prevous owner put antifreeze in my tires
 

yikes. somehow he thought this was a good idea. i recently started mowing with the tractor. it was ridding like crap, i mean really really bad. i thought i was ridding on wooden tires. i plucked at one of the valve stems and out shot antifreeze. no wonder the tractor was ridding so badly. when you remove the air and replace it with fluid on a vehicle that has no suspension you remove the cushion the tires provide. i never had a problem until now because i was using it to run a snowthrower. you dont move as fast when removing snow and the snow itself also provides a cushion. my tractor was ridding really really badly, i mean it what borderline whiplash. now im having to remove roughly 5 gallons of this crap from each tire. i find it really annoying when someone uses fluid in the tires instead of purchasing a set of used wheel weights. tires were meant to be filled with air, not fluid. this isnt the first time i have ever had to deal with this. i once owned a bolens ride-a-matic about 10 years ago, same thing. its a nasty thing to do.

since i have owned this machine i have had to fix everything that he "fixed". he literally spent no money maintaining this machine. i can understand being on a budget but the corners he cut, downright annoying.

Almost every one of my tires are filled with fluid. Including the front tires on my 982. You can only add so much weight with wheel weights and sometimes you just need the extra traction the weight of fluid adds. Especially when plowing.

AJ

It's a pretty common practice from what I have seen. I wouldn't lose any sleep over it if I found one of my cubs had fluid in the wheels.

Adding fluid to the tire's is a lot cheaper than purchasing weights, especially if you need more weight fast and don't have time to shop around for a good used set. I think it's just personal preference:beerchug: .

Adding fluid to tires is a common practice and has been done since we went to rubber tires from steel wheels with lugs, back in 1932
If your tractor/mower was riding rough, you have a different problem.
Tire manufactures have no problem with the practice, and recommend it to increase traction and reduce slippage.
If you want a softer ride with fluid filled tires, put the tire core @ 12 o’clock position and reduce the air pressure slightly to the recommended pressure, or your preference.

That's a normal practice. I wish mine were loaded. Almost every large farm tractor has loaded tires, only in most cases a mixture of calcium chloride and water is used which is corrosive to the steel rims. Be glad you don't have that. The rear tires on my Massey weigh 1100 lbs a piece...that would be a LOT of wheel weights.
Also, the tires should only be filled about 75% of the way, with air added after that. Is it possible that the PO put too much liquid in them? Is there too much air pressure in the tires? The ride quality shouldn't be effected that much by the liquid so I'd also bet there's something else going on.

Yep, my back tires are fluid filled and the new tires going on my 128 will be fluid filled. It really adds a lot of stability on side hills and the traction is greatly enhanced.

I love my fuild filled tires! Using loaded tires adds more weight then wheel weights and it's on the treads on the tires right where you need it. I use dawn dish soap and in 8.5 tires I can add 50lbs to each tire. My 10.5 are 92 lbs per tire. IH wheel weights are 52lbs. I run my tires at 8 psi. It's your tractor and do what you like.:beerchug:

This is the set up I use in NC. Depending where you live and how cold it gets dish soap may or may not work for you. My tractors are kept in my unheated garage.

:biggrin2: Good lord, how many bottles is that per wheel?

Both of my GT'S have loaded rear tires and ride just fine. Maybe you had to much air pressure? I'm welling to bet there are more loaded tires out there than chains and wheel weights.

Haha you only use 8oz per wheel!

DOH! I was like, I can't believe he filled his tires completely with dish soap. ROFLMAOO. So enough water to fill the tire and pour in the soap? OK thats easy. I'm having one of those days....:bash2: Just broke off a tap in the steering tower for the 128 and can't get it out... grrrrrrrrrr

another one here for fluid filled... I can see Duke working long into the night squeezing every last drop of Joy into those AGs! hahaha. I personally can't tell a difference in the ride between having and not having fluid. I'm running Carlisle All Trails and each tire is about 78-80lbs and 20 psi. Along with that I've got another 200-300lbs that I have to use in my backyard or else it would be a flip over and my wife goes on a long vacation and shopping spree for a while!

Haha!

I put the soap in and hook up the slime tire adaptor and 15 mins later I'm done.

Gary your lawn is insane!

i removed most of the fluid, it actaully rides much better now. it was ridding like i was driving on rocks instead of tires. i could see having fluid filled tires in the winter is nice. i ran my qa42 blower with only having tire chains, my weights were left on my green 112. now i know why i got away with it. if i could add fluid in the fall and remove it in the spring that would be ideal. whats the deal with soap, does soap freeze? i never tried to freeze soapy water so i dont know.

but for now the tractor rides much better.

The soap doesn't allow the water to freeze but in NY I wouldn't press my luck by trying it. I've found some old links I posted in another thread a while back enjoy the read. I see no problem with doing that.

I did a search and found some links for you to read. I picked up a Slime part# 20073 to fill load my tires. Walmart, TSC and others should have it with their Green Slime products.

Now onto the links:
http://www.onlycubcadets.net/forum/s...ead.php?t=4590
http://www.onlycubcadets.net/forum/s...ead.php?t=3215
http://www.onlycubcadets.net/forum/s...ead.php?t=2147
http://www.onlycubcadets.net/forum/s...ead.php?t=1343
http://www.onlycubcadets.net/forum/showthread.php?t=541

Enjoy the read and if you have any questions after reading the links ask away

Lots of farm tractors have fluid filled tires. Fluid filled tires is the way to go when plowing with your GT.

I have never heard of putting liquid in the tires. This just seems odd to me as well. It wouldn't be hard to add weight to the tractor if you had a welder. My father made his own weight once using chain to suspend a big piece of iron from the trailer hitch. It can be done with a little creativity. It would seem a lot easier to unbolt a weight instead of having to drain the tires out. Liquid doesn't compress so I could imagine the ride being rough.

Shane the tire isn't totally filled with fluid so the ride isn't that bad. Wheel weights can be done but having the loaded tires adds more weight right at the tire tread. If your just mowing your yard that's nice and flat you should be ok with out loading your tires. But if you do snow removal or ground engaging work with your cub you'll need loaded tires in my opinion.

It's what ever works for you. I think what we're all trying to say is it's not unusal to have loaded tires.:beer2:

The benefit of having the weight on/in the wheels is that the bearings/bushings for the rear axles doesn't have to carry the load. It's just a lot less stress on the tractor if it doesn't have to carry it. Plus, the lower the weight, the better you are.

AJ

another reason for fluid in the wheels is that it is adding weight at the lowest possible center of gravity. Like I said, I've got fluid filled tires, wheel weights, and suitcase weights. Think of it in this sense...

If you've got "cement" shoes it's pretty hard to be pushed over. If you've got weights on your knees it's a little easier to be pushed over, if you've got a weight belt on, even easier to be pushed over... even though you are adding weight each time the lower the weight the more stable you are.

Like Duke stated, my yard is pretty much insane. I ride crossways about 75-100 yards on roughly a 28 degree slope, then there is another part that I have to ride up a 45-49 degree slope (I can't make it all the way up it, I have to back down about 3/4 of the way up).

Even in the winter with all my weight I have no need for chains, I'm heavy enough that I have good traction and have easily pushed 18"+ of heavy wet snow. I've got several youtube vids of it too.

I like fluid filled tires. I also use Dawn and water in my tires. I live in north west Ohio and never had them freeze. Someone mentioned taking it out in the summer and putting it back in the winter, I would leave it in year round and not mess with it. It help me almost as much in the summer with wet grass and mud. Also finding a set of used weights is hard and at a cheap price is even harder.

It's your tractor and do as you see fit. For me I wouldn't have it any other way.:American Flag 1:

Have heard many times, some use windshield washer fluid in the tires, so it doesn't freeze. Going to add it to my 129 tires. I have weights for my 782, but thought of adding fluid also. I have very little flat ground to mow. About 75% of my 3 acres of grass is steep hill. Ag tires and extra weight is a must.

Jeff

I use "Rim Guard" in all my tires. It's completely biodegradable, and approved as animal feed. Not to mention that it's around 11#'s per gallon. Washer fluid is only around 8#'s per gallon. The only downfall to Rim Guard is the price. It cost near $4 per gallon.

AJ

Do you guys use tubes or not when you load them?

Yep:biggrin2:

instead of taking the fluid out and putting it in, just buy another set of tires from a sponsor or craigslist. tires on rims for garden tractors are a dime a dozen.

LOL. Just buy more then one Cub. One for summer, one for winter.

Jeff

ad 356 give up yous outnumbered sides what else are you going to do with old coolant


128