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Loaded Tires and Plowing

Yesterday's Tractor Forums
J

JCinKY

Member
Just wanted to get the general rule of thought out on the ol interweb...

I just got a 2-14 plow and was wondering if my tires had to/should be loaded to pull it?

I pulled the 1-14 this past year without loaded tires(it was a little tough), but was thinking about going ahead a fillin em up anyway. I added weight last year with the 1 bottom, but would just rather fill em up and not worry about putting the weight on and taking it off.

Obviously it would help with the plowin, but harder on the grass when I mow.

Any suggestions on fluid? Thinkin about WW fluid.
 
you can always go with a weak mix of water and eco safe anti freeze. doesn't have to be the same % as your radiator. just as long as they don't go solid on ya it's fine.. slushy is ok.

rv antifreeze holding tank stuff is usually cheaper than regular eco safe anti freeze.. etc.

i'd fill em. less slippage..
 
Fill 'em up.

It doesn't hurt the grass all that much but it makes a world of difference plowing & discing.

The real farmers around here use methanol. WW fluid, eco-safe anti-freeze, beet juice, RV anti-freeze all will work.
50 Tips
 
i agree with sound here, i filled mine. i plowed before and after and could def tell a difference. i used the eco antifreeze in mine. if you search the archive theres an thread about the amount of water your tire will hold based on size, you can use that to calculate how much antifreeze you need.
i used a hand transfer pump and some 3/8 clear tube to pump it in. remove the valve core and the tube will slip right over the valve stem. i held it on with a hose clamp. after i got the AF in i hooked the tube to a garden hose. once i could tell it was building up pressure i would stop and bleed the air out and keep going. all told i did both tires in about 30 mins.
you can buy a bleeder valve and not have to keep stopping, but it was easy enough without it.
 
couple ways.. you can use a drill pump or gravity flow to load the ballast into the tire.. then finish off with a burp adapter and garden hose and water.

jack up the tire, let air out.. remove valve stem core.. then use some fuel hose and a pointy ended bottle like a gear oil bottle and you can pour inthe antifreeze.. or you coupld pump it in.. then add the burp valve and garden hose and fill em up, burping as you go.. once the water is at the stem.. pull it and stickt he core in fast, air up.

go on to next side..
 

Thanks for all the quick replies and the much needed advice. I will be adding ballast for the plowing. Not much snow here in the past couple years so I'm in no big hurry.

I'll shop around for price, what is the best source for RV AF? Is it also animal safe?
 
A tractor can Not put full HP to the ground without added ballast. Tires just slip.
Another advantage to ballast is it makes the tractor much more stable on side hills etc.
I have wheel weights on my tractors and can't imagine running without them, even for lawn mowing or brush hogging, much less plowing and discing.
Fluid is good too. I just prefer cast iron.
I would ask around for some used anti freeze from local car repair shops. Usually you can get it free.
In KY you probably don't need too much - maybe 5 gallons per tire - if that. All you need to do is keep them from freezing hard as that will wreck your tires. A bit of slush is ok.
Pure antifreeze is heavier than water though so if you are looking for maximum weight consider that.
There are lots of different ways to add water/fluid to your tires. A 5 gallon pail with a fitting in the bottom hanging from a rope on a rafter and small hose to the tire works fine if you are patient. The last time I added fluid I used the water pump from my tile saw. Set it in a trash can of fluid and let it pump away. I had to burp it a couple of times but it worked real good.
 
Ultra...looks like that answered my question. One last thing, I've heard of wrapping the wheel with tape, but am unsure what its for. Stops rust???

Do I need to do anything other than just adding the fluid?
 
Read my post below but I would think 5 gals/tire would be plenty.
This is a topic that has come up many times before and there always those who will warn you about using anti freeze around animals.
But read the posts below, especially Dr Bert's posts about toxicity.
Read this thread
 
Wrapping the wheel with tape?
Dunno.
Maybe if you have the tire off already and the rim is kind of iffy - holes to cut the tube, etc.
Just pump the fluid in. No special precautions needed.
 
Thanks. Sadly, I lost two dogs this summer who had drank anti-freeze. Both went to the vet and confirmed through blood test. Cried like a little baby carrying them back to the truck after putting them down. Real lucky it didn't get all 4.

Just for peace of mind, I will not use used/automotive anti-freeze. I'll pay a little more for RV or WWF and not worry about it one bit.
 
(quoted from post at 05:27:12 10/18/12) Just wanted to get the general rule of thought out on the ol interweb...

I just got a 2-14 plow and was wondering if my tires had to/should be loaded to pull it?

I pulled the 1-14 this past year without loaded tires(it was a little tough), but was thinking about going ahead a fillin em up anyway. I added weight last year with the 1 bottom, but would just rather fill em up and not worry about putting the weight on and taking it off.

Obviously it would help with the plowin, but harder on the grass when I mow.

Any suggestions on fluid? Thinkin about WW fluid.
Click to expand...

Getting back to plowing. I have a 2-14 plow for my 8Ns. Does ok without ballist but I'm 250 pounds. My SIL did some plowing with it. He's real close to 350 but I will not say which way....LOL. You can see the difference 100 pounds makes. I wish I could find wheel weights for mine but am going to go with WWF before spring. I've got to plow about 60 acres with mine unless I can find a 4-16 by spring.

Rick
 
The fact antifreeze can kill is why I tell people to use Wiper fluid winter grade in tires. Safe for animals and safe for rims and also sort of safe for your grass
 
Send me an e-mail and I will in turn send you a copy of a page from a tractor owners manual that show 3 or 4 ways to do it and this is from back in the 30s when they did stuff the easy cheap ways
 
the rv antifreeze for the holding water tanks SHOULD be propylene not the ethylene stuff.

walmart sometimes has it here for 2.99-4.99 a gallon.. have seen napa and tsc with it as well.

soundguy
 
I agree it does not happen often but once is 10 times to many for me. I park my tractor in a field all the time where I have animals and all it takes is one small leak of antifreeze and then you can maybe lose an animal so I will not take that chance
 
You can buy bulk Wiper fluid from many of the local fuel distributor places by the 55 gal drum winter grade for around a buck a gal. Or if you buy by the case some auto parts store will sell if cheaper then off the counter
 
Switched to Classic and it only said "No Email" on the lower right. Oh well, sent you one any way. Much obliged.

I'm looking for bulk WWF now. 5 Gals still enough? Figured I would need more if not using AF.
 
In general (of course, there are expections, depending mostly upon soil) you will need loaded tires to plow with an N.

If your tractor struggled with a single 14" plow, it will not touch a 2X14" plow.

Dean
 
(quoted from post at 07:14:24 10/18/12) A tractor can Not put full HP to the ground without added ballast. Tires just slip.
Another advantage to ballast is it makes the tractor much more stable on side hills etc.
I have wheel weights on my tractors and can't imagine running without them, even for lawn mowing or brush hogging, much less plowing and discing.
Fluid is good too. I just prefer cast iron.
I would ask around for some used anti freeze from local car repair shops. Usually you can get it free.
In KY you probably don't need too much - maybe 5 gallons per tire - if that. All you need to do is keep them from freezing hard as that will wreck your tires. A bit of slush is ok.
Pure antifreeze is heavier than water though so if you are looking for maximum weight consider that.
There are lots of different ways to add water/fluid to your tires. A 5 gallon pail with a fitting in the bottom hanging from a rope on a rafter and small hose to the tire works fine if you are patient. The last time I added fluid I used the water pump from my tile saw. Set it in a trash can of fluid and let it pump away. I had to burp it a couple of times but it worked real good.
Click to expand...
use fluid in my tires plus the weight shown with weight on the fronts also. I'm sure some of the 8N guys would frown at the use of these on rear but here in Va. you need the extra pounds to avoid wheel slippage. Think i will use larger tire also.
359z4w5.jpg
 
Awesome. Thats what I needed. I'll be letting Sir Isaac Newton help me out and let the fluid flow down into the tire :lol:

Found some cheap-o WWF good to -20 for 2 bucks a gallon. Gonna get about 15 gallons and let er rip.
 
ive never had mine loaded,but im sure that lots of places you would need to. if your struggling to pull one,more than likely youll need to.
 
I'll add my voice to the chorus - I've plowed without ballast and with ballast. I'll never again plow without. I have about 30+ gals CaCl in each rear. The added weight is a consideration when working on a lawn, but not that much. A lot of people use finish mowers on Farmall Cs, which weigh about the same as an N with ballast.

Colin, MN
 
Load em up. Works great for plowing snow, also. Tried plowing both ways, I'll never go back to unloaded plowing again.
 

Ha ha ha...I can see it now. Two 2ns (which of course equals the extremely rare 4n). Linked steering and carbs, one seat right in the middle and WOT!!!

I would hate putting all those wheel weights on. Must be like a FEL or belly mower...you put em on and never take em off. Look good though.
 
methanol based ww fluid is likely less safe than eco safe propylene glycol based AF.

methanol causes blindness. propylene glycol.. causes.. .. um.. not much.. it's in toothpaste and mouthwash.. :) cheaper than glycerine I bet. :)

that said.. I have no qualms about using either. the methanol once hitting the ground is gonna be gone fast anyhow ( so would the 'dangerous' ethylene glycol. it's lifespan once dumped is short...
 
I used to pull the wheel weights off my Farmall Cub when switching from snow plowing to mowing duty. Then I discovered the tractor left fewer marks in the grass with the weights on. With weights the wheels did not slip nearly as much, if ever, on hills and that is what hurt the lawn more than anything.

When I got the Jubilee it was worse plowing snow than the Cub, until I filled the tires. Got winter formula wiper fluid at WalMart for around a buck a gallon, bought the little tire valve to hose adapter at TSC (about $10) and then just used a submersible pump in a 5-gal bucket to pump through a garden hose to the tires while I emptied wiper fluid jugs into the bucket. I planned on 60 gallons total, but ended up filling about 58, I think. I did need to remove the fenders to get access to the tire valve when at the top, but the whole project did not take long and now that Jubilee will plow anything!

=Vic=
 
(quoted from post at 09:27:12 10/18/12) Just wanted to get the general rule of thought out on the ol interweb...

I just got a 2-14 plow and was wondering if my tires had to/should be loaded to pull it?

I pulled the 1-14 this past year without loaded tires(it was a little tough), but was thinking about going ahead a fillin em up anyway. I added weight last year with the 1 bottom, but would just rather fill em up and not worry about putting the weight on and taking it off.

Obviously it would help with the plowin, but harder on the grass when I mow.

Any suggestions on fluid? Thinkin about WW fluid.
Click to expand...

WW fluid is fine
Talk to the manager wherever you get it.
even convenience stores will deal.
turns any small tractor into a real tractor.
2x14 is a workout for little Fords, you'll need it.
Don't worry about the grass, like said, unfilled tires that slip/spin do much more damage.
(besides, it's usually the fronts that tear up the lawn, on turns, not the rears.)
I buy old junk, not restored tractors, and I don't think I've ever
bought an old worker that didn't have filled tires. any color tractor.
 
i should have said ive never had my "n" tractor tires loaded,larger tractors were always loaded.didnt load the n tires simply because we trailered them everywhere and didnt want the extra weight.
 
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