Model B rear tire traction.

I think you will need to have some extra weight on the rear of a B unless you have awful easy soil to work. Might even want some on the front too, also depending on the soil. The B is pretty light all the way around. That's why cast weights were made for it - both front and rear.

I don't want to start another calcium war here, but I have used calcium chloride in my two tractors for over 40 years without any serious problem. My B has loaded rears and my Oliver 77 has loaded fronts and rears. As long as you use tubes and pay attention to the condition of the valve stems, you won't have a problem. When the small valve in the stem starts to leak (and it will in a few years), the calcium solution will seep up in between the tube and the rim and begin to cause problems. If this situation is left to fester for a time, the rims will eventually be consumed by corrosion. The solution is to always use tubes and maintain the valve stems.

You will hear many horror stories about calcium that could have been avoided by proper maintenance and care.

Apparently there are some alternatives but I am not aware of anything specific because it has not gained my interest. Calcium will likely give you the most weight for the same volume however.

Rod

How long have you been using it? How far south are you? I am near Richmond, VA. What proportion have you been using?

Thanx in advance.

We haven't been trying to put 1/2 antifreeze and 1/2 water in the tires - we really don't need protection down to 40 degrees below zero! And, if it does freeze once in a while no big deal (I've driven an AC 200 with frozen ballast for a while. It thawed out later that morning, and at 5 to 6 mph it was no big deal. That was with 23.1-30 rears. I wouldn't do heavy tillage with frozen ballast, though.)

We usually put about 1 gallon of antifreeze in the front tires and maybe 2+ gallons in the rears depending on how large they are. Protection down to +10 degrees would be more than enough down here (I'm in SC, about 50 miles above Columbia), but I doubt the 2 gallons protects much at all. Really we're using the antifreeze fro corrosion protection as much as anything. If I remember correctly we put 2 gallons of antifreeze in each rear tire on a tractor with 16.9-34 tires on it and we use it to feed hay all winter. No problems.

I'll see about getting a chart together that shows some tire sizes and the gallons of water needed to fill them to the top of the rim for ballast and put it on my website (link below) later today. That way you can make your own decision about how much to put in based on your temperatures.

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