Wheel Weights + Fluid Filled rear tires

[squonk 41,098]

Take a 40-50 yr old tractor that has water in the rear axle at some point. Add a couple hundred pounds of weight off of the rear hitch. Now park that tractor with the snow blower or plow on waiting for it to snow. All of that time that weight is forcing the axle onto the rollers sitting on top of the already worn  bearing. It creates flat spots and before you know it galling starts. They say you should service trailer bearings more often if it sits for periods of time with weight on the trailer for just this reason. 

 

So yes adding weight to a tractor can damage the axles and bearings. The weight I add is fluid or wheel weights. The weight sitting there is transferred to the wheel , tire and garage floor. The normal weight of the tractor is put on the bearings.