I know water or a substitute is use for better traction in tractors, is it recommended for let's say my Case 1840?
NOT water, that will freeze in the winter. Use antifreeze or calcium chloride. Any agriculture tire supply can fill your tires.
What I am curious about is that I never heard it mentioned. I have heard of foam filled tires..
Depends too on what you’re trying to accomplish; foam adds weight and makes them puncture proof, but is more expensive than liquids
There's always this option I saw years ago: Might make the skid-steer ride a bit rough! I guess if you live somewhere that it never freezes water could be an option, at least you could get a feel for how it works then go with the anti-freeze! Calcium chloride is okay but it can rot out rims as it did on my Farmall BN if you have a leak in a tube. Not sure I would want to use it in a tubeless tire!
Theoretically you add traction without adding more weight to your axles....but we would not know anyone who would be running enough weight to commonly see bar type axles fail....
While it's true that foam will add more weight than air in the tires but the downside is you will have less traction because of how the foam interacts with the ground... air or water(CC,A/F) will keep an even pressure downwards in the entire footprint of the tire whereas foam will not.
The axle might not fail.... but other things can happen
Is that the new loooong wheel base kit being installed?
Got a friend with who ran a Case IH 535. He had 1000 lbs inner and 500 lbs out weights on each side of the front axle AND water! I talked him out of water one spring because of all that weight and traction. He ran it a few days and reported back “Blocker, my tractor does not turn. I turn the front and the front frame turns and the tractor still goes straight.” Enough hijacking. Sorry
Yeah, they opted for the new JD limo retrofit kit.
In farm tractors some are using beet juice. It's not corrosive and doesn't freeze. More expensive than chloride but an 1840 skid loader tires wouldn't take much.
The OP asked if loading tires was recommended for skid steers. I was wondering the same thing. I know it would make the ride suffer. I guess it would lower the center of gravity, which might help on steep terrain. It would be nice not to have to back up a steep hill with bucket empty, or back down with full bucket. Anyone tried it?
Our local Cenex and other area AG tire shops has been using a reddish liquid for a few years now that supposedly is environmentally friendly and does not cause corrosion. I don't know the real name. Everyone calls it Beatle Juice. EDIT: Guess I missed post 12.
To quote Yosemite Sam KILL THE POWER KILL THE POWER
No experience of filling skid steer tyres so I can't help there, but it's worth noting that in my experience filling tyres is usually done for stability/balance more than in the hope of gaining traction. Rear tyres on tractors with a front loader, front tyres on a tractor with a heavy implement on the back. Makes a huge difference to how much weight can be safely carried and can be used where adding weights isn't an option. Annoying when you get a puncture.
Just don't repeat that three times!
What are you trying to accomplish? More weight in the tires may not make much difference as far as traction goes in a skid steer. If you wanted to try it, I would put tubes in the tires for better protection of the rims. I'd primer the rims on the inside too. Calcium chloride and water is heavier than beat juice and is only a problem if it leaks and isn't fixed quickly. That could be a problem in a skid steer though with the way they turn. Different tires may make more difference though.
Putting anything that can leak in a SSL tire to add weight would seem to be a pretty short lived event. Guys have been hanging weights off the back of those machines since day one. I would probably try and be a little more inventive that way then to put weight in the tires. Lets be honest, the 1840 has a ROC of 1500 pounds. If you are strictly looking for the ability to carry more you might gain another hundred pounds in those 10X16.5s filled and not forget the asstax involved in every tire leak. Is it really worth that? The heavier weight will also allow it to push more, generally speaking, but at 50 hp your not pushing a lot regardless and you will lose some floatation, if that matters. If you are really needing that extra capacity, I would say you have the wrong machine. Otherwise enjoy what is considered one of the best SSL's ever made, as it is.