Ballast Washer Fluid for Ballast

[daTeacha]

While washer fluid does not prevent corrosion, it also does not cause it like any salt (chloride) solution. It's no more corrosive to the rims than water.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

I can't see using tubes where I am. For some reason my B-I-L does and he's constantly patching tubes from locust punctures. I've yet to have a flat from a puncture.

I'd much rather have tubes than NOt have them. The radials were recommended to be run without. Thought I'd give it a whirl. If your BIL is getting thorn punctures in his tubes, he'd STILL be getting flats without tubes. Some tire brands/types are better than others about thorn punctures. That may be your saving grace.

 

[swines]

Depends on how much weight you are looking for. The larger the tire, the less importance weight to volume is. Windshield washer fluid is approximately 8 pounds to the gallon. Rim Guard is the modern replacement for calcium chloride that is non corrosive and it weighs 10.715 pounds per gallon. The weight of calcium chloride will depend on what percentage you mix it at. It will have a detrimental effect on your rims over time. Both windshield washer fluid and calcium chloride can also be hazardous in concentration if they leaks on your lawn. From the Ohio EPA

I would be concerned with the contamination of water wells if there was a major spill as a result of a tire failure. We are all responsible for our actions, and for the safety of the environment. The choice of what to use is yours.
Dusty

Yeah, and the State of California classifies sand as a carcinogen - what'ya figure they're gonna to do with all those beaches....

Choices. Just because it has an MSDS and is a chemical doesn't automatically make it a dire threat to the survival of the entire planet. Please, classify a "major spill." A tractor tire full of liquid is hardly a "major spill."

Do you have any idea HOW contanminated soil is remediated? It's dumped in a permitted area and the sun (UV) evaporates and breaks down the chemical in the soil. The soil it turned about 2x per week with a grader so that it is evenly exposed to the sun for a period of time.

After the EPA guy tests the soil and declares it "clean" it's used as fill on another project.

It's not like an isolated, single methanol spill is an unrecoverable catastrophy that has permanent, disasterous, long lasting consequences.

 

[Dusty]

California has a way of classifying almost every thing known to man as "a known carcinogen". The people of California started all this with Proposition 65. How they come up with the determination, is unknown to most people, including myself. A methanol spill might not be very significant, unless it happens in a area that can contaminate the ground water supply. If I had a farm where the animals depended on a pond to get their drinking water, I would be very cautious. If the person is on a wooded lot, and the aquifer is located extremely far down, it wouldn't be a problem at all. As I said, we are all responsible for our own actions. Only the person that is using the product will know if it is safe for their application. I only presented the facts of the products. It is up to the person to weigh the facts for the application and decide. There are multiple choices in life, and what is correct for one, might not be correct for another.
Dusty

 

[Soundguy]

The washer fluid my local tire shop gets in 55 gallon drums without a problem or they can do the cal/chlor without a problem but they have never used the Rim Guard. I would have a tube installed for whichever solution I choose.

Figured the washer fluid wasn't as corrosive as the cal/chlor.

The reason people use WW fluid, AF and water, and CACL and water is cost. They are all realatively cheap. Rimguard is liquid gold....$$$$$$

Get a tube.. if you are worried about the environment.. fill with water and ecosafe AF mix.

Soundguy

 

[DieselPower]

Yeah, and the State of California classifies sand as a carcinogen - what'ya figure they're gonna to do with all those beaches....

Probably because sand IS a carcinogen. My father died from silicosis as a direct result of being exposed to silica dust at work for years.

Back on topic, how much does Rim Guard cost now a days? Been quite a few years since I had any tires weighted.

 

[N80]

Silicosis is not a form of cancer. It has been linked to lung cancer and quartz-silica has been labled a carcinogen by one group, but that is debated. To get silicosis requires very tiny particles. Much smaller than sand grains. Same composition, different form. Mining, sandblasting, stone cutting are situations in which the particles are dust-like and can be deeply inhaled. But, even if you inhaled grains of sand, it would not cause silicosis or be carcinogenic.

 

[john_bud]

Silicosis is not a form of cancer. It has been linked to lung cancer and quartz-silica has been labled a carcinogen by one group, but that is debated. To get silicosis requires very tiny particles. Much smaller than sand grains. Same composition, different form. Mining, sandblasting, stone cutting are situations in which the particles are dust-like and can be deeply inhaled. But, even if you inhaled grains of sand, it would not cause silicosis or be carcinogenic.

Almost anything that has been turned into microscopically fine powder is going to clog up your lungs if you breath it. But it has to be microscopically fine.

On topic, I have had WW fluid for about 6 years now with no issues.

jb

 

[ovrszd]

While washer fluid does not prevent corrosion, it also does not cause it like any salt (chloride) solution. It's no more corrosive to the rims than water.

Yeah, that was my point. That's why I like Anti-freeze mix, for the corrosion resistance it provides. I would never put cal/chloride in a tubeless setup.

 

[Harvster]

You could always use mercury to fill the tires. At about 110 pounds per gallon you could add some serious weight to your tractor.

What could go wrong?