Bad day with great tools

[OilyRascal]

I had it on my mind that I wanted to cut a road through the property.  I had already walked and "flagged" an old road grown over for my trail to blaze.  I started with a new Stihl pole saw I've wanted for a very long time.  I managed to cut for about 20 minutes before I had it hung, in a tree, with the bar horizontal.  Turns out, that seven foot pole with the motor dangling on the end REALLY puts a lot of weight on the bar.  So much weight, it tends to want to bend the bar.  Well, I could see that coming........but really, when it is stuck and the tree an't moving, and you got nothing to reach for to hold the weight......you don't have a choice.  So - new pole saw now with a bent bar. 

I walk back and get the Ford 3600 with 5' Sidewinder.  I *might* have cut 40' before I hit an old, just the right size, pine stump.  Well, there goes a 16.6 x 28 4 ply tire.  I run water in the tires, so I was soaking wet.

I go to town and have a new tire mounted.  Of course the old one could not be booted.  Back to work on the tractor being all so very careful not to have another puncture wound.  In my greed to watch for stumps/stobs I managed to neglect a heavy low lying limb coming at me.  I get caught between the limb and the roll over protection.  For whatever reason, I could not get on the clutch, and therefore took a genuine whipping, and then a nice raking down the limb across my face.

Also managed to toe in the right front tire, break the clamp where the exhaust manifold bolts to the pipe, and bend a light. 

All the tools and equipment is now fixed.  "They" say I'll live.  I think my next attempt will either be with a) loppers or b) JD450. 

[lbgradwell]

I feel your pain.

I run water in the tires...

??? Please enlighten me...

[OilyRascal]

??? Please enlighten me...

Water in the rear tires for weight/traction.

[lbgradwell]

Water in the rear tires for weight/traction.

Really?! Never heard of such a thing!

Mind you, I'm not a country boy and have never run a tractor, so...

Is that a common trick?

[OilyRascal]

Is that a common trick?

I don't think it's uncommon.

[john k]

Water or fluid in tractor tires is real common.  Up north the fluid is Calcium Chloride, which can rust stuff up to an unbelievable degree.   A big tractor tire can hold several hundred pounds, adding traction down force.  Oily, might you consider hiring a D-6 Caterpillar for this road building? 

[Branson]

You should publish the story.  A lot of comic fiction can't hold a candle to your misadventures!

Glad you're OK, though.

[OilyRascal]

A big tractor tire can hold several hundred pounds, adding traction down force.  Oily, might you consider hiring a D-6 Caterpillar for this road building? 

I'll attest to the weight.  It also helps lower the center of gravity.  I started this practice when I was young and contracting to mow grass for the corp of engineer's at a lock & dam.  The levee system was steep enough to require it. 

I also have the rims mounted outside in (or inside out), as to widen the stance.  I noted the Ford 3000 at the shop does have rims that you can "unlock" and roll out, or in, depending on where you want the tire(s).  I sure wish I had those rims on the 3600 at home.

D6 is a little big :)  I was trying to cut a covert road as not to invite more dumping.  Being the first country gravel road outside of town has it's down side.

[lbgradwell]

Cool. So some follow-up dumb questions...

• How do you get the water/fluid inside the tire?
• How much of the volume of the tire is filled with the fluid?
• If it wasn't all fluid, wouldn't it slop around an awful lot and cause instability?

[OilyRascal]

Cool. So some follow-up dumb questions...

• How do you get the water/fluid inside the tire?
• How much of the volume of the tire is filled with the fluid?
• If it wasn't all fluid, wouldn't it slop around an awful lot and cause instability?

Not at all dumb.  I'm no tire expert.

1)  You take it to Joe's Tire Shop and write them a check :)
2)  Not certain, but I would assume 100% loaded (if you're loading them).
3) YES, I would imagine based on my experience of hauling water to the camp - and my days of helping with papaw's vacuum truck.  The vacuum truck had ballast inside - I'm assuming to cut down on the slop.

[rusty]

They also used to run water filled tires on rods and dune buggys in the desert , it helps with traction in the loose sand...

Sometimes a tiny bit of air is left in to help keep the tire stiff, sometimes not. Big tractor tires tend to be stiff anyhow..

>D6 is a little big :) 

So i guess a D8 is out of the question.....

Yoe need the excavator with the big tree grabber claw thing ;P

[john k]

I really can't tell if a tractor tire has fluid or not.   Remember inside the tube it has its own circular raceway, and not really prone to sloshing.   A truck is set up special with a tank and pump to put the stuff in.  Jack up the tractor, move the valve stem to the top.  These have valve stems that unscrew leaving a much larger hole so the stuff goes in without an all day process.   Usually a  tire is filled half to three quarters full.  Is very useful if  a leak develops, by letting you know its location quickly.    Oily, I wouldn't go any smaller than a D-4 then, makes a rough job easy. 

[johnsironsanctuary]

I filled the tires on my Allis WD45 with calcium chloride many years ago. Tires are about the same size as your Ford's. You fill a 55 gal barrel with water and add a bag of CaCl. Fleet & Farm sold a little gizmo to screw onto the valve stem to siphon water in and let air out.  It takes all afternoon to fill one 2/3 full. You leave some air space for pressure, otherwise the tire is too spongy at road speed. I don't remember a sloshing problem. If your tires never freeze, there is no need for salt.
I hope that you are not too ripped up from your close encounter with the branch.
A D-4 would be OK except for big stumps.

[junkfisher]

Sounds like my everyday motto: If a bad thing can happen, it will. I have a JD 1020 with oversize wheels. rears are filled with cacl. great as counter weight when lifting something with tips of the forks. also got 1155lb hunk of iron mounted to 3pt hitch. I can raise and lower my center of gravity as I need.

[Dakota Woodworker]

Building roads with a D4 or a JD 450 is a lot nicer than with a tractor but I've done a lot of road work with my old Ford 860, just takes time and watch out for low limbs!  My son was mowing  a bunch of volunteer lilacs down with the brush hog the other day and ran one of those little stems through the rear tire... calcium all over the place before he got it  stopped with the leak on the top.  Took the tire into the shop in town, cost fifty bucks to pump out the calcium fix the tire and pump the calcium back in, not to bad I thought.  Becareful out there by yourself and keep your cell phone on you.