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Ballast

S

Spudm

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So what do you think, 47 hp. tractor, MFWD, with a loader. This is a tractor I am also going to use for row crop farming, and not sure which is better, having beet juice put in the tires, or mounting weight to the 3 point hitch when using the loader?
 
Fluid in the tires puts the weight right on the ground where as wheel weights put weight on a cushion of air. I have found that fluid seem to give you a tad bit more traction then wheel weights do I have tried both on th same machine and found fluid seem to work better
 
That's a good point. I was also concerned about soil compaction when using the tractor in the fields with the tires loaded.
 
That's true. 16.9x28 tires & about 60-69 gallons to load them each. That would add over 1,000 lbs. of ballast.
 
I'm with you on the whole putting the weight out behind thing,but I have a MFWD loader tractor. You want to put some weight on the front for traction with the front tires.
 
Neighbor moves round bales of hay with his front loader. He wanted me to make him a 3 pt rear ballast to keep his front wheels from going down in the mud. I used a 55 gallon oil barrel and filled it with concrete. He can easily remove the ballast when not in use.

The greater the distance your rear ballast is from rear axle the more weight it will transfer off the front wheels and put more weight on rear wheels. It's a balancing act.

Tire ballast is great if your objective is to just improve traction. Rear ballast will improves traction on rear tires and transfer weight off front wheels.

So you decide what you want.
 
I think you spend way too much time thinking. Put your tractor in the field and see how it performs in your situation!!!, and then adjust. Everyone one here has had experience with these issues, but loader geometry, tire brand/size, as well as tractor model combinations all effect performance. GO use it and see what it does and then adjust weight to suit YOUR needs.
Known here can sit in the seat of your tractor and set it up for your vision of max performance. Their solution may not be to your likings.
Loren
 
Over Thinking the whole thing. Go use the tractor, you might just be surprised that it works as designed. Or go spend money on things that you may not need, and complain when things break because you added to much weight to a little tractor, that may not have been designed for it.
 
(quoted from post at 17:58:44 01/25/17).............................. Or go spend money on things that you may not need, and complain when things break because you added to much weight to a little tractor, that may not have been designed for it.
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I LOVE it! Great reply! :lol:
 
Old I am sorry but I think you are wrong about fluid in your tires. I am a old tractor puller. I can tell you a tractor weighing 7000 lb. With weights will out pull same tractor with fluid. In tires. Fluid doesn't let the tire confirm to the ground contour. Or let the tire squat which lengthens the contact area. If this is not true why would tractor pullers handle tons of weight? Pumping water into them and out would be so much easier.
 
Tractor pulls and real life are two different things and one is a thing one does for fun and the other is real work an in the filed where your on ground that your working fluid make a big difference over wheel weights.

In this case your comparing apple to oranges and comparing a track and a sled to a loader doing real ground moving work
 
Fill the tires with fluid and forget about it. I'd be very careful operating and loader tractor with no fluid, wheel weights or weigh on the 3pt hitch, fill the rear tires to counter balance the loader, you don't need front weight on a loader tractor as mentioned below, as the loader provides the ballast, at least it works for me.
 
pullers use weights so they can pull in many weight classes , can be added or removed its not that it pulls better , also all that weight has to be carried on axles , bearings , castings ,ect.. , liquid rolls on the ground tractor dont carry the weight , if you want to wear out or break a tractor hang lots of weight on it
 
Installing and removing ballast will get old fast, even with a 3 point quick hitch. I would ballast the tractor to do loader work safely with either liquid ballast or cast iron wheel weights. Liquid ballast costs less and lowers the center of gravity because liquid ballast fills the lower 3/4 of the tires.

Do you plan to do field work with the loader in-place or will you remove it and install front ballast as needed?
 

BUT>>>>> tire ballast doesnt put the weight on the bearings, where rear weight puts wear on the axle bearings and can... beat the 3pt to death in rough ground...

So... both solutions have a lot to offer....

with no power steering, a really long heavy shredder was used to help the front end loader tractor,, but it also carried full wheel ballast for when a plow was on the back instead of the shredder... We would just dropped the bucket off,, and go to plowing.
 
I farm about 1000 acres and have liquid ballast in nothing. Cast iron is the only way to go. This applies to newer and older tractors.
 
Yes, you need weight on the front end but that is usually not a problem when you've got a loader bucket full of wet manure, or whatever. More often than not you have TOO MUCH weight on the front end, and a ballast box on the 3pt is the only way to alleviate that.

Liquid ballast, even beet juice, makes dealing with the tires so much more difficult. You've got to have a pump and a place to store it any time you need to work on a tire, and if you get a puncture, you end up with a mess. I will pull the fluid out of a tire if I can possibly get away without it.
 
I never really thought I could change your mind, but none of my neighbor's big tractors have fluid in their tires. Why? Wouldn't fluid be cheaper.
 
(quoted from post at 06:40:10 01/26/17) Yes, you need weight on the front end but that is usually not a problem when you've got a loader bucket full of wet manure, or whatever. More often than not you have TOO MUCH weight on the front end, and a ballast box on the 3pt is the only way to alleviate that.

Liquid ballast, even beet juice, makes dealing with the tires so much more difficult. You've got to have a pump and a place to store it any time you need to work on a tire, and if you get a puncture, you end up with a mess. I will pull the fluid out of a tire if I can possibly get away without it.
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Randy specified MFWD tractor. True, once you have your load in the air you have plenty of weight, but lets not forget that we would rather fill the bucket by pushing into the pile, not with a shovel. :lol:
 
Well that's close sounding to the JD5105 I have. It had no added weights at all when I got it used. I had the rear tires fluid filled with basically windshield washer fluid. Most tires places near me (ohio) don't do the beet juice thing as it is way more money and in cold weather they can't pump it in and out to fix flats. These newer tractors seem really light and the loaders can lift ALOT ! The owners manuals list what is recommended. Mine with the rears loaded is still really light in the back. Easy to spin the rears when even back dragging up a slight grade. I have a weight box for the 3 pt. filled with concrete I NEED when I try to lift up heavy items.
Even the old 4020 with loader and filled with calcium which is the heaviest NEEDS the heavy model 115 blade on the rear for extra weight if you plan on doing any serious work with it.
A local New Holland dealer would not let a compact tractor leave the lot without having fluid added to the rear if the owner bought a loader for it.
 
Fill the tires with fluid, beat juice good and no probleme with it if you have a puncture in winter, they work with it year around here in Ohio. But unless you have bad luck you will never have to have the fluid removed till you need a new set of tires. Then cast weights on the wheels, forget about that wieght on the hitch will only make you trouble. And kept the fluid in and cast weights on for all farm operations inculding cultivating
 
(quoted from post at 16:58:44 01/25/17) Over Thinking the whole thing. Go use the tractor, you might just be surprised that it works as designed. Or go spend money on things that you may not need, and complain when things break because you added to much weight to a little tractor, that may not have been designed for it.
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I have to agree with this one. I pulled my 3 bottom plow with my 50HP 4x4 tractor with no fluid or rear weights. I did have to use it in 4 wheel drive though.

When I need rear ballast using the FEL I put at 6 foot blade or the 6 foot rotary cutter behind it and that usually gives me all I need and then I don't have to mess with fluid filled tires especially as much as I haul it different places.
 
Many tractor company and tire dealers went away from fluid in the real big tires due to other problem with having say 70 plus gal of fluid. I have tractor with both some with fluid some with weights ad a lot depends on what your doing with them as to what seems to work best
 
Again to each there own I have tractor set up with fluid and have them with weights just how it is and how it will always be so as I said to each there own. As for size of the place be it 10 acres or be it 10,000 that makes no difference
 
Old is one of those people who has already made up their mind so don't confuse them with the facts. He is in fact wrong.
 
You are right Old,to each his own way,but WHAT kind of tools do you have on your 30A that can give you such a expert opinion on what will work in the real farming world on acres of high load demands.
 
My Ford 841S with heavy duty loader is what. Fluid in the tire has always worked way better then wheel weights have. In the creek gravel I get in at times the fluid by far makes it work better then the wheel weight ever did
 
(quoted from post at 05:20:59 01/26/17) I farm about 1000 acres and have liquid ballast in nothing. Cast iron is the only way to go. This applies to newer and older tractors.
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Well, surely you must have some reason for having no liquid ballast. Are you a super BTO or a movie star or what?
 
WOW. Kinda surprised at some of your replies. SpudM asks for opinions from people with more experience on a matter. Seems reasonable, give your experience and move on.

I loaded the rears of my MFWD loader tractor with beet juice AFTER I used it unloaded, and have not regretted it. It feels more stable even without the loader.

My feedlot is far too tight to use a brush chopper for ballast, a barrel of cement is handier, and heavier. The price of iron weight is much higher than the liquid.
 
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