Fluid or Weights???

ovrszd · Mar 25, 2015

I meant to address the "weights" issue and see Larry beat me to it. Very expensive weight when compared to fluid. Unless you can get lucky and find some used weights cheap that you can modify to fit your wheels.

A guy gave me these John Deere weights and I built brackets to mount them.

mx1alex · Mar 25, 2015

My tires are tubeless.

Before I even got the new tractor home I stopped at a tire shop to have a nail removed from one of the rear tires. I asked how much it would be to have fluid put in. He said he's have to put a tube in to do that and it would cost around $250/tire. Not sure which liquid he uses.

So you can do liquid with tubeless tires?

ovrszd · Mar 25, 2015

Yes, you can fluid tubeless tires. Only reason to add a tube would be if using a corrosive material. And my friend,,,, never let anyone pump your tires full of corrosive material....

The Suburban Farmer · Mar 25, 2015

mx1alex said:
So you can do liquid with tubeless tires?

Absolutely! I think that's probably the case with 95% of the compact tractors out there -- almost all of them are sold tubeless, and a hefty percentage of all of them run fluid-filled tires.

If you're tubeless, just make sure to use something that wont cause corrosion of the rims -- windshield wiper fluid, beet juice, RimGuard, etc. are perfectly fine in tubeless tires. Things like calcium or magnesium chloride may be more corrosive. Maybe your tire guy was thinking of calcium chloride when he said you would need tubes?

ovrszd · Mar 25, 2015

Additionally, buy yourself a good "plug" kit. Pull your own nails and plug the hole. Buy Beer with the savings.

mx1alex · Mar 25, 2015

Thank you fellas for the input! Very much appreciated. Don't know if I'm comfortable filling my own but it's definitely something I'll research further.

So say I do spring a leak. Can I just put the hole at the top and plug it without taking the tire off? I don't think I'd have a way to move 500 lb wheel if I had to take it off and haul it somewhere.

mx1alex · Mar 25, 2015

ovrszd said:
Additionally, buy yourself a good "plug" kit. Pull your own nails and plug the hole. Buy Beer with the savings.

Cheers to that!!!!

ovrszd · Mar 25, 2015

Yeah, no reason to remove the tire to plug. You are MORE than capable of filling your own tires. Do some research on buying WW fluid and that widget I talked about. Then go to a local tire store and price non-corrosive fluid with them installing it. I think you'll feel more capable after you see how much money you'll save.

TripleR · Mar 25, 2015

Filling tires is pretty easy as Richard says, my brother replaced fluid in one of the tires on our M8540 a last summer and saved us quite a bit on a service call.

ovrszd · Mar 25, 2015

Oh, one more thing to mention. Beet Juice or RimGuard is heavier than WW fluid or water. There is something to be said for that if you are trying to gain the maximum amount of weight. I'm gonna say something like 1.5-2 lbs p/gallon. In your case I think your tires will hold enough gallons of material to get the benefit you are after by using the cheapest material which would be WW fluid. And you will pay for that additional weight because of having to pay to get it installed.

vtsnowedin · Mar 25, 2015

ovrszd said:
Additionally, buy yourself a good "plug" kit. Pull your own nails and plug the hole. Buy Beer with the savings.

Excellent idea! Do you have a preferred brand and source?

ovrszd · Mar 25, 2015

vtsnowedin said:
Excellent idea! Do you have a preferred brand and source?

Nope. I bought my tools at O'Reilly's.

You need a "file" which is a round, pointed, rough file with a T handle. You also need an applicator to hook the plug into. It also should be durable with a good T handle.

Then you can buy different sizes of plugs. Plugs are actually lengths of cord that's saturated with sticky, rubbery, glue like substance. I just looked to see if I had saved any packaging concerning size I use, but alas, I did not. I'll research that more. Then lastly, I also buy a can of patch glue.

I remove the culprit, nail, thorn, whatever, if it's still present. Then I run the file thru the hole a few times to shape it. Then insert a plug into the applicator, centering it with equal amounts of end on each side. Then dip it in the glue. Then push it thru the hole which folds the plug in half. Stop pushing with 1/4-1/2" of plug ends sticking out of tire. Then with a quick yank remove the applicator. The design of the applicator allows it to release the plug, leaving it folded in half in the hole.

Problem solved. Have no idea how many tires I've plugged in my life. I'm sure it's over 100. Mostly auto/truck/jeep tires but at least a dozen have been tubeless tractor tires.

vtsnowedin · Mar 25, 2015

Oh I've had a lot of tires plugged over the years as long as the hole was in the tread and not a side wall. No hope for stone cuts in pickup tires that are an inch slice through the belt. I had one plugged a couple of weeks ago by the local mechanic for $5.00. It would be more of course if he had to come to the tire vs. me bringing it to him. I'd like to find a kit of the quality he has but have only seen cheap knockoffs.

ovrszd · Mar 25, 2015

vtsnowedin said:
Oh I've had a lot of tires plugged over the years as long as the hole was in the tread and not a side wall. No hope for stone cuts in pickup tires that are an inch slice through the belt. I had one plugged a couple of weeks ago by the local mechanic for $5.00. It would be more of course if he had to come to the tire vs. me bringing it to him. I'd like to find a kit of the quality he has but have only seen cheap knockoffs.

Yeah, I figured you knew all about plugging. I just gave the crash course in procedures for readers who might not know anything about it.

Next time I'm in O'Reilly's I'll check out theirs. I don't have any packaging of mine. But it's very durable and works great. Good solid T handles that you can actually grip and control.

Sometimes plugging steel radial tires is a PITA to get a straight hole thru the belts. I've plugged 2 steel radial grader tires.

vtsnowedin · Mar 25, 2015

ovrszd said:
Yeah, I figured you knew all about plugging. I just gave the crash course in procedures for readers who might not know anything about it.

Good idea.

Next time I'm in O'Reilly's I'll check out theirs. I don't have any packaging of mine. But it's very durable and works great. Good solid T handles that you can actually grip and control.

Sometimes plugging steel radial tires is a PITA to get a straight hole thru the belts. I've plugged 2 steel radial grader tires.

No O'Reilly's around here that I know of. Never heard of them actually.

My Hoe · Mar 26, 2015

ovrszd said:
Yeah, I figured you knew all about plugging. I just gave the crash course in procedures for readers who might not know anything about it.

Next time I'm in O'Reilly's I'll check out theirs. I don't have any packaging of mine. But it's very durable and works great. Good solid T handles that you can actually grip and control.

Sometimes plugging steel radial tires is a PITA to get a straight hole thru the belts. I've plugged 2 steel radial grader tires.

overszd,

You're "crash course" is much appreciated. While I've paid for tires to be plugged, I've never done it myself.

Your description, plus my close observations of it being done, help make me feel ready for doing it myself--especially if it would avoid trailering the tractor somewhere.

And I, too, would like to know the names and sources of the plug kits used by the professionals, if anyone can elaborate.

Thanks again,

My Hoe

ovrszd · Mar 26, 2015

vtsnowedin said:
Good idea.

No O'Reilly's around here that I know of. Never heard of them actually.

That surprises me. I thought O'Reilly's was a national auto parts store chain. :confused3:

ovrszd · Mar 26, 2015

My Hoe said:
overszd,

You're "crash course" is much appreciated. While I've paid for tires to be plugged, I've never done it myself.

Your description, plus my close observations of it being done, help make me feel ready for doing it myself--especially if it would avoid trailering the tractor somewhere.

And I, too, would like to know the names and sources of the plug kits used by the professionals, if anyone can elaborate.

Thanks again,

My Hoe

You are welcome. I've lost track of how many little things I've learned on TBN because someone took time to "dummy it down" to my level of experience.

pohorsky · Mar 26, 2015

vtsnowedin said:
Good idea.

No O'Reilly's around here that I know of. Never heard of them actually.

Used to be Kragen around here, but a couple of years ago they got bought out by O'Reilly's, an outfit out of Springfield, MO. Interesting note, my grandfather knew the boys that started it back in the 20's.