Liquid Ballast in Tractor Tires

bjcsc

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I am soon to take delivery of my new tractor as I have grown to need a loader. I have been given many opinions about using liquid ballast in the tires. They range from "don't need it" to "rear only" to "front and rear for traction". It is MFWD. Anyone used them both ways? Informed opinions please...
 

one more cast

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Re: Liquid Ballast in Tractor Tires

What tractor are we talking about? Regardless, I would at least load the rear tires. You can always try it without first but I wouldn't. I've had ford N tractors some with loaded tires ,some not and I would never run unloaded tires again. My SIL has a new 33hp Case/IH 4x4 with loaded tires and it is still to light to do much with the loader.
 

xtraham

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Re: Liquid Ballast in Tractor Tires

C&P
Long ago farmers discovered that by adding weight to a tractor certain benefits were recognized. One of those benefits was traction. When pulling implements like a plow or heavy disk through the ground the added drag often caused the tractor tires to spin. By adding weight to the pulling unit the tires could pull more of the tractor weight without loosing the traction. Some farmers installed counterweights on the front of the tractor such as one hundred-pound slabs of steel bolted to the frame. This helped to hold down the front end of the tractor when rear wheel spin would actually raise the front end off the ground due to the implement drag. Others added fluid to the tires. This would increase the overall tractor gross weight which could also increase the amount of draw bar pull by delivering more engine horsepower to the ground through the wheels. In addition the extra tire weight also increased the traction characteristics of the tire by burrowing the tire lugs deeper into the ground with better holding capacity. Fluid added to the front tires helped hold the front end down while pulling large loads, especially on hilly terrain where the front end would tend to bounce off the ground.

The fluid added to the tire inner tubes is simple water. That is why it was so popular to use when extra weight was desirable. Water was cheap and plentiful. The only problem was that it froze in the winter time. In order to keep this from happening the farmer started to add antifreeze solutions to the water. The more expensive types of antifreeze that were used included alcohol and ethylene glycol. These worked quite well but with the potential of running an ever so common briar through the tire and losing the liquid onto the ground a cheaper and simpler solution was used. Calcium chloride became that more attractive solution since it was easily obtained at a cheaper price. It came in powder form and was mixed with water which was then pumped into the standard tire inner tube with a small reciculating pump and valve stem adapter. When a weight mix of 29.8% was used then the eutectic temperature, or the maximum temp that the freezing point of water can be depressed, is around minus 60 degrees Fahrenheit. This type of mix was usually found in most weight based fluid filled tractor tires. Water was put into a barrel or container then the calcium chloride was added and thoroughly mixed. Then the tire was filled from half to three-quarters full, depending on the desired weight to add, then topped off to the standard pressure rating with air.

One negative aspect of using the calcium chloride is that it is quite corrosive. This can be noticed by the corrosion and excessive rusting around tractor rims where the fluid has leaked out of pin holes or leaky valve stems in the inner tube. But with some simple care in filling, repairing leaks, keeping rims primed and painted, and simple washing off of leakage areas this problem can be readily circumvented. Be certain that if the tire encounters a leak that when the tire is removed from the rim it is thoroughly washed to remove the calcium chloride residue. Both the rim, tube and inside of the tire should be rinsed. Another aspect to be aware of is that the extra tractor weight will tend to pull more equipment but it will also sink deeper in soft ground. Yes, the traction will be there but if the soil is too soft to support the total weight the tractor may bottom out on the drawbar and leave the wheels spinning. Either way, be cognizant of the ground conditions before trying to plow, disc, or bushog in wet land.

Calcium chloride is still used in tractor tires today for adding extra weight and traction to the tractor. A tire store that services farm and/or industrial excavating equipment would be a good place to start when looking for a business to fill this need.
 

Mike722

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Re: Liquid Ballast in Tractor Tires

As a dealer, I would need to know what size tractor, loader, and what you plan to use it for and where (flat, slopes, etc. All of the opinions you were given would be correct, but not for all uses.

Most of the loader tractors we sell will never be used to full loader capicity, so alot of extra weight is not required. In order to reach full capicity, ours would need liquid ballast or a fully loaded ballast box. On the compact tractors under 50 hp they would need both. Having said that, we sell less than 1% with either one.

Around here liquid is cheaper, but has other problems. Ballast boxs are nice if you do not need the weight all the time. I do not know any one using front liquid.

If you bought it from a local dealer or even if you didn't, talk with them and explain how you plan to use the tractor and they should be able to give you the best advice.
 

JB

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Re: Liquid Ballast in Tractor Tires

Big Orange (Kubota B2150HST 4X4) has fluid in the rears only. The fronts are too small for the weight to make any useful difference.

The engine is fully capable of overloading the cooling system when pulling 60" implements (the book says use 40"-48", but where are you gonna find 40"-48" implements?). This is particularly true in Texas summers.

The same is true of the front loader. It is rated for 700#, but with the "wet" rear tires it can lift more than that. Even then the rear gets awfully light.

No chance that she could do as much with air in the rears.

For my uses (field mowing, finish mowing, tilling, disking, earth moving, scraping, leveling) the only thing I could ask for is a cooling system that can keep the engine cool under sustained loads in 100* weather.
 
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Re: Liquid Ballast in Tractor Tires

xtraham said:
Calcium chloride is still used in tractor tires today for adding extra weight and traction to the tractor. A tire store that services farm and/or industrial excavating equipment would be a good place to start when looking for a business to fill this need.

The co-op here uses a methanol/water mix.
 

bjcsc

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Re: Liquid Ballast in Tractor Tires

Thanks all. Mike722: It's a JD 5225 MFWD, running 16.9x30 6PR R1 rears and 11.2x24 8PR R1 fronts. Should be a good footprint. The loader is a JD 542 MSL. I'm mostly on flat ground, but will be in the mud from time to time. I did chat with my dealer - he said I won't need the liquid, but a ballast box could be used if I plan heavy lifting. Guess I'm going to go ahead and make a ballast box (hyrdaulically telescoping of course) and take his (and your) advice...

This is a clip from the loader manual and the reason I was wondering...

2079418LoaderBallast.jpg
 

Kenneth Brown

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Re: Liquid Ballast in Tractor Tires

Your tractor is a little bigger than mine if I remember specs and tire sizes correctly. My Mahindra 5500 is 52 HP with 14.9 rears and 2wd. I have about 2100 pounds of lift in the FEL. With my rears filled (800 pounds in each tire) a round bale weighing about 1500 will tend to make the back end very light. I have forks that bolt to my bucket so it extends the lever further out and that may contribute. It doesn't loose traction or feel unsafe but you know that more rear weight would be nice. I'd say fill the tires. If your set on a ballest box then I have a simple plan for you. Take a 55 gallon metal drum and fill with riprap/broke up concrete. Back your tractor up to where the hitch pins are in the middle of the barrel. Drove a rod (that fits your hitch, probably 7/8 since you should be cat2) through the hitch, all the way through the barrel, and into the other hitch with 3 inches left on both sides. Now fill your barrel with concrete mix and water. Works out to about $50 and will last your lifetime.
 

Mike722

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Re: Liquid Ballast in Tractor Tires

That's a nice tractor, I agree with your dealer. On flat ground, you should have no problem "feeling" if you need more.

Heavy loads and uneven ground I would have suggested 2-3 pairs of 95lbs rear wheel weights to start with for traction.

Have fun with the new tractor.
 

Docknocker

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Re: Liquid Ballast in Tractor Tires

Having owned several different tractors over the years for utility purposes, all in the 30hp - 50hp range, my opinion is there is absolutely no down side to ballasted tires, only positives. Weather the weight is for additional tractive effort, or safety, as in conjunction with a loader.

My Father always said a tractor is like a Locomotive - the more it weighs, the more it pulls.
 

bjcsc

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Re: Liquid Ballast in Tractor Tires

Update:
Well I built a ballast box that I've been using. It's 1.4ft&sup3 and is has a 2" cylinder as a toplink to it's frame. I can pull it up close to the tractor, or lower it out and 36" away. So far it's working great and my balance has been very good with everything I've picked up.<p>

<img src="http://216.77.188.54/coDataImages/p/Groups/183/183657/folders/245242/2118832Box.JPG" width="470" height="347">
 

Kenneth Brown

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Re: Liquid Ballast in Tractor Tires

And a grapple too! That thing will make ya lazy, sure wish I had one. I'm still ramming the bucket into the pile hoping to pick some of it up OR having to manually push the stuff in and then tilt it to keep it in. Nice looking box ya built and a horse for a tractor too, have fun "working" ;)
 

bjcsc

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Re: Liquid Ballast in Tractor Tires

Hey thanks. The grapple flat out rocks! That tree blew over in my pasture in that storm we had a few weeks ago (the one that spawned the tornadoes across the southeast). I limbed it, and the grapple pushed it together and picked all the limbs up in 4 trips. The whole pile in that picture is from the same tree. It will also dig up roots like mad. Here's a picture of it wide open:

2118970SmallGrapple.JPG
 
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