NEW TRACTOR! , Tires filled?

[Corley5]

I'd go with cast iron weights.  I've seen a lot of new tractors with cast iron wheels weights the last few years.  If going the fluid route I'd never use chloride.  It's antique technology.  In dealings with old tractors over the years I saw what leaking chloride can do in a very short time.  Rim Guard is what I'd use.  http://www.rimguard.biz/  There are several tire places around here that handle it.

[moosehunter]

I have a 43 hp Kubota. Rears filled with WW fluid and add on cast weights. It will STILL raise a rear wheel with too much in the front end loader!

[beenthere]

Weight, be it fluid in the rear wheels or weights bolted on will only hold the rear end down.
Whereas a ballast box or barrel on the 3 ph will counter balance the load in the bucket or on the FEL.

Better, they say, than just counting on the weight in or on the rear wheels as it relieves the stress on the front axle a bit. 

And as well, there are limits to everything... ;)

[thecfarm]

Depends what you are doing with a tractor. Hard to have a weight on a 3 pt when I need the 3pt winch. I am a firm believer in weight in the tires. Need it low,not 1½ feet in the air. I've heard of some that don't feel comfortable with a loader full of dirt. I questioned them, tires are not loaded. I feel convenient with my tractor. As long as I don't try to pick up a rock about twice what I should be doing.    But a load of dirt is fine. I have to carry a bucket full about 1000 feet of more too.

[Al_Smith]

I've got both wheel weights plus a barrel of concrete on the back of one of the Fergies that has a Davis loader  on it. Without the concrete it just isn't enough weight for a counter balance .I have the weight up high enough I can use the swinging drawbar if I need to pull something .

Although the Davis loaders were used on a lot of them quite frankly they are just a tad too much for that size of tractor .You can lift way more than you can steer .

[red oaks lumber]

 i run wheel weights in the rear on my loader tractor, i took the fluid out of the front tires. i have never came close to even slighty lifting the back end.

[caveman]

When I bought my Kubota M7040 used, it had rear wheel weights and loaded tires.  I do not know what liquid is in the tires (they will never freeze here, so I assume they just have water).  I have operated two similar tractors to mine that did not have the rear wheel weights and loaded tires.  Both of these were much more eventful when using the loader on uneven ground.  I like mine the way it is set up.
Caveman

[beenthere]

i have never came close to even slighty lifting the back end.

:D
As I mentioned, there are limits and yours is the loader. ;)

[chevytaHOE5674]

My hay loader tractor has 500lbs of calcium in each rear tire, 800lbs of wheel weights, and a bunch of suitcase weights on the back as well. I stack 1600lbs+ round bales of hay 3 high in a pyramid and when you lift a bale up to the top I can get the back tires off the ground on occasion if I don't have something on the hitch for ballast.

For loader work you can't have too much weight on the back of the machine. But if your also using the tractor for other things then you don't always want the extra weight. So that is where wheel weights or suitcase weights come in handy as you can add or subtract them as needed.

[red oaks lumber]

 i stack 1200  lb big square bales 10 ft high, no rear tippy at all. the thing with fluid is if you get a flat you cant take the tire to town without alot of hassle, wheel weights stay on the rim so they arent in the way.

[thecfarm]

I have a guy that comes right to The C Farm to work on my tires. They leave the tire right on the rim. Some guy up the road priced them coming to him and taken it off and bringing two tires to another place. The place I use was only $50 more for both tires.He took them off and hassled with them. I did not offer to help.  These was loaded tires.

[chevytaHOE5674]

At this farm I am the tire guy so I have no need to take the tires anyplace. haha

[rocksnstumps]

Had the tires filled on my little tractor this fall with the beet juice RIM GUARD as mentioned. With 17.5 x 24 tires just about 55 to 60 gals to get to the top of the rim (about 75% fill). Added just under 600 lbs each tire as the beet juice is about 10.5 lb/gal. Washer fluid  with alcohol is good to about -20F while the beet juice will start getting slushy but not solid at at -35F according to the tire dealer. No need to add tubes and stuff is supposed to be safe enough that even livestock could drink but smells kinda funky being an organic and their storage tank out in the sun all year. Washer fluid is definetly cheaper at about $1/gal but the winters around here just not a low enough freeze temp.

Pays to ask around on prices since the mom and pop tire place which services a lot of farmers in the area cost was about $350 to fill both rears. The only other authorized place was a larger tractor dealership that wanted just under $600 all told!! Pays to shop around. I called the manufacturer phone number to get the names of nearby distributers

[thecfarm]

I like tubes in tractor tires. I work it in the woods and going over stumps and rocks the tires kinda get abused at times.
Tires,make sure they are 8 ply and the Ag type,the deep narrow cleats,they have much better traction than the wide low cleats.

[petefrom bearswamp]

In addition to loaded tires,  have a Farmi winch on the 3 pt which I guess weighs 600 700 pounds.
I still have to use 4wd when moving heavy Hemlock logs especially when backing up

[DDDfarmer]

Was just looking up calcium mixes.  A calcium mix weights 16 pounds a gallon  the beet juice or windshield washer only weights 10.5 pounds a gallon.  A 18.4-34 tire holds 67 gallons at 75% filled which would be 1072 lbs plus tire and rim weights.   Your 17.5-24 tire would hold 37 gallons at 75% so 388 lbs with beet juice or 592 lbs with calcium.  All our tires are loaded with calcium, get a leak you fix it. It is a messy job to fix a leak or just to add to the tube, but you cant argue with the weight difference. 

[thecfarm]

I have heard that beet juice is a mess too.

[Corley5]

Rim Guard is a sticky mess but it's a non corrosive one that rinses away with water and doesn't kill vegetation 

[thecfarm]

I've had trouble with only 3 tires on my tractor. Everyone was dealt with in my driveway. They pumped the salt out and pumped the salt back in. No plants was injured or hurt during the tire change. I noticed some weeping and had them fixed. Very little fluid was lost.That is the key words. HAD THEM FIXED. I noticed the weeping and called and they was there the next day. Not saying salt is better,just saying I never had any plants die from my tires troubles.

[Larry]

A lot of times calcium will cause the valve stem to leak.  Then the valve stem hole rusts out if you don't fix the stem.  Fix the hole by welding in a piece of metal and drilling a new hole. 

When it's tire change time I want to see my rim.  If it looks bad I take it home and wire brush to remove the rust.  Than it gets two coats of rustoleum.  You oughta hear the tire dealer scream when I pull that trick.

Steep ground my tractor has calcium and wheel weights.  My old 4020 had rear axle weights on also.

[Corley5]

I've had major tire failures more than once involving chloride.  It leaves a large burned spot of vegetation when it's more than a leak  ;)  

[rocksnstumps]

I'm just an occasional tractor user so for those that put lots of hours in a year can see why the calcium has some advantages since can be cheaper since you are removing the tire lots more than I every will and can inspect and address issues. I have about 1500 hours in ten years. Original R4 tires and expect them to last at least another 5-8 years. Never had tires off tractor, they did not have to remove with the beet juice being added since tubes not needed. Actually had them quote calcium and with the added tire labor and cost of tubes I think it was higher than the beet juice.

Not sure on a previous post about weights and volumes. Lots of sources out there of course. I have found several that list 17.5L x 24 tires as 55 gals at 75% fill which also matches my receipt and what I paid for. The 16 lbs/gal must be a very heavy mix for the CaCl2. One site lists 5 lbs CaCl2 per gal water mix is slush free to -53F. That mix would add 600lbs with 55 gals which is very close to beet juice weights (ok their site says 588.5 lbs with 55 gals).

So pick what works for your situation but the claim of a much heavier weight with calcium is only true if you want to really pour the salt in the mix.

[John Mc]

I've got Calcium Chloride (CaCl) in the ties on my NH TC33D.  It's been in there more than 12 years with no problems yet. 

I wanted to do the Rim Guard stuff, but no one in my area carried it at the time (in fact, my inquiries and pushing for it is one of the reasons my tractor dealer started carrying it... just too late for me).  If I ever need to remove a tire, it will be refilled with the Rim Guard. I'll sacrifice a little bit of weight, but less worry about rim corrosion & leaks.

[den]

They put used anti-freeze in my tires, I only payed for labor.
That one way to get rid of it.

[beenthere]

Wouldn't let anyone put used anti-freeze in my tires. You are welcome to do that if you want. ;)

Toxic for one thing.