L3200 Tire Ballist

Bluegill

New member

Equipment
L3750DT Shuttle, L3800DT FEL both
Jan 11, 2012
1,560
3
0
Success Missouri
Can you post a pic of the hand drill, I'm not familiar with it.

Get an electric pump, you will have it figured out
How much anti freeze do you plan on putting into each tire?
It's not the drill I inquiring about, it's the adaptor for filling the tires.
Not trying to start anything, but you asked for a pic of the drill. ;) :)
 

eserv

Well-known member

Equipment
BX24, A1000 Kubota Generator
May 27, 2009
2,110
112
63
Hardisty, Alberta
I would also like to see a picture of that.
You can do it without an adapter or a pump if you are a patient person! Find a hose small enough to fit inside the tire valve and still let air out around it, lift the tank of anti-freeze above the height of the tire and get the antifreeze flowing from the tank into the tire through the hose. ( you can work a siphon here or put a fitting in the bottom of the anti-freeze container) the anti-freeze will flow by gravity until the tire is full and it starts coming out the tire valve around the small hose. This will take some time but this is the way the oldtimers used to do it!
Have fun!
Ed
 

Jewing3227

New member

Equipment
L3200 HST 4x4 w/ box blade and gill pulverizer
Jan 9, 2012
15
0
0
Oakland City, IN
I don't have a picture of the adapter but i bought it at tractor supply. NAPA has a version that looks similiar to it. Not sure if you know how it works but after remove the core of the valve stem you simply screw one end onto the valve stem and on the other end you screw the end of a water hose. The adapter has a little button you push in to help relieve any air that is built up inside of the tire. Wish I had a picture of it to show but I don't unfortunatly. I did see a picture of it on this websites home page down towards the bottom under a section you can click on called "how to install ballist into tires" or something close to that.
 

searay

New member

Equipment
L3200, GMC Yukon, rotary cutter, pallet forks, box blade, post hole digger.
Dec 28, 2010
24
1
0
Courtice, Ontario, Canada
I have the same tractor as you. All I know is that when I purchased it I was told that they had loaded the tires. I'm brand new to using a tractor so I couldn't tell you if all four are loaded or just the rear two. I also couldn't tell you what they are loaded with, but being in Canada I can tell you that it is very unlikely they are filled with just water or they would be frozen solid tires by now. I can tell you that I can't recall spinning the tires, as you make mention of. My guess is there must be some benefit to loading the tires or the dealer wouldn't go to the expense and trouble of filling them.
 

eserv

Well-known member

Equipment
BX24, A1000 Kubota Generator
May 27, 2009
2,110
112
63
Hardisty, Alberta
I have the same tractor as you. All I know is that when I purchased it I was told that they had loaded the tires. I'm brand new to using a tractor so I couldn't tell you if all four are loaded or just the rear two. I also couldn't tell you what they are loaded with, but being in Canada I can tell you that it is very unlikely they are filled with just water or they would be frozen solid tires by now. I can tell you that I can't recall spinning the tires, as you make mention of. My guess is there must be some benefit to loading the tires or the dealer wouldn't go to the expense and trouble of filling them.
Your tires are almost for sure filled with a solution of calcium chloride and water, and probably just the rears.
Ed
 

Jewing3227

New member

Equipment
L3200 HST 4x4 w/ box blade and gill pulverizer
Jan 9, 2012
15
0
0
Oakland City, IN
Meanjean--That is the adapter I have. I think you miss understood me about my setup. I had that adaptor with a 2 foot section of hose going to a "drill pump" and then from the other end of the drill pump I had a hose going to the 55 gallon drum of antifreeze. I'm not sure if your familiar with a drill pump but it is about as big around as a coke can and has a inlet and outlet opening and you hook a drill up to a centralized shaft which it spins. I thought my drill turned faster than it did. I'm guessing that it takes a fairly fast drill to make the pump create enough suction to work. On the flip side, I called a local tire shop today and he said he would fill both rear tires with calcium chloride for $80. I guess I could have that pumped into some tubes to keep it away from the rim. After reading about the negative things people have to say about calcium chloride, I hate the thought of it to be honest but a tube would put a barrier in between it and the rim. The gentleman said he could do WWF for $140. In a way i'm sorta glad the anti freeze deal didn't work because we do have a few dogs around the homestead and my wife would be pretty unhappy if it was to spring a leak and one of the dogs got ahold of some of it.
 

Jewing3227

New member

Equipment
L3200 HST 4x4 w/ box blade and gill pulverizer
Jan 9, 2012
15
0
0
Oakland City, IN
drill pumps are plentiful at harbor freight.....pretty simple I just didn't have any luck with the one I picked up. Calcium chloride weights around 12 lbs a gallon i believe. WWF wieghts about the same as water I hear
 

bcallaha

New member

Equipment
B7800 w/Loader
Apr 1, 2010
21
0
0
Chandler, Indiana
Hi Jewing3227. I'm just right down the road from you just east of Evansville. I have a B7800 that I'm planning on filling the tires before spring. I bought a 12v pump from Harbor Freight, and a fill kit from TSC. I've found a place in Loogootee that will sell the beet juice for $3.50 gal. I'm needing 30 gallons, so that's not too bad. I thought about washer fluid, and I may still go that way. I can get that at Rural King for $1.17.....much cheaper.

What's the status of your tire filling?

Brad
 

skeets

Well-known member

Equipment
BX 2360 /B2601
Oct 2, 2009
14,094
2,755
113
SW Pa
IN MHO every tractor will benifit from haveing the tires filled, Ok Jacj the tractor up AND BLOCK IT,, turn the tire untill the valve stem is at 12 o'clock and unscrew the valve body,, Now I used an old 3 gallon sprayer and took the spray wand off and breeze banded a n old needle valve in the end filled the jug with a 50/50 mix of anti freeze and pumped it in,, had an adult beverage filled the jug and repeated untill the tires were full,, you will have to let out the air the water mix take up,, not a problem,,, NOW when the mix starts to leak out of the valve stem THE TIRE IS FULL( you have to leave room for the air other wise the tire will not be able to flex if its full of mix) then put the valve back in and pump in the air to what it calls for inthe manual,, then go around to the other tired do the same thing have another adult beverage or 2 and your done,,,,, if you take the tires off they are a BYTCH to get back on once they have been filled,,this way you dont have to remove anything and dont bust your guts or other things, getting them back on:D
Hope one mans simple fix helps,, oh and I know some one of my tree huggin friends will say something about useing anti freeze,, it was the cheapest way I could do it,, beet juice is great but I cant afford it:rolleyes:
 

Jewing3227

New member

Equipment
L3200 HST 4x4 w/ box blade and gill pulverizer
Jan 9, 2012
15
0
0
Oakland City, IN
Hey Brad, still haven't got the tires filled yet. I've been reading about it some but I believe I might go against the grain and put tubes in my rears and have them filled with calcium chloride. I was talking to a fell the other day who has had his tires with no tubes for about 10 years with no problems. I was gonna go the 12v pump route but my fill adapter broke and the fuel I have been out to drive down to evansville to get the anti freeze....Best one up this way will do the fill for me for around $100 and thats them driving to my house to do it. I already have around $30 in it so what at first I thought was saving me money actually isn't or not that much anyways. To each his own I guess.
 

skeets

Well-known member

Equipment
BX 2360 /B2601
Oct 2, 2009
14,094
2,755
113
SW Pa
check your local wrecking yard a lot of them have recycled anti freeze
(something to do with EPA regs) for the real cheap I paid like a buck a gallon at a local yard