Tires filled tires.....gooooood

[bigballer]

after 3 years of very cautious maneuvering and avoiding some massive blackberry covered deadfall, i decided to get my rear tires filled. after the tire guy left i hopped aboard and headed right to those pesky deadfall logs and holy-moly what a difference. i picked them right up (while on a slight slope) and the tractor didn't skip a beat, no puckering due to rear wheel lift, no feeling of inevitable tipover, and no traction loss.. someone on here said having loaded tires made his tractor feel like it was glued to the ground and i couldn't agree more i was crossing terrain i only dreamed of before. i'd honestly say it's like having an entire new tractor with at least 30% more lifting capacity! of course if your prop is perfectly flat and you spend most of your time on the lawn you may opt not to do this but if you're like me with slopes and rocks and stumps and woods and hips and dips you can't go wrong. it's the best addition to my tractor yet!

 

[dodge man]

I just had mine filled last week and I feel the same way, big improvement.

 

[Ductape]

Just remember how much weight you added when it comes time to remove rear wheel from the tractor when you service it !

 

[mrjohnnysue]

Pucker is a good word for that feeling..........had it happened a couple of times and thought I was going over (in or near our pond) for sure.......I will get this done soon.....plenty 'o hills, slopes and bottoms on our place......

did you do it yourself or have it done at the dealer???

someone this week told me that he filled his with just water......is this right or isn't there some other named fluid that is supposed to be used??
I'm guessing just over half full....

thanks and congrats...

 

[laen64]

What are you guys filling these with? What is best?

 

[dodge man]

I had Rimguard put in mine.

 

[bigballer]

my dealer contracts this work to a local tire shop so i had them come out and they use a product called bio-tire ballast which weighs about 10lbs/gal slightly more than water. this is similar to the enviro-friendly rimguard which is beet juice mix but apparently has canola in it as well. they were filled to the top of the rim (thumping on the tire with a wrench is easiest way to tell how high the fluid is).. on my L3400 R4's it ended up being 30 gallons in each tires. cost was $3.25/gal plus an hour of truck time.

 

[johnny_law]

Probably my next upgrade, but wonder how much it will help on the smaller BX's.

 

[dodge man]

Johnny Law, it will help more than you think. I have a BX2350 and it helped, espically with the end loader.

 

[radioman]

johnnylaw -
I have driven my bx for 2 years unloaded. I filled mine with rimgaurd and boy what a difference! I have post a thread on this last fall showing what I did to fill the tires myself. I think the smaller tractors really should have been filled unless requested not to since they are a bit tippy and bouncy. Having filled tires makes it feel more secure to the ground and easier to pick up stuff with FEL without all the pucker factor.

laen64-
Since you asked what is best to fill tires with, I think it's really based on where you live. Freezing? livestock? need heaviest ballast ?
calcuim cloride is the heavest I beleive but requires tubes in to prevent rust and can kill plants if it leaks. Rimguard and bio-tire is the next best and second heavist but safer for rims and plants. then you have washer fluid and antifreeze that won't freeze but posionous to livestock and plants. then of course water wil work if you live in state like texas where freezing is not much of a issue. ( oh yeah forgot foam which is heaviest i think but it gives a harder ride then liquid from what I heard but it s best if you need puncture protection. ) Does anyone want to chime in and correct me if I am wrong or need to add a few ?

 

[LBrown59]

I just had mine filled last week and I feel the same way, big improvement.

I have a FEL and a BH which takes the place of filled tires.

Just remember how much weight you added when it comes time to remove rear wheel from the tractor when you service it !

Leaks and service are a pain with filled tires.

Pucker is a good word for that feeling..........had it happened a couple of times and thought I was going over (in or near our pond) for sure.......I will get this done soon.....plenty 'o hills, slopes and bottoms on our place......someone this week told me that he filled his with just water......is this right or isn't there some other named fluid that is supposed to be used??
I'm guessing just over half full.......

Water will work
75 % MAX

my dealer contracts this work to a local tire shop so i had them come out and they use a product called bio-tire ballast which weighs about 10lbs/gal slightly more than water. this is similar to the enviro-friendly rimguard which is beet juice mix but apparently has canola in it as well.
they were filled to the top of the rim (thumping on the tire with a wrench is easiest way to tell how high the fluid is).. on my L3400 R4's it ended up being 30 gallons in each tires. cost was $3.25/gal plus an hour of truck time.

Should never be over 75%.

 

[bigballer]

Should never be over 75%.

hi lbrown - according to the rimguard website they say filling to the 12 o'clock position on the rim is ~75% so i think i'm good here. actually i did the thump test and based on that, it sits just below the top of the rim by an inch or so...

 

[bigballer]

I have a FEL and a BH which takes the place of filled tires.

Leaks and service are a pain with filled tires.

yeah i tried this but i also have 3 other attachments i use regularly - boxblade, bushhog, and rake and none of them even come close to the weight of the backhoe. i was always carrying less in my bucket then i wanted to and swapping one out for the hoe just wasn't feasible..

i suppose maintenance/flats might be a bit of a hassle but i feel the benefit of the fill far outweighs this - at least until i get a puncture!

 

[SPYDERLK]

i suppose maintenance/flats might be a bit of a hassle but i feel the benefit of the fill far outweighs this - at least until i get a puncture!

Use water. Drain it in winter if you have to. I run 50 to 90+% fill. No hassle to adjust.
larry

 

[Dirk Lately]

I have got to do this. My hills are downright scary sometimes.

It would add around 600 lbs, right? I'm worried that would make it tough to trailer and haul the tractor around.

Even if it did, though, if what you guys are saying is true, it would probably be worth it!

 

[bigballer]

i'll be doing more field testing today on area's (sloped forest thicket) i have been avoiding and will let you know if i still think it's worth it, somehow i think i will. find your tire size and use to this hydro-flation site to find out how much you need. i should have 580-600lbs in mine and now weighs in just under 5000lbs with FEL and HOE.

using water is probably fine (and cheaper) but you won't get as much weight since the rimguard/bioballast weighs a bit more but something is better then nothing. though without removing the tire from the rim i am not sure how i would drain all of the water out in the fall. then again, leaving a little in the tire might be ok, not sure if a small amount of water freezing inside the tire would cause issues.

 

[SPYDERLK]

i'll be doing more field testing today on area's (sloped forest thicket) i have been avoiding and will let you know if i still think it's worth it, somehow i think i will. find your tire size and use to this hydro-flation site to find out how much you need. i should have 580-600lbs in mine and now weighs in just under 5000lbs with FEL and HOE.

using water is probably fine (and cheaper) but you won't get as much weight since the rimguard/bioballast weighs a bit more but something is better then nothing. though without removing the tire from the rim i am not sure how i would drain all of the water out in the fall. then again, leaving a little in the tire might be ok, not sure if a small amount of water freezing inside the tire would cause issues.

You can try it with water to give you an idea about how they feel filled. Then if you like you can get rimguard in the fall for the year round protection and an xtra 70# or so.

Problem I have heard of with rimguard w/o tubes is lubrication of the bead and rim spinning in the tire.
larry

 

[radioman]

You can try it with water to give you an idea about how they feel filled. Then if you like you can get rimguard in the fall for the year round protection and an xtra 70# or so.

Problem I have heard of with rimguard w/o tubes is lubrication of the bead and rim spinning in the tire.
larry

good idea - test your machine with water and if you like it, upgrade to something with anti-freezing.
tires spinning with rimgaurd!!!! now, now - don't be running around and scaring rimguard owners . knock on wood, hasn't happened to me yet.

 

[LBrown59]

Yeah i tried this but i also have 3 other attachments i use regularly - boxblade, bushhog, and rake.
None of them even come close to the weight of the backhoe.
I was always carrying less in my bucket than i wanted to and swapping one out for the hoe just wasn't feasible..
I suppose maintenance/flats might be a bit of a hassle but i feel the benefit of the fill far outweighs this - at least until i get a puncture!

Since I have this for other attachments .



I just leave these set up as shown.

 

[tmc2318]

My 3540 feels and rides like a larger farm tractor when driving and lifting. Also, there is a lot more traction and less wheel slip when working and pulling. The only thing I worry about it the fact that I am building a house and there are hundreds of nails laying on the ground after the snow melted.

Anyone comment on what the procedure is if you have a leak and/or flat? Repair on site (professional help) or drain and take off to tire shop?