Tire Liquid Ballast

B

BOB K.

Well-known member
A few months back I had to replace one of my rear rims. The tire was loaded with Calcium chloride and rotted the rim out. The other tire is still loaded and rim is in good shape so I will not touch that. I do have rear weights on it but need to fill that tire again for more weight. What should I use with out breaking the bank and will not freeze? Thanks
 
Bob, Rim Guard is probably the best liquid ballast but there are a few other brands. Depending on the tire size you would be looking at 13-17 gallons at a cost in the neighborhood of $6 per gallon for Rim Guard. Some have opted to use RV antifreeze and others have used windshield washer fluid which is probably about as inexpensive you can get.
 
This might be a dumb question, but how do you fill the tires? The valve stem goes into the tube. How do you get the liquid into the tire? Is that something you have to do while mounting the tire, or can you add something after somehow? Sorry I'm a newbie at a lot of this tractor stuff, still learning. :)
 
The liquid goes inside the tube, Carl. Farm tire stores have equipment that pumps the fluid in but there are some home brewed methods for doing it. I’m sure you can find some U-Tube videos on doing it. I don’t have any loaded tires but have thought, for some time, that RV antifreeze would work well.
 
cdahl383":3sfylve7 said:
This might be a dumb question, but how do you fill the tires? The valve stem goes into the tube. How do you get the liquid into the tire? Is that something you have to do while mounting the tire, or can you add something after somehow? Sorry I'm a newbie at a lot of this tractor stuff, still learning. :)
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There is a special adapter made to screw (thread) on the valve stem after you remove the outer portion of the valve. This adapter also has female water hose threads so if you are adding liquid ballast it can be pumped or pressured into the tube after the tire/tube is mounted on the rim. Should be available at a farm supply store or some auto parts stores. Stan
 
I've laoded the tubeless tires on my garden tractor with the loader on it. I mounted new tires on the rims then carefully broke the bead down just enough to allow me to pour windshield washer fluid into the tire. Once nearly full, I added air to the tire and the bead instantly seated. It added about 75# to each tire. Coupled with 100# of iron on each rear wheel and some suitcase weights on the back of the tractor it seems to have plenty of ballast.
 
Several choices on liquids to add weight to a tire. Each has advantages and disadvantages and vary by weight per gallon.

Water weights 8 pounds per gallon but can freeze. Driving with ice in a tire will quickly (like 1 or 2 revolutions) ruin it. So various things have been added as anti-freeze.

Calcium chloride is the traditional additive. It is cheap and easy to get. It adds weight. A gallon solution will often weigh 9 pounds but can easily go to 10. It is very corrosive and minor leaks can cause rims to rust away.

Beet juice adds weight (don't know how much) and is non-corrosive. Unfortunately, it "goes bad". Get a leak and you won't need to see the puddle because you will smell it from a distance.

Ethylene glycol type antifreeze also adds weight and is non-corrosive. If you get used antifreeze, it should be a cheap solution. However, it is poisonous. It also has a very sweet taste so as well as being fatal to animals, it is also attractive to them. You have to consider the risk of any spill.

Alcohol based fluids, such as washer fluid, weigh less than water. How much less depends on the concentration. It is likely to also be poisonous, but probably not as attractive to animals.

You can skip all the fluids and simply add wheel weights. Advantages are that you avoid all the concerns of filling the tires and the risks of corrosion and dead livestock. You can add/remove weight as needed for different tractor uses. Some people claim that liquid ballast works better than an equal weight of wheel weights. This may have validity as the liquid presses directly on the inside of the tread while iron weights push down on the whole wheel assembly. I've never seen objective data to support or disprove this claim. Iron weights are also vastly more expensive than the liquid choices.
 
I replaced the Calcium with RV Marine antifreeze in the rear tires of my son's Kubota tractor after refurbishing the rear rims (repairing the rust out and painting). Because I needed to winterize our RV and my brother their lake cabin I purchased a 55 gal barrel of the antifreeze from our local North 40 Outfitters store (figured out to be $2.54/gal including sales tax [in Nov of 2021]). I had about 10 gallons left over so had enough to winterize everything the next year.
 
Hanging iron off of your wheels is probably the best bang for your buck. You won't loose it if your tire gets a leak in it. If you do poke a hole in your tire/tube, you can repair it yourself and not have a mess to contend with. You can stack additional weights if needed as well and if you decide you don't need 'em you can sell 'em.
 
I was curious, I have a new, unopened gallon of RV antifreeze so i weighed it. 8 lb, 7 oz including the jug, an empty jug weighed 4 oz. So RV antifreeze is just north of 8 lb per gallon. It’s heavier than I expected.
 
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