Tires on todays tractors

Charlie M

Well-known Member
The guy working the field across the road from me has a nice relatively new JD tractor with front wheel drive assist and last night I saw he had a flat tire on the front. Made me wonder if those are tubeless tires. Does any new tractor of any size still use a tube. Do they put ballast in the rear tires and need a tube? All I own is old stuff but I don't anything farm related that doesn't have an inner tube.
 
On our 01 JD 4600 they're all tubeless, I know because I have broken off valve stems on both front and back cutting brush! They are wide bar industrial tires so I have never had any other tire problems in 1100 hours.
 
Pretty much everything is tubeless now.

Apparently they put liquid ballast right in the tubeless tire if it's absolutely necessary, even CaCl. The justification being is that it takes oxygen in addition to the CaCl to corrode the rims, and once the oxygen in the tire is used up, the corrosion stops.

Normally they try to work with iron weights rather than liquid ballast, if additional weight is necessary. Most tractors that do any pulling are MFWA/D (i.e. 4x4) and have radial tires. The liquid ballast negates the advantages of radial tires, or so I'm told.
 
The company I worked for in the 80's was contracted to design and build a system for the Deere assembly line to inflate the front tires on MFWD tractors.
It consisted of a conveyor to bring the tire and rim into a safety cage horizontally. Air cylinder controlled vertical doors, safety bar walls and top. There was a circular manifold with jets to blow air between the bead and rim. I think someone had to clip air chuck on valve stem.
There was a large air storage tank (maybe 250 gallons) on top which fed the manifold thru a solenoid valve. I believe there were two manifolds for different diameter tires.
The tire would be inflated to proper pressure and then the doors would open and the inflated one would roll out and the next one come in.
I believe the building we had it in was close to an acre in size. When the blast cycle went on (about a second or two) everyone's ears would pop. I am sure Deere put it in a much larger building which would minimize the pressure burst.
 
My neighbor does contract work clearing and maintaining various properties and power line right of way. Everything he operates has tubeless tires. If he punctures one: he puts a plug in it,airs it back up and goes again. If the plug leaks: tire is replaced. Saving time over tube type repair in the field
 
The 18.4-38's on my 4430 are all tubeless. I use cast iron weights and no liquid ballast. The liquid ballast prevents the radial tire from flexing properly is what I have been told.
 
I purchased a 2008 JD 4320 had tubless tires all around.I got tired of rolling front tires off the bead every time I used the front loader.Put tubes in both front tires,kept rear tubless .Loaded rear with water.Satisfied with results.
 
Can anyone list a source for "radial tires won't flex correctly with fluid"? Pardon my skepticism! It sounds like another EXCUSE from the calcium chloride HATERS!!!
I Don't have a dog in the fight!!
That sounds like a abundant college professor's answer to something they don't want to be questioned about and really don't want to go to the research to prove or disprove what uncle Fudpucker heard from his cousin Eustas, who heard it from his brother's uncles tire shop.
Like I said, I don't care. Just under house arrest for 7 weeks with another 6 to go before I find out HOW MUCH LONGER? STIR CRAZY, CRANKY AND TOO MUCH TIME ON MY HANDS!!! Have a nice day!
 

As barnyard said pretty much everything is tubeless and has been for a long time. And also as he said they put CaCl in tubeless tires if needed, and it will not corrode the rims significantly unless oxygen is added regularly.
 
I like to pull tractors. Started with Dad's 4010 Diesel John Deere. It had 18.4 x 38 Armstrong tires. Was pulling 12000 NA class. Dad had Calcium Chloride in the tires. I never could get in the money. I had done head work,pump work,and had the drawbar short and right height. Finally a old guy said son you are never going to do any good with fluid in your tires! Had it pumped out. Added wheel weights. Now I was competitive. We tried pulling against fluid tractors, could beat them every time giving them 500 lbs. I do have fluid in a loader tractor. Cheap weight.
 
I was taught in college that a radial tire won?t flex right with fluid in it don?t think I ever actually read it in any book though . There are a lot of big tractors running here with radials and fluid In all 6 tires and they work fine. I was also taught that a 2wd tractor with duals was worse than a 2wd tractor without duals whoever came up with that idea hasn?t had much real tractor experience.
 
Some guys getting loaders will request adding tubes to the front in case you?re in heavy going with a bucket and get into a hole. That way if the bead looses contact with the rim in a spot momentarily you might not get a flat.
 
The big radials won't work correctly. Bigger issue is the fluid reduces the volume of air increasing the spring rate and moving weight from sprung mass on the tractor to unsprung mass at the tire casing. Its in all the ag tire guides too.

We have run calcium in our agribib michelins but have removed it all now. Ride much better and tires easier to service. Yes buying cast to replace fluid ain't cheap, and we still have fluid in the bias tires.
 

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