Is it a good/bad idea to put water in grader tires. I honestly don't know either way:beatsme. I'm considering this for our grader at work but i'd like to know any pros or cons.:usa
A question for you. Why are you considering ballasting in the first place...? What brand and size of tyre do you have installed right now..? Bias or radial..?
Currently running 13.00 24 bias Goodyears. I was considering it to achieve a little better traction (possibly). It also seems an easy way to add a little extra weight to the machine as a whole. I know its not much weight as a whole but......why NOT add water. Are there problems with wheel stability at roading speeds?
If you want better traction you could ...... play around with tyre pressures Go to a different tread pattern,, say from G-2 to G-3 or L-3 switch to radials Personally I've never ever seen a grader water-ballasted, it's generally only machines that travel at much lower speeds that get ballasted. Also you could easily have issues with the extra weight at roading speeds but never having seen it done I have no references to work from.
Thanks for the info, my concern is the possible issues at speed. If i decide to try it i'll post results.
Be careful regarding the extra centrifugal force gnerated by the ballasted wheels possibly taking out wheel bearings. Also think about if you get too much traction you could well end up increasing driveline loads and breaking something expensive rather than take a few thousandths of rubber off the tread of a tyre.
All very good points to consider, thats kinda why i was curious if anybody does that. If you've never seen one....theres probably a pretty good reason i think.
I certainly don't profess to be a black rubber doughnut expert .........
Bridgestone/Michelin 1400x24 140G ran water in the rears all the time for as long as I had it over 15yrs working very wet rough materials and conditions and towed flat drum roller behind! Made big difference and would scramble around and out of places the old 12E 17K wouldnt thats for sure. Ran Bandag caps towards the end, not as much grip but better protection against sharp stone and rarely got punctures after that.
OK,so I'm not the only person with this weird idea. Pabear, why no water in the front tires? My machine has a scarifier in front of the blade and in hard material the front gets light. Water up front would help a bit I think.
Essay, does your machine have the optional front counterweight..? I would guess not. So maybe some iron bolted to the front of the chassis would also be an idea if you feel you are front-end light..?
I've always wanted a push block for the front of my 940, but it has the dam plow attachment instead. Would love the extra weight. Also been trying to get near the tire shop so I can get the front tires reversed. Came with them on the same as the rears, and has no steering traction.
I have beet juice in my tractor tires (rimguard is the trademark name) and I think they run 13.4lb/gal. I can run 20 mph no problem with the tires loaded. For the price of radials and steel wheel weights fluid is MUCH cheaper. If you want to go the cheapest route, add some methanol to avoid freezing the tires.
Cool! Thanks for the info
Can you just swap sides with the front tires?
Yes.