# Filled tires with fluid



## Realist (Mar 18, 2004)

Filled the tires on my GT5000 with windshield washer fluid this past weekend. Each tire held a little over 7 gallons each, giving me 50-60 lbs per tire of weight. I couldn't quite stomach spending $100 for the wheel weights, so I thought I'd give this a try. Spent $10 for the tire valve attachment at tractor supply and about $15 on the fluid. Not bad for about 110 lbs of ballast. I did use a Flotech pump I had around the house from Home Depot ($60?) to pump the liquid into the tire, though I know others use gravity to do the same.

Still not sure if this is enough weight, and I may take the advice of sixchows from another post and buy the utility deck for $60. Seems like a handy thing to have regardless.

We haven't had any snow yet here in Virginia for me to try out the plow yet. However, I am having traction problems with my Johnny Bucket Jr anyway, so I needed the weight regardless. I currently use v-chains with no extra weight, and can't get enough traction to fully fill the bucket.


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## Argee (Sep 17, 2003)

I filled my drive tires over a year ago with washer fluid....have not had to put the chains on since....I did change to a mud and snow tire and it has worked out pretty well.


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## Gavski (Sep 17, 2003)

I'll have to give that a try on my DYT4000. I added the wheel weight for 70lb, but still spin easily when pulling vines and brush from an area I'm clearing. I'd try the Utility Deck but frequently use a cart for towing logs and limbs.

Realist - Since I'm over the hill from you in Waterford, I'll hit the same Tractor Supply for the parts. Would like to hear more about your success with your loaded tires and JBJr since I would like to add one for spreading top soil, mulch, etc. Does seem like the 200lb capacity of the Utility Deck and a loaded JBJr should balance each other fairly well, but I guess you can't add too much weight from what I've seen.


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## guest2 (Dec 27, 2003)

..."but I guess you can't add too much weight from what I've seen."

Have you seen this?
4-55# wheel weights and about 75-80#'s sand.
<img src=http://www.tractorforum.com/forums/attachment.php?s=&attachmentid=4902>


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## Argee (Sep 17, 2003)

I haven't had the snowblower out since before we had a warmup and a few inches of rain and freezing rain....Now my drive is a few inches of slippery ice....I have trouble getting out in the AM if there has been a dusting of snow....well it snowed about 6-8 inches today so I'm going to have to blow it soon...I'm guessing I'm going to have to put the chains on to get any traction.... What I really need to do is sand the driveway:duh:


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## Realist (Mar 18, 2004)

Gavski -

You might try chains before weight. I use the v-chains, and they seem to have a pretty good bite. Enough so that once when I got the mower deck stuck the tires/chains dug a hole in the ground pretty quickly.

I hope the Tractor Supply got more of the valve connectors, since I bought the last one at the time. I did see some on the web for a bit cheaper. They also didn't have any valve core removers, but I was able to buy valve caps that had a core remover tool on the cap. A bit odd, but they worked fine, and were only $2 for a pack of 4.

I personally haven't used the tractor since I added the weight, but my wife definitely saw a difference when scooping horse manure with the JBJr. She used to spin the wheels quite often (even with chains), and now she doesn't, or so she says. I was surprised since I didn't add much weight yet, but it seemed to make quite a bit of a difference.

I don't have any experience using the JBJr for spreading material. I only use it to pick up (or scrape up) horse manure that has been spread and stomped on by the horses. It does a great job when the ground is dry and the blade slides over the top of the hard ground, but I was having traction problems when the bucket would get stuck in the muddy ground. I would guess if you want to spread material, definitely get the electric actuators (power dump). Much finer control over the bucket.

Without weight, I was also having trouble picking up a bucketful of fill dirt. The bucket wouldn't penetrate into the pile very far before the tires started spinning. Haven't tried recently with the added weight of the window washer fluid, though.


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