Filled tires at lower levels

[RedDogRacing]

I have a new Kubota l3940, and I am thinking of adding rimguard to the tires.

I hear a lot of recomendations calling for 75% fill. The WHY always seems to say stability.

The engineer in me says that if i need a more stable tractor, that i should add weight, but only below the center line of the axles. This would give the tractor moper weight below the CG making it harder to tip. If weight is added above CG it could cause a tip, thought not likely.

So i went out to start cuting down a bank and I feel the tractor could use a little weight.

I was thinking of filling to the 50% level. Any disadvantages to having less liquid? All I can think of is maybe an effect at high speed. Anthing else i have not considered?

 

[RaydaKub]

Welcome to TBN, RedDog.
There are lots of threads on this. You are right on in your thinking about where the weight is and why. The 75% mark is so that you don't over fill them and don't have any air cushion for bumps and it still keeps the rim submerged so that it is less likely to rust. It's easy to find, just put the valve stem at the top and when it burps out liquid, you're done.

If you do tubes, then do what you think you need. CalCh is the heaviest, but very corrosive and a lot of guys here will say you should always use tubes. Rimguard is smelly and pricey, but real good weight and safe. Water, washer fluid, antifreeze (poison) and RV antifreeze are also used.
Oh, you already said Rimguard. I think you'd be fine.

 

[SSdoxie]

The extra 25% is going contribute more advatange in weight resistance to lift the wheel off the ground, then any affect of side load tipping it "might" have.

 

[tommu56]

My grand father's theory on a JD B's was they should be only 1/2 full to keep the center of gravity lower, in flat ground he said 75% was good but we didn't have flat ground.

tom

 

[RedDogRacing]

I was thinking rim guard, because i read where the cost is about the same as washer fluid.

 

[duroc]

I was thinking rim guard, because i read where the cost is about the same as washer fluid.

When I bought my tractor, my dealer was suppose to load the rears with RG, but instead used CC. I didn't find out until I checked tire pressure (which, btw was set at 50 psi instead of 20 psi). Don't know why I didn't pop a tire, but it was then that I decided to go to another dealer. I had my new dealer remove the CC because I know what it did to my 8N rims. Anyway, they dismounted the tires from the wheels and cleaned them both and installed RimGuard. The price was $2 per gal.

 

[RedDogRacing]

Well, I will have to double check with supplier, I might get washer fluid cheaper then list I have, which says

-20 Washer fluid in 55 gallons is $2 a gallon.

I will see if there are any rim guard dealers in my area.

This tractor will do a lot of mowing 1/4 of the time in yards but the rest of the time there are some pretty good hills that i would like to be able to mow with confidence.

So I am thinking of the best balance between light enough not to damage yard, extra traction and weight for using FEL, and added stability on the hills.

 

[kiotiken]

I don't know much about it, but have read that you go to 75% to keep the rims submerged and not exposed to air to prevent corrosion. Not sure if that applies to rimguard as well.

 

[xring100]

Rim guard installed at the dealer was between $300 and $350 dont recall exactly. This was for at least 180 gallons i paid somewhere in the neighbor hood of $1.60 and $1.95 a gallon plus its safer and heavier than washer fluid

Dave

 

[GolfAddict]

Remember, the weight of the liquid in a tire is "pushing down" on the portion of the tire that is directly on the ground. That is, the weight of any liquid in the tire, whether in the lower half of the tire, at the half way mark, or up at the 75% (top of the liquid you put in) is all weight that is pushing down on the very bottom of the tire where it is contacting the ground.

 

[Zebrafive]

I believe poster #2 and #8 are right when they say the 75% is to keep the wheel fully covered to prevent air from getting to the rim and causing rust. This was from the days of CC. This would also be the maximum fill lever to leave room for air.
Since most fill tires because it cheaper than adding cast iron weights, they are looking for the most weight possible, hence the 75% fill. If you do not need that much weight you can fill to a lesser %.

 

[oldnslo]

Don't know if there is enough weight Vs volume to allow sloshing but that is a big concern with tankers like milk trucks. 1/2 full is a dangerous load since it will slosh when turning and braking. granted this probably is not much of an issue at 5 MPH on a tractor.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Folks talk about 50% vs 75% fill so as to avoid extra weight when mowing. Most of these CUT tires wont hold more than 50 gallons of fluid so 25 gallons vs 37 gls. =104# more at 75% per tire.. DO you get off the tractor and walk when mowing to keep your 240# *** from damaging the grass? I dont think so. If 200 pounds of weight extra is going to damage the grass, then you shouldnt be out on it because it is too wet.
PSI loading on tractor tires is likely less that PSI loading on your dogs foot print or your shoe print.
My B 26 tire holds a whopping 21 gallons at 75% fill

 

[GolfAddict]

Folks talk about 50% vs 75% fill so as to avoid extra weight when mowing. Most of these CUT tires wont hold more than 50 gallons of fluid so 25 gallons vs 37 gls. =104# more at 75% per tire.. DO you get off the tractor and walk when mowing to keep your 240# *** from damaging the grass? I dont think so. If 200 pounds of weight extra is going to damage the grass, then you shouldnt be out on it because it is too wet.
PSI loading on tractor tires is likely less that PSI loading on your dogs foot print or your shoe print.
My B 26 tire holds a whopping 21 gallons at 75% fill

I agree. If what you are wanting is additional stability, go the 75%.

 

[Don87]

My tractor is smaller than you guys are dealing with, but I have about 85% fill in mine. My tires were filled with the tires off the tractor, lieing on the ground, with the valve stem towards the sky.

EDIT: And I have no idea how much air is in my tires, I deflated them when they were on their side, installed them on the tractor, then inflated with air til 'all' the tread was level with my concrete floor.

 

[duroc]

EDIT: And I have no idea how much air is in my tires, I deflated them when they were on their side, installed them on the tractor, then inflated with air til 'all' the tread was level with my concrete floor.

That's probably what my purchasing-dealer did when they filled my tires. The outcome could have been deadly when they over-filled my tires by 30 psi.

 

[xring100]

My tractor is smaller than you guys are dealing with, but I have about 85% fill in mine. My tires were filled with the tires off the tractor, lieing on the ground, with the valve stem towards the sky.

EDIT: And I have no idea how much air is in my tires, I deflated them when they were on their side, installed them on the tractor, then inflated with air til 'all' the tread was level with my concrete floor.

Milton makes an air gauge for liquid filled tires excluding chloride $10 shipped to your door on Amazon. Rinse it out and put some air tool oil in it

Dave

 

[Don87]

That's probably what my purchasing-dealer did when they filled my tires. The outcome could have been deadly when they over-filled my tires by 30 psi.

Na, probably wouldn't have killed you, but, could have left a good bruise.

All that aside though, your dealers workers just plain did it wrong.

 

[Don87]

Milton makes an air gauge for liquid filled tires excluding chloride $10 shipped to your door on Amazon. Rinse it out and put some air tool oil in it

Dave

Thanks for the info, but a good eye is all that is needed. You need all the tread to sit flat on the ground(level concrete is best), to get the best traction for your tractor tires.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Thanks for the info, but a good eye is all that is needed. You need all the tread to sit flat on the ground(level concrete is best), to get the best traction for your tractor tires.

I used to say the same thing till I popped the bead on the rear tire of my B26 while walking back and forth on a slanted dirt bank just packing some dirt. It had 10# (guessing as that is what the other tire had) and barely squated to what I would have considered good for traction. The bead broke on the outside edge with what was the low side of the hill by rolling the tire under. It could have had less than the other tire but I didnt notice it looking low. Now I have them all aired up to the max load pressure of 20 PSI since traction isnt an issue with the B26 for backhoe and FEL work. I had to remove the tire and roll it around to get the bead back seated enough to hold air. Luckily I didnt need any of that exploding ether or wd 40 to seat it back.
I dont know if you would get more water in the tire with it laying flat or standing as either way you will have an air space in it. Of course if he continued to put water in to 30PSI after bleeding it when full, one can get near 95% water that way.