Are you preparing to ballast your tractors with liquid? Yet you have no idea of the ballast weight of your tires. In this guide, we’ll show you the tractor liquid tire ballast chart and how to make a liquid ballast yourself. Now, let’s get started!
What Is Tractor Liquid Tire Ballast?
Adding a liquid or fluid to the tires is one of the easiest and most affordable ways to ballast your tractor for improved tractor stability and traction. And because the tires are the lowest point on your tractor, filling them with heavier fluid lowers your tractor’s center of gravity. The added weight helps press the tractor’s tires into firmer contact with the soil, delivering more engine horsepower that can turn into pulling power or pushing power for ag implements before the power overcomes the grip and the tires lose traction.
Types of Liquid Ballast
The table below compares the common types of ballast fluids and you can choose the right ballast fluid according to your needs.
| Ballast Fluid | Cost | Freeze Resistance | Weight vs Water | Biodegradable | Corrosive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | Free | None | +0% | Yes | Yes |
| Calcium Chloride | High | -50F to -60F | +40% | Yes | Yes |
| Ethylene Glycol Antifreeze | Medium | -40F | +0% | Yes | No |
| Propylene Glycol Antifreeze | High | -40F | +0% | Yes | No |
| Windshield Washer Fluid | Low | -20F | +0% | Column 5 Value 5 | Column 6 Value 5 |
| Methanol | Medium | -15F | +0% | Yes | Modestly |
| Beet Juice | Very High | -35F | +30% | Yes | No |
| Foam | Very High | / | +20-50% | No | / |
Tractor Liquid Tire Ballast Chart
The table below shows the rear tire weight achieved by filling the tire 75% full (valve level) with water.
| Tractor Size | Water
(Gal./L) |
Water
(Lbs./Kg) |
3.5 lbs./420 g CaCl₂
Water Litre (Gal./L) |
3.5 lbs./420 g CaCl₂
CaCl₂ Weight (Lbs./Kg) |
3.5 lbs./420 g CaCl₂
Total Wt. (Lbs./Kg) |
5 lbs./600 g CaCl₂
Water Litre (Gal./L) |
5 lbs./600 g CaCl₂
CaCl₂ Weight (Lbs./Kg) |
5 lbs./600 g CaCl₂ Total Wt. (Lbs./Kg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.2-16 | 70/32 | 58/26 | 6/23 | 21/9.5 | 71/32 | 5/19 | 25/11 | 67/30 |
| 8.3-16 | 9/34 | 75/34 | 8/30 | 28/13 | 95/43 | 8/30 | 40/18 | 107/48 |
| 9.5-16 | 12/45 | 100/45 | 10/38 | 35/16 | 118/54 | 10/38 | 50/23 | 133/61 |
| 11.2-16 | 18/68 | 150/68 | 15/57 | 53/24 | 178/81 | 14/53 | 70/32 | 187/85 |
| 12.4-16 | 21/79 | 175/79 | 18/68 | 63/29 | 213/97 | 17/64 | 85/39 | 227/103 |
| 13.6-16.1 | 31/117 | 258/117 | 26/98 | 91/41 | 308/139 | 25/95 | 125/57 | 333/152 |
| 18.4-16.1 | 49/185 | 409/186 | 42/159 | 147/67 | 497/226 | 39/148 | 195/88 | 520/236 |
| 8.3-24 | 13/49 | 108/49 | 11/42 | 39/18 | 131/60 | 10/38 | 50/23 | 133/61 |
| 9.5-24 | 17/64 | 142/64 | 15/57 | 53/24 | 178/81 | 14/53 | 70/32 | 187/85 |
| 11.2-24 | 24/91 | 200/91 | 20/76 | 70/32 | 237/108 | 19/72 | 95/43 | 253/115 |
| 12.4-24 | 30/114 | 250/113 | 26/98 | 91/41 | 308/139 | 25/95 | 125/57 | 333/152 |
| 13.6-24 | 38/144 | 317/144 | 32/121 | 112/51 | 379/172 | 30/114 | 150/68 | 400/182 |
| 14.9-24 | 47/178 | 392/178 | 40/151 | 140/64 | 474/215 | 38/144 | 190/86 | 507/230 |
| 16.9-24 | 61/231 | 509/231 | 52/197 | 182/83 | 616/280 | 49/185 | 245/111 | 654/296 |
| 17.5L-24 | 55/208 | 459/208 | 47/178 | 165/75 | 557/253 | 45/170 | 225/102 | 600/272 |
| 19.5L-24 | 69/261 | 575/265 | 60/227 | 210/95 | 710/322 | 56/212 | 280/127 | 747/339 |
| 21L-24 | 87/329 | 725/329 | 74/280 | 259/117 | 876/397 | 70/265 | 350/159 | 934/424 |
| 14.9-26 | 48/182 | 400/181 | 41/155 | 144/65 | 486/220 | 39/148 | 195/88 | 520/236 |
| 16.9-26 | 65/246 | 542/246 | 56/212 | 196/89 | 663/301 | 52/197 | 260/118 | 694/315 |
| 18.4-26 | 79/299 | 659/299 | 68/257 | 238/108 | 805/365 | 64/242 | 320/145 | 854/387 |
23.1-26 |
128/485 | 1068/485 | 109/413 | 328/173 | 1291/586 | 103/390 | 515/234 | 1374/624 |
| 28L-26 | 157/594 | 1309/594 | 134/507 | 469/213 | 1587/720 | 127/481 | 635/288 | 1694/769 |
| 11.2-28 | 27/102 | 225/102 | 24/91 | 84/38 | 284/129 | 22/83 | 110/50 | 293/133 |
| 12.4-28 | 35/132 | 292/132 | 30/114 | 105/48 | 355/162 | 28/106 | 140/64 | 374/170 |
| 13.6-28 | 43/163 | 359/163 | 37/140 | 130/59 | 439/199 | 35/132 | 175/79 | 467/211 |
| 14.9-28 | 53/201 | 442/201 | 46/174 | 161/73 | 545/247 | 43/163 | 215/98 | 574/261 |
| 16.9-28 | 69/261 | 575/261 | 59/223 | 207/94 | 699/317 | 56/212 | 280/127 | 747/339 |
| 18.4-28 | 84/318 | 701/318 | 72/273 | 252/114 | 852/387 | 68/257 | 340/154 | 907/412 |
| 21L-28 | 97/367 | 809/367 | 83/314 | 291/132 | 982/446 | 79/299 | 395/179 | 1054/478 |
*Note:
Use of chemical agents to prevent freezing will affect the weight.
For 40% fill, multiply above values by 0.5.
How to Liquid Ballast Your Tractor?
Here are general steps for your reference and always refer to your tractor and tire manufacturer’s requirements, warranty and instruction manuals.
1. Preparing Work Area and Tools Required
Prepare an adequate work area (ideally outdoors or in a well-ventilated area) and gather necessary tools and materials, including the correct amount of tire ballast, an air-water tire valve adapter, air/liquid tire pressure gauge, valve core remover/valve core tool, heavy-duty garden hoses, drill Pump, a transfer pump, a small submersible or siphon, and appropriate jack and jack stands.
2. Take Weight Off Tires
Raise the tractor with a jack stand and lift the tire for liquid ballast, ensuring all weight is off the tire. Firmly secure the tractor with sturdy jack stands. Caution: Avoid working around a tractor that is poorly supported.
3. Position the Tire Valve to 12 o’clock and Remove the Valve Core
Rotate the tire to get the valve stem at its highest point (at the 12 o’clock position). Then, let out some of the air in the tire to reduce the air pressure. Next, remove the valve core from the valve stem carefully and allow all air to escape until the tire is fully deflated.
4. Attach the Air-Water Valve Adapter
Choose the right adapter fitting for your specific valve stem and screw the air-water valve adapter securely onto the tire valve stem for a tight seal. Caution: Verify your tire’s valve stem is designed for handling both air and liquid ballast to prevent dissolution due to prolonged liquid contact.
5. Connect the Hoses and Pumps
Connect one end of a heavy-duty garden hose to the air-water adapter and the other end of the hose to your chosen transfer method (drill pump, transfer pump, small submersible pump, or siphon).
6. Start Filling with Ballast Fluid
If using a pump, ensure the intake hose is in the ballast fluid container and the other hose is still securely connected to the tire valve before starting the pump.
If choosing gravity filling, raise the bottom of the container above the tire height and keep it elevated above the tire.
For the siphon method, ensure the siphon is continually pumping fluid into the valve with minimal air.
7. Fill it to 75%
Continue to fill the tire until the liquid level reaches around 75% of the tire’s internal volume. With the valve stem at the 12 o’clock mark, this level is just below the valve stem.
Caution: You need to periodically release trapped air using the bleeder button on the air-water adapter to allow continuous and efficient filling. This involves closing the fluid inlet valve, opening the air outlet valve (bleeder button) to force air out until pressure equalizes, then closing the air outlet valve and opening the fluid inlet valve to resume filling. Failure to release trapped air can lead to excessive pressure buildup and tire explosion, so you should repeat this frequently throughout the fill.
8. Finish up
Once the 75% fill level is achieved, turn off the pump, disconnect the hoses from the pump, reinstall the valve core and then inflate the tire to the manufacturer’s recommended air pressure using an air compressor. Caution: A significantly smaller volume of air will be needed compared to an empty tire due to the liquid ballast.
9. Check for Leaks and Clean Up
Do a thorough inspection of the valve stem and the entire tire for any leaks. Tighten connections or recheck the valve core as needed. If you use beet juice as the ballast fluid, you can use cold water mixed with mild soap, white vinegar or lemon juice for cleanup.
10. Lower the Tractor and Check Tire Pressure
Carefully lower the tractor from the jack stands to add its weight back to the tire and recheck the pressure. Then, repeat steps 1-9 for the other tires. It is important to balance and align sets of tires for your tractors.
How Much Rear Ballast Does Your Tractor Need?
For tractors equipped with a loader, the industry engineering benchmark is a minimum of 25% of gross vehicle reaction retained on the rear axle to reduce the risk of rollover accidents when running front loader attachments. Even outside the loader work, this is quite useful, since the same weight-distribution physics govern stability on any tractor working on uneven terrain or slopes. As specified in Kubota’s L2501 operator’s manual, if you use a calcium chloride/water solution, it’s recommended to add 230-353 pounds per tire at 75% fill capacity.
Conclusion
If you’re preparing for a liquid ballast, you must need this tractor ballast chart. Always consult your owner’s manual before making a movement. Stay tuned to FridayParts and you’ll learn much about your tractors and explore an extensive selection of quality tractor parts to keep your tractors running at their best performance.
