Farmwithjunk
Super Member
Soundguy said:To be fair.. i never said CACL was without risk.. I merely implied that you just have to keep on top of problems.
Soundguy
"To be fair", what you did say was, "Nothing inherantly wrong with calcl" (Not MY spelling on inherAntly) That's just wrong. There IS an inherent problem with using calcl. Anyone who TRIES to claim otherwise is either (a) lacking in common everyday hands on EXPERIENCE regarding tractors OR just trying to create an arguement based on rhetoric, double talk, and/or confusion on their part.
I don't recall reading about anyone being "scared" of using cal chlor. WHat I did read was the common sense aproach that cal chlor IS damaging, and there being an almost guaranteed risk of damage in time. Then a bogus claim of cal chlor not having any inherent risks when using.
A quick look at archived threads on about ANY tractor website will show a litany of threads discussing the damage caused by cal chlor, the alternatives, and ways to LESSEN the likelyhood of early damage resulting from its use. Now if there ISN'T any risk involved, we must ALL be wrong and only imagining all the problems associated with cal chlor. There is a distinct difference between reducing or PREVENTING damage. Anyone with a reasonable ammount of actual EXPERIENCE with the subject will tell you there is NO sure fire method of preventing rust altogether.
But back to the original question. Better tubes sometimes have stainless steel valve stems. Not sure if the core itself is ss or not. In any event, the spring in the core of that schraeder valve won't be ss. They "rot" away as a result of contact with cal/chlor while filling the tire, causing failure of the valve itself. Again, replace the core. While the core is removed, look closely at the "seat" inside the stem to see if corrosion has pitted the seat itself. If so, MOST tractor tubes will have a stem that is mostly removeable from the tube. That's to allow a bigger opening to pump in fluid. It contains that "seat". It MAY require buying another tube anyway, just to get a NEW stem, seeing as to how the stem isn't available individually. That may fix the problem without having to drain/dismount/replace tube/re-mount tire/refill.
There are proper and SIMPLE ways to deal with a small leak, and NOT resort to dismounting tires, since that isn't something a lot of folks are capable of doing themselves. It's not unheard of for a tractor tire to stay mounted on a rim for its entire life, sometimes decades, without being dismounted. In general, most people can't afford, nor wait out the time required to remove a flat tire, wash and dry the rim, paint it if there's any scratches or wear on the paint, then remount the tire (causing damage to that paint again). While that "perfect world" idea SOUNDS like a plan, it rarely ever happens.
One of my tractors has had it's tires mounted since 1980. They're filled with cal chlor. Do I expect rust on the insides of the rims when it gets tires in a couple weeks? Sure do. Has this tractor been properly maintained? Yes it has, probably better than almost any tractor I know of. Do I seemed alarmed over the rust? Not in the slightest. I've been around this stuff long enough to know what'll happen, not speculate and theorize. Rims are being "hot dip" galvanized after a bead blasting. They were ORIGINALLY galvanized, not painted. Maybe they'll last another 36 years this way.
It's almost a given that using cal chlor will cause some damage over time. Best to minimize the damage, yes. Ignore it or make ridiculous and unfounded claims that it is without risk? No way could I ever trust the advice of anyone who claims otherwise.