Water in tires?

[Gem99ultra]

I have a Husqvarna GTH26V52LS garden tractor (26 hp, 52" cut) that I bought basically to mow large areas, including some heavy brush and slopes around the ponds.

The slopes are 25 degrees steep so I always mow those up and down, never sideways. The Huskqvarna has plenty of power to pull up the slopes but traction is always near the break loose point, and as I get near the top I also have a fear that she'll flip over.

Adding 50# weights on each the back tires solved the traction problem but I still feel that the mower is near max on tipping over.

I was thinkng about filling the front tires with water, 1/2 - 3/4 full. Do you think that's a good idea, or not? And if not, any suggestions? Also, if yes, should I add water also to the rear tires?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[hizoot]

I put water/rv antifreeze mix in the rear tires of my John Deere GT275...it made a world of difference in stability and traction. I bought the fitting for this at Tractor Supply. A bonus was the tractor rode smoother....which surprised me, I thought it would be the opposite. I haven't done the fronts yet,but plan too....if I can ever remember to pick up more rv antifreeze

 

[Heinlein0311]

I don't think I would use water because of corrosion and freezing. I have heard of guys using beet juice. We also live in an area where beet juice is readily accessible so I don't know if that would work for you. The mixture with the antifreeze may be a good idea

 

[Gem99ultra]

Heinlein, I live in Georgia. Same weather as I had in Texas. Hot and Hotter And I'm fortune enough to have inside storage for my tractor and mowers. Otherwise, I definitely would consider calcium or bettle juice mixture.

Hizoot - super info! I too, expected that the mower would ride like a brick. Glad to hear that it's the opposite.

 

[NIXON]

Heinlein, I live in Georgia. Same weather as I had in Texas. Hot and Hotter And I'm fortune enough to have inside storage for my tractor and mowers. Otherwise, I definitely would consider calcium or bettle juice mixture.

Hizoot - super info! I too, expected that the mower would ride like a brick. Glad to hear that it's the opposite.

You might also consider windshield washer fluid ( winter grade ) . It's cheap ,and has a fairly low freeze point .

 

[Gem99ultra]

Job done. Added ~2 gallons (exactly 14 pounds) of water to each of the fronts. As Hizoot said - it has better front end traction, and surprisingly - has a better ride!

Thanks for the suggestions. And yes, I will consider beet juice or another antifreeze additive... just in case.

 

[Jesse masterson]

I have the same model you have forget the fluid buy some knobby mud tires like on a 4 wheeler , mine will climb straight up just about anything , my front end docent come up if I lran my bodyweight forward when going up and lean back when I go down . I dont know what you weigh though body weight could make a significant difference . I'm 215. Sorry I didn't see you have already fixed the problem . Good luck.

 

[zman007007]

oh yeah , the old straight water routine, that should rust up those rims real well on the inside where you won"t be able to see it.

 

[cdaigle430]

How do I add fluid in the tires?

 

[Gem99ultra]

Well... job's not quite done. Now the steering is 'too heavy' for spouse to comfortably cut grass. Water's coming out.

BTW - I had no concern about rusting the rims off. I'd be a very old person before that happened. Besides, rims are cheap.

I have a 50# weight on each of the back wheels, so traction isn't an issue. It's the flipping over part that concerns me.

 

[Natureboy]

Water will rust them out faster than you think. I'd go with RV antifreeze.

 

[Gary Fowler]

The rims are painted and water in itself is not that corrosive, its the air that has all the free oxygen to cause rust. I could put a piece of enamel painted metal under water for 20 years in fresh water and it would still be good. How many lawn mowers last 20 years? Besides small rims like that are so cheap lots of replacement tires come mounted on the rim already.

I dont know what you can do to solve your front end problem. IF wifey cant turn with 14 pounds in the tires, hanging weight on the frame is going to make it just as hard to turn. Maybe a good weight lifting program to build up the wifes arm muscles is in order.
MY JD 332 has power steering so no problem with steering. I put water in the rear tires to solve my traction on the hills problem but still have to get a running start to climb up the steepest part at my house. I havent measured it but it drops over 7 feet in about 15 feet so I would say it is close to 40 degrees and I dont have any tipping issues. With the mower slung underneath & my little 890cc diesel water cooled engine in front it is pretty heavy on the front end.

 

[flyer91]

Well... job's not quite done. Now the steering is 'too heavy' for spouse to comfortably cut grass. Water's coming out.

BTW - I had no concern about rusting the rims off. I'd be a very old person before that happened. Besides, rims are cheap.

I have a 50# weight on each of the back wheels, so traction isn't an issue. It's the flipping over part that concerns me.

Two words ............ wheelie bars.

 

[Phil48]

If I remember correctly it's close to 200lbs rear weight plus wheel weight. No more tipping during summer time and a lot of traction for snow removal. Plus the added benefit of peace of mind when you have a flat tire. A loaded tire that goes sour is by no mean fun to change :confused2: ...

 

[Gem99ultra]

My weights look the same as in your picture; mine are 50# each. Interestingly, Husqvarna no longer lists the 26 hp - apparently it's now rated for 24 hp. Same mower/tractor. Maybe the true hp is coming to light? And... I can find nowhere how much it actually weighs, without attachments. Anyone know? Just curious.

Spouse has had surgery on both wrists and elbow, so it's not a matter of not having einough strength. Before surgeries she rode a Harley Ultra Classic, and had no trouble handling it. yeah, she's strong enough... It's just the pain, with no end in sight.

But - if I had to worry about the cost of a couple of rims after some years of working with water, I'd have bought a Murray, or something a lot cheaper. Or better yet, just pay to have someone else mow the slopes. In the long run, that'd be cheaper.

I do like the "Wheelie bars" suggestion though ))) I did build a removeable outrigger for the little Husqvarna Rider 1550 that I still use for super fine cutting. Cool idea, but something less than practable.

 

[boggen]

tubes for tires are fairly cheap. put them in, and then fill the tubes up with water. that way you are not rusting out the rims.

as far as wheely bars, if you take rear set / latch off, and pulled rear wheels off. you can get access to the frame of tractor. and perhaps drill a couple holes. and run some metal out the back. then pickup some cheap dolly wheels at a larger hardware store. if done right, you might be able to pull wheely bars on/off with a couple pins.

 

[flyer91]

Here is a funny video of a heavily modified lawn tractor (motorcycle) with wheelie bars:
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVkTyew_bC0&feature=related]130hp lawn mower - YouTube[/ame]

I was not planning on doing anything that elaborate when I replied with my "two" word suggestion.

My property also demands I make up a set of wheelie bars for my Husky ........ least I see sky when climbing up some of the short but steep slopes.

So I'm using the top leaf from a set of light-weight trailer leaf springs.

I'm cutting the eye end off at one end, and adding an axle through that eye at the other end with a set of 10" pneumatic tires/wheels on either side of the leaf.

I'll make an angle iron mount, that basically will be a squared off U.
The two top legs ends of the U will slide into slot-mounts bolted to the frame ahead of the rear wheels, and the bottom cross section of the U will have a hole that lines up with the tow hole on my tractor.

A section of angle bar will be welded/bolted across the top of the U so that just the slide-in projections of the U will extend beyond it, making it a square frame with tabs extending off the sides at each end.
The non-eye end of the leaf spring will bolt to the center of that cross member, and the leaf will have a hole that lines up with the hole in the bottom of the U (and consequently .... the tow hole in my tractor).

I'll use a cam-lock pin to go through the hole in the U and my tractor's tow hole to hold it in place, but a bolt would work as well.
Easy on, easy off.

I want to use a leaf spring because it has an easy axle mount, is strong, and has some give to it .

I'm not originally an American, but I've lived here long enough to learn some of that famous "Yankee Ingenuity" from you guys.

 

[Gem99ultra]

Now - THAT's what I call fun!!!

The project you're planning sounds like total fun to me I sure hope you snag some pictures of the work as you go along. Super Trick Mower.

 

[Jesse masterson]

Whatever you do if it's that steep I wouldn't mow it on that kind of tractor first of all I have one just like it and I know it's high profile and very tippy. It's not worth getting hurt over, if it has to be mowed I'd get a tractor designed for hills and with a gear tranny. One time I was going down a steep hill mowing and something got in the pulley and threw my drive belt . I was going down the hill at 20 mph nearly instantly heading to a pond . My luck well I bailed off mower missed the pond and hit a tree . I wad pretty scratched up but learned a lesson steep hills need a gear tranny. It cam happen.