prevous owner put antifreeze in my tires

ad356 · #1 05-14-2011, 02:47 AM

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.

ajgross · #2 05-14-2011, 07:59 AM

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

CC1450 · #3 05-14-2011, 08:46 AM

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.

jeff k. · #4 05-14-2011, 08:58 AM

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

.

ol'George · #5 05-14-2011, 09:38 AM

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.

Southtowns27 · #6 05-14-2011, 09:46 AM

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.

_DX3_ · #7 05-14-2011, 10:08 AM

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.

Methos · #8 05-14-2011, 10:37 AM

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.

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.

_DX3_ · #9 05-14-2011, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Methos

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.

Good lord, how many bottles is that per wheel?

plummcrazy1864 · #10 05-14-2011, 12:59 PM

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.