Water in tyres?

[balper]

I've heard that in some countries they pumped water in the rear wheels to increase the weight of the tractor.
Does anyone have more information about this?

 

[Thomas]

Hope they added some sort of anti freeze if they live in cold region...I've heard some have try window wash.

 

[jbrumberg]

balper:

Welcome to TBN ! Water plus additives to prevent freezing in colder areas are added to tractor tires to increase tractor weight for ground engaging attachments, increase tire traction, and improve stability. Jay

 

[Partsman2]

Some home brews are windshield washer fluid, water/antifreeze blend, etc. An ag tire dealer can hook you up with calcium nitrate which was the old standard for years, or there is some new stuff out in the last several years that is supposed to be the best but is expensive. Maybe another TBN'er can help me out with that one.

What you want to be careful of is freezing and corrosion. The other thing is that when you have flat tire it can be a real mess. I ran an old tractor for about 17 years with calcium nitrate in the tires with minimal problems. When I bought my new tractor I ordered wheel weights with it and did away with the loaded tires.

 

[balper]

Thank you all for the instructive replies.
I heard this from Sudanese farmers, they are probably the last ones on earth to experience any problems related to cold

 

[mainiac]

I just had the rear tires on my Kubota b7500 loaded with Rimguard at my tractor dealer for $125 and it added 330lbs to the tractor. When I first looked into having them loaded, my dealer was using calcium and it was going to cost about $250. The difference is, with Rimguard, they just deflate the tire then add the fluid. With the calcium, they have to break the tires all the way down to add a tube to add the fluid. Labor cost is the major cost difference.

I'll tell you that with my B7500, it has made a big difference in stability. I have not really tried it for traction yet, but I can't help to think that it will be a different tractor esp. with like my grader blade and rock rake.

Mainiac

 

[3RRL]

Hi balper and welcome to the forum.

Many tractor owners load their tires with some kind of liquid/water mixture to add weight, traction, and more stability while operating. The added weight obviously leads to better traction especially on less than perfect soil conditions. I also helps as sort of a counter weight if you have a front loader, but it is not exactly like a ballast weight ... but does help a lot. From those benefits comes the added stability because you tractor will have a better grip on slopes and loose soil and this leads to an added safety factor when operating.

You can have your dealer do this for you or you can do it yourself. There are lots of threads describing how to do it and what kind of liquid is used. Use the search feature to find threads on "filling tires" or tire ballast".

If you get a chance, tell us more about that good looking 60 hp tractor in your avatar and how you use it. It looks like a real workhorse. You might want to fill out your bio too, so we can give you better suggestions.
Thanks,

 

[SPYDERLK]

Thank you all for the instructive replies.
I heard this from Sudanese farmers, they are probably the last ones on earth to experience any problems related to cold

If you dont have a problem with freezing you may want to use water due to the convenience. All other alternatives present problems anytime something changes, be it a leak, or your mind saying my tractor is too heavy for this. If you really need max weight tho you will have to go to RimGuard or Calcium Chloride. In either case I think tubes are in order because if you use your tractor aggressively you will finally brush by a tree close enuf to shave off bark with the rim. It will get between the rim and tire bead and cuase a leak if tubeless. Its not hard to get it out if you can deflate the tire at a whim like if you have water or just air.
Larry

 

[turnkey4099]

Thank you all for the instructive replies.
I heard this from Sudanese farmers, they are probably the last ones on earth to experience any problems related to cold

I bought an old Bolens garden tractor. Went out to use it pushing snow one day and discovered the tires were froze. Unuseable as it was like a slingshot as the frozen water came over the top and labor trying to turn the wheels as they were on the up side. Also rough as cobb to ride. Parked it until spring.

Harry K

 

[Soundguy]

An ag tire dealer can hook you up with calcium nitrate which was the old standard for years, .

Hmm.. never heard of calcium nitrate? ( CNO3 ?? )..

AFAIK.. CACL was the 'gold' standard in times long past..

Got any info on this calcium nitrate???

soundguy