Ballasts on subcompact tractors/ loading tires.
- Thread starter Jboyorak
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CoyPatton
Veteran Member
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- Aug 10, 2015
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- Location
- Poplar Bluff, MO
- Tractor
- Yanmar YM2002D with Koyker 110 FEL
As you can see there are as many differing opinions about filling tires as there people responding (almost).
There are pros and cons to any and all types of ballast.
You really did not described how you use your tractor, which really determined where the pros and cons fall for you.
You mentioned not be able to pull some hills, but did not really explain the issue. If your tractor is spinning tires in this situation, then filled tires may provide additional grip (traction) to allow you to pull the incline. If the issue is the tractor just does not have have the power to pull the hill, the additional weight will be a greater hindrance to pulling the incline.
CoyPatton
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2015
- Messages
- 1,569
- Location
- Poplar Bluff, MO
- Tractor
- Yanmar YM2002D with Koyker 110 FEL
The simplest answer to why location matters is freezing conditions. In the deep south of the USA, you will rarely find a dealer, while it weighs about 2.5-3 lbs more per gallon than water, most find the expense to not be worth wild. But if you are in an area that freezes, that -35F is very appealing.
Another would be soil types and terrain.
Where I live 50 miles in a few directions can take you from flat land to rolling hills, add another 50 miles and the hills are no longer rolling but all that area is frequently referred to as the same general geographic region—Southeast Missouri.
JD3520Turbo
Silver Member
If you have a front end loader, I would not put fluid in the front tires. Use your loader for ballast. You will get far more added weight from that, than you will with those small front tires. I would not foam fill them either as now you basically have a solid tire that has a punishing ride at a cost that will scare you. I would only do that if you have a lot of flats.
The rear tires are so small, that I don't think the benefit out weighs the cost. Also, if you do puncture the tire, you leak out out the liquid.
My advice would be if you need weight on the back to hold it down while doing front end work, then either hang a heavy implement on the back, or build a ballast box that you can pick up on the 3 point hitch and remove quickly as needed. This gives you the most flexibility with your tractor. If you need it light to do yard work, say mowing or spraying, or spreading fertilizer, then you can easily drop the ballast box and remove the loader and you now have a lighter weight doing less damage to the soil.
If you need to load gravel or push snow, you can pop the box and loader back on and you are good to go.
That gives you the most flexibility and lets you optimize your tractor for many different tasks.
If you load the tires, you have no flexibility to make the tractor lighter if the job at hand requires less compaction.
I want my tractor to be the lightest it can be to get job done safely and with the least amount of soil disturbance . If I am mowing pasture, i normally take the loader off, if I am picking up big round bales on the back, I put the loader back on and add the bucket to keep my front end down.
In my case, when I use the front end loader, a lot of time, I will just stab a big bale and use that for ballast while doing loader work. Obviously in your case the ballast box would be the way to go.
Good Luck and enjoy your new rig.
The rear tires are so small, that I don't think the benefit out weighs the cost. Also, if you do puncture the tire, you leak out out the liquid.
My advice would be if you need weight on the back to hold it down while doing front end work, then either hang a heavy implement on the back, or build a ballast box that you can pick up on the 3 point hitch and remove quickly as needed. This gives you the most flexibility with your tractor. If you need it light to do yard work, say mowing or spraying, or spreading fertilizer, then you can easily drop the ballast box and remove the loader and you now have a lighter weight doing less damage to the soil.
If you need to load gravel or push snow, you can pop the box and loader back on and you are good to go.
That gives you the most flexibility and lets you optimize your tractor for many different tasks.
If you load the tires, you have no flexibility to make the tractor lighter if the job at hand requires less compaction.
I want my tractor to be the lightest it can be to get job done safely and with the least amount of soil disturbance . If I am mowing pasture, i normally take the loader off, if I am picking up big round bales on the back, I put the loader back on and add the bucket to keep my front end down.
In my case, when I use the front end loader, a lot of time, I will just stab a big bale and use that for ballast while doing loader work. Obviously in your case the ballast box would be the way to go.
Good Luck and enjoy your new rig.