Ballast Wheel Weights

[Oldoak]

I have used cast iron rear wheel weights and liquid filled rear wheel ballast but not both at the same time. I think bolt on weight wheel weights are great for traction and adds some side hill stability. However, I think liquid ballast in the rear wheels adds more stability on side hills than cast iron weights because most of the added weight is below the center of the axle and closer to the ground.

 

[BAP]

Properly filled and properly inflated tires with liquid should not ride any different than empty tires. If your ride is bad, then there is either too much liquid or they are inflated too much.

 

[rlneal]

I have both liquid ballast and cast iron wheel weights on my International. The tractor will go 17 mph at wide open on the road but I do not feel comfortable driving it that fast because it handles poorly. My tire man says that one tire is filled (3/4 full is considered full) and the other tire is about half. I am guessing that is what is causing it to handle poorly.

 

[rScotty]

Properly filled and properly inflated tires with liquid should not ride any different than empty tires. If your ride is bad, then there is either too much liquid or they are inflated too much.

BAP, I've heard that too, but It doesn't seem that way to me,

Here's the way I see it....I figure it is that the quality of the ride is normally based on the elasticity of the tire material and on the pressure of the air inside the tire. But to make things equal so that we can compare between two tires, we also have make sure that the the bulk amount of air would be the same in each one. That is because air is compressible, and as a tire hits a bump we need the same amount of air in each tire to compress so that the pressure changes inside the tire will also be equal. What I'm saying is that when hitting a bump, the pressure change inside the tire is part of what what we feel as ride quality.

When we compare two tires - one filled with compressible air and one mostly with incompressible flud - we know that the fluid filled tire has less compressible air space in the tire. So now when we run over that bump in the road, the fluid-filled tire has less air to spread out the sudden change in air compression. Less air to compress means that the pressure change inside the tire is higher. And it is that sudden increase in tire pressure that I think we feel when riding on fluid filled tires on rough roads.

I'm guessing you have a different way of looking at it. Care to share?
rScotty

 

[LouNY]

Properly filled and properly inflated tires with liquid should not ride any different than empty tires. If your ride is bad, then there is either too much liquid or they are inflated too much.

I have run tires with liquid and wheel weights, I've run tires with just liquid and I've run tires with just iron and with no added weights.
There is a definite difference in the ride quality in fields and roading. An unloaded tractor will ride the best under most conditions.
Add a loader and the ride goes away in a hurry, add loaded tires and it gets even worse.
When hauling heavy loads on the road a tractor with no liquid in the tires will run faster and easier then a comparable one with liquid fill.

 

[FTG-05]

I live on a hill as well. I use both liquid filled tires (RV antifreeze and water, can't get Rimguard) and I made my own lead, steel and concrete wheels weights:

~250 lbs each for a total of 500 lbs for the tractor rear tires, plus 47 gallons of RV antifreeze/water in each tire.

 

[SDT]

I have run tires with liquid and wheel weights, I've run tires with just liquid and I've run tires with just iron and with no added weights.
There is a definite difference in the ride quality in fields and roading. An unloaded tractor will ride the best under most conditions.
Add a loader and the ride goes away in a hurry, add loaded tires and it gets even worse.
When hauling heavy loads on the road a tractor with no liquid in the tires will run faster and easier then a comparable one with liquid fill.

Bingo, Lou and Scotty.

Air filled tires ride and handle better than liquid filled tires, properly filled or otherwise.

This is not to say that there are no advantages to liquid ballast vis-à-vis cast iron, e.g., somewhat better CG, cost, etc., but the disadvantages far outweigh the advantages for me.

SDT

 

[1930]

Not too hijack thread but seems like a good place for a question.

I removed my wheel weights, someone jury rigged them on there with wrong hardware, I tried using 5/8 carriage bolts but the heads to large, hits inside of rim, where can I get proper attaching bolts/hardware?

Ive tried dealer, no luck.

Tractor is a early 80s B6100E. Thanks

Also can someone tell me purpose of the large bolt with the spring in the center, maybe its to compress rim center so its tighter on axle? Still dont get why the spring? Lockwasher would have held tight