| Author |
 Topic Search  Topic Options
|
Tbone95 
Orange Level Access
Joined: 31 Aug 2012
Location: Michigan
Points: 11544
|
 Post Options
 Thanks(0)
 Quote  Reply
 Posted: 07 Apr 2017 at 8:06am |
|
Wow, whoulda thunk such an innocuous question would trigger a discussion like this?
The original question: "Cheap way to ballast tractor?"
1. Something you already own and you own all the bolts to make it work! Free!
2. Water. Nearly free. Costs a little something to pump it, unless you use a hand pump or Gilligan stops buy and peddles a bike the professor rigged up to make it work. Probably have to buy a few fittings, etc.
3. Some other fluid you get for free, like used antifreeze. But just a note here, used antifreeze is not going to be "corrosion proof". It will be less corrosive than the chloride, and maybe less corrosive than water for a while, but the additives put into antifreeze to protect from corrosion degrade over time, and depending on conditions, the degrading / corroding can become a vicious circle.
4. Not sure the cost comparison between windshield washer fluid / RV antifreeze / regular antifreeze etc. Depends on source, volume, time of year even it seems.
5. Rim Guard (beet juice). It isn't cheap. It's kinda sticky and nasty, but it works great.
Thing is, every one of these options has their issues to deal with, choose your battle. Iron bolted on can create clearance issues, corrosion / paint damage where it bolts together (I'm picturing something rigged up, not OE weights in their right place). Water will freeze, need to manage it every winter. CaCl2, well, you know. Beet juice, not all tire guys will deal with it, expensive....
Let's go with hanging a Massey!
|
 |
|
Sponsored Links
|
|
|
Lonn
Orange Level
Joined: 16 Sep 2009
Location: Назарово,Russia
Points: 29781
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 07 Apr 2017 at 8:19am |
 Tbone95 wrote:
Let's go with hanging a Massey! |
I'll get the rope, you gotta a tree? That's the kinda hanging I'd like for Massey aka AGCO.
|
|
-- --- .... .- -- -- .- -.. / .-- .- ... / .- / -- ..- .-. -.. . .-. .. -. --. / -.-. .... .. .-.. -.. / .-. .- .--. .. ... -
Wink
I am a Russian Bot
|
|
Kenny L.
Orange Level Access
Joined: 12 Sep 2009
Location: NEIOWA
Points: 1264
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 07 Apr 2017 at 8:19am |
|
Thone95, GREAT post.
|
|
Tbone95
Orange Level Access
Joined: 31 Aug 2012
Location: Michigan
Points: 11544
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 07 Apr 2017 at 8:37am |
Lonn wrote:
Tbone95 wrote:
Let's go with hanging a Massey! |
I'll get the rope, you gotta a tree? That's the kinda hanging I'd like for Massey aka AGCO.
|
Oh, I gotta tree!
|
|
DennisA (IL)
Orange Level
Joined: 11 Sep 2009
Location: Ridott IL.
Points: 2064
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 08 Apr 2017 at 8:42am |
I feel like I'm beating a dead horse here but I just don't understand the far spreading views and experiences. I have posted pictures below of rims that are/were filled with calcium chloride.
The two pictures below shows what chloride does to the rims after years of contact. We've all seen this and it's very common.
Now I would like to show you pictures from a tractor that still have the original factory tires and rims filled with chloride. Remember this tractor is 40 years old. I'm the 2nd owner of this tractor which has only 3600 hrs of use.
The first is the right hand rim that shows a little seepage at the valve stem.
I need to give you a little bit of history about the tractor before I bought it. The left rear tire was totally flat and of course it had chloride in it. It was driven around on the flat tire for some time as the tire had walked off on the outside rim. The rim and tire were covered in chloride. We agreed on a price for the tractor with the rear tire being repaired before delivery. Well they put a new tube in but did not clean off the chloride. They did paint the rim to make it like pretty. Since it was painted with out being cleaned the paint is peeling off. Now keep in mind that this happened about 1 year ago. Here is the picture of chloride at work for 1 year.
|
|
Thanks & God Bless
Dennis
|
|
GM Guy
Orange Level
Joined: 31 Jul 2012
Location: NW KS / S.C. ID
Points: 1985
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 09 Apr 2017 at 11:04pm |
|
In a perfect world, there would be nothing wrong with calcium because the stems would never leak and Goodyears will never pinch tubes, and hot soapy water is available anywhere at a moments notice.
This is not a perfect world. :)
In this non- perfect world, we do not devote time and money to changing and monitoring stems like we should.
In this non-perfect world the fields may have a deer antler in them, or a hastily buried-by-the-previous-jackass-owner farmstead with crap sticking out of the ground. In a field far away from any running water.
In a non-perfect world void of a wife that will bring a water truck with a mounted Hotsy in less than an hour.
IMO the best way to fight a potential problem is to eliminate the source.
I dont like primary countershaft gearboxes, engine gearcases, and grain loss, so I just simply dont buy a Deere combine. I buy a Gleaner that simply does not have those parts at all.
I dont like the risk of running over an unforseen object, or have an old tire simply give up the ghost and pinch the tube and spray calcium all over, so I just dont use calcium. Its easy to clean up after a blown tire when the tire never had calcium, because there is no clean up. Easy. :)
One cannot argue the fact that there is SOMETHING extra that needs done when making a tire repair involving liquid ballast. Either you are wasting your own time that you can be in the field, or you are ringing up a larger bill with the tire shop. I dont see how that can be disputed at all.
There are hundreds of salvage yards across the country happy to sell you wheel weights off a fallen brother of your exact tractor, and short term, the cost sucks, but long term, in this non-perfect world, it will be cheaper. In a perfect world, Calcium will still win out as the cheapest ballast long term.
If we want to get really cheap, if the application needing ballast is a drawbar application, make a 3pt hitch frame and mount a 55 gallon barrel in it, and fill it with concrete. wont look good, but it would be cheap. :)
The classier alternative is to make a 3pt bracket that allows a factory weight bracket to bolt to it, and use matching front end weights to the tractor.
If you are in one of the rare applications where you need ballast, but cast creates clearance issues or some other odd issue preventing its use, then liquid ballast may be your only route, and if it is, maybe choose the beet juice or some other alternative that would cause less damage in a non-perfect world failure scenario.
|
|
Gleaner: the properly engineered and built combine.
If you need parts for your Gleaner, we are parting out A's through L2's, so we may be able to help.
|
|
Play Farmer
Orange Level
Joined: 13 Jan 2016
Location: NNY
Points: 732
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 16 Apr 2017 at 10:44am |
|
As posted earlier, last year I filled my tires with water, then emptied them before the freezing season.
I haven't gotten around to filling them this year. A few days ago I decided I'd hook up the plows and see what it would do. Keep in mind it has (2) sets of wheel weights on it, and last year my un-weighted Massey 1100 gasser pulled the same plows with no issues. Well...I need to get the tires filled. The ONLY thing the 7000 would do is sit and spin. It didn't even make an attempt to pull the plows, nothing. Yeah, I was a little disappointed.
Needless to say wheel weights along weren't even close enough. Last year I was able to make 2 passes with the 7000 pulling the plows before a hydraulic issue sidelined it, so I know the extra weight is the issue.
Time to get the tires filled.
|
|
GM Guy
Orange Level
Joined: 31 Jul 2012
Location: NW KS / S.C. ID
Points: 1985
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 16 Apr 2017 at 11:13pm |
Play Farmer wrote:
As posted earlier, last year I filled my tires with water, then emptied them before the freezing season.
I haven't gotten around to filling them this year. A few days ago I decided I'd hook up the plows and see what it would do. Keep in mind it has (2) sets of wheel weights on it, and last year my un-weighted Massey 1100 gasser pulled the same plows with no issues. Well...I need to get the tires filled. The ONLY thing the 7000 would do is sit and spin. It didn't even make an attempt to pull the plows, nothing. Yeah, I was a little disappointed.
Needless to say wheel weights along weren't even close enough. Last year I was able to make 2 passes with the 7000 pulling the plows before a hydraulic issue sidelined it, so I know the extra weight is the issue.
Time to get the tires filled. |
I would use this as evidence in a presentation of "Why I need a 7010-7080" to the family and friends. :) 7000s dont have the built in weight the 7010-7080s do, I know ours even with big cast weights wont lay a ton of power down, but considering the engine's health, we just dont pull it heavy and use it for light tasks.
|
|
Gleaner: the properly engineered and built combine.
If you need parts for your Gleaner, we are parting out A's through L2's, so we may be able to help.
|
|
Play Farmer
Orange Level
Joined: 13 Jan 2016
Location: NNY
Points: 732
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 18 Apr 2017 at 6:53pm |
|
So I pulled the trigger and added about 700# of fluid in each rear wheel. I hooked up the plows tonight and it's a totally different machine.
I'm now a happy Play Farmer.
It's hard to beat fluid weight.
|
|
CrestonM
Orange Level
Joined: 08 Sep 2014
Location: Oklahoma
Points: 8388
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 18 Apr 2017 at 7:11pm |
GM Guy wrote:
I dont like primary countershaft gearboxes, engine gearcases, and grain loss, so I just simply dont buy a Deere combine. I buy a Gleaner that simply does not have those parts at all.
|
Talking about grain loss... check this out....this was after the custom cutters came, and also after a rain.
|
|
DennisA (IL)
Orange Level
Joined: 11 Sep 2009
Location: Ridott IL.
Points: 2064
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 18 Apr 2017 at 8:32pm |
Play Farmer wrote:
So I pulled the trigger and added about 700# of fluid in each rear wheel. I hooked up the plows tonight and it's a totally different machine.
I'm now a happy Play Farmer.
It's hard to beat fluid weight. |
What did you use for fluid?
|
|
Thanks & God Bless
Dennis
|
|
Play Farmer
Orange Level
Joined: 13 Jan 2016
Location: NNY
Points: 732
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 19 Apr 2017 at 5:00am |
|
Water...again.
For what I do I'm not spending the $$$ on beet juice and I have no desire for calcium chloride. I know it can work well, I'm just not interested in using it. I have to fix the rim on my D17 this Spring because it's gotten rusted up. I'll be leaving the calcium out of those as that tractor is enjoying semi-retirement now and is only used for planting.
|
|
