Adding Weight to Your Garden Tractor Tires | How to Add Liquid Ballast Lawn & Garden Tractor Tires

[@Isavetractors]

Thanks for watching everyone! As always, hit that Like and Share Button! And also check out iSaveTractors.com! Thank you for saving the tractors.

[@dylansavio8924]

I may call you, and I love that about you and your company it’s so good and you care about the customers and that really important to me. 👍😃

[@RustyZipper]

💯👍 I just put an order in Sunday

[@Isavetractors]

I'll be here to help. Rusty has called me before!

[@tomconklin6514]

Norman, What a great spirit for old tractors! lest nobody forgets!

[@shobud7561]

I love these old work horses and your videos. If it wasn't for people like you these machines would be like the Dinosaurs Thanks for the work and research you do to provide the critical parts for these machines. Great Job ...

[@Isavetractors]

Thanks! I appreciate it!

[@MicahMartinDIY]

I did this to mine 3 years ago, and it is great! Also prevents the tire from competing deflating through the winter.

[@jerrynibarger9148]

Nice job. I did mine with a hose and a funnel. Gravity did all the work. It was slow, but it worked. Mine ended up with 85# tires when I was finished. My Cub is a beast now because of it. Thanks for you videos. They are great at showing what these smaller tractors can do.

[@TrojanHorse1959]

Great video and idea Norman, thank you! P.S. I did this around 10 years ago to my 149 Cub Cadet and it's still in there and working just fine. I always hated the calcium chloride because it would eventually ruin the rims. So far I have not detected any rust issues using the RV antifreeze. P.S.S. I just broke down one side of my rim (tubeless tires) and poured it in until it wouldn't hold anymore, 5 gallons per tire IIRC, 26x12x12 tires. Right now I have 5 old Cub Cadets, 3 that will run, one needs engine work, and one mnus the engine. The oldest one, the one that needs engine work, is from the 60's and the others are all 70's models IIRC.

[@jameshawkins8654]

Awesome I'm just starting to learn what I can about these tractors. As I've just bought one none running of course. Heck not really sure what I have but once I find out and am into the restore part of it I know of a place to hit up for parts. Mine came wit a front end loader and a small brush hog.

[@charliemclaughlin1042]

Did this years ago so I could cut the grass in the ditch in front of my house in Michigan 👍👍👍👍👍

[@davidshowalter5808]

Good idea cause it's hard to find the right cast iron weights but that's what I have on a few of my tractors

[@impala4dr]

Great video! If you were interested beet juice and rim guard are not hazardous either don’t rust rims and weigh about 13 lbs a gallon add even more weight Ik you mentioned it’s available at tractor dealers near you great products in my opinion

[@7thkansascav468]

Did this 15 years ago and it's still in there but I pulled the wheels, broke down the bead on one side and used a funnel to pour it in then just reseated the bead. My Wheelhorse took 10 gallons per tire. I'm going to put new tires on this year and I'm going to try to save the old antifreeze with a siphon pump that is run with an electric drill. When I put it in RV antifreeze was $1.49 and cost me $15 a tire to do, it's gone up since then. What can I say? I'm "thrifty" LOL.

[@johnpopzgrace1900]

Good video! Norman is great and easy to follow and understand! Thank's 👌

[@royhoco5748]

good informative video tips - lay an old blanket or sheet or towels under the tire and bucket to soak up antifreeze spills and put the supply hose under the bucket handle (it acts a a clamp) to keep it from moving while filling the tire

[@robertheinkel6225]

A good rule of thumb,is to only fill the tire to the top of the rim.

[@shanesmaineshop]

I have everything but the liquid air adapter Ill am ordering it now. Thanks from a fellow Mainer.

[@nbookie]

Without tubes I found it easier to just break the bead and pour it in. Use a tire spade to pull of the tire above the rim edge. Then you have very little air left. No pump/hose/special fittings.

[@nbookie]

@fartpoobox ohyeah we called them spade in Iraq, here it's a tire spoon.

[@robertheinkel6225]

The fluid level should never be above the top of the rim, unless you really like a rough ride.

[@M.TTT.]

Hmm, interesting. Good idear and easier than the bolt on large plastic/sand/metal weights.

[@Isavetractors]

You could use both and double the weight!

[@Blazer02LS]

With the bolt on weights, you can easily take them off. Liquid isn't quite as easy lol. I have loaded tires on the work tractors, the lawn only one has no extra weight.

[@M.TTT.]

@@Blazer02LS yeahh thats true too if you ever need to remove weight

[@sbctdizzle1]

Thanks for sharing this. I picked up my first tractor a few months ago, a Bolens Ht20 with a front loader. I’m finding that I lose traction in some situations with weight in the bucket and been thinking about doing this. You got a new subscriber, I’ll have to check out more of your videos b

[@aidanhoffman5966]

Can you do a video on installing dulles?

[@pl747]

We added antifreeze to the water on our large tractors. I made a tool for doing it out of an air tank off of a semi truck. I made a stand out of an old car wheel and welded three angle irons straight up on it so the tank would slide down in and secured it with a couple of big hose clamps. On the bottom end of the tank I cut a hole and welded in a 1/2" merchant pipe coupler and put an elbow and shut off valve. On the top of the tank I cut a hole and welded in a short 2" pipe nipple. It had a cap with a piece of round stock welded across it so it could be taken off by hand. I also cut another hole and welded in a 1/4" merchant pipe coupler and added an air schrader valve to add air pressure. Close the valve at the bottom, take off the big cap at the top, pour in the antifreeze, put the big cap back on, pressure up the tank some, open the valve at the bottom and blow the antifreeze into the tire. Worked great and made a time consuming chore real quick and super easy. No pumps.. On the out side of the valve at the bottom i adapted it to garden hose thread. I cut down a good quality garden hose to about 10 ft long so it would be easier to handle. The tire valve stem has to be in the up position on the tire. It would blow in 4 gallons at a time. We only had to put about 50 pounds of air on the tank to blow it in and that was more than enough.

[@brittlanders351]

Great stuff

[@Plazman]

Great video, thanks!

[@paulmott1186]

Hi Norman...great video and very informative, thanks for the tip.

[@Oospi]

I've been using my portable air tank. Pour fluid into tank, pump up tank, stand on end with hose down, and fill tire. Also remember to bleed the air off of tire during process.

[@hamrobert1469]

Hello Norman, Hope you are having a great day. Very cool tractor tip for the day. I was wondering how that was done. I'm planning to do the same thing with the rear tires of the Wheel Horse 312-8 Tractor when I do the rebuild. Thank you much and God bless. :-)

[@JohnSmith-tv5ep]

NORM !, you definitely covered all the bases on types of tire ballast and great job of the 'how to video' ! Only thing you may want to mention,......... don't think you're gonna PUSH yer tractor when you run outa gas ! LOL Good stuff!

[@codydunn242]

I did this with my ford 145 about 12 years ago.

[@yogiss18]

Have you ever put power steering on a Simplicity or Allis Chalmers. If you have a video on that I would really love to see how you did it.

[@lilmike2710]

That's pretty cool

[@bigcharliesmodelgarage296]

Cool thanks for sharing

[@MrVailtown]

Thank-you

[@mperkin15]

I just broke the tire bead on one side and filled it up with the hose. Then aired the tire up to pressure. Much easier and faster.

[@gittyupalice96]

Doesn't work for us in the north that use em as plow tractors

[@nbookie]

I'm on lake erie, do the same. Hose on the jug or just a funnel. 5 minutes and done.

[@timothykeith1367]

I got a section of heavy pipe that will slip inside the wheels. I plan to melt the lead from lead acid batteries to create the weights. Batteries are 60 percent lead by weight. The weights don't need to be very thick, compared to concrete which is more bulky. You could cut some steel disks and stack them too, but lead is the best ballast

[@palco22]

Great video......now I know, thanks

[@willyck948]

i prefer to fill tubes😉

[@jonathanolsen7254]

Hi there Norm, Norm I am working on my 82 Ff24 Craftsman Tractor, I need some help I was rebuilding my tractor and rebuilt everything but some were I lost my front mounted PTO that gets connected to my elect clutch by belt, I do not know if someone took it or just where it is but its not with me anymore, Do you know any place that might have this part ? Also, where can I get a owner's manual for this 82 Ff 24 tractor. Love your video's that you put out there, Big Thanks...

[@jeffreyyeater1780]

I have a Simplicity prestige. Got tires filled wit rimgaurd . it seamed to help as muchas or more than weights.

[@philliphall5198]

Thank you 🙏

[@charliemclaughlin1042]

I used windshield washer fluid and a old windshield washer pump

[@HillbillyOffroading]

I picked up a 4th Gilson tractor not to long ago. It was a '73 Gilson S-10 garden tractor with chains and a snow blower attachment. Got it running good and decided to reverse the rims to get a wider stance since it was on a cast iron Peerless 2300. Come to find out the guy had already loaded the tires down. Weighted a empty 23x8.50x12 with snow chain and it was 40lbs. Weighted the filled 23x8.50x12 with snow chain and it came out to 139lbs. That 100lbs more in each tire. How can there be almost 12 gallons in them or could something else have been used to fill them? Either way it did fantastic driving through 8" of snow.

[@Plazman]

You mentioned a 1/2 hp pump being fine. What about 1/10 or 1/4 hp? I'll need to buy a pump to do this, just wondering how much I'll have to spend.

[@pattyadams5640]

I just got new tires put on my garden tractor

[@C-M-E]

One alternate idea, the only active ingredient in most antifreeze fluids like you might pass onto a windshield is watered down methanol. You can easily mix up your own batch with denatured alcohol from any hardware store and divide out 1/4-1-2 gallon alky to remainder of water (tire size dependent and how cold an environment you expect to encounter. If you live further south, it can be thinned out fairly effectively). Sometimes you get a terrific deal on fluid that it doesn't meter out financially, but even low shelf stuff around my area is $4-8 a gallon, whereas I can get denatured alcohol for $8 a gallon and be done with it. This part I haven't tested myself, but if I were to run water 365 a year, I'd run a tire sealant around first, then let it set up in open air just to give the rim a fighting chance at avoiding corrosion down the line. I've also considered blasting in high density urethane foam and running them airless altogether, but you definitely won't be saving much in the cost battle unless flats are a constant threat. We've got thorns around here the size of ten penny nails that necessitate running half a gallon of slime and having tire plugs close by.

[@job38four10]

You explained liquid tire ballast pretty good, how did you know to use 6 gallons and shouldn't the tire be vertical? I'm also in ME.

[@Isavetractors]

You can fill them more when laid on their side. I just stopped at 6 gallons. It may take a little more.

[@KarenDarinLong-pp7sy]

Norman could I fit 6 gallons in 23x10.5x12” tires? Thanking you in advance for your knowledge Darin

[@Isavetractors]

You could probably squeeze close to 6 in there.

[@KarenDarinLong-pp7sy]

@@Isavetractors as always thank you for your insight

[@jhitt79]

I’ve seen different videos on filling tires with fluid and have never seen anyone do it the way I do it: Simply add a second valve stem on the opposite side of the rim. Fill in one stem and let the air escape out the other. You don’t need any special tools or a pump. Just a drill and bit.

[@floydhorslerjr8422]

That's great if your tubeless

[@rydplrs71]

No pumps or special valves needed. 1/4 hose and a wd-40 straw is all you need. The 1/4 hose siphon feeds and the wd-40 straw allows air out. It’s cheaper and it’s pretty fast. I did the pump deal for 1/2 a tire and gave up, I’ve tried several times to give it away and the people just do the siphon method. I did 2 tires with 11 gallons each in under an hour.

[@rydplrs71]

Your also much better off with the tire mounted with the valve stems at the top, that way there is enough air so you can still check pressure and not gum up you gauge.

[@doomman700]

Stand tire up valve stem at 12o clock fill till it runs out , that keeps weight low and not robbing power to move

[@TrehanCreekOutdoors]

I'm wanting to do this to my rear riding lawn mower tires. I'm wondering about unanticipated consequences, such as running over thorns, nails, or anything else that might flat the tire and allow the antifreeze to run out. Is there a good way to avoid that? Lawn mower tires are not very tough against punctures and I also mow deer food plots that can have more hazards than a regular lawn. Also, filling the lawn mower tires would only add about 33 pounds per tire, or 66 pounds total. Is that enough to make all that much difference? Last question. Mississippi gets 50 to 75 inches of rain annually so we have a lot of wet grass and tons of MUD! I'm wondering if making the tires heavier is the right answer. Most of the mud racing trucks and mud mowers all want flotation tires because heavy tires just make deeper ruts in mud. Seems like the heavy tires would do best in loose dry soil such as freshly tilled dirt, not on wet grass or in mud. Am I missing something? Great videos, as are all those you post! Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[@Isavetractors]

Weight on the tires increase traction in all conditions. For muddy weather you could go dual rears for extra flotation. Regarding punctures, these tires are tough enough to not easily puncture. The only hazards to avoid are nails and screws. If you puncture it, you will just repair as normal and refill the liquid. RV anti freeze is not toxic and will not affect your surrounding property

[@TrehanCreekOutdoors]

@@Isavetractors I appreciate your input. However, I'm speaking of using the standard lawn tractor tires that are on my riding mower, not buying the heavy duty tires you used nor installing dual tires. My question was about simply filling standard lawn mower tires with the RV antifreeze. Yes, I do know there are plenty of heavy duty tires on the market. But that isn't what you get on a Poulon riding lawn mower! Those tires are often only 2 ply or 4 ply at best and they puncture quite easily. I don't want to have to keep buying and refilling with the antifreeze over and over which is why I was asking about any thoughts on using it in standard cheap turf mower tires, not the heavy duty tires in your video. Seems like the advantage of tire weights or something similar is that they never leak out. As for mud, I think you missed the point of that question too as you say that the heavier weight of the tire improves traction then follow that up with suggesting dual tires for better flotation. Flotation is a different technique for going through mud that largely isn't so much dependent upon using heavy weight to gain better traction. Flotation is a principle of using wide tires that create as big of a footprint as possible, and generally tires which run on lower air pressure. The concept is to spread out the weight of the equipment being moved over as much tire tread area as possible. It isn't about "digging in and powering through" but is about riding high and NOT digging ruts or sinking down. With flotation, the more the tire weighs the worse flotation effect you get. Last but not least, lets look closer at hazars from RV antifreeze, which is based upon two chemical formulas, one using generally cheaper ethanol and the other using about 4x more expensive propylene glycol. Both can be toxic to pets or most any other living things if ingested in large enough quantities. True, a little might not kill you but per spec sheets it can cause a lot of nasty side effects you would not enjoy. Ethanol based antifreeze is grain alcohol essentially and that is a hazardous, readily combustible substance sold with a warning label about the risk. Ethanol is also the widely cursed culprit that is known to dry out rubber components and make them deteriorate faster and fall apart. So, let's see....we want to put ethanol in a rubber tire? I don't want ethanol in my lawn mower carb because it gums up the jets and ruins the rubber seals. Why then do I want that in a tire? Dow Chemical who is a large producer of propylene glycol antifreeze warns that some product using this ingredient are made from recycled propylene glycol, generally recovered from deicing of aircraft. The recycled stuff may have anything and everything from dirt, oil, jet fuel, etc. mixed in with the recovered glycol. So if you buy the glycol product, you could easily be getting a product that may indeed contain elements that are toxic. Frankly, there's not much in the way of any chemical based substance like antifreeze that is truly non-toxic. Buy a gallon bottle of whatever grain alcohol you like at the liquor store and drink it all in one siting. If you live through it, post here if you still think the stuff is non-toxic. I run an organic farm on my 20 acres of land and I truly don't want chemicals leaking out of tires in any large enough amounts to make an impact. A drop or two is not a concern. Four gallons in a tire that got slashed by a tree stub I ran over would be.

[@kxhonda]

Would rather use -20 windshield washer fluid. Rv antifreeze freezes around 10-15 degrees. Put 44 gals of it in my ford 9n.

[@Isavetractors]

I use RV antifreeze because of it's non toxic nature.

[@Blazer02LS]

You need a tire bong... Another option if you don't want to do the pump or filler routine, break the short side bead in one spot, pour in the ballast and air it back up.

[@rydplrs71]

Blazer02LS that doesn’t work with tubes.

[@thelibertyworkshop2952]

Just a question : Is there some reason why you don't simply break the bead on one side and fill the tire and reseat it ??

[@jdub1922]

But otherwise if you live in warm climes you can just put a hose on there from the spigot, right?

[@Isavetractors]

Yes correct

[@hamrobert1469]

Hello Norman, I was wondering if you happen to sell the OEM wiring harnesses for the Wheel Horse 312-8 tractor, like the one you have.?

[@kenhilson786]

Wonder if a sump pump would be too high volume to use.

[@DIYdiacsnFarmstead]

I didn't see a pressure gauge on your air gun,do you guess the Pressure?

[@Isavetractors]

The air gun has a gauge built into it. It doesnt pop out very much at the low pressures these tires take

[@chevyfan82]

If using antifreeze make sure it dose not contain ethylene glycol that will degrade the rubber tube/ tire.

[@DanLamey-qk7se]

HI HOW MANY GALLONS DO YOU PUT IN a 12 inch tire

[@maxwellknapp9994]

How do you know when you have your tire full?

[@Isavetractors]

When liquid starts pouring out of it. When that happens drain it out some, then add air.

[@maxwellknapp9994]

@@Isavetractors pouring out of the bead stem and leaking out by the adapter thing?

[@Isavetractors]

Yes. As the other commenter said they're are charts too you can use. If using a tube like me subtract a gallon or two

[@rydplrs71]

Fill with the tire upright, valve stems at the top. Do not fill above that line.

[@rollfablife3363]

Will your Rim rust out without a tube with the antifreeze?

[@Isavetractors]

Depends. If you have a perfectly sealed tire bead air will be between the liquid and the rim. Also if your rim is painted, that will prevent corrosion. If you however have leaks in your bead the liquid will reach the rim and cause corrosion.

[@rollfablife3363]

@@Isavetractors but the antifreeze will not cause it to rust?

[@Isavetractors]

Not as quickly. I'm using tubes here though so there is no issue. The calcium is what really accelerates corrosion

[@rollfablife3363]

@@Isavetractors ok thanks

[@rydplrs71]

hands down everything rusts your rim, but even calcium chloride takes 20 years to cause problems. Rv antifreeze or wiper fluid might take 30.

[@isaacjacobson3982]

where did you get your tires

[@jason-white]

How much do you think this will help with just factory Carlisle turf tires on a lawn tractor?

[@rydplrs71]

White Farms it’s night and day for snow or muddy lawn.

[@gregolson5532]

This job can be done without a water pump using gravity. It does however take a lot longer.

[@thepubliceye]

I have traction but the tractor goes where it wants, the front tires just slide. The tractor is a Ford YT16 gear drive.

[@Isavetractors]

Now you need to add weight to your front end to get some steering back.

[@nbookie]

A bit off topic but cant find the answer. What's the largest ag tires that will fit a JD 425?

[@montanaeaglescout]

You could take the clearance measurements of your machine and compare

[@lunaflight7717]

Want a mower and snow blower for your front mount mower?

[@Isavetractors]

Yes!

[@lunaflight7717]

@@Isavetractors there's a auction coming up here in Minnasota that has a parts machine like your toro with a 72 inch deck and 54 inch dual stage blower

[@boblazarrss]

You could use four loko

[@pullimgsm]

On the duals. The newest tires,which are also the tallest should always be mounted on the inside. Less stress on the axles and bearings.

[@hotrodgavin6543]

First again

[@boblazarrss]

Vodka will work

[@philliphall5198]

Rusty rims ??? Calcium eats metal faster

[@stevebaker4996]

lol