What wheels, rims and tires do I need?

[paulygman]

I recently purchased a FORD 640 tractor with a front bucket loader and a concrete ballast block on the 3 point hitch. I am a novice to tractors. I am using the tractor to help build a house, moving construction materials and light earth and crushed stone moving/grading. No farming. Site is a few acres in northern New Jersey, hilly and rocky. The tires are a bit cracked but are holding air. The rear wheel rims are regular rims (not spinout) they are a bit rusty The tires are a bit cracked but are holding air.

At some point in the future I might want to remove the concrete ballast block to run 3 point backhoe.

Looking to buy new rims, so should I get spinout rims or regular? What is the advantage/disadvantage? Cost difference?

At some point in the future I might want to remove the concrete ballast block to run 3 point attachments, like a wood chipper or wood splitter, so I might need wheel weights to counter balance the front end loader.....any issue (advantage/disadvantage? any cost difference?) with wheel weights used on spinout rims or regular rims?

How can I tell if the rear tires a full of liquid ballast, I know a really dumb question, but I am a novice!

Current tires are AG type, any reason I should consider another style of tire?

Thanks for any advise.
Paul G

 

[Sean in PA]

Looking to buy new rims, so should I get spinout rims or regular?

What you are calling "spinout" rims are called power adjust rims. If you switch to power adjust rims, you will need to buy wheel centers to match them. You cannot use power adjust rims with manual adjust centers.

I also advise against a 3 point hitch mounted backhoe. Using one of those will abuse the rear axle of the tractor and cause premature wear.

 

[Mobuck]

The easy way to determine if you have 'fluid' in your tires: park the tractor with the valve stem below axle level and use a nail/stick/tool to depress the center of the valve stem. Liquid will squirt out if the tires have liquid ballast.
As mentioned, you can't just change to 'spin-out' rims with your present centers. I agree with Sean, a 3point backhoe is far too much for the little tractor. It's obviously overloaded already with the weight of loader and frame. If you need a backhoe, rent a mini-excavator or hire machine and operator.

 

[Jeff Hamilton]

Paul, Regarding power adjust rims, I would suggest if you are not farming and require the wheel spacing to be frequently changed it's a waste of money, go with the simple rims. It's hard to judge from the pictures - it does look like there a little rust by the valve stem which might indicate fluid is in the tire. I had a fluid in one of my tires and there was nothing much left of a valve stem hole - just a rusty valve stem "area." I repaired mine. With the tire removed, I cleaned, scraped, patched the bad area by welding, and drilled a new hole for the valve stem, much cheaper than new rims. Not telling you what to do, but I'd probably focus my attention on getting the house built. Those tires probably have years of life left in them. And, also, "backhoe bad idea"

 

[Eman85]

Once you price tires and rims you'll learn to like what you have. Have you checked the air pressure in the tires? If you have you would know if they had ballast. Rust on the rims is usually only a problem at the valve stem and usually the rims can be repaired instead of replaced.
I'd say the backhoe wouldn't be a good idea, I'm sure the tractor isn't happy with the size of that bucket, easy to break the front end.

 

[paul]

I would know of no reason for you to change your current rims. From your angled pic I only see surface rust. You will need to be sitting down when you see the pice of changing them to spin out. Some sanding and a spray paint can are the way to go.

Ag tires are perfect for the tractor. The more industrial (R4) would be a little easier on a lawn if that is a concern, but they give far less traction in snow or mud or soft dirt esp with that big loader. Those knobby lawn mower type tractor tires are supposed to be good for not harming a lawn but are just awful for anything other than holding the tractor up.

Rust is a sign of either winter driving in snow country where they pour ice melt all over the place, or fluid in the tires. (Or of course just being decades old…) Another person mentioned how to check for fluid.

3 pt backhoes put a whole lot of stress on the top link of the tractor, and the ‘center’ of the tractor about where your feet are when sitting on the tractor. (It’s a teeter todder deal, it focuses the stress on those 2 locations.) All the downward digging force goes straight to that top link bracket and they weren’t often designed to handle that much inward push force. The bottom arms of the 3pt get not so much stress from a backhoe, tho they are build much stronger for typical uses.

Your tractor doesn’t have the strongest design for the top link. It could handle a light duty backhoe. But looking at the size of that loader, I’d be careful on what size backhoe you try to put on! The middle of your tractor is fairly stout, should be ok with a modest backhoe.

Paul

 

[Ultradog MN]

I recently purchased a FORD 640 tractor with a front bucket loader and a concrete ballast block on the 3 point hitch. I am a novice to tractors. I am using the tractor to help build a house, moving construction materials and light earth and crushed stone moving/grading. No farming. Site is a few acres in northern New Jersey, hilly and rocky. The tires are a bit cracked but are holding air. The rear wheel rims are regular rims (not spinout) they are a bit rusty The tires are a bit cracked but are holding air.

At some point in the future I might want to remove the concrete ballast block to run 3 point backhoe.
View attachment 106621View attachment 106622
Looking to buy new rims, so should I get spinout rims or regular? What is the advantage/disadvantage? Cost difference?

At some point in the future I might want to remove the concrete ballast block to run 3 point attachments, like a wood chipper or wood splitter, so I might need wheel weights to counter balance the front end loader.....any issue (advantage/disadvantage? any cost difference?) with wheel weights used on spinout rims or regular rims?

How can I tell if the rear tires a full of liquid ballast, I know a really dumb question, but I am a novice!

Current tires are AG type, any reason I should consider another style of tire?

Thanks for any advise.
Paul G

Did I miss something?
I'm wondering why you are worrying about your tires and rims?
The one side I see looks fine to me.
It is not like you are driving 60 mph on the highway.
If you are not making a show tractor, most of us here would run them till they fall off the tractor and then deal with them.