Loaded tires vs ballast box vs neither

[precisionbike]

Check out Rim Guard https://www.rimguardsolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/RimGuardBeetJuiceTireFillChart.pdf
I added 30 gallons/321 pounds to the rear, It changed everything about the B2601’s abilities.
It was one of the best decisions you’ll never regret.
Considering, I rolled my brother in-laws tractor moving dirt with a plow on the back for ballast. I hit a bump as one of the front tires went in a shallow hole, Over it went!
I’ve dug a pond and moved a lot of earth and snow with the B2601. Filled tires adds solid stability and traction.


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[Jchonline]

What about wheel weights? They would be easy to take on and off. That said probably a home made ballast box would be the cheapest and easiest way to add considerable weight.

R4s are not great on side slopes in the ice. The way the tread patterns are laid out, they are almost like skates going outward. So you will slide easily. If you have icy side hills you are traversing in the winter, I recommend chains.

 

[NoJacketRequired]

All 3 of my B's run front mount blowers and 3pt hitch-mounted blades. Two of them have box blades while the B2410 has a home-made straight blade that's an absolute beast. One of the B7510s also gets used with the FEL and I always leave the box blade on the back when running the FEL. One B7510 has R1 ag tires, the other two tractors have turf tires.

My limited experience points to the turf tires being more than adequate for snow removal operations, including pulling a blade full of wet snow. Our lane at home is asphalt - I clear another three gravel lanes, then at the airport I have an equal mix of asphalt and gravel. I've never been at a loss for traction.

As an aside, the B7510 on R1 ag tires is in the process of having a fairly heavy cab installed. The weight of the cab really changes the handling of the tractor. It also has a very heavy box scraper. I expect the addition of the cab will turn it into an absolute tank in the snow.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Guess with a little tractor, filling rear tires is a doable thing. With my big tractors, cast wheel weights are the norm. I could not imagine dismounting a tractor tire / rim loaded. My tires and rims would weigh about 1000 pounds each loaded. My M9 weighs 8500 just the tractor and the 105 weighs almost 10k.

Of course I also have a compaction issue in the field which is why I have FWA units in the first place.

 

[jimr63]

Guess with a little tractor, filling rear tires is a doable thing. With my big tractors, cast wheel weights are the norm. I could not imagine dismounting a tractor tire / rim loaded. My tires and rims would weigh about 1000 pounds each loaded. My M9 weighs 8500 just the tractor and the 105 weighs almost 10k.

Of course I also have a compaction issue in the field which is why I have FWA units in the first place.

I have 1000lbs of beet juice in each of my R1 rear tires on the M5-091 plus one wheel weight on each side. So, total weight of each one has to be well over 1500 lbs. Out of curiosity, I put the tractor on the grain elevator scale the other day just to see what it weighed and it was 12000 lbs. with the front end loader and a 84" box blade. It pulls my 16' tandem offset disc at 5mph with ease now that I have enough weight on it. I had a lot of tire slippage in the field before adding all the weight though.

I also put 500lbs of beet juice in each of my L4701 rears (R1/2wd) and it made it huge difference in traction as well as lowering the CG when mowing on slopes.

My B21 on the other hand, while it feels like a nicely balanced machine (when the backhoe is on it) is not very stable on side inclines and looses traction in any kind of mud or snow. I've learned to watch my side angles or just keep my foot on the HST pedal and it'll eventually move. Kubota doesn't recommend loading tires on their backhoes so I never have and can tell a huge difference.

So my $.02 FWIW is that I'm a big believer in loaded tires. All that weight at the bottom of the tire tread helps with both traction and stability.

 

[troverman]

Agree, I like loading the tires. 550lbs of Ballast Star in each of the rear tires of my MX4800; still leaves air in the top for a suspension of sorts. My B2920 also has loaded rears; pretty small tires but still adds maybe 120lbs in each side.

 

[SDT]

What about wheel weights? They would be easy to take on and off. That said probably a home made ballast box would be the cheapest and easiest way to add considerable weight.

R4s are not great on side slopes in the ice. The way the tread patterns are laid out, they are almost like skates going outward. So you will slide easily. If you have icy side hills you are traversing in the winter, I recommend chains.

I much prefer cast iron wheel weights to liquid ballast but Kubota does not supply wheel weights for the B series so one would be required to fabricate their own.

That said, a three point mounted ballast box is much more effective than either liquid or cast iron ballast when using a FEL.

SDT

 

[SDT]

All 3 of my B's run front mount blowers and 3pt hitch-mounted blades. Two of them have box blades while the B2410 has a home-made straight blade that's an absolute beast. One of the B7510s also gets used with the FEL and I always leave the box blade on the back when running the FEL. One B7510 has R1 ag tires, the other two tractors have turf tires.

My limited experience points to the turf tires being more than adequate for snow removal operations, including pulling a blade full of wet snow. Our lane at home is asphalt - I clear another three gravel lanes, then at the airport I have an equal mix of asphalt and gravel. I've never been at a loss for traction.

As an aside, the B7510 on R1 ag tires is in the process of having a fairly heavy cab installed. The weight of the cab really changes the handling of the tractor. It also has a very heavy box scraper. I expect the addition of the cab will turn it into an absolute tank in the snow.

Turf tires are, indeed, better in snow than either R-4s or R-1s, and bar tires are even better.

That said, tractors and tractor tires are not designed for use in snow so any serious snow work will require chains.

SDT

 

[NoBiffBetter]

Turf tires are, indeed, better in snow than either R-4s or R-1s, and bar tires are even better.



That said, tractors and tractor tires are not designed for use in snow so any serious snow work will require chains.



SDT

I don’t agree. I agree that a turf tire would be better on snow on pavement, but if it is snow on grass or gravel then nothing will compare to r4 or AG tires.

I use Carlisle WT300 tires on my Kubota bx and the rear tires are loaded... I have no issues plowing, pushing, and lifting snow on my gravel driveway and grass/yard.

I was worried about loading my rear tires because my lawn is mostly soft clay and I didn’t want it to leave Deep tracks or sink but I quickly found out that with my loaded rear tires it didn’t really make much difference at all with my lawn and sinking into it. And the rear weight right inside the rear tires works fantastic for better traction. If I need more weight I just throw on my 6’ backblade but eventually I would like to get a rear weight rack only for the fact that it will allow me to adjust and fine tune the rear ballast for a given application and implement.

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[SDT]

I don’t agree. I agree that a turf tire would be better on snow on pavement, but if it is snow on grass or gravel then nothing will compare to r4 or AG tires.

I use Carlisle WT300 tires on my Kubota bx and the rear tires are loaded... I have no issues plowing, pushing, and lifting snow on my gravel driveway and grass/yard.

I was worried about loading my rear tires because my lawn is mostly soft clay and I didn’t want it to leave Deep tracks or sink but I quickly found out that with my loaded rear tires it didn’t really make much difference at all with my lawn and sinking into it. And the rear weight right inside the rear tires works fantastic for better traction. If I need more weight I just throw on my 6’ backblade but eventually I would like to get a rear weight rack only for the fact that it will allow me to adjust and fine tune the rear ballast for a given application and implement.

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Partial agreement.

My earlier comment that turf tires are better than other options, aside from bar tires (not R-1s or R-4s) obviously referred to use on pavement.

Who plows snow in grass?

Many variables are involved regarding plowing snow on gravel, so there are situations where R-1s may be more effective than turfs on gravel but such circumstances would be uncommon.

R-4 tires are just about useless in snow regardless of surface, and none of the tire options, even bar tires (neither R-1s nor R-4s), which are the best without chains can compare to any type of tire chains.

SDT

 

[fruitcakesa]

So, as an example of how important chains and ballast are in winter, I went out for my first plowing of the season with the M.
I had no chains on or rear ballast, other than the loaded tires and was unable to climb my 4"+- snow covered driveway with the front plow mounted!!!
I had to remove the plow in order to get up the driveway and rescue my wife's brand new car that I had slid into the ditch earlier.
I put the rear box blade on last night and that allowed me to get up my drive with the plow remounted and push out my parents driveway.
This morning, I spent the hour it takes to get the chains on by myself and now have the awesome snow moving machine that this tractor can be.