# Loaded the Tires



## TX MX5200 (May 12, 2020)

Loaded the tires to around 75% this morning...adapter for hose was around 10 bill's at TSC. Also mixed in several gallons of RV Anti freeze just in case we get real cold, but that's rare here. Plus the AF will provide some anti corrosion I reckon.

I used a hose splitter and water shutoff, which allowed me to quickly release the pressure as water was added...just turned off water side of splitter and opened the other side of splitter and then resumed filling... didn't take long at all.

To add the AF, I shut off water side and opened the short hose side and poured AF into elevated hose using a funnel... worked well

Oh, I did jack up each side so tire was barely off ground to prevent risk of tire coming loose from rim.

Point 1 - using the hose splitter with a short hose attached enables you to quickly evac built up pressure...much much faster than using the push button release on the fluid attachment.

Point 2 - If you are adding large amounts of antifreeze or other solution besides water..then you may want to use a pump or rig up something to attach AF container to the short hose....the funnel worked fine for me, but I only dropped 4 gallons into tires.


----------



## TX MX5200 (May 12, 2020)

After loading tires I spent most of next afternoon using bucket to spread dirt. I definitely noticed an improvement in traction.

I usually keep the box blade on the 3pt, but it's undersized for the tractor as its only at foot box and much lighter then my older box, which has some other issues. I will be welding some heavy rods on back of the box to hold a chain I have, which will add more ballast and allow the box to cut instead of skip. The chain is a section of ship anchor chain and has to weigh around 250 to 300ish. Between the tire fluid and the chain on the box, I will have plenty ballast for round bales plus make dragging the crushed concrete drive quicker.

I have drug this chain in a loop (u shaped) to drag pasture and drive and worked well smoothing things out also.


----------



## Ultradog (Feb 27, 2005)

Good post.
A lot of guys are almost religious about having the latest and greatest safety devices, ROPS, 
seat belts and the like on their tractors. But adding ballast is one of the simplest - and cheapest things you can do to increase your safety. 
Ballast makes for a much more stable tractor. 
Plus it increases traction. A tractor can Not put it's full horsepower to the ground without added ballast.


----------



## LouNY (Dec 15, 2016)

I much prefer iron bolted on to any kind of liquid ballast;
here is a pair of 300# weights for each side.


----------



## Captain Mal (Jul 15, 2020)

Curious. What stops the water-based solutions from rusting out the rims?


----------



## Ultradog (Feb 27, 2005)

L


Captain Mal said:


> Curious. What stops the water-based solutions from rusting out the rims?


Lack of oxygen.


----------



## Captain Mal (Jul 15, 2020)

How do you get all the air out so there is no oxygen in there? 

Real interesting if you can do it.


----------



## Ultradog (Feb 27, 2005)

Captain Mal said:


> How do you get all the air out so there is no oxygen in there?
> 
> Real interesting if you can do it.


It takes oxygen to make rust = iron oxide = FE2O3 .
The rims could rust but only till it used up all the oxygen.
Of course if you had a leaker and had to air it up on occasion you would be adding more oxygen. And cause more rust.


----------



## TX MX5200 (May 12, 2020)

The minimal air in tire means minimal oxygen....the rim is submersed under the fluid with exception of small portion at top. 

I also added antifreeze with water, mainly for the anti corrosive properties it provides. Even if small corrosion, I will be dead by time runs rust out in 30 years...or will have forgotten what color the kubota is


----------



## Captain Mal (Jul 15, 2020)

TX MX5200 said:


> The minimal air in tire means minimal oxygen....the rim is submersed under the fluid with exception of small portion at top.
> 
> I also added antifreeze with water, mainly for the anti corrosive properties it provides. Even if small corrosion, I will be dead by time runs rust out in 30 years...or will have forgotten what color the kubota is


This is my assumption and the reality of the situation. 

The weight is a good thing. The filling could be an issue. Good reply.


----------



## LouNY (Dec 15, 2016)

Yep, I guess thats why I have replaced a couple of rims here and at the farm there are half a dozen that need to be or have been replaced. Over 6 hours last year welding and patching and repairing one rim.








No liquid fill for me except as a very last resort.


----------



## Groo (Jan 17, 2020)

Plenty of oxygen in water.


----------



## Captain Mal (Jul 15, 2020)

H2O


----------



## Ultradog (Feb 27, 2005)

LouNY said:


> View attachment 60861
> View attachment 60861
> View attachment 60863
> View attachment 60865
> ...


Some guys complain that they only got 50 years out of a set of rims due to rust.
I see rims as an expendable - like tires, clutches and piston rings.
I have also repaired my share of rims. The alternative is to buy new ones.
When I finished them I pumped them full of CaCl.


----------



## LouNY (Dec 15, 2016)

It can be done,
we have gone almost completely away from liquid filling,
between the time and cost of servicing liquid filled tires and the availability of mobile service techs it just was not worth the problems and cost including down time costs.
Bolt on weight ends up costing less over the years.
And it makes servicing tires a much simpler and faster task, an hour or two and a tire is patched and that tractor is back to work.
Even if it means breaking the tire down patching (booting) the tire and a new tube that job is done before a service truck is even close to being available or getting the tire and tube pumped out cleaned and dried to start patching.


----------



## TX MX5200 (May 12, 2020)

Well...for better or worse I loaded em with water and antifreeze. If they last 20 years they will outlast my give a damn....short of that I will buy new rims and fill those up I reckon.

Guess I could take the 650 dollars the weights would've cost, invest it and in 20 years I will have 1,964 dollars to pay for rims when these rust out.


----------



## TX MX5200 (May 12, 2020)

Curious though....wonder how the galvanic relationship between steel rims and cast iron weights may create corrosion. Are there rubber barriers placed between them because being on a rim they're certainly will be moisture between them. That's something we watch out for on boats and being steel allow rim would be the lesser noble metal, it would be the corrosive metal. Maybe not issue on tractors?


----------



## CapTree (Aug 29, 2019)

I am happy with beet juice in my tires. Near 11 pounds per gallon. Because of the sugars it is freeze resistant to -35 F.


----------



## TX MX5200 (May 12, 2020)

CapTree said:


> I am happy with beet juice in my tires. Near 11 pounds per gallon. Because of the sugars it is freeze resistant to -35 F.


I've read all good info on beet juice...nobody here has it, cuz we dont get near cold enough. I tried to locate, just because of the added weight it offers and anti corrosive nature.

Did you watch them fill em up....guess they have to use a pump since its thicker.


----------



## Groo (Jan 17, 2020)

An extra .2 lbs per gallon would only give 10 extra lbs per 50 gallons of fill. Tire chains are heavier than that by far.


----------



## TX MX5200 (May 12, 2020)

Groo said:


> An extra .2 lbs per gallon would only give 10 extra lbs per 50 gallons of fill. Tire chains are heavier than that by far.


I believe it's an extra 2lbs per gallon not .2.....


----------



## Groo (Jan 17, 2020)

TX MX5200 said:


> I believe it's an extra 2lbs per gallon not .2.....


You are right. I had in my mind the arguments about cacl vs beet juice vs some other thing just like beet juice. Some people get very worked up over very little weight added to a tractor.

Still, even 100 lbs when we are talking a 5,000lb+machine isnt all that much. 

I guess I am saying is that I wouldn't do it for just the extra weight.


----------



## TX MX5200 (May 12, 2020)

Agreed...I think it's the total package that makes beet juice a good option....the anti-freeze, anti-corrosive, non poisonous and weight make it a nice option. 

I don't need the antifreeze aspect and as ya said, extra weight isnt a huge issue.


----------



## Groo (Jan 17, 2020)

I've got to think you're probably looking at a new tire if the tire needs servicing


LouNY said:


> It can be done,
> we have gone almost completely away from liquid filling,
> between the time and cost of servicing liquid filled tires and the availability of mobile service techs it just was not worth the problems and cost including down time costs.
> Bolt on weight ends up costing less over the years.
> ...


The 35ish Year old kubota is on its factory rear tires yet, and factory un-patched inner tubes. It's the fronts that wear and catch inopportune sticks hungering for a sidewall, in my experience.


----------



## BRUCE MICHAUD (Oct 7, 2020)

Anyone have experience with 'foaming' the tires ?? My new to me Kubota will have all 4 tires filled, supposedly adding about 1k pounds


----------



## Groo (Jan 17, 2020)

BRUCE MICHAUD said:


> Anyone have experience with 'foaming' the tires ?? My new to me Kubota will have all 4 tires filled, supposedly adding about 1k pounds


Why the fronts? The fronts don't hold much an already have plenty of weight to the contract patch. Doubly so if you have a FEL. If you don't have a FEL, get iron suitcase weights.


----------



## BRUCE MICHAUD (Oct 7, 2020)

good question, I don't know why they did all 4. It was done before I found the tractor. I think I heard the sales guy yapping about running over cactus and not getting a flat ?
I am very green with tractors... so I guess time will tell..
Thanks for the reply
oh ... and it does have a FEL ( If that means Front End Loader ).


----------



## the key of knowledge (Jul 12, 2020)

Suggestion. Take the tractor a Harley Davidson shop that has a nitrogen filling station for bike tires. The filling machine first pulls the tire into a vacuum then fills the tire with nitrogen. Tires filled with air need to be refiled over time as the oxygen disappears and the tire partly deflates. Tires filled with Nitrogen never need filling.


----------



## Ultradog (Feb 27, 2005)

the key of knowledge said:


> Suggestion. Take the tractor a Harley Davidson shop that has a nitrogen filling station for bike tires. The filling machine first pulls the tire into a vacuum then fills the tire with nitrogen. Tires filled with air need to be refiled over time as the oxygen disappears and the tire partly deflates. Tires filled with Nitrogen never need filling.


Around here, to fill a car tire with nitrogen costs about $30.
I could air up a tire a lot of times for that kind of dough.


----------



## the key of knowledge (Jul 12, 2020)

Sorry friend. It was not offered as a cost savings idea, but was offered as a way to inhibit the process of rust from the oxygen in air.  I personally like the wheel weight idea. Here (SW FLA) I have never needed the extra weight.


----------



## BRUCE MICHAUD (Oct 7, 2020)

so I looked at my bill of sale again , and that says back tires foam filled.
So now I'm not sure...


----------



## BRUCE MICHAUD (Oct 7, 2020)

So just an update, all 4 tires are filled with 'live' rubber.
So no air in them at all... interesting process
oh and all 4 tires were new.


----------



## Gillfisher (Sep 14, 2020)

i just changed out the original rims on my 1963 b414 which were loaded with Cacl. 1 was rotted from inside, 1 from sitting for years in same spot. But they have tubes in them.


----------

