Ballast Loaded Tires or Wheel Weights?

[phyxer]

I am getting ready to order my Kubota B2620 tractor this week. I am going to order with the Industrial tires because as I understand it that is a nice compromise between the extremely agressive ag tires and the very gentle turf tires. My tractor will serve as both primary lawn mower as well as general utilty tractor for tilling, box blading, front loader work and possible bush hog mowing a few acres (nothing too rough). Lawns here are fairly tough as far as softness goes. I want added traction for Box Blading and FEL work yet not tear up yards when mowing. Our clay is pretty hard but if it has been watered heavily or rained recently it will certainly mark up if you aren't careful even with turfs on your normal lawn mower/tractors. I am thinking of asking my dealer to load my tires with Rim Guard but only at the 50% level as opposed to full loading yet again compromising in an effort to hopefully give me some more traction yet not hurt my yard provided I don't go out there and try to mow it the same day it rains. The other option is wheel weights. I have NO experience with these. I forsee them as possibly not being as easily installed and removed all the time as maybe one might think. Those of you who have used them please educate me with your opinions and experience. Looking forward to everyones opinions and experiences and difinitely your recommmendations! Thank you in advance.

Troy

 

[gerard]

I wrestled with this for awhile too and went for about the first 8 years of tractor ownership without either, opting for an implement on the rear for added weight. Finally I got rimguard when I had the 800 hour maintenance done. Night and day. Much better traction and mucu more stable when doing loader work. Snowplowing is easier and all around I'm very happy. I was going to make some wheel weights but I'm glad I went with the loader tires. One benefit is more of the weight is below the axle than with weights which is better for stability. I guess I figured I probably wouldn't have removed the weights anyway though that does give you the option at least.

 

[john_bud]

If you are going to mostly mow, then go with wheel weights. Or buy a HEAVY box blade. If you check the prices, the light box blade cost + the wheel weight cost is about the same as the heavy blade. Just get the heavy one, it will work better as a counter balance and you will still have a light machine for mowing.

jb

 

[whistlepig]

I am getting ready to order my Kubota B2620 tractor this week. I am going to order with the Industrial tires because as I understand it that is a nice compromise between the extremely agressive ag tires and the very gentle turf tires. My tractor will serve as both primary lawn mower as well as general utilty tractor for tilling, box blading, front loader work and possible bush hog mowing a few acres (nothing too rough). Lawns here are fairly tough as far as softness goes. Our clay is pretty hard but if it has been watered heavily or rained recently it will certainly mark up if you aren't careful even with turfs on your normal lawn mower/tractors. I am thinking of asking my dealer to load my tires with Rim Guard but only at the 50% level as opposed to full loading yet again compromising in an effort to hopefully give me some more traction yet not hurt my yard provided I don't go out there and try to mow it the same day it rains. The other option is wheel weights. I have NO experience with these. I forsee them as possibly not being as easily installed and removed all the time as maybe one might think. Those of you who have used them please educate me with your opinions and experience. Looking forward to everyones opinions and experiences and difinitely your recommmendations! Thank you in advance.

Troy

Compared to most others Kubotas are light in weight tractors. Some say that is a bad thing about a Kubota. From my experience Kubota has made a tractor that is not so heavy and still able to transfer the power to the ground as well as a much heavier tractor. I would go ahead and fill the tires to the recommended level. I have a ten acre front yard. My B7800 has the tires filled with Rimguard and I have never had a problem with it rutting the ground. If you are just mowing grass the tires need no additional weight unless you mow side hills. But if you use a loader the weight on the rear wheels is a must have. I have R-4's and the only thing I can say bad about them is they are probably the stiffest tire made. They are very puncture resistant and wear like iron. They ride like iron too.

 

[debushau]

I would vote for loading the tires. Less expense for more weight. I've used wheel weights in the past. I don't think I ever removed them - they really were not as easy to remove/install as they looked. I think weights cost about five times more than fluid pound for pound.

 

[radioman]

I am getting ready to order my Kubota B2620 tractor this week. I am going to order with the Industrial tires because as I understand it that is a nice compromise between the extremely agressive ag tires and the very gentle turf tires. My tractor will serve as both primary lawn mower as well as general utilty tractor for tilling, box blading, front loader work and possible bush hog mowing a few acres (nothing too rough). Lawns here are fairly tough as far as softness goes. I want added traction for Box Blading and FEL work yet not tear up yards when mowing. Our clay is pretty hard but if it has been watered heavily or rained recently it will certainly mark up if you aren't careful even with turfs on your normal lawn mower/tractors. I am thinking of asking my dealer to load my tires with Rim Guard but only at the 50% level as opposed to full loading yet again compromising in an effort to hopefully give me some more traction yet not hurt my yard provided I don't go out there and try to mow it the same day it rains. The other option is wheel weights. I have NO experience with these. I forsee them as possibly not being as easily installed and removed all the time as maybe one might think. Those of you who have used them please educate me with your opinions and experience. Looking forward to everyones opinions and experiences and difinitely your recommmendations! Thank you in advance.

Troy

I have the exact same issue as yours. With my very lightweight cheapo lawn tractor , it makes ruts in the lawn big time in spring, fall, and heavy rains due to the clay content. Now I have a kubota that weights over 2k easy and i just loaded the tires with rimgaurd and its Worth every penny compared to wheel weights. Before and after loading the tires with more weight, I have trained myself not to drive on lawn during poor drainage times. When I do need to drive in such poor soil conditions- I find that with the loaded tires does make a nice difference in how the tire grips for traction. (they're turfs by the way) If you are gonna load the tires, go the recommended fill(75% I believe) IMHO at 50 percent you just gonna have sloshing movement and if you use rimgaurd, you might not be able to coat the entire rim to prevent rusting while its sitting around. I selected turfs since I know I won't be doing rough land driving like you might. The industrial tires sounds like a better fit for your needs.

 

[flusher]

I am getting ready to order my Kubota B2620 tractor this week. I am going to order with the Industrial tires because as I understand it that is a nice compromise between the extremely agressive ag tires and the very gentle turf tires. My tractor will serve as both primary lawn mower as well as general utilty tractor for tilling, box blading, front loader work and possible bush hog mowing a few acres (nothing too rough). Lawns here are fairly tough as far as softness goes. I want added traction for Box Blading and FEL work yet not tear up yards when mowing. Our clay is pretty hard but if it has been watered heavily or rained recently it will certainly mark up if you aren't careful even with turfs on your normal lawn mower/tractors. I am thinking of asking my dealer to load my tires with Rim Guard but only at the 50% level as opposed to full loading yet again compromising in an effort to hopefully give me some more traction yet not hurt my yard provided I don't go out there and try to mow it the same day it rains. The other option is wheel weights. I have NO experience with these. I forsee them as possibly not being as easily installed and removed all the time as maybe one might think. Those of you who have used them please educate me with your opinions and experience. Looking forward to everyones opinions and experiences and difinitely your recommmendations! Thank you in advance.

Troy

Last month I bought a neat 1951 Minneapolis Moline BF tractor (a gasser with about 25 hp engine). It came with 150 lb wheel weights and the seller had filled the rears with water/antifreeze mixture. Obviously a belt-and-suspenders guy.

You're right about it being a tussle to get those weights off. I had to use my engine hoist and some 3/16 steel cable and cable clamps for that job.

Gonna be even more of the job getting them back on once the BF has been restored. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

 

[RollingsFarms]

my last tractor had water filled tires AND wheel weights. i'm going to do the same with my new tractor(when i get my loader). i think my dealer told me they use windshield washer fluid? anyways, gonna add that and haven't decided if i'm going to get one set of rear wheel weights or two. my tractor is pretty heavy now(5,044 lbs.) so i might only get one set of wheel weights and filled tires. i need all the weight i can get for traction and putting all the power i can to the ground.

 

[tutorbell]

I have a B2320 and I originally got the R4 tires. I filled them with water, since it's not likely that the water will freeze where I am. I have a 60" MMM and I found that it the tires were he!! on the grass when turning. The issue is with the way the front tires camber when you turn the wheel. I drained the water and they still tore up the ground, except now the tractor was not as stable. I was never happy with them for mowing.

I traded them at 150 hours (at a $$$ loss) for the bar/turf tires and filled those with water. There is no problem with those tearing up the ground, and the back tires are very aggressive traction-wise. The rear tires are almost twice the width of the R4s, and I think that helps greatly.

Might ask your salesperson about the bar/turfs, because it's probably something that he wouldn't mention off the top of his head. My salesman has only sold two sets in his entire 20 year career. They only usually list the three most common choices--R1, R3, or R4. They don't often mention the bar/turfs.

 

[Dominique01149]

We had loaded tires, and got a faulty valve with time, then one of the rims rotted and we had to install a tube. That cost alot.

If your going to load the tires, I suggest you install tubes at the beginning. Apparently now Rimguard will not damage anything. We had it done in 1988, so its been a while.

On the new tractor we installed wheel weights. For operating, I feel its the same thing. We can remove them if we want, and the fear of having water spew out of the tire is gone now. My nephew used to sit inside the rim of the tractor (when parked of course), now he can't because of the weights, so he prefers loaded tires.

 

[sal64]

the only problem with loaded tires if you get a flat you loose all your juice then back to the dealer to refill .

 

[radioman]

Not necessarily. Just move the hole to 12 oclock postion and fix. I doubt that most tire flats are instant gushers. even if you lost some, I don't think it would be enough to make it noticeable .

 

[sal64]

yea but if you are in the woods you cant jack up so quick.

 

[radioman]

yea but if you are in the woods you cant jack up so quick.

jack up? hmm If I were you , I'd just creep forward till hole is at the top.

 

[Reg]

If you are still in the negotiating phase I suggest you negotiate another set of wheels into the deal.
I have loaded R4s AND empty turfs; there is no way I would heft the 1100 or so pounds of equivalent metal wheel weights around, but with an engine crane and a little enginuity (deliberate mis-spell) I can swap these over quite quickly.
Round numbers; 100 gallons of RimGuard for 2 17.5Lx24 R4s = 1100 lbs.

BTW, it is quite possible to tear up lawns with turf tires, it is MUCH more about techniques and conditions than tire treads, sharp turns will do it if the ground is wet enough.

 

[Reg]

If you are going to mostly mow, then go with wheel weights. Or buy a HEAVY box blade. If you check the prices, the light box blade cost + the wheel weight cost is about the same as the heavy blade. Just get the heavy one, it will work better as a counter balance and you will still have a light machine for mowing.

jb

You don't have attachment's weight as ballast when you are using it.....
Sure, a heavy box blade is a decent counter weight when using a loader, although in tight quarters it can get in the way, but when used as a box blade it's weight has no effect as ballast.

Just load the tires with RimGuard, don't use tubes, do get the hole to 12 o'clock to plug it.

 

[AndyMA]

Compared to most others Kubotas are light in weight tractors. Some say that is a bad thing about a Kubota. From my experience Kubota has made a tractor that is not so heavy and still able to transfer the power to the ground as well as a much heavier tractor. .

Absolutely not true. The friction calculations that determine how much power is transfered to the ground are clearly dependent on mass which is correlatable to weight. Less weight equals lower power transfer.

Andy

 

[AndyMA]

I would never run a loader tractor without loaded tires. On mu Ford 3230 Ford recommended loaded tires and a 3 pt hitch equilavent weight equal to the amount lifted. To get equilavent weight multiply the rear attachemnt weight times 1.5

Andy

 

[Reg]

I know one NH dealer that put up a fuss when I said I would want the loader but didn't want the tires loaded.
Said something about THEIR liability on a tractor/loader with that that much lift becoming unstable. I was looking at their 45 HP tractors at the time and planning to do my own tire filling, he said they couldn't sell it with a loader and without loaded tires - I walked.

 

[SPYDERLK]

Compared to most others Kubotas are light in weight tractors. Some say that is a bad thing about a Kubota. From my experience Kubota has made a tractor that is not so heavy and still able to transfer the power to the ground as well as a much heavier tractor.

Absolutely not true. The friction calculations that determine how much power is transfered to the ground are clearly dependent on mass which is correlatable to weight. Less weight equals lower power transfer.

Andy

Andy, Im sure you meant Force. Merely going faster would allow the Kubs to put all their Power to the ground. The light tractor would never be able to deliver force comparable to the heavier one tho, due the traction limitation you stated.
larry