Cheap way to ballast tractor?
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Topic: Cheap way to ballast tractor?
Posted By: Nickelplate
Subject: Cheap way to ballast tractor?
Date Posted: 03 Apr 2017 at 10:39pm
| Having a hard time finding rear ballast for 7000 series 18.4-38. Do not want calcium. Is it worth filling with RV antifreeze myself? If so what's the easiest way filling them? |
Replies:
Posted By: wayneIA
Date Posted: 04 Apr 2017 at 12:32am
| Just price checking on Amazon, a 55 gallon barrel of RV antifreeze is $380, and a 55 gallon barrel of windshield washer fluid for -20 degrees is $224.88. If I remember correctly a 18.4x38 holds around 110 gallon of fluid. Best bet for filling is if you can find a local Bio-tire, or rim guard dealer to buy the non-corrosive fluid from and have them fill the tires. People have rigged equipment to fill lawnmower tires, but when putting 20 or 30 gallon in two tires, it is easier than trying to put 110 gallon in one tire. |
Posted By: victoryallis
Date Posted: 04 Apr 2017 at 5:05am
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CaCl2 isn't that hard on things if your smart enough to work with it. ------------- 8030 and 8050MFWD, 7580, 3 6080's, 160, 7060, 175, heirloom D17, Deere 8760 |
Posted By: Play Farmer
Date Posted: 04 Apr 2017 at 5:32am
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I was in the same boat last Spring. I ended up buying the fill fitting at Tractor Supply and filled them with water. Last Fall I emptied them back out before I put it away for the winter. I'm not sure what I'll do this Spring. I've heard of some using used anti-freeze. That's cheap and easy but there are concerns if you ever get a flat. |
Posted By: dt1050
Date Posted: 04 Apr 2017 at 5:59am
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I havn't tried it yet, but was going to use a barrel pump to put antifreeze in my tractor tires. neighbor has a garage and am able to get all the used stuff I want. the plan was to hook up the part ya get at tractor supply that works with a garden hose and rig it to the barrel pump. then I'd run some oil in the barrel pump to keep it from rusting when I was done filling the tires. last I checked they charged $7.00 per tire to fill them with washer fluid. ------------- Just cause it's orange don't make it a tractor, there's only one..Allis Chalmers |
Posted By: marion
Date Posted: 04 Apr 2017 at 6:46am
| I used washer fluid and mixed it 50/50 with water and bought a bilge pump at harbor freight to pump it in. then found out local tire place would fill a 14.9x26 for $65 each and went that route. was methel alcohol. have wackey weather here. was 40 one day and 80 the next so was easy to see sweat line on tires I had filled |
Posted By: Gary Burnett
Date Posted: 04 Apr 2017 at 7:17am
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Wheel weights will cost more originally but you don't have to deal with them or buy more every time you have a flat or change tires and wheel weights won't rust your rims out either.The 185 and the the 190 I just bought never had fluid in the rear tires and the rims on both are about perfect which is a rarity on tractors that age. |
Posted By: corbinstein
Date Posted: 04 Apr 2017 at 7:39am
| Hang a Massey underneath? LOL |
Posted By: Allis dave
Date Posted: 04 Apr 2017 at 7:44am
| Our local dealer here charged $1 a gallon for Calcium and $3 a gollon for Rimguard. Depending on how much weight you need, weights may be an option, but You'll never be able to hang as much weight on there as 100 gallons of fluid. |
Posted By: Dick L
Date Posted: 04 Apr 2017 at 8:20am
| Calcium in a (good) tube is no more of a problem to a rim than your neighbor having a drum of it in his barn. I filled my tractor tires/tubes myself with a plastic fluid pump driven with a 3/8" electric drill to changed weight. You can buy a fill valve to place on the tube cheap. When I bought new tires on my bigger Olivers I had the tire shop come out and empty and refill. |
Posted By: Gary Burnett
Date Posted: 04 Apr 2017 at 8:24am
I've seen tractor tires/rims where the tube started leaking away from the valve stem and the first sign of it leaking was a hole coming in the rim. |
Dick L wrote:Posted By: Allis dave
Date Posted: 04 Apr 2017 at 8:36am
| Talked about here all the time. From my experience, fluid filled rims last about 40 years. Seems just now most of our 70's tractors rims are getting shot. New rims every 40 years isn't too bad, especially if they're common to find rims like most of the spin outs. It's almost impossible to farm and not get a flat every once in a while and leak fluid everywhere. |
Posted By: Gerald J.
Date Posted: 04 Apr 2017 at 9:25am
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A tube will not guarantee a complete lack of calcium chloride damage in the long run. I had added CC to the rears of my MF-135 for trying to haul round bales with the loader. One day while running about 15 miles of road with my Long 1099 back hoe on the rear hitch to a welding shop for repairs, a crack in the inside sidewall of the right rear tire pinched the tube. CC sprayed out and the tractor drive train rusted instantly though it had a decent coat of original paint. My jeans stood up on their own when I got home that evening. I won't use calcium chloride in tires again. Gerald J. |
Posted By: victoryallis
Date Posted: 04 Apr 2017 at 12:05pm
------------- 8030 and 8050MFWD, 7580, 3 6080's, 160, 7060, 175, heirloom D17, Deere 8760 |
Posted By: ocharry
Date Posted: 04 Apr 2017 at 12:39pm
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i put washer fluid in my 170 tires last fall...took about 3 hrs. for both rears,,jacked one side at a time to get the weight off,,,let the air out ,,put fluid in and new valves,,,then bout 12-15# of air i used a small old sump pump i had and a valve adapter,,,,put that stuff right in there,,had to let it burp the air out a few times but it was easy....put 55 gal in each tire,,bout 450# each,,900# total,works good,,way better than the cc i had in an old john deere,,,with rotted wheels got this fluid -30 for about $75 a barrel...bout $160 with tax delivered from local manufacturer ,,,yep dropped it off in front of the barn,,,good deal for me....i thought about getting another barrel and putting another 25 gal. in each tire but this seems to be plenty,,,the sweat line shows them to be about half full,,,i i have room for another 25 gal. ,,,but for me i dont think i need it ocharry
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Posted By: BenGiBoy
Date Posted: 04 Apr 2017 at 1:10pm
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I heard that you need to fill them 80-90% full to avoid sloshing, which will mess with your final drives and tranny, eventually causing problems........ Is that true? ------------- '39 Model B Tractors are cheaper than girls, remember that! |
Posted By: DonDittmar
Date Posted: 04 Apr 2017 at 1:42pm
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If you have a leak clean the the wheel. Clean the wheel doesnt mean spray it off with a garden hose. It means break it down and scrub with soap. Replace tube and refill. Dad and uncles have lots of tractors with chloride in the rears and they havent lost any yet...... ------------- Experience is a fancy name for past mistakes. "Great moments are born from great opportunity" 1968 D15D,1962 D19D Also 1965 Cub Loboy and 1958 JD 720 Diesel Pony Start |
Posted By: DennisA (IL)
Date Posted: 04 Apr 2017 at 3:37pm
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Let me start off by saying that I don't care what you do with your equipment. I just want to make sure that you fully understand before you make a decision. It seems that every tractor I buy has issues with rusty and rotted rims. This means repairing or replacing rims which cost both time and money. Most of the damage is caused by calcium chloride. The only way that the calcium chloride can damage the rims is if the owners let it. If the calcium chloride would be cleaned off the rims then no damage will be done. If someone spills milk don't they clean it up? It is no different with calcium chloride. Soap and water is all that is needed. A little maintenance is required in replacing the cores about every 2 years which takes up about 15 mins per tractor. I put calcium chloride in every tractor I own and I have not had any issues with rusting in the past 20 years. If you don't want to use calcium chloride because of a fear of rust, your fear is not justified. You will never find a better source of weight than calcium chloride @ 14 lbs per gallon. Rim-Guard is the 2nd best for weight but cost 3 times more than calcium chloride (your paying for a new rim anyway). You can't add enough wheel and suitcase weights to equal the weight of calcium chloride. The reason it's still around today is because there is nothing else that can surpass it. Use whatever you want for fluid it's your call just don't decide out of fear. ------------- Thanks & God Bless Dennis |
Posted By: Gerald J.
Date Posted: 04 Apr 2017 at 5:13pm
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I did not imagine what I reported, it really happened. No way I will ever use calcium chloride again. Gerald J. |
Posted By: DennisA (IL)
Date Posted: 04 Apr 2017 at 5:36pm
I'm not saying your wrong in any way, leaks happen. It's a fact that calcium can not eat though paint instantly. All it takes is a few nicks or scratches in the paint to show rust. After that the rust will bleed over on to the paint and make it look worst than it really is. ------------- Thanks & God Bless Dennis |
Posted By: Gary Burnett
Date Posted: 04 Apr 2017 at 7:50pm
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Yea there are probably ways to keep CaCl from destroying a tractor rim but over the years its been extremely rare to see a rear tractor rim rusted out that did not have some type of fluid in it.On the other other hand I've seen hundreds of rims destroyed and damaged by fluid in them.Expecting tractor owners to constantly moniter their rims and then have any leaking tire/tube replaced immediately just doesn't happen in the real world apparently. |
Posted By: victoryallis
Date Posted: 04 Apr 2017 at 8:40pm
Is it common practice for you to handle chemicals without understanding how handle them properly? Amazing part is you don't know how to properly clean it up but whine it ruined your tractor. Look in a mirror the reason your tractor rusted will be looking back at you. ------------- 8030 and 8050MFWD, 7580, 3 6080's, 160, 7060, 175, heirloom D17, Deere 8760 |
Posted By: DennisA (IL)
Date Posted: 04 Apr 2017 at 8:42pm
You are correct about real world. Most of the old tractor just sit around and are forgotten about in the corner of a shed and they start there slow decay. Unless the tube gets punctured all you do is change the core every two years. No constant monitoring needed. Don't people change oil, grease bearings and change filters on tractors? It's just simple maintenance. I have 10 tractors that get this done every two years no issues. ------------- Thanks & God Bless Dennis |
Posted By: Gary Burnett
Date Posted: 04 Apr 2017 at 8:47pm
You're the exception I've seen plenty of old tractors that never had the oil filter changed and I'd say less than 1% ever changes a valve stem. |
Posted By: DennisA (IL)
Date Posted: 04 Apr 2017 at 9:00pm
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[/QUOTE] You're the exception I've seen plenty of old tractors that never had the oil filter changed and I'd say less than 1% ever changes a valve stem. [/QUOTE It is so sad that people can't take care of equipment, every disappointing. ------------- Thanks & God Bless Dennis |
Posted By: victoryallis
Date Posted: 04 Apr 2017 at 9:05pm
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Gerald J do you realize CaCl2 is safe enough that is has a food grade version with exactly the same chemical composition? Ever have a marrishino cherry? Commercially processed pickle? Beer? Guess what you ate calcium chloride. ------------- 8030 and 8050MFWD, 7580, 3 6080's, 160, 7060, 175, heirloom D17, Deere 8760 |
Posted By: JW in MO
Date Posted: 04 Apr 2017 at 9:05pm
Finally, I made the 1%. ------------- Maximum use of available resources! |
Posted By: Gerald J.
Date Posted: 04 Apr 2017 at 9:22pm
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The transmission and clutch housing turned brown facing the split tire in a few minutes after the tire split while I was about 15 miles from the farm and 5 miles from the welding shop. No way I could wash it and the aluminum paint didn't completely cover those iron castings. I did wash it when I got to the welding shop but it had already rusted. I haven't had any beer for at least 40 years. The pickles that I eat daily do say calcium chloride in the brew, I'm sure no where near the concentration used in tires. My Merck Chemical Index says lethal dose in rats is 4 g per kg. It lists many uses from speeding up concrete setting to melting ice and snow and for adding weight to tractor tires. If it doesn't rust the rims or the tractor the main advantage of calcium chloride solution in tires is that its a lot heavier than water or alcohol based antifreezes or windshield washer solution. Gerald J. |
Posted By: Gary Burnett
Date Posted: 05 Apr 2017 at 1:21am
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I worked in the concrete industry for 25 years and no way I'd ever put CaCl in any concrete I'd of had poured for my self it destroys the rebar and causes problems in the concrete. Most all commerical and state jobs call for a non CaCl accelerator in the concrete and have for years. And look what it does to roads and vehicles when applied to melt snow. Anyone that has had a tire bust with CaCl in it while using a tractor won't forget it too soon when it sprays the tractor with the nasty stuff. |
Posted By: wayneIA
Date Posted: 05 Apr 2017 at 1:37am
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I agree with you Gerald J, I've had to put rims on my: WD-45D, D-17D, and 190XT-III due to valve stem hole corrosion. I figured up what the rims cost and by putting the non-corrosive in it paid for the next set of rims that would have potentially rotted too. I don't care what anyone else uses for ballast, but I will spend the money to go the non-corrosive route and not worry when I have leak and need to try and prevent the rust. I realize that everyone's situation is different, but my equipment gets used regularly all year round and haven't seen service plan that prevents punctures or internal pinching that will cause leaks that can cause corrosion (I've had both over the years, from nails and a ripple inside the tire that couldn't be seen from the outside). I still don't understand Victory Allis though, one time treating everyone like they don't understand how dangerous a chemical is, and the next saying how its food grade. Table salt will rust metal just like calcium chloride will, last time I checked corrosion was corrosion regardless of what chemical did the damage. I have friends that have done the windshield washer route, and I've heard of several people using the RV antifreeze or regular engine antifreeze for tire ballast and have nothing against any of those products, but for me cost and availability made it easier and more cost effective to use the commercially available bio tire product. I have the bio tire in my: D-17D, 7050, and the rear tires of my R50 (to offset the weight of a 10 row 20" corn head) all my other tires are dry and the D-21 has cast weights. The only piece of equipment I have that has the corrosive fluid in it (only 1 rear tire though) is my 7060 which I'm selling and will the purchaser decide if they are going dry, changing fluids, or filing the dry tire with calcium chloride. Bottom line to my first post is that when filling the tires, I figure I can pay the local tire shop to do the fluid transfer and be money ahead from buying the fittings, and a pump and the added time of transferring the fluid myself (since anyone's time is worth something). If you are in a situation where there is no local tire shop that can do it for you, then you will need to improvise. Also on the prices I listed, it was just a quick search I did to find a "ballpark" cost of using those fluids. I haven't bought any tire ballast in the last 3-4 years, and can't remember what I paid exactly then even.
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Posted By: Roscoe62
Date Posted: 05 Apr 2017 at 4:48am
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Actually, my local tire store charges $85 per tube (18.4X38), but everyone needs to make a living somehow.
Roscoe |
Posted By: victoryallis
Date Posted: 05 Apr 2017 at 5:37am
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Gerald J Your reply proves you don't know how to handle CaCl2 on metal. If you let it sit their and draw moisture yes it will rust. I have had multiple leaks with zero damage because it was managed properly. Guess what a liquid CaCl2 plant is built from? Steel. The rail cars that travel all around the country? Steel. The 55 gallon drums of briquettes that gets shipped overseas. Plain steel. 7th grade Chemistry goes along way in cleaning up CaCl2. ------------- 8030 and 8050MFWD, 7580, 3 6080's, 160, 7060, 175, heirloom D17, Deere 8760 |
Posted By: Allis dave
Date Posted: 05 Apr 2017 at 7:38am
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we have calcium in several tractors on the farm. Issue that I have is like the leak we had in the loader last year with 18.4r38. We don't like to change the tires ourselves very often. Not enough hours in the day and especially more work with fluid. So the tractor sits in the shed on a jack stand with the leak at the top for 3 days, rusting... Now the tire guy gets there charging maybe $50 an hour. He just pops of the outside bead and pull the tube to repair and puts it back together. Do I tell him, no, completely pull the tire off, and clean everything and add an extra 2 hours labor? DO I tell him to go home and I'll clean it then pay him another $70 trip charge to come back? How about one of those slow seeps. The ones that you add air about every 5 day. When your going like mad planting before the rain, do you stop the whole system for half or a whole day to get the tractor back home, unhook it, then clean and fix everything? Or do you keep running and fix when it rains or after done planting? It's one thing for a hobby guy, or one with several tractors to swap small equipment around to feed cows or something. |
Posted By: Lonn
Date Posted: 05 Apr 2017 at 7:48am
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I think I gotta agree with Allis dave though my tire guy doesn't carry the non corrosive ballast.... yet. When he does I'll probable switch. It just makes sense and is just one thing less to worry about between oil changes. ------------- -- --- .... .- -- -- .- -.. / .-- .- ... / .- / -- ..- .-. -.. . .-. .. -. --. / -.-. .... .. .-.. -.. / .-. .- .--. .. ... - Wink I am a Russian Bot |
Posted By: Tbone95
Date Posted: 05 Apr 2017 at 7:57am
| Very well reasoned and stated Allis Dave |
Posted By: DennisA (IL)
Date Posted: 05 Apr 2017 at 8:37am
Our tire service has the all the equipment on the truck. They clean the tire and rim inside and out with a low pressure pressure-washer that has a soap mixture incorporated in the spray. Maintenance is maintenance no matter how big or small the issues. To me a leaking tire, burnt out headlight or a blown head gasket all get treated with the same amount of concern. My equipment is not field ready unless all systems are working. As a plant manager I stop production for hours to fix machines that had issues. They were running and producing parts and making money, but not as much as they could. Yes my boss didn't like it but after about 6 months he noted how production had increased by the added maintenance of the machines. It's a mind set that is hard to change. When one is fixing equipment it is easy to see that the equipment is not producing. It is harder to see how much more productive that same equipment is when everything is operating correctly. My whole point from the start of this topic is this. Calcium is only as damaging as the owner allows it to be. Again use whatever you want as fluid, it's all good. ------------- Thanks & God Bless Dennis |
Posted By: Gerald J.
Date Posted: 05 Apr 2017 at 9:44am
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I repeat. I was on a country road at least 10 miles from my farm headed for a welding shop that was another 5 miles from where the tire split with no water or other solvents available, driving about 20 mph when the tire split and the rust appeared in a few seconds. When I got to the welding shop I got some water and washed the rusty tractor, then walked a half block to the tire shop at the local grain elevator and had them come and pump out the remaining solution from the tires. While the welding shop worked on the back hoe, I went shopping and came up with a pair of new tires and got them installed by that elevator tire shop a few days later, and then drove the rig back to the farm. The new tires pulled better when plowing without ballast than the old tires did with ballast. I gave up trying to move round bales with the loader hiring a neighbor to move them with a bigger tractor. Eventually I added the JD 4020 to the machinery and moved the MF loader to it and the back hoe attachment. And I acquired an AC 2000 plow for the 4020. Gerald J. |
Posted By: Dan73
Date Posted: 05 Apr 2017 at 10:31am
| I use my d15 alot for farming use it almost daily. So when I had to get the tires loaded again after getting a flat last summer I decided it was time to just suck it up and pay for the rim guard. Part of it is the debate about the rims rusting. But for me the bigger issue was the salt I just watched pour out on my hay field when I got a flat. If you noticed road salt doesn't help your lawn grow. I decided I didn't want to drive around the field knowing a flat would damage my field. There are times I drive that tractor across my garden and the last thing I want is to do something that will harm my garden. So to each their own. If you take care of the valve stems and clean the rims when you change the tires maybe everything will be ok. But if you put something in the tire it will end up leaking out on your land at some point. Rim guard seems to be the least bad in that respect. Weights are the best bit my d15 needs both the d17 only has wheel weights. |
Posted By: Allis dave
Date Posted: 05 Apr 2017 at 1:32pm
Very true, and I'm here arguing BUT I didn't put any fluid in my 45 after painting it. it's got 3 sets of weights. Sometimes I wish I had more weight, but it does ok. I want to fun pull with it a little, so for that I don't want weight in it anyway. The closest Rimguard dealer here is about an hour away. My 185 has calcium in it. If it springs a leak maybe then I'll clean and switch to Rimguard, but not until then. |
Posted By: Pete from IL
Date Posted: 05 Apr 2017 at 9:09pm
| Victoryallis , why do you have to attack someone for reporting their experiences? I like reading Gerald J posts and others that offer a lifetime of knowledge and experiences. Degrading someone else doesn't make you look smarter, it just makes you look bad. Pete |
Posted By: Dan73
Date Posted: 05 Apr 2017 at 9:11pm
| Pete well said i agree with you 100%. |
Posted By: Lonn
Date Posted: 06 Apr 2017 at 6:02am
Back to the question. I'd go with hanging a massey on for cheap weight.  ------------- -- --- .... .- -- -- .- -.. / .-- .- ... / .- / -- ..- .-. -.. . .-. .. -. --. / -.-. .... .. .-.. -.. / .-. .- .--. .. ... - Wink I am a Russian Bot |
Posted By: victoryallis
Date Posted: 06 Apr 2017 at 6:15am
Why because he is reporting inaccurate information. He is bashing a product he doesn't understand how to use. I handle it everyday at work I know how it acts. It doesn't rust on contact. Sad part is he doesn't get it's how he handled that caused his problems. Does a car rust out upon immediate contact with road salt? No takes time. CaCl2 is road salt. Sorry I'm not a participation trophy kind of guy I call a spade a spade. ------------- 8030 and 8050MFWD, 7580, 3 6080's, 160, 7060, 175, heirloom D17, Deere 8760 |
Posted By: corbinstein
Date Posted: 06 Apr 2017 at 7:00am
I still say it's cheaper to hang something underneath.... 8N ford comes to mind 
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Posted By: dt1050
Date Posted: 06 Apr 2017 at 7:11am
ok, there is yet another reason not to use calcium. Not sure what school you went to or when, but I never took chemistry at all in school. so I reckon it makes more sense to me to not use a product I don't understand. What I do have is common sense and experience, a product that will rust out a rim if ya don't handle it just right vs one that won't regardless of how it's handled is a no brainer for me. dt ------------- Just cause it's orange don't make it a tractor, there's only one..Allis Chalmers |
Posted By: Gerald J.
Date Posted: 06 Apr 2017 at 10:58am
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I did see the near instant rusting that day the tire pinched the tube and no amount of cleaning was available where I was. And who knows if the CaCl was pure or what other things it had in it to add to the corrosion and the concentration in the tire is very high, not like the brine applied to roads these days or in the pickle jar. The paint on the MF-135 housing was probably more than 25 years old and maybe easily flaked off exposing existing rust. The same paint and rust is still there. I'm not illiterate, I had a year of HS chemistry and a year of college chemistry and another year of metallurgy along with years of shop courses and I'm still learning though I have three degrees in electrical engineering and hung out my shingle as as registered professional engineer for about 40 years where a lot of my work depended on the chemistry of combustion. Gerald J. |
Posted By: Dan73
Date Posted: 06 Apr 2017 at 11:15am
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Gerald J the good people here value your experience and knowledge. Thank you for sharing it. As to the bitter response I hope the moderator will remind people that this isn't the political section on this part of the board we treat people with respect and value their different options. One bit of experience I will share about the Internet in general is when it comes to dealing with these things the best advice I have ever received is don't feed the trolls. Not to call anyone in particular a troll just to say there are trolls our there on the Web who get a thrill out of the attention. So Gerald I just want to say there are alot of us here who value your sharing your experience and advise with us. |
Posted By: dt1050
Date Posted: 06 Apr 2017 at 11:46am
well said ------------- Just cause it's orange don't make it a tractor, there's only one..Allis Chalmers |
Posted By: wekracer
Date Posted: 06 Apr 2017 at 1:18pm
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Gerald, I had a very similar experience. I was brush hogging with a D17 with a set of wore out old tires that were hard as a rock from age that resisted thorns really well when I must have run a stob through a thin part in the tire. I was about 5 miles from home and every time that tire came around it would pufft out a spray of cacl. By the time I got home I was soaked. It was sticky and stiff all at the same time. My hair hardened like I had a whole can of hair spray and my cloths looked starched. I will never forget the feeling. That tractor was our loader and brush hog tractor and was already a little rusty so I don't recall weather the cacl hurt anything additionally. What I can tell you for a fact is that the rims on that tractor were paper thin and had to be replaced at that time. I have two other D17s that have never had fluid and the rims on both of them are original and look like new. All three were shredded every night. And don't try to tell me road salt isn't carrosive. Look at any truck that plows snow in the Midwest. I know because I used to plow snow and I watched it rott trucks to the ground. The absolute fact is if you see a rotten rim on a tractor you know it has had calcium in it. I'm sorry but cacl is corrosive. |
Posted By: Gary Burnett
Date Posted: 06 Apr 2017 at 1:24pm
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CaCl on a road in Winter in the snow doesn't have anywhere near the concentration that it does as fluid in a tractor tire that is why cars don't rust as fast coming in contact with road salt. |
Posted By: fixer1958
Date Posted: 06 Apr 2017 at 7:15pm
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I used washer fluid in my WD and antifreeze in my skid steer. Made a heck of a difference. I just took an old in tank fuel pump and wired it up with long battery leads. Found a hose that fit the stem and put the stem at 11 oclock, threw the pump in the bucket (tire off the ground). Stop and let air out every now and again. Takes a little while, but get the chart for how much the tire takes and you can monitor it with 5 gal buckets. How I did it anyway and works for me. I work cheap on my own stuff and know what happened if I get bit later. |
Posted By: victoryallis
Date Posted: 06 Apr 2017 at 8:38pm
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Gotta love internet forums we have a group people with very limited experience who are all now experts in their own mind. Perhaps before you get in a pissing match on the web you should know who you are up against. How many of you realize I have over 20 years experience and countless millions of gallons of CaCl2 behind me. I have worked with every stage of the manufacturing process at one point or another. I deal with more CaCl2 in less than one minute at work than 99% of the forum members will ever see in their life. Gerald talks about the CaCl2 making his clothes stand up on their own in order to stay in solution long term at air temp it had has to be at roughly 38% or lower over the years I have worn plenty of 42% and it has yet to make my clothes stand up. 68% would make his clothes stand up but would need to be constantly heated to stay liquid. We do line flushes with 24% because it is nearly impossible to freeze it up. Two of our heat exchangers are circa 1942 and in 2015 we set a all time production record with them. If CaCl2 is a fraction as nasty as folks on here claim how has the process held up this long? Our tanks are made of mild steel if CaCl2 rusted everything on instantly on contact how do they last decades for us? Now do folks realize why I'm perfectly comfortable with it? HOT HOT water and a bit of patience and it will clean up like it never happened. So why would I ever pay a premium for another ballast that is more expensive, is less available, and my tire guy hates. ------------- 8030 and 8050MFWD, 7580, 3 6080's, 160, 7060, 175, heirloom D17, Deere 8760 |
Posted By: Lonn
Date Posted: 06 Apr 2017 at 8:54pm
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Find a different tire guy. No matter how you cut it, a tire with CaCl2 requires more upkeep with rusted rims if left over winter. Big fat period. ------------- -- --- .... .- -- -- .- -.. / .-- .- ... / .- / -- ..- .-. -.. . .-. .. -. --. / -.-. .... .. .-.. -.. / .-. .- .--. .. ... - Wink I am a Russian Bot |
Posted By: Auntwayne
Date Posted: 06 Apr 2017 at 10:06pm
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Victory, It is the amount of disrespect and smart aleck attitude that you are showing to a well respected forum member that is what is being called into question. Duane A Renko
------------- Dad always said," If you have one boy, you have a man. If you have two boys, you have two boys". "ALLIS EXPRESS" |
Posted By: DennisA (IL)
Date Posted: 06 Apr 2017 at 10:29pm
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I am out on the road right now. When I get back to the farm I will post pictures of the rims on my 7045. The tires are the original tires from the factory. Right side is for fluid . The left side sprung a leak over a year ago which sprayed calcium chloride all over the rim . I bought it from the dealership on the terms that they would fix the left rear tire. They put a new tube in without cleaning off the calcium chloride. To make the rim look better they painted over the calcium chloride. Now a year later the paint is peeling off the rim. ------------- Thanks & God Bless Dennis |
Posted By: dawntreader74
Date Posted: 06 Apr 2017 at 10:43pm
| the tire man ' got that beet' juice they put in tires now' had some put in two years ago' works fine. talk to your tire shop' |
Posted By: dt1050
Date Posted: 07 Apr 2017 at 7:31am
 The only person claiming to be an "expert" is you. the rest of us are giving our opinions or telling our experiences. you disrespect a person because you don't agree with them. rather than standing on a stump and crowing like a little banny rooster try to give helpful advice. as for the original post. if ya want to use CaCl2 go ahead. as for me the risk ain't worth it and with the availability and low cost (some times free) of used anit-freeze that won't corrode or rust the rums, why would I? dt. ------------- Just cause it's orange don't make it a tractor, there's only one..Allis Chalmers |
Posted By: Lonn
Date Posted: 07 Apr 2017 at 7:33am
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The only reason I didn't use antifreeze is because it's so toxic and if my dog licks a leaking tire it could be very bad. Myself I'd rather just pay for the beet juice or RV antifreeze. A few years ago I did go so far as to get my hands on four 55 gallon drums of used antifreeze but after thinking about it over the summer I went with CaCl2 and brought the antifreeze back to the dealership which what gave the stuff to me in the first place. ------------- -- --- .... .- -- -- .- -.. / .-- .- ... / .- / -- ..- .-. -.. . .-. .. -. --. / -.-. .... .. .-.. -.. / .-. .- .--. .. ... - Wink I am a Russian Bot |
Posted By: dt1050
Date Posted: 07 Apr 2017 at 7:40am
yea, that is definitely a down side of anti freeze. the neighbor got beat juice in his kobuta and loves it. If I had more animals around I'd probly use something less toxic. ------------- Just cause it's orange don't make it a tractor, there's only one..Allis Chalmers |
Posted By: Ted J
Date Posted: 07 Apr 2017 at 7:54am
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victoryallis, what you do at work has NO bearing on a farmer in a field or on the road. Yes, we all hear about how we should changed the valve stem every 2 years. When you have a slow leak, you usually don't even know about it until it has done it's damage. You're talking about work in a plant where everything is handy. We're talking about real life experience. A BIG difference. I for one don't need a chemistry lesson, I gave that up 50 years ago. We're NOT into the business of making people feel bad on here or building egos. This forum is for HELPING everyone. THAT is what FARMERS and FARMING are ALL ABOUT. ------------- "Allis-Express" 19?? WC / 1941 C / 1952 CA / 1956 WD45 / 1957 WD45 / 1958 D-17 |
Posted By: Tbone95
Date Posted: 07 Apr 2017 at 8:06am
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Wow, whoulda thunk such an innocuous question would trigger a discussion like this? The original question: "Cheap way to ballast tractor?" 1. Something you already own and you own all the bolts to make it work! Free! 2. Water. Nearly free. Costs a little something to pump it, unless you use a hand pump or Gilligan stops buy and peddles a bike the professor rigged up to make it work. Probably have to buy a few fittings, etc. 3. Some other fluid you get for free, like used antifreeze. But just a note here, used antifreeze is not going to be "corrosion proof". It will be less corrosive than the chloride, and maybe less corrosive than water for a while, but the additives put into antifreeze to protect from corrosion degrade over time, and depending on conditions, the degrading / corroding can become a vicious circle. 4. Not sure the cost comparison between windshield washer fluid / RV antifreeze / regular antifreeze etc. Depends on source, volume, time of year even it seems. 5. Rim Guard (beet juice). It isn't cheap. It's kinda sticky and nasty, but it works great. Thing is, every one of these options has their issues to deal with, choose your battle. Iron bolted on can create clearance issues, corrosion / paint damage where it bolts together (I'm picturing something rigged up, not OE weights in their right place). Water will freeze, need to manage it every winter. CaCl2, well, you know. Beet juice, not all tire guys will deal with it, expensive.... Let's go with hanging a Massey! |
Posted By: Lonn
Date Posted: 07 Apr 2017 at 8:19am
------------- -- --- .... .- -- -- .- -.. / .-- .- ... / .- / -- ..- .-. -.. . .-. .. -. --. / -.-. .... .. .-.. -.. / .-. .- .--. .. ... - Wink I am a Russian Bot |
Posted By: Kenny L.
Date Posted: 07 Apr 2017 at 8:19am
| Thone95, GREAT post. |
Posted By: Tbone95
Date Posted: 07 Apr 2017 at 8:37am
Oh, I gotta tree! |
Posted By: DennisA (IL)
Date Posted: 08 Apr 2017 at 8:42am
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I feel like I'm beating a dead horse here but I just don't understand the far spreading views and experiences. I have posted pictures below of rims that are/were filled with calcium chloride. The two pictures below shows what chloride does to the rims after years of contact. http://s161.photobucket.com/user/caallis/media/Rims/IMG_1088_zpsyimdgxvj.jpg.html" rel="nofollow"> 
http://s161.photobucket.com/user/caallis/media/Rims/IMG_1087_zpshcrx8lfn.jpg.html" rel="nofollow">  We've all seen this and it's very common. Now I would like to show you pictures from a tractor that still have the original factory tires and rims filled with chloride. Remember this tractor is 40 years old. I'm the 2nd owner of this tractor which has only 3600 hrs of use. The first is the right hand rim that shows a little seepage at the valve stem. http://s161.photobucket.com/user/caallis/media/Rims/IMG_1086_zpsr9djhndq.jpg.html" rel="nofollow">  I need to give you a little bit of history about the tractor before I bought it. The left rear tire was totally flat and of course it had chloride in it. It was driven around on the flat tire for some time as the tire had walked off on the outside rim. The rim and tire were covered in chloride. We agreed on a price for the tractor with the rear tire being repaired before delivery. Well they put a new tube in but did not clean off the chloride. They did paint the rim to make it like pretty. Since it was painted with out being cleaned the paint is peeling off. Now keep in mind that this happened about 1 year ago. Here is the picture of chloride at work for 1 year. http://s161.photobucket.com/user/caallis/media/Rims/IMG_1085_zpsenmbrh2q.jpg.html" rel="nofollow">  ------------- Thanks & God Bless Dennis |
Posted By: GM Guy
Date Posted: 09 Apr 2017 at 11:04pm
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In a perfect world, there would be nothing wrong with calcium because the stems would never leak and Goodyears will never pinch tubes, and hot soapy water is available anywhere at a moments notice. This is not a perfect world. :) In this non- perfect world, we do not devote time and money to changing and monitoring stems like we should. In this non-perfect world the fields may have a deer antler in them, or a hastily buried-by-the-previous-jackass-owner farmstead with crap sticking out of the ground. In a field far away from any running water. In a non-perfect world void of a wife that will bring a water truck with a mounted Hotsy in less than an hour. IMO the best way to fight a potential problem is to eliminate the source. I dont like primary countershaft gearboxes, engine gearcases, and grain loss, so I just simply dont buy a Deere combine. I buy a Gleaner that simply does not have those parts at all. I dont like the risk of running over an unforseen object, or have an old tire simply give up the ghost and pinch the tube and spray calcium all over, so I just dont use calcium. Its easy to clean up after a blown tire when the tire never had calcium, because there is no clean up. Easy. :) One cannot argue the fact that there is SOMETHING extra that needs done when making a tire repair involving liquid ballast. Either you are wasting your own time that you can be in the field, or you are ringing up a larger bill with the tire shop. I dont see how that can be disputed at all. There are hundreds of salvage yards across the country happy to sell you wheel weights off a fallen brother of your exact tractor, and short term, the cost sucks, but long term, in this non-perfect world, it will be cheaper. In a perfect world, Calcium will still win out as the cheapest ballast long term. If we want to get really cheap, if the application needing ballast is a drawbar application, make a 3pt hitch frame and mount a 55 gallon barrel in it, and fill it with concrete. wont look good, but it would be cheap. :) The classier alternative is to make a 3pt bracket that allows a factory weight bracket to bolt to it, and use matching front end weights to the tractor. If you are in one of the rare applications where you need ballast, but cast creates clearance issues or some other odd issue preventing its use, then liquid ballast may be your only route, and if it is, maybe choose the beet juice or some other alternative that would cause less damage in a non-perfect world failure scenario. ------------- Gleaner: the properly engineered and built combine. If you need parts for your Gleaner, we are parting out A's through L2's, so we may be able to help. |
Posted By: Play Farmer
Date Posted: 16 Apr 2017 at 10:44am
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As posted earlier, last year I filled my tires with water, then emptied them before the freezing season. I haven't gotten around to filling them this year. A few days ago I decided I'd hook up the plows and see what it would do. Keep in mind it has (2) sets of wheel weights on it, and last year my un-weighted Massey 1100 gasser pulled the same plows with no issues. Well...I need to get the tires filled. The ONLY thing the 7000 would do is sit and spin. It didn't even make an attempt to pull the plows, nothing. Yeah, I was a little disappointed. Needless to say wheel weights along weren't even close enough. Last year I was able to make 2 passes with the 7000 pulling the plows before a hydraulic issue sidelined it, so I know the extra weight is the issue. Time to get the tires filled. |
Posted By: GM Guy
Date Posted: 16 Apr 2017 at 11:13pm
I would use this as evidence in a presentation of "Why I need a 7010-7080" to the family and friends. :) 7000s dont have the built in weight the 7010-7080s do, I know ours even with big cast weights wont lay a ton of power down, but considering the engine's health, we just dont pull it heavy and use it for light tasks. ------------- Gleaner: the properly engineered and built combine. If you need parts for your Gleaner, we are parting out A's through L2's, so we may be able to help. |
Posted By: Play Farmer
Date Posted: 18 Apr 2017 at 6:53pm
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So I pulled the trigger and added about 700# of fluid in each rear wheel. I hooked up the plows tonight and it's a totally different machine. I'm now a happy Play Farmer. It's hard to beat fluid weight. |
Posted By: CrestonM
Date Posted: 18 Apr 2017 at 7:11pm
 Talking about grain loss... check this out....this was after the custom cutters came, and also after a rain.  |
Posted By: DennisA (IL)
Date Posted: 18 Apr 2017 at 8:32pm
What did you use for fluid? ------------- Thanks & God Bless Dennis |
Posted By: Play Farmer
Date Posted: 19 Apr 2017 at 5:00am
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Water...again. For what I do I'm not spending the $$$ on beet juice and I have no desire for calcium chloride. I know it can work well, I'm just not interested in using it. I have to fix the rim on my D17 this Spring because it's gotten rusted up. I'll be leaving the calcium out of those as that tractor is enjoying semi-retirement now and is only used for planting. |