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Filled tires vs weights

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Farmer Dan
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2001-05-08          27883


I am considering filled tires for my TC33D. Are there any disadvantages or problems anyone has had with these? Are wheel weights or 3-pt. weights any better or worse?



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Ken
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2001-05-08          27891


I like windshield washer fluid to fill tires.Have tried weights and counter ballance and prefer loaded tires .Once they are loaded you can forget them.You don't have to unbolt them or unhook anything.Good luck Ken ....


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Alan L. Lewis
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2001-05-08          27904


What happens when a big thorn pokes a hole in the tire? Seems like a LOT of trouble when your tires are loaded. ....


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Stephen R. Cebenko
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2001-05-08          27908


Alan,

You make your wife happy and wash the all the windows on the house. ....


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TomG
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 5406 Upper Ottawa Valley
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2001-05-09          27959


One advantage of loaded tires compared to either wheel weights of ballast boxes is that the weight in loaded tires produces a somewhat lower center of gravity. Loaded tires can be very inconvenient though. I've heard some very strong advice against using windshield washer fluid to load tires because some products are mostly methanol. Such products can produce an explosive air mixture inside tires. It is toxic and possibly flammable if it leaks. And, some tire shops won't work on methanol loaded tires. Anyway, that's the way the warnings I've heard go. ....


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Lefty
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2001-05-10          28001


What about using anti-freeze? Pros / Cons ? ....


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Roger L.
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2001-05-10          28004


Tom, I don't think the slightly lower center of gravity makes any measureable difference. I assume that you mean because the fluid only fills the tire to within 75 to 90%. That little air space left without water surely isn't much of an effect relative to the weight of the tractor. ....


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TomG
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 5406 Upper Ottawa Valley
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2001-05-11          28035


Roger: The centre of gravity issue is something I've heard, but like you I've haven't heard anybody say there's much practical benefit in terms of added stability. I do have the general sense that weight added below axle level is good for stability, and loaded tires do add some weight below axle level due to the air space at the top. However, I'm guessing that the CG in most tractors is somewhat above axle level, and wheel weights would also lower the CG, even though their weight distribution is symmetrical around the axle. Perhaps a more weighty issue (Yikes a pun I guess) is traction. Something else I've heard is that wheel weights are better at increasing traction than loaded tires. The idea is that loading tires distorts the tread at ground contact. There's also something like gyroscoping in road gear I hear. Don't know about these things since I don't have loaded tires. ....


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TomG
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 5406 Upper Ottawa Valley
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2001-05-11          28036


Regarding anti-freeze: Much better than CACL I believe. CACL is pretty caustic stuff, and its main advantage is that it's cheap. It does weight slightly more than anti-freeze solutions. Ethyl glycol anti-freeze, is less caustic than CACL, but it is toxic and does have it's own disposal problems. It also will kill everything where it leaks. Dogs like it, and it kills them. Proply glycol anti-freeze has much less disposal problems but it is expensive. I believe that methanol based washer fluids should be avoided. ....


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AndyMA
Join Date: Apr 2004
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2001-05-11          28066


I am just about to take delivery of a NH75S and it's R4's will be CALC loaded. My current 2120 which I keeping and the traded Ford 1710 were also loaded. Even my old 8N was loaded. The only tractor I ever had that wasn't CALC loaded was a Deere 650 and it was so darn tippy that I traded it for the 1710

I can't imagine using a FEL with out rear tire loading. I've had punctures a couple of times and it's no problem if you take (or have their mobil unit come to you) the tractor to a tire dealer who services big trucks and tractors. They just pump out the CALC, fix the leak or put a new tube in and pump the same CALC back in.

Even a decent size puncture doesn't leak out much fluid. I'd also advise not to fill your tires with one of the "solid" fills unless changing them by cutting them in half with a chainsaw is your style. BTW my 2120 is 12 years old and it is still on original rear Ags.

Hope this helps Andy

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TomG
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2001-05-12          28073


Andy points out the ballast issue. The bucket for my Allied 195 loader isn't especially big for my Ford 1710. However, I still keep a 600-700 lbs. implement on the 3ph for ballast. Even if the tractor isn't tippy with light bucket loads, the steering is still hard without rear ballast. It is certain; with a loader, there has to be some sort of rear ballast. My detachable ballast can be inconvenient, but I can also drive on damp turf and leave tracks that disappear in a few days. ....


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Peters
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 3034 Northern AL
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2001-05-12          28088


As Dan suggests filled tires with a low fill adds mass to lower the center of gravity. The wheels do spin out a little and stopping take a little longer but it adds stability and increases traction.
Calcite increases the weight of the water as would salt (NaCl). Basic chemistry the salt dissolves into the water, but does not increase the volume as much as the salt added, therefore the density increases. Salt ions solvate (dissolve) in between the water molecules. The saturated salt solution (CaCl/water) also lowers the freezing point (antifreeze).
Does this increased weight between antifreeze and calcite make a difference to the average compact tractor? Not that you could notice. Note that the car antifreeze will also increase the density over water slightly.
In the south it is difficult to find the calcite to fill the tires, almost everyone uses antifreeze. You can purchase antifreeze that is less toxic rather than polylene glycol based material. We do not need as much in the tires as there are only a few days that are below freezing here. Up north were you reach -30 F I think that calcite would be hard to beat. You are probably throwing salt on the tractor periodically anyway, during snow plowing. Down south were you can get by with a few percent antifreeze? The corrosiveness of the calcite becomes a factor.
You can purchase the filler to hook to the hose so you can fill the tires your self. As stated before little water leaks from a punctured tire but a tire with non-toxic antifreeze could be drained before taking to the shop.

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