Fluid or Weights???

[mx1alex]

So I just bought a Kubota L3940 with no weights or fluid in the tires and from what I've read I think adding some weight back there would be beneficial to me. I have some pretty good slope to my place and will also be suing some ground engaging implements and could use the traction.

My first thought was to get fluid in the rear tires but I'm worried about repairs. I have a ton of locust on my place and am worried that with fluid filled tires the repairs will be more expensive.

I haven't really looked into that hard yet so I have no idea what the cost difference or weight difference between the two is.

 

[pohorsky]

I would think that fluid would be better, especially if you are using implements on the 3PH, as well as cheaper. Do you have 14.9-24's? If so, that would be about 100 gallons of liquid, which would add around 800-900 lbs. Where I am, freezing isn't enough of a concern, so often I will just use water, but I can get Windshield Washer Fluid for around $2 per gal and probably cheaper if I sourced it wholesale. One thing I like is that you can vary the amount of weight that you are using depending on the need. It does however, take a lot of work to get the water completely out.

 

[vtsnowedin]

Have you been reading this thread?
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/333496-theory-rear-ballast.html
I think we have it pretty well sorted out there and would be worth a read to you.

 

[vtsnowedin]

Have you been reading this thread?
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/333496-theory-rear-ballast.html
I think we have it pretty well sorted out there and would be worth a read to you.

 

[newbury]

Also this thread.
Two main points - 1.5 to 2 times as much as your FEL can lift and backhoes are excellent for ballast.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

Are you concerned about cost or adjust ability. Those are your two main differences between fluid and weights. If you get flats a lot, maybe getting foam filled tires is the best option?

 

[mx1alex]

I understand the need for the weight, my concerns are more with maintenance or fixing a tire with a thorn in it that has fluid filled tires.

 

[RaydaKub]

I understand the need for the weight, my concerns are more with maintenance or fixing a tire with a thorn in it that has fluid filled tires.

Then RedNeck's idea may be best. Foam filled is the heaviest there is and since there is no air pressure anymore, flats are a thing of the past. The downsides are that the ride is going to be rougher and when you need to replace them because they are worn out, you have to cut them off the rim. Note: I have never tried them, but that's what the other threads have indicated.

 

[AStanton]

I would like to chime in. A previous poster mentioned foaming the tires. If I had to do it again today, I would have foamed my rear tires instead of using Rimguard. With loaded tires using fluid, you have to maintain an air pressure and worry about flats. However, I did speak with a contractor who did septic systems. He told me that he couldn't stand his tires being foamed. He felt that they gave his machine a hard ride. I guess--like everything in life--there are upsides and downsides. But, like I wrote, I would go with foam now.

 

[mike69440]

Re: Fluid or Weights??? My Solution

QA Weight on a highly modified Quick Hitch that allows 3 Pt use with weight still attached. Weight needs to be removed to use PTO.

 

[vtsnowedin]

I understand the need for the weight, my concerns are more with maintenance or fixing a tire with a thorn in it that has fluid filled tires.

I don't know what kind of thorn bush you have that has thorns strong enough to punch a tire but can imagine there are some in the South West. The more likely puncher is a piece of wire or other iron junk around your fence lines or farm yard. But punctures do happen usually to the newest and biggest tire on the tractor.:smiley_aafz: If you happen to notice it when it happens you can park with the hole at the top and save most of the fluid. If not you just lost some money and if you have toxic fluid (i.e. auto antifreeze or calcium chloride) you have a toxic waste spill on your land. If it's beet juice you just have some happy and fat ants.
I got my tires filled with beet juice when I bought it and the cost was a throw in by the dealer but I expect it would add $150 or so to the cost of a rear tire replacement and considering how well the tractor handles with the tires loaded I would not consider doing without it.

 

[mx1alex]

I know about the different ways I can add weight. I'm really wanting to know the pros and cons of fluid in the tires. I'd like to do it but would hate to be paying a bunch of money every time I needed a hole patched up.


So how does one go about repairing a fluid filled punctured tire?

These are the thorns I speak of...

 

[vtsnowedin]

I know about the different ways I can add weight. I'm really wanting to know the pros and cons of fluid in the tires. I'd like to do it but would hate to be paying a bunch of money every time I needed a hole patched up.


So how does one go about repairing a fluid filled punctured tire?

These are the thorns I speak of...

Ayup you might want steel wheels!!

 

[McREBEL]

Ayup you might want steel wheels!!

An antique tractor with those all steel wheels just came to mind.

I don't have an answer for you but I fully understand the problem.

 

[The Suburban Farmer]

WOW... those are wicked looking thorns. Maybe you should get a tracked skid-steer...

I put fluid in my tractor tires primarily for the added weight benefit, and less for the "stability" benefit -- honestly, I didn't feel any less stable before I had them filled. But I can tell a big difference in my traction since having them filled. I still end up using a ballast box whenever I do any FEL work, but I thought that my tractor could use some additional weight just for day-to-day use, so went with fluid filled and have been quite happy with it.

As for patching a hole:

The FIRST DAY after I had them filled, I ran over something and sprung a leak while working in the woods. I moved the tractor until the hole was above the fluid line (just air coming out), took the old standard patch kit (rubber plug and glue) out of the tractor tool box and plugged it up. That was 3 years ago and it's been fine ever since. No different from when they were air-filled. That might not be "right" but it worked perfectly for me.

 

[varmint]

Sorry if I missed it, but does the OP have R-4s, or worse case, turfs? I went with a ballast box, cheap and easy, or my second choice would be wheel weights, lastly fluid filled tires, since once filled, you always will have that weight, which possibly might not be ideal?

 

[mx1alex]

Sorry if I missed it, but does the OP have R-4s, or worse case, turfs? I went with a ballast box, cheap and easy, or my second choice would be wheel weights, lastly fluid filled tires, since once filled, you always will have that weight, which possibly might not be ideal?

I have R4 tires. I have a heavy box blade I can use as a counter balance for the loader but i can already tell that with pulling ground engaging equipment I could use more weight for more traction.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

For adding weight, adding fluid is about the cheapest. You can get windshield washer fluid for a pretty decent price. For your specific application, plain water may be your best bet. It would solve your weight problem , its non toxic, the only problem is, your going to have to drain it before winter. Have you priced out comparable steel weights for your machine?

 

[TripleR]

I understand your need, we run a couple of tractors without fluid or weights, but they are used without FELs or heavy pulling and we put tire sealant in them the first few years as we constantly had thorn punctures. I have an L5740 with fluid in the tires on a different farm and even my 1100 pound cutter or box scraper doesn't provide enough traction. I have fluid and weights on it, weights are about a dollar a pound, so quite a bit higher than fluid, but having paid to have a tire service truck out a few times, I would probably go with spending the money on weights.

 

[ovrszd]

Are your tires tubeless?? If so, don't worry about repairing a leak. I plugged my old L4400 tubeless rear tires several times. They are filled with Windshield Washer fluid.

My M9540 tubeless tires are filled with WW fluid as well. I've not had to plug one of them yet and I'm around Honey Locust a lot. They are radial R1s.

For your uses I think you'd like fluid for weight. It helps the balance of the tractor on steep terrain better than anything else you can do.

Fill each tire to the top of the rim. This leaves enough air space left to allow flexibility. You can buy a widget at O'Reilly's to use to fill them with that will suck the fluid in while letting air out. Fill them by jacking up each tire, letting the air out being careful to not let out so much the tire tries to breakdown from the rim. Then attaching the widget and a hose into the pool of fluid and start filling. If you Google search you can even find a chart to tell you how many gallons each tire will hold.

I bought my WW fluid from the local auto dealership in 65 gallon barrels. Bought 3 barrels for right around $200, can't remember exactly. Cheapest weight you can get. No worries about freezing.

Next suggestion would be to set your rear tire width out. I like the inside of my fronts and the inside of my rears to be aligned. If the fronts are adjustable, I like the fronts just inside the width of my FEL bucket. This gives me the best stability while still being able to dig with the FEL.