Weights for beginners

Torvy · Jul 28, 2021

So my next question by a beginner for beginners...
We hear a lot about weight, more is better, less is better, tires, suitcases, front, back, etc.
Ultimately, weight is a balancing act using your tractor as the fulcrum. Pick up a heavy load with your FEL and no weight in back and your back wheels may come off the ground or worse. Add too much weight and you can increase stress on structure and will definitely spend more money on fuel and potentially do more damage as you sink deeper in soil.
So, that's what I think I know...experts, here are my questions...

How do I know how much weight to add?
What is the best way to add weight?
What ways should be avoided?
What else do you think us beginners need to know about weight?

Thanks!

amhicks21 · Jul 28, 2021

thats a pretty complicated question really. in my case, i run no added weight all summer because i always have a suitably heavy 3pt implement on, but once winter hits and the snow plow goes on i run loaded front and rear tires as well as a 1000lb weight box for stability and traction. It all boils down to the application.

Torvy · Jul 28, 2021

Avg annual snowfall...2 inches...I don't miss it.
Your reply has some great info though. What do you use to load the tires?

Jstpssng · Jul 29, 2021

As you use your tractor you will realize how much you need. I didn't have anything on my old 275 and never had a problem lifting all that my aftermarket loader could handle. My current tractor though, was like a roller coaster. Even with a 550 lb winch on back I couldn't keep the rears on the ground. I finally bought a set of wheel weights, and when I get new tires I will load them with Rim Guard. (Beet juice.)Rim Guard - The Original Liquid Tire Ballast

bearthebruce · Jul 29, 2021

@Torvy, I get your question and it has been debated on this forum in lots of places. Use search to find all the threads.

For me, with only 250 hours in the seat, I have simplified the equation. If I going to lift 500lbs out front, I make sure I have 500 lbs out back. If I am going for a bigger lift, I put the brush hog on. A lighter lift, I use the box blade.

I do not have weighted wheels or filled tires. In the woods going over stumps and sharp rocks, filled tires might be a bad idea. I have not tired that.

If you go to lift and you feel the machine rocking and your seat pucker is tight, lower the bucket, dump some material. That's my rules of operation...

Have fun and be safe.

jjp8182 · Jul 29, 2021

"Best" really depends on the situation.

In some ways a 3pt ballast can be "best" as it can be relatively easy to remove when not needed --- however, it's generally pretty hard to use if something else is needed on the 3pt. ....and implements that carry their own weight when being used don't help much at all (which can make a difference if the loader itself is heavy and you're working on a slope).

The various liquids all have their own advantages and disadvantages which can get into the different costs, whether or not it's toxic (and what it may be toxic to), what temperature range it will remain liquid, if it's corrosive, or even if it's readily available in your area. Perhaps the single biggest advantage of liquids though is that they are in the wheel rather than carried on the wheel or tractor.

Then of course there are wheel weights which are among the more expensive options (per lb added), that are carried on the tractor wheel which limits the amount of mechanical advantage they have (which has it's own advantages and disadvantages). However, they can (in theory) be more easily removed than liquid ballast, and also don't prevent use of implements on the three point. They also aren't toxic, or corrosive and tend to be more readily available than some of the more animal/environmentally friendly liquid ballast solutions.

So opinions on "best" will vary and depend on the individual circumstances. ....

Personally I went with wheel weights since I don't have a lot of land to (potentially) lose if the tire springs a leak (neither Rimguard nor BioBallast were options from the local dealer at the time, may have been from other local sources

-- was something I didn't check), and there are very high-value animals (that aren't mine) which occasionally share/use some of the same space where I use my tractor. So that limited my options somewhat, but with the heavier loader option on my tractor there were a few times the rear tires lost traction while using a finish mower when I was pointed down slope so additional weight was needed.

Of course at the other extreme a moderate to heavy load on the front loader, and a long heavy implement on the back can also cause issues if the tractor has a short wheel-base as roughness in the ground can make it much like bumping a well-balanced teeter-totter.

....there are also foam fills for tires, but IMO there's really a specific set of circumstances required for them to potentially be considered "best" (e.g. operating in places with high potential for puncturing a tire) as they (from my understanding) make the tire a solid mass. ....which means the little bit of cushioning gained through the tires themselves is forfeited.

dodge man · Jul 29, 2021

For me my tractor is mainly used for mowing my yard, end loader use and a little bit of other stuff, like spraying. For mowing I wish it was lighter but I have loaded tires for stability. It really helps for stability, I have rimguard in mine, but you can’t remove it. There is some physics at work with loaded tires one of them being is that in theory the tractor isn’t carrying the weight, it’s all in the tires so it goes to the ground.

I use a ballast box on mine when I’m doing heavy end loader work. My owners manual says something like 700 pounds of counterbalance AND loaded tire or wheel weights. My ballast box is probably about 500 pounds.

Gordon Gould · Jul 29, 2021

bearthebruce said:
I do not have weighted wheels or filled tires. In the woods going over stumps and sharp rocks, filled tires might be a bad idea. I have not tired that.

Have fun and be safe.

I understand why you might think that but to me in the woods loaded tires are always a very good idea. Loaded tires do a lot to lower your center of gravity as well as add weight for traction. Balance for the FEL is only one of the benefits of loaded tires. In the woods where the terrain is rough and often unpredictable having a lower center of gravity is a big safety feature. I don't think a loaded tire is any more vulnerable to rocks and stumps than an unloaded one. But of course if you do get a puncture you have a much bigger problem when they are loaded. The lower center of gravity is also a big safety feature when using the loader also independent from the balance issue.

gg

Doughknob · Jul 29, 2021

Torvy said:
How do I know how much weight to add?
What is the best way to add weight?
What ways should be avoided?
What else do you think us beginners need to know about weight?

There are studies about tractor weight from long ago. Simplifying the results - wheel weights are the best in general. No added stress on axles/bearings from adding weight to the 3pointhitch or tractor frame, etc. Also from physics point of the force being transferred through the tire sidewalls vs liquid in tires transferring much of the force down through the flat
part of the tread area on the ground (sidewall transfer puts more of the outer lug/knob/cleat in contact with the ground; kind of like the idea of snow tires having those square sidewall/tread knobs on them)

It is almost impossible to add too much wheel weight. Even if filling tires with liquid plus iron wheel weights, safety is not an issue in use. It will just rob a bit power and ride a little rougher (with the liquid.)

Avoid adding weight "high" on the tractor. Avoid just "hanging" weight anywhere unless properly designed for it.

WranglerX · Jul 29, 2021

THis is what my tractor manual states....

BUt I just made a box about 2x2x1 ft and filled it with concrete at about 150 pounds per cubic foot....

Too much, to little, I don't know but it keeps rear wheels on ground... And being its an HST that is where brakes are...

JD weighs in at 520 pounds according to JD manual...

nyone · Jul 29, 2021

I bought a b8200 with a loader about 2yrs ago..the first thing I did was to load up the rear tires with calcium. Idk how the other owner used the thing for 30yrs with no weight in the rear.

I can see how usefull a balist box would be but it's just another attachment I need to take off when I want to use something like a landscape rake, they dont weigh enough. I do own a balist box and the only time I have ever used it was to skid logs due to its 2in reciever attachment.

Jstpssng · Jul 29, 2021

Gordon Gould said:
I understand why you might think that but to me in the woods loaded tires are always a very good idea. Loaded tires do a lot to lower your center of gravity as well as add weight for traction. Balance for the FEL is only one of the benefits of loaded tires. In the woods where the terrain is rough and often unpredictable having a lower center of gravity is a big safety feature. I don't think a loaded tire is any more vulnerable to rocks and stumps than an unloaded one. But of course if you do get a puncture you have a much bigger problem when they are loaded. The lower center of gravity is also a big safety feature when using the loader also independent from the balance issue.

gg

One local tire store is or was loading them with used auto antifreeze for a low price. It's a great way for them to get rid of it; but there's no way that I would want it on my property. Get a slow leak and you're spewing that crap everywhere.

Thomas · Jul 29, 2021

All the tractor I've own rear tires were loaded,if more weight was needed when using FEL rear attachment did the trick.

IndyJay · Jul 29, 2021

Gordon Gould said:
... I don't think a loaded tire is any more vulnerable to rocks and stumps than an unloaded one. But of course if you do get a puncture you have a much bigger problem when they are loaded...

Gordon, I have a lot of Locust trees and those thorns regularly penetrated the R1's on my first tractor the first couple of years I had it. The tires were not filled so I used Slime which solved the problem over the last 25 years. When I recently bought my new tractor I weighed the benefits of having either ballast "or" sealant thinking you couldn't have both. I did some research and found that a company named Liquitube has added a new sealant specifically to use with liquid ballast to their product line. I had my dealer add it to all 4 tires, along with liquid ballast to the rears. If the video is anywhere close to reality, then I won't have to worry about locust thorns.
Jump to about 35 seconds...

Jay

Liquitube - LiquiTube Tire Sealant

LiQuiTube offers total tire protection with a simple, one time application. It repairs punctures in the tread area of industrial tires.

liquitube.com

sandman2234 · Jul 29, 2021

I agree with a couple posters, unsprung weight is the best option and should be considered first! Keeping the weight off the bearings is important. Adding rear weight such as with an implement or 3pt weight box should in limited when possible!
David from jax

Gordon Gould · Jul 29, 2021

Thomas said:
All the tractor I've own rear tires were loaded,if more weight was needed when using FEL rear attachment did the trick.

I agree - I wouldn't have a tractor w/o loaded rear tires. But I don't have a lawn to worry about like some.

gg

amhicks21 · Jul 29, 2021

Torvy said:
Avg annual snowfall...2 inches...I don't miss it.
Your reply has some great info though. What do you use to load the tires?

I actually use windshield washer fluid because we buy it by the tote and its the cheapest thing that wont freeze. i think it could be a bad choice on a smaller machine or if the tires werent as full because you may feel the sloshing. i used a rented tractor with loaded tires once brush hogging way back and it drove me crazy to have the machine rocking back and forth all day. I assume it was because they were only half full.

RoyJackson · Jul 29, 2021

That's pretty hard on your front axle if the rear tires raise up...also, the tractor can be quite unstable...
If I have an implement on the 3PH, that's usually adequate for what I'm lifting. If no implement, I use a weight box full of sand...700lbs +/- 100 lbs.

Rear tire weight really helps stability...not so much balancing weight between the front (FEL) and rear...

nyone · Jul 29, 2021

amhicks21 said:
I actually use windshield washer fluid because we buy it by the tote and its the cheapest thing that wont freeze. i think it could be a bad choice on a smaller machine or if the tires werent as full because you may feel the sloshing. i used a rented tractor with loaded tires once brush hogging way back and it drove me crazy to have the machine rocking back and forth all day. I assume it was because they were only half full.

WW fluid is cheaper than a 50lb bag of calcium and 40-50gal of water? I think I paid $25-30 for 50lbs of ice melt (calcium chloride) at the height of winter when I filled my tires.

I have driven many machines with loaded and even foam filled tires. I have never felt sloshing. You can and only really want to fill the liquid in the tire to just below the valve stem when it's at the 12 o clock possition.

I also have a old ford 851 that has loaded tires that are so dry rotted I'm suprised the tube is still in the tire yet they still are and I have driven over many stumps and sharp rocks with out even taking a valve stem out while useing it to clear brush.