar tires better than the unloaded turfs.

Granted this is just me and my situation.

My take on it though, is that if someone is in a situation where loaded vs unloaded tires mades a huge difference on his lawn, maybe the tractor is the wrong tool to begin with. A mower specific for lawns is probaby what that person needs...

In near Pittsburgh...anyone interested in a set of slightly used turfs for a bx?