I have a 4wd 50 hp Kubota with a front end loader I use for all farm work. I love it, but I am scared to drive it on too much of a slope b/c of potential rollover.
Someone told me I should have the big rear tires weighted – I believe they are not currently weighted b/c I’ve felt it ‘lighten’ on poorly driven turns on small slopes.
Scares the heck out of me.
Also got slightly, briefly stuck in the snow/ice the other day clearing the driveway. Wonder if weighted tires would help this, too.
Please weigh in with thoughts/recommendations.
Sure they aren’t talking about putting bags of sand in the bed?? Or some heavy hay bales or maybe your MIL?? (That was a joke…).
ETA: Sorry, I read your post wrong, I thought it said Toyota! But still, is there way to put some sand bags on the thing??
You will need to take it to a place that changes tractor tires to have fluid put in them. They can take out the guts of the valve stems and have an air powered pump that shoots the fluid in them. They need to take the fluid out and put it back in when a rear tire needs to be replaced so they are set up to do it. Truck tire places in farm country typically do it rather than tractor dealers around here.
There are also all sorts of bolt on weights but with a front-end loader you probably need both. My 70hp loader tractor has 55 gallons in each rear wheel as well as 2 85lb. weights on each.
No, they (a he, I’m sure) was talking about a liquid (?) they inject (?) into the actual tire space (usually filled with air, now filled with a heavy substance (?)
I’ve got the same tractor. What is put in the back tires for weight is calcium. Works great!
Thanks Tom King!
How much $$$$ ???
Does it need to be replaced?
An on-site gig or do I have to pay to get the durned thing to town (such as it is)?
Not sure how much prices vary between tire place and dealerships…or from state to state…but my neighbor hd her tires weighted with the fill in heavy foam stuff by the dealership. They sent someone to come take the tires off her tractor, then brought them back filled and put them back on. Cost was $900.
Ouch.
But my neighbor did say that her felt a lot more stable when she climbs the manure pile now.
Just had Les Schwaab Tire do our Kubota tires and it cost us 300.00. It appears in this area, they use beet juice becasue it is non corrosive, unlike the calcium… .
Will cost more if valve stems are on the inside.
I’m really glad we did it, the tractor is much more stable!
We also have the beet juice in our tires, non-corrosive like the chloride and calcium. The rims stay fine with the beet juice. Also no cleanup if tire should come off the rim or break the seal. Beet juice leaks won’t harm the dirt or water run off.
Weighted tires will give you better security on most any ground. Allows the tractor to push harder with better grip. Chains might help with traction on icy ground, even with 4WD.
Keep your seat belt fastened and the roll-bar up any time you are driving! Any forward or backward travel should have the front bucket, carried as low as possible without dragging, to prevent changing balance or tipping on rough ground, hills.
I don’t have any idea how much it costs or what’s in mine. The tractor was used ten or twelve years ago when I bought it. I wore out the set of tires that were on it. When I carried it to the tire place to get the new tires, they pumped out the liquid into barrels(wheels were like new on the inside), put on the new tires, and put the same fluid back in the new tires.
Our flatbed trailer has paid for itself many times over since we bought it, not only moving hay, but also the tractor when needed.
the “calcium” they use sometimes is actually a calcium chloride solution. My JD 2305 compact 24 HP has “weighted” tires. We requested it when we bought it new this spring and the dealer had it done free of charge to us, before delivering it. It makes a HUGE difference when using the front end loader or when working on a slope. They weighted ours with antifreeze apparently, though, because of the corrosive effect of the calcium solution on the rims. We previously had the same model tractor without weighted tires and managed to tip it over by raising the bucket while on a slope. No fear of that anymore.
For plowing snow though, invest in a set of tire chains for the back wheels as well. Makes a big difference for very little money.
Thanks all! I think I’ll spend today calling around and finding out prices/solutions.
Two more questions:
Doesn’t the beet juice freeze?
Do you take the solution out after hte winter or does it stay in yearround?
Also - keep the general tractor-driving safety tips coming – always appreciated and often lifesaving!
Our John Deere tractor has liquid filled tires and I “believe” it is nothing but water but couldn’t swear to that. We had them filled about five or six years ago to counter-balance the front end loader and give it more traction, and we have had no problems at all with weight issues since then. John Deere actually came out to our farm and did them on site so we didn’t even have to haul the tractor to them. Can’t tell you what they charged as it was too long ago but I’m sure it was at least several hundred dollars. We leave the tires filled year round.
I had mine done and the Kubota dealership filled them with plain ol water. It also was very inexpensive to do this. Way less than what others are quoting.
But … water would freeze. ???
Our bought new Kubota came with the tires weighted, I believe with antifreeze. I remember when we were going through the options, the dealer just included it matter of factly as a must based on our use (which made sense to me). The cost was just rolled in, so I have no idea what it was. The 4WD and bucket were the biggies costwise.
I believe antifreeze is added to the water in our tractor tires but we are in the deep south so extreme freezes aren’t common here.
[QUOTE=Hunter’s Rest;4572198]
Thanks all! I think I’ll spend today calling around and finding out prices/solutions.
Two more questions:
Doesn’t the beet juice freeze?
Do you take the solution out after hte winter or does it stay in yearround?
Also - keep the general tractor-driving safety tips coming – always appreciated and often lifesaving![/QUOTE]
Water will freeze, beet juice is good to -35 degrees. Antifreeze doesn’t freeze, but is toxic if you get a leak. Beet juice gives more weight than either water or antifreeze…
Here’s a link to a chart and discussion with pros and cons of all the options
http://www.orangetractortalks.com/2009/01/comparing-types-of-liquid-tire-ballast/
Hey Foggy - you rock! Great site.
(PS We wish we could ‘get off the computer and go ride.’ Still 2 feet of snow on the ground and little hope of it melting anytime soon. I fear I won’t get to ride even one time on this set of shoes/this clip job. Sigh.)
[QUOTE=Hunter’s Rest;4573057]
Hey Foggy - you rock! Great site.
(PS We wish we could ‘get off the computer and go ride.’ Still 2 feet of snow on the ground and little hope of it melting anytime soon. I fear I won’t get to ride even one time on this set of shoes/this clip job. Sigh.)[/QUOTE]
LOL! I confess, I have not been riding as much as I should be either… We don’t have the snow, but it’s been a pretty wet winter so far… But the next 10 days look good! 
