Tire Ballast

[finn lander]

Hd5, I got around to filling my rear tires today. I put 39 gallons of windshield washer fluid in each tire. Added about 546 lbs of rear ballast.
Just an FYI, if you (or anyone else) is going to fill their own tires buy a good pump (not the ones HF sells). I used the larger of the two pumps HF sells. It is supposed to be self priming and pump up to 300 GPH. IT DOES NOT do either. It took me 7 hours to fill my tires. That's less than 10 GPH. What a boring way to spend a Saturday. Had to stop the pump every 5 minutes to burp the air out then resume filling. Took way longer than I thought.

George: I'm going to do this also. Just checking on your tires, so I don't have to do the research. Industrials 43x16.00-20-4PR? This is the number out of owner's manual. Thanks.

 

[k0ua]

Where you guys at in Mo.? I, m around the Fulton area.
Jack

Branson

 

[GManBart]

How many of you use fluid in your LS tractor tires? I have to have it in my 135 Massey or I can't do anything. I buy methanol at tire shop, dilute it and pump it in myself.
I don't know where to get beet juice and if it has any advantage.
Any thoughts? Methanol should be harmless to the wheels, right? I will never use calcium again...

I'm supposed to have a new XR4046H in a week or two. Installed grapple, and hay spear.

That will certainly work, but remember that adding weight to the rear tires isn't the proper way to counterweight for loader use. Adding weight to the rear tires will help keep the rear tires planted, but it does nothing to remove weight from the front axle loading. Effectively, loading the rear tires allows you to abuse the front axles more because you can lift more weight before the rear tires lift.

Adding weight to the 3pt is the only way to reduce front axle loading....it makes the rear tires the fulcrum, rather than the front tires. I made a 1,400lb counterweight for my R4047H and that allowed me to max the loader without raising the rear tires, but I suspect it would have worked fine a couple of hundred pounds lighter. The LS manual is a bit vague on this, but I think the safety stickers on the loader itself actually have more detail. Some brands, like Kioti, actually list a minimum 3pt counterweight figure for loader use, which seems pretty smart.

Loaded tires are great for stability, and added traction, don't get me wrong...they just aren't the right solution for loader work unless you don't plan to keep the machine long enough for wear/damage to start causing problems on the front axles.

 

[George2615]

George: I'm going to do this also. Just checking on your tires, so I don't have to do the research. Industrials 43x16.00-20-4PR? This is the number out of owner's manual. Thanks.

Yes, 43x16-20 tires. Fill chart actually calls for 38 gallons per tire. I used 39 in each. That fills the tire so fluid comes out with the valve stem at 11 O'clock position.

 

[George2615]

That will certainly work, but remember that adding weight to the rear tires isn't the proper way to counterweight for loader use. Adding weight to the rear tires will help keep the rear tires planted, but it does nothing to remove weight from the front axle loading. Effectively, loading the rear tires allows you to abuse the front axles more because you can lift more weight before the rear tires lift.

Adding weight to the 3pt is the only way to reduce front axle loading....it makes the rear tires the fulcrum, rather than the front tires. I made a 1,400lb counterweight for my R4047H and that allowed me to max the loader without raising the rear tires, but I suspect it would have worked fine a couple of hundred pounds lighter. The LS manual is a bit vague on this, but I think the safety stickers on the loader itself actually have more detail. Some brands, like Kioti, actually list a minimum 3pt counterweight figure for loader use, which seems pretty smart.

Loaded tires are great for stability, and added traction, don't get me wrong...they just aren't the right solution for loader work unless you don't plan to keep the machine long enough for wear/damage to start causing problems on the front axles.

I still have my 3 pt. counterweight barrel for another 850 lb..

 

[hd5]

When I filled my mf135 tires I used a fimco sprayer the kind that goes on a four wheeler etc. It was rated at 2.1 gallon per minute . It didn't do that but was close enough. I took the wand off and put the filler fitting on and did it fifteen gallons at a time. Don't know if that sprayer is rated for methanol but it still works and that was five years ago.

My main purpose for ballast is traction, not planning on lifting heavy loads other than hay. When I do that there will be a bale on the back spear. They run around 800 pounds.

 

[hd5]

Where you guys at in Mo.? I, m around the Fulton area.
Jack

I'm just above the bootheel, about 25 miles north of Arkansas. It is hilly where we live but drops off to flatlands in a very short distance.

 

[finn lander]

Yes, 43x16-20 tires. Fill chart actually calls for 38 gallons per tire. I used 39 in each. That fills the tire so fluid comes out with the valve stem at 11 O'clock position.

Thanks for your help. This is a great site for us newbies.

 

[oldtoyboyd]

I have rimguard in my rear tires
I paid around $2.00 a gallon for it.

 

[oldtoyboyd]

I have rimguard in my rear tires
I paid around $2.00 a gallon for it.