loading tires

[maddog]

Anyone here ever load their own tractor tire with a liquid(washer fluid, rv antifreeze etc...)? I am in the process of adding 50gals to each tire on my tractor but seem to be doing it the slow way 2to2.5+hrs each tire. I am using a drill pump attached to a garden hose that goes into a bleeder valve(TSC store). Pump about 3 gals at a time then bleed the air and start over again.

[Richardjw~]

let the jack down and gradually pump it up with the hose clamped over the valve at 12 o clock. Whip it off after 15 mins, let the air out and repeat the above

[maddog]

Thanks for the idea, I figured a rather easy way of doing it. I had an old plastic 55gal barrel laying around. The bung hole caps have a pretapped area in them were an outside faucet can screw in, all that needed to be done was drill a hole in the center of that. I then hooked my garden hose from the barrel to the tire bleeder valve. The barrel was laid on its side in the back of my truck. The faucet side was down leaving another bung cap at the top. I rigged the top cap up so that I could use my air compressor to fill the barrel. Once the barrel was full(took the most time, filling with 1gal jugs) of fluid I simply pumped air, every so often shuting the faucet of and bleeding the air out of the tire. I did set the compressor to 20psi and payed close attention to all fittings. This worked fairly quick and without much mess.

[r_steven]

We ballasted the tyres on two of our tractors last year. Is there anything you can add to the water to stop the rims from rusting? We asked the the tyre dealers but they didn't know.

[maddog]

You can use RV anti freeze beet juice or rim guard, I used windshield washer fluid the low temp stuff. I was told many folks are doing this without issue. I would never load tires in the past because the calcium would eat rims like crazy.

[jeff112]

I have welded on a large pipe nipple to the rim you can then pour what ever you choose in the tire for ballast,I have used rv antifreeze its better for the environment if you have a leak.Then just cap off the nipple with a pipe cap. It also makes it eazy to pump or siphon the fluid out.

[r_steven]

You can use RV anti freeze beet juice or rim guard, I used windshield washer fluid the low temp stuff. I was told many folks are doing this without issue. I would never load tires in the past because the calcium would eat rims like crazy.

Thanks maddog, I should try that

[Michaeljp86]

I have welded on a large pipe nipple to the rim you can then pour what ever you choose in the tire for ballast,I have used rv antifreeze its better for the environment if you have a leak.Then just cap off the nipple with a pipe cap. It also makes it eazy to pump or siphon the fluid out.

That wouldnt work with a tube.

[equip guy]

I just had a ford 5000 row crop done with the beet juice, cost 250 for both. Also you can buy the fill attatchment and pump from Gemplers.

[r_steven]

What's beet juice?

[Tinkerer]

Here is a copy and paste from another website.
Beet juice, a liquid byproduct made from de-sugared sugar beets. This food grade product is available in the US under the trade and brand name, RimGuard. This liquid weighs about 30% more than straight water and resists freezing to about -35F. Best of all, it will not solidify until the temp drops to -50F. Natural, non-corrosive, safe to the environment and humans. If beet juice is available in your location, we believe this your best bet – safe to use and provides extra ballast weight.

* Advantages high weight/volume ratio (about 30% more than water alone)
* very high freeze resistance
* anti-rust properties
* a natural product – environmentally friendly and safe

* Disadvantages may not be available in all locations

This a link to the website. http://www.orangetractortalks.com/20...-tire-ballast/

[r_steven]

Thanks tinkerer, when I first read beet juice I thought it was beetroot juice - at least being red you could spot a leak easily! We grow sugar cane over here, not sugar beet.
Ross

[Nige]

This is what we use as an anti-corrosive in large tyres. Good stuff. http://www.fullerbros.com/tire-life/

[tireman]

You can use RV anti freeze beet juice or rim guard, I used windshield washer fluid the low temp stuff. I was told many folks are doing this without issue. I would never load tires in the past because the calcium would eat rims like crazy.

The rims rusted because there was not enough ballast in the tire.Properly filled,a rim will not rust when calcium filled.Proper filling is when the tire is full of fluid above the level of the rim.In other words,with the tire/wheel assy. standing up,the liquid level is above the rim,leaving only a small pocket of air.This prevents the rim from being exposed to air.As long as the rim is constantly submerged in the fluid,it cannot rust(rust requires oxygen). If it's not filled properly,it's like never washing your vehicle after driving on salted roads.Get the picture?You have to have the correct type of pump to properly fill a tire with a calcium chloride solution.Otherwise you are just taking a leak into a gusting wind.

[Michaeljp86]

Ive never seen a tire filled without a tube.