VERY expensive beet juice!

[canoetrpr]

I've managed to find concentrate PG at Marine places. This stuff has rust inhibitors and won't harm rubber.

It is available at West Marine which has several locations a drive away from me.

Looks like I will be going down this route. You guys sure I can do this on my own

I'd never turned a wrench before I got to TBN. With the help I've gotten from you guys over the years, I'm doing all kinds of stuff now including all the servicing on my tractors, installing remote valves, worklights etc. and repairing any screw-ups I've made in the process I've even got a welder!

 

[k0ua]

I've managed to find concentrate PG at Marine places. This stuff has rust inhibitors and won't harm rubber.

It is available at West Marine which has several locations a drive away from me.

Looks like I will be going down this route. You guys sure I can do this on my own

I'd never turned a wrench before I got to TBN. With the help I've gotten from you guys over the years, I'm doing all kinds of stuff now including all the servicing on my tractors, installing remote valves, worklights etc. and repairing any screw-ups I've made in the process I've even got a welder!

I have no doubt you can do this, It is quite easy. How much is the concentrated Propylene Glycol at the marine place.?

James K0UA

 

[GGB]

All these posts, and NO mention of that old classic- calcium chloride. Farmers have been using that since rubber tires replaced steel. Is corrosion really that big a problem? (they keep their machines for decades)
Also, most farm tractors around here have weights, front and back, but they are tillage machines.

CC will kill your rims, given time. We had to replace the rims on our combine recently because of corrosion. Ouch! Don't want to do that again.....

GGB

 

[canoetrpr]

I have no doubt you can do this, It is quite easy. How much is the concentrated Propylene Glycol at the marine place.?

James K0UA

I spoke a teeny bit too soon. Westmarine carries the 50% diluted version of this for $12.5 a gallon! I'd have to mix that with at least a 70/30 water or 60/40 to be safest around here.

Either way, we are talking about 4 bucks a gallon! The tire ballast gods are not smiling upon me after all.

I found a local company that sells bulk WWF. I'll check with them and Napa to see what I can get it for.

I might be back to weights vs RimGuard after all!

Soundguy - I imagine you must dilute quite a bit more than I have to. That's the only way I can see PG being so economical for you?

 

[777777]

Couple quick thoughts........

For WW fluid you could call these guys are bulk distributiors and in TO area.

UltraClear Bulk Fluids - Home

Think they sell in the bulk 250 gallon caged containers, etc.

I think Island View does Rim Guard ( Mahindra dealer in Orangeville area ) as well.

Check with big auto dealers as they get their WW fluid delivered by in bulk by small tanker trucks so may be able to refer to someone.

Good luck

 

[Short Game]

So, what about this?

Mad Scientist Matt's Lair: Homemade windshield washer fluid - the recipe!

 

[Soundguy]

Just an off hand question, You're in central Florida? Do you need to deal with temperatures that could freeze filled tires?

yes, technically fl has a sum total of maybee 2 weeks where we get sub freezing temps.. even teens for multiple days and single digits.. so yes. it is possible for water outside to freeze in florida, a few days a year.

also.. I like the corrosion inhibiutors and the small amount of ballast the af actually adds.

soundguy

 

[canoetrpr]

Couple quick thoughts........

For WW fluid you could call these guys are bulk distributiors and in TO area.

UltraClear Bulk Fluids - Home

Think they sell in the bulk 250 gallon caged containers, etc.

I think Island View does Rim Guard ( Mahindra dealer in Orangeville area ) as well.
Good luck

Great minds think alike (and fools seldom differ!). I found the bulkwasherfluid guys through google and have sent them an email. Hope the price comes out to something workable. I'm looking for 180 gallons so 250 isn't too far. Maybe they will supply it in 55 gallon drums as well.

Island View does do RimGuard. Price is $1.25 per liter + service charge with a local tire guy he has hooked up with. Charlie - the owner is a nice guy and I've bought stuff from him in the past. So we are looking at $708 + service call. Not horrid but not cheap. The complication I see with this route is that I think I'd want to purchase some extra and keep it on hand AND have a container that I can dump it out into in case I need to get a tire repaired with a different tire guy - someone local. Who knows if his tire guy will be around in the future. My tire guy has a container full of CaCl2 he carries around and just pumps my stuff out into it if I have a flat and pumps it back in.

Ecosolutions is is an Ontario company that seems to supply the beet juice product under the brand name Fusion. Found out about it from TBN. Nice guys to deal with. Price quote from them:

Fusion Tire Ballast $0.95/litre
250 gallon tote storage container $120
Or
4 x $30 poly drums
Transportation $175

Maybe I don't need as much extra around as I think I do (I was thinking 30 gallons). Maybe 10 is plenty. I'll chat with my tire-guy to see what he thinks.

 

[canoetrpr]

Ok found an alternate as per Short Game's post. The local TSC sells a gallon of Methanol - Methyl Hydrate for $9.99. It's basically pure methanol.

I'd have to get a 55 gallon drum of some sort I guess to dilute it with water but a 9/1 mix of water and this stuff should be adequate. So we are talking 14 or 15 gallons of this stuff mixed with water or $150 + the cost of a drum + burp valve and whatever other gizmo is required to fill (pump perhaps??).

Probably about $250.

I don't know if this stuff has any rust inhibhitors and am a tad concerned about what it does to rubber but don't have enough information to worry about it yet.

 

[IslandTractor]

Ok found an alternate as per Short Game's post. The local TSC sells a gallon of Methanol - Methyl Hydrate for $9.99. It's basically pure methanol.

I'd have to get a 55 gallon drum of some sort I guess to dilute it with water but a 9/1 mix of water and this stuff should be adequate. So we are talking 14 or 15 gallons of this stuff mixed with water or $150 + the cost of a drum + burp valve and whatever other gizmo is required to fill (pump perhaps??).

Probably about $250.

I don't know if this stuff has any rust inhibhitors and am a tad concerned about what it does to rubber but don't have enough information to worry about it yet.

I agree that methanol is a great solution (non toxic to plants by the way, just humans who ingest it have trouble). However, you clearly need more than a 10% solution of methanol up in Ontario. I forget the figures to get -30F protection but something in the 30% methanol range is more like it. Cheapest is to buy a 55 gallon drum of methanol (a bit over $100 last time I checked) and then dilute it yourself. A two parts water to one part methanol solution weighs about 8lbs/gallon, a tad less than water but 165 gallons is still 1300lbs. Not bad for the cost.