Wheel weight idea pros and cons.

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Wheel weight idea pros and cons.

Post by DavidBarkey »

Please add to the list and the Pros. and Cons

Loaded tires with calcium .
Pros. max fluid weight down without downward axle weight
Cons. requires special tubes or will rot rim, upward stress on axle when front end weight is high and $$$ , risk of loss in case of puncture


Loaded with RV antifreeze
Pros. reasonable weight added without the need of tubes and less $$$ than calcium no downward axle weight
Cons. less weight per gallon and adds upward stress to the axle when front end load is high, risk of loss in case of puncture


Loaded with Rim Guard
Pros. reasonable weight added without the need of tubes and less $$$ than calcium no downward axle weight , more weight than RV antifreeze
Cons. less weight per gallon and adds upward stress to the axle when front end load is high, risk of loss in case of puncture


Factory iron wheel weights
Pros. stackable , changeable, removable , no down ward axle weight
Cons. expensive , getting hard to find , upward stress on axle when front weight high


Home made wheel weights
Pros. usually less $$ , no downward axle weight
Cons. time consuming , upward stress on axle when front weight high , some types may not provide sufficient weight


Non factory iron/steel weights
Pros. potentially cost effective , no downward axle weight
Cons. maybe difficult to find a size that fits you application, upward stress on axle when front weight high

Weight box
Pros. adjustable weight totals , variety of materials can used for weight , usually cost effective , can be bought or made, no upward axle stress
Cons. continuous downward axle weight , may interfere with other accessories


3 pt hitch weight
Pros. can be home made or bought , most are easy hook up and removed when not needed , no upward axle stress
Cons. downward axle weight when lifted , may interfere with other accessories ,



Driver
Size of driver , or lack there of in some cases . Maybe advantage or not .
Last edited by DavidBarkey on Sun Nov 06, 2022 12:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Wheel weight idea pros and cons.

Post by Eugen »

Seems to me you covered them pretty much all Dave. A good idea to leave the operator weight out of the equation. :25:
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Re: Wheel weight idea pros and cons.

Post by Timj »

There are steel weights from old tractors and machinery out there that will work if you know what to look for and want to spend the time.

Another con to the liquid ballast would be if you poke a nail or something through it, could get messy and you may lose your fluid.

What you are doing/how you are using your tractor definitely plays into how much you want/need.

I'll have to ask my tire guy about what it would cost to have RimGuard put in them next time he's around.

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Re: Wheel weight idea pros and cons.

Post by DavidBarkey »

Eugen wrote: Sun Nov 06, 2022 11:46 am Seems to me you covered them pretty much all Dave. A good idea to leave the operator weight out of the equation. :25:
Good point . forgot that one . a 14 year old boy will need more gravitational assistance than an adult .
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Re: Wheel weight idea pros and cons.

Post by FUTZ »

I filled some tires 30 years ago with window wash, and they are still good. I recently filled tires and I thought I would try beet juice because it heavier and better environmentally. The local tractor shop said they are now using WHEAT juice instead of beet juice, since beet juice was eroding rims; so much for Rim 'GUARD'

I did mine all at home; just lied tire down, broke bead and poured in. The wheat juice was crazy expensive and left a sticky mess; I had to pressure wash whole garage floor. I couldn't tell the difference in weight between w-w and wheat juice. I'm going to stick with window wash. No environmental mishaps in 30years, cheaper, why not.
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Re: Wheel weight idea pros and cons.

Post by thebuildist »

At the suggestion of @DavidBarkey I also did mine at home. Laid the rim down, broke the bead, and poured in RV antifreeze.
If you can do it the way I did, it's very affordable. I ordered 16 gallons, and Walmart sent me 15. So when I replied that I was a gallon short, they sent me another 12 or 15. So whereas I had planned to water it down, I just poured it straight in undiluted.

By tilting the tire up just a little bit to one side, I think I was able to add a little over a hundred pounds per tire.

It's only been a year but no leaks or difficulties yet.

The RV antifreeze is supposed to be quite inert. So I didn't feel any need to try to put in a tube or anything. If you think about it, the rim itself is always submerged. So without any chance for oxygen to get in there, I think it can go for decades without any meaningful rust.

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Re: Wheel weight idea pros and cons.

Post by Gordy »

thebuildist wrote: Tue Nov 08, 2022 5:27 pm At the suggestion of @DavidBarkey I also did mine at home. Laid the rim down, broke the bead, and poured in RV antifreeze.
If you can do it the way I did, it's very affordable. I ordered 16 gallons, and Walmart sent me 15. So when I replied that I was a gallon short, they sent me another 12 or 15. So whereas I had planned to water it down, I just poured it straight in undiluted.

By tilting the tire up just a little bit to one side, I think I was able to add a little over a hundred pounds per tire.

It's only been a year but no leaks or difficulties yet.

The RV antifreeze is supposed to be quite inert. So I didn't feel any need to try to put in a tube or anything. If you think about it, the rim itself is always submerged. So without any chance for oxygen to get in there, I think it can go for decades without any meaningful rust.

Bob
Being in GA you would not need to worry about it. But calling it RV antifreeze is kind of a misnomer, as it will freeze solid, it just does not expand like water. And any dilution with water drastically raises its freezing point, and the chance of bursting pipes.

Working a pipeline job, one night I saw the laborers drain a water pump and add a gallon of RVA and start the pump to circulate the RVA. The next morning they were using a weed burner to heat the pump as it was froze up, it had gotten down to -25f and the -50f RVA was solid in the pump. The foreman exploded when he saw the torch being used, and accused them of not doing their job. Before interrupting I went the truck and grabbed a jug of RVA and a jug of -30f washer fluid. I then interrupted by repeatedly banging the frozen RVA on the back of the flatbed truck, and shaking the washer fluid to show it was still liquid. As the foreman stormed off cursing the head laborer patted me on the back and called me his new best friend for bringing the A$$ chewing to an abrupt end. ;)

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Re: Wheel weight idea pros and cons.

Post by thebuildist »

Lol! What a great story! I did not know that it would actually freeze. I don't suppose I really care. As long as it doesn't actually expand. But that's a nifty property of it.
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Re: Wheel weight idea pros and cons.

Post by DavidBarkey »

The interesting thing about RV antifreeze is that it seem to have a high internal friction . I have had tires that are loaded with it "freeze" but when some force is applied to to it be it pressure or impact that it goes from a solid to a slush instantly and appon movement returns to a liquid with out the addition of external heat . Now I allways use it straight up , no water . I don't know if that makes it react differently . :hm:
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Re: Wheel weight idea pros and cons.

Post by Eugen »

FUTZ wrote: Tue Nov 08, 2022 10:08 am I filled some tires 30 years ago with window wash, and they are still good. I recently filled tires and I thought I would try beet juice because it heavier and better environmentally. The local tractor shop said they are now using WHEAT juice instead of beet juice, since beet juice was eroding rims; so much for Rim 'GUARD'

I did mine all at home; just lied tire down, broke bead and poured in. The wheat juice was crazy expensive and left a sticky mess; I had to pressure wash whole garage floor. I couldn't tell the difference in weight between w-w and wheat juice. I'm going to stick with window wash. No environmental mishaps in 30years, cheaper, why not.
This is good to know, as I've often wondered if I should go the route of beet juice or, as it turns out, wheat juice. Now I know I'll stay with window washer fluid or RV antifreeze.
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