Weight of filled tires

[Sodo]

holy crap that's way to expensive, i think that me and my father will just go to a family friends garage and have them fill it.

They called it "foam filled". I called around, couldn't find anything less. They have to put the proper amount in so it behaves (deflects and has traction etc) like an air filled tire, and then let it cure laying on its side for some period. They are much heavier than you'd think (compared to what you might think water-filled would weigh) and "flat free".

I too was shocked at the price but got tired of the tractor tipping up, and after a couple flats decided to get'er done. There's always the option of adding weight on the 3-point but dead weight on the 3-pt is a lot of trouble compared to filling your tires. A tractor should make LESS work not more.

 

[BXman98]

Wow!!

 

[oosik]

I have my rear tires filled with Rimguard. I think the Rimguard table says something like 68 gallons/tire or 750 lbs/tire. I had NaCl solution in my previous tractor. I can not recommend AGAINST salt solution strongly enough - I fought that stuff all the time - it ate valve cores like kids eat candy. I replaced valve cores at least 2X annually and still they dripped, bled, etc etc.

Sooo - - with the new tractor I went with Rimguard and have had no problems in the five years I've had it.

Whatever you choose - be sure the ballast has anti-freeze properties and is properly adjusted for your area - if you live where it freezes.

 

[prs]

Many small tractors are pretty bouncy and jar you. What ever liquid ballast you use, get filled to just over level of any exposed rim metal and leave that air pocket in there. The amount of bounce reduction is remarkable and gained stability is remarkable. Do the front and rears. I have run a small tractor with foam filled tires, these were solid as rock and rode horribly, jar your teeth out. I removed them once to replace a cracked final drive and even though they were small tires, they were INCREDIBLY heavy. That foam must have a good bit of lead in it. The foam was installed by a mining repair shop and the stuff is used in underground rubber mining tires. Calcium chloride would be down on my list, but if used make sure it covers all metal in the tire. Last time I filled tires, I wrangled a deal on some cases of old stock ethylene glycol antifreeze. Not the best choice, but could not locate that much propylene glycol and had never heard of beet juice ballast back in 1982.

prs

 

[kneedeep]

View attachment Hydro-Flation-tables-2014-PDF.pdf

 

[Tractor Seabee]

On my BX 25 I determined the small amount of added weight wasn't worth the cost and the fact once in you are stuck with that weight. I have 500# of suitcase weights in 50# increments. I made a bar to hang them onto the 3PT QH. I keep the 3PT down low. Really changed the center of gravity and the pucker factor on a hillside. Now I can match ballast to FEL leverage required. I am in the process of designing a similar bar on the front for when I have the FEL off.

Ron

 

[Coyote machine]

Don't go with Calcium Chloride, it will eat you rims to dust. There are much better products available, with way less downside. My rears are filled and no problems. Plenty of ballast/stability added. Backhoe at 1000# helps too!

 

[jhnpldng]

My wife works at a kitchen and I'd been deliberating what to put in my tires and then it dawned on me. Cooking oil. Won't corrode or poison anything and it's free. Now looking at these charts, I would gain about 300lbs for all four on my Mitsu compact. I think I'll just go buy some bags of concrete, a sheet of mesh and build some molds to make removable weights. Maybe concrete skid plate(s).

 

[SPYDERLK]

Most any oil has some level of attack on rubber. Some rubbers are bred to be immune. Not tire rubber.
larry

 

[jimmysisson]

My Ford has CaCl in tubes in the rears and has for 22 years. Had a flat 4 yrs ago and the inside of the rim was perfect, even though there was a bit of liquid rolling around in there. YMMV.
Jim