Ballast Wheel weights

Boondox · Feb 4, 2001

I want my tires loaded, but with five dogs I have concerns about them getting into the anti-freeze if a valve stem should get ripped off. Anybody out there use lead weights or that new foam fill I've heard about..?

Pete

Yearning for a bigger tractor!

Bird · Feb 4, 2001

Pete, I haven't used it, but know of a dealer who uses the foam in his rental fleet. He told me it was about $500 for the tires on a B7100. And I don't remember the exact price now, but went with my brother-in-law to see what it would cost to have the foam put in his old Ford 8N and it was more than the tire cost at that time; nearly 6 years ago.

Bird

Anonymous Poster · Feb 5, 2001

Pete,
Have you done a search on TBN for RimGuard?

Non-toxic(and won't sterilize your soil) beet "juice" product...weight similar to calcium/very-low freeze point, etc.

HTH /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif,

Larry

bpence · Feb 5, 2001

There are a few posts around that deal with using bar-bell weights on rear tires. I use them and they're easy to install or remove, inexpensive to buy, and readily available. You can easily add 100-150 lbs per wheel. Might so a search on wheel weights.

Bob Pence

Anonymous Poster · Feb 5, 2001

PETE,
I PUT 275# ON EACH WHEEL OF MY B2710 USING BARBELL WEIGHTS. WORKS VERY WELL.
FRED

Harv · Feb 5, 2001

I PUT 275# ON EACH WHEEL

Wow, Fred! /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif

That's like 6 45-pound plates! Any chance you got a picture of that?

BTW - my L2500 manual recommends a maximum of 185 pounds of wheel weights per wheel. What's it say for a 2710? And does anybody know what these limits are based on?

Inquiring minds want to know... /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif

Anonymous Poster · Feb 5, 2001

Re: Wheel weights/Good buy!

Good question, Harv.

I was wondering the same thing about the (similar but different weight) limits shown in my 4700 manual.

Maybe it has to do with all that mass tearing out the 4 "bolt-hole" attatchment points thru the wheel "web"!? It seems that "impact" loads from bumps, etc., could cause some terrific stress on that 3/16-1/4 inch metal.

Any other ideas?

I've got some 4' thick x 12' square blocks of tool steel (!) that I'm planning to make mounting brackets for.

Each weighs 180 lbs. Plan to put 2 (360 lbs,) on each rear wheel.
They will still be inside the wheel-recess, and so won't "stick-out" to snag things. [May just use 1-per-side, though, since the specs. call for a max of 2 (110 lb) wts., or 220 lbs. per wheel. My tires (Michelin XM27) are already 75 lbs (each) heavier than stock R1s, so with one block I would have 255 Lbs. /wheel over "stock".... probably should stop there!]

Got them for <25 cents per lb. at Boeing Surplus in Kent, Wa., near Seattle. Such a deal!! /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif They had about 10 left as of 2/3/01. ...weren't moving real fast!

The guy said it was worth about $5 per lb. That's about a 95% discount. Seems Boeing wastes nearly as much money as the US govt.

Have 4 additional to use for front or rear-mount ballast (720 lbs.)...or 6(1080 lbs.) if I only use 1 on each rear wheel. Any extras make great "anvils" or killer-supreme paperweights! /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif

(Also picked-up 3 welded 2x2 box-tube metal work-bench frames-to-kill-for, 8 ft. x 3 ft. x 32" high (no tops), painted, wired for elec, plumbed for air, that must weigh 400 lbs apiece, for $15 each.... they've got a heck of a salvage yard!!)

It pays to look around!

Larry

markcg2000 · Feb 5, 2001

Re: Wheel weights/Good buy!

I was going to let this slide, but I just couldn't....
I've got some 4' thick x 12' square blocks of tool steel

feet? /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif/w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif

mark

DFB · Feb 5, 2001

Re: Wheel weights/Good buy!

I wondered about the stress around the bolt hole too. When I mounted my wheel weights I reinforced the area using flat washers between the bolt head and the rim. I had to get my own bolts/nuts washers for the 4100 because the wheel bolt kit from JD uses carriage style bolts and the 4100 has round holes

Some wheels are designed to use carriage bolts so you don't have to hold the bolt from turning when you go to tighten things it up.

DFB

Bird · Feb 5, 2001

Harv, I haven't seen any mention of wheel weights in the B2710 manual. It says front end weights should be limited to 275#, and then says "Add weight to rear wheels if need to improve traction or stability. The amount of rear ballast should be matched to job and the ballast should be removed when it is not needed. The weight should be added to the tractor in the form of liquid ballast." Can't you just imagine using liquid ballast and removing it when not needed?/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif But their chart for calcium indicates a maximum of about 207# per tire.

Bird