Filling tires with WW fluid

[shooterdon]

It probably went so easily because you did it after church instead of during church!

God works in mysterious ways.....

 

[John_Mc]

After church, we went for breakfast, and when I got home filled the tires on the little JD. Spec. Sheet from RimGuard indicated I needed 22 gallons per tire but I put in 23 in each. That works out to 390 lbs of ballast for a tractor that weighs under 2000 lbs.

Be careful about overfilling. You need that air space to allow some tire flex. Riding on over-filled tires is hard on you and on the tractor. Will the extra gallon make a difference? I don't know. The recommendation is to fill tires to 75%. If 22 gallons represents the recommended 75% of the tire volume, then the remaining airspace would be 7.3 gallons. By going to 23 gallons of fill, you have decreased the air space to 6.3 gallons - almost 14%. That's just the math. I have no idea how much difference that makes in the real world.

Some people also run their filled tires at a little lower air pressure to help make up for the stiffer ride that even properly fill tires often cause.

 

[shooterdon]

If 22 gallons results in 75% fill, 23 gallons will be 78% fill I have reduced the air space from 25% to 22%. About 10%.

I doubt it will matter much, but it you raise a good point. I am a bit concerned about the WW fluid freezing as we can drop below -20* on occasion, but I would not be using the tractor below 0*. I can always move it to the attached garage if necessary. Having less air space for expansion might cause an over pressure in the tires.

After filling I rode the tractor about 100 yards and did not notice a harsh ride but that was on my cleared area....so something I need to watch for. Reducing air pressure might be warranted so good advice.

Thanks for the warnings!

 

[fried1765]

If 22 gallons results in 75% fill, 23 gallons will be 78% fill I have reduced the air space from 25% to 22%. About 10%.

I doubt it will matter much, but it you raise a good point. I am a bit concerned about the WW fluid freezing as we can drop below -20* on occasion, but I would not be using the tractor below 0*. I can always move it to the attached garage if necessary. Having less air space for expansion might cause an over pressure in the tires.

After filling I rode the tractor about 100 yards and did not notice a harsh ride but that was on my cleared area....so something I need to watch for. Reducing air pressure might be warranted so good advice.

Thanks for the warnings!

If you bought -20F rated WW fluid, it should not freeze solid, until well below -20F.

 

[Diggin It]

If you bought -20F rated WW fluid, it should not freeze solid, until well below -20F.

... for an extended period of time.

 

[jimglassford]

What is missing in this thread is the factory recommendations for the tractor. The factory manual states how much ballast the tractor can handle in the tires and as cast iron weighs. They behave differently and the forces imparted on the tractor differ. I had a Ford 4600 with 16.9 - 24 rears. I use tubes in all tires and used the Menards WW -20F. Each took 55 gallons. As someone pointed out, I could have had more weight if I used Rim Guard but I have thorn bushes on my property. Every so often, I would need my tractor after it sat for a few weeks and a tire was flat. You don't notice a slow leak when you park it. Replacing the WW fluid was another $75 versus $300 for the Rim Guard and the wait for the dealer to schedule the service.

If you really think the extra temperature protection of Rim Guard will gain you anything, think again. Your tractor probably won't start anyway at the temperatures we are discussing. Rim Guard may not freeze at the low temperatures, but it is so thick, it won't flow in the tire anyway.

Get the two part valve stem and filling is really easy.