Tire ballast and tubes

[Surgeon]

Is it necessary to have a tube with Windshield Wiper filled tires?

 

[Surgeon]

Windshield wiper fluid

 

[lostcreekranch]

You are much better off without tubes.

 

[Soundguy]

ww fluid will not corode your rims... you could use eco safe AF too.

if you use cacl.. I'd for sure use tubes.

( IMHO.. I always use tubes anyways.. etc.. )

 

[lostcreekranch]

ww fluid will not corode your rims... you could use eco safe AF too. if you use cacl.. I'd for sure use tubes. ( IMHO.. I always use tubes anyways.. etc.. )

The problem with tubes is the sure leakage around the valve stem. If you are using Calcium Chloride, the leakage will cause big corrosion issues with your rims as rims will be exposed to both air and chemicals. If you have good tires, there is no upside to using tubes.

 

[arrow]

The problem with tubes is the sure leakage around the valve stem. If you are using Calcium Chloride, the leakage will cause big corrosion issues with your rims as rims will be exposed to both air and chemicals. If you have good tires, there is no upside to using tubes.

Actually as a person who ran calcium in their tires for more than a quarter of a century (makes it seem longer when you say it that way), I did find an upside. I used this tractor for logging over heavily obstructed ground. Many times I would "tweak" a rim that abraded a rock or such. Over the years, my rims had their share of "tweaks" enough so that they would not hold air if I did not have tubes. Had I not had tubes, I would have spewed calcium all over the place more times than I'd care to think about. Valve stem protectors were mandatory in this environment and I did have a leak I did not know about. Caused a hole in the rim about the size of a fingernail. Don't know how long it was there but I had it welded up
I then "Chassis Guarded" the rim (POR 15 substance like) after I got any more surface rust off and painted the inside of the rim with bridge paint on top of the Chassis Guard. I applied a layer of duct tape over the inside part of the rim, mounted the new tires back on and filled them back up with the calcium. I never wanted to see the inside of these rims again.

 

[lostcreekranch]

Actually as a person who ran calcium in their tires for more than a quarter of a century (makes it seem longer when you say it that way), I did find an upside. I used this tractor for logging over heavily obstructed ground. Many times I would "tweak" a rim that abraded a rock or such. Over the years, my rims had their share of "tweaks" enough so that they would not hold air if I did not have tubes. Had I not had tubes, I would have spewed calcium all over the place more times than I'd care to think about. Valve stem protectors were mandatory in this environment and I did have a leak I did not know about. Caused a hole in the rim about the size of a fingernail. Don't know how long it was there but I had it welded up I then "Chassis Guarded" the rim (POR 15 substance like) after I got any more surface rust off and painted the inside of the rim with bridge paint on top of the Chassis Guard. I applied a layer of duct tape over the inside part of the rim, mounted the new tires back on and filled them back up with the calcium. I never wanted to see the inside of these rims again.

Arrow;

Think you proved the point.

Our experience is almost 50 years and emigrated to Texas, from Nebraska, after US Air Force in early 1970's. No more Calcium Chloride. Water, with a bit of antifreeze, until inexpensive washer fluid came available. Luckily, never had any issues with flats, when running the very weak antifreeze mix.

If I was still living in mid-West, I would opt for the non-toxic anti-freeze with appropriate mix of water ............. In tubeless tires.

Rick

 

[Soundguy]

none of my valve stems leak. if your stems leak.. repalce the cores or outter sections...

Arrow;

Think you proved the point.

Our experience is almost 50 years and emigrated to Texas, from Nebraska, after US Air Force in early 1970's. No more Calcium Chloride. Water, with a bit of antifreeze, until inexpensive washer fluid came available. Luckily, never had any issues with flats, when running the very weak antifreeze mix.

If I was still living in mid-West, I would opt for the non-toxic anti-freeze with appropriate mix of water ............. In tubeless tires.

Rick

 

[crazyal]

It's normal for air trapped between the tube and tire to slowly bleed out through the valve stem. If you have leakage around your valve stem with a tube installed and ballast is coming out then you have a hole in your tube.

 

[arrow]

Arrow;

Think you proved the point.

Our experience is almost 50 years and emigrated to Texas, from Nebraska, after US Air Force in early 1970's. No more Calcium Chloride. Water, with a bit of antifreeze, until inexpensive washer fluid came available. Luckily, never had any issues with flats, when running the very weak antifreeze mix.

If I was still living in mid-West, I would opt for the non-toxic anti-freeze with appropriate mix of water ............. In tubeless tires.

Rick

If the point is that after 28 years of calcium that all I had to do was weld up one hole while garnering the benefits of the added traction for this long a period and an extra 140 lbs over water or anti freeze you are correct. If the point is that tubes can most certainly aid in the entrapment of liquid, you are correct again. What was unproven to me is that is that there is no upside to tubes. All depends on one's situation.

 

[oosik]

I used calcium on my previous tractor for 26 years and disliked every minuet of it. I replaced more valve cores with calcium than I could count - at least two cores per rear tire per year. On the new tractor I use Rimguard and no tube. What a nice relief. Rimguard is not that expensive at my location. And it has zero effect on tires or valve cores.

 

[Soundguy]

It's normal for air trapped between the tube and tire to slowly bleed out through the valve stem. If you have leakage around your valve stem with a tube installed and ballast is coming out then you have a hole in your tube.

air betweent he tire and tube should not come out thru the valve stem. it can come out at the hole in the rim the valve stem goes thru however

 

[Soundguy]

I used calcium on my previous tractor for 26 years and disliked every minuet of it. I replaced more valve cores with calcium than I could count - at least two cores per rear tire per year. On the new tractor I use Rimguard and no tube. What a nice relief. Rimguard is not that expensive at my location. And it has zero effect on tires or valve cores.

wow.. I have some tires that i have had for 12 ys now with calcium.. and I've never repalced the cores since I have had them.. fromt he looks of the stems.. they have been in long before i had them.

I DID repalce a set in a tractor i bought in 08, just a month ago.. but they were vintage cores not modern ones, looking at them.

you have some pretty crummy cores I think.

 

[oosik]

Yes - no question about my experience with CaCl & tractor tires. It was not a happy time. I was seriously considering running with empty tires in the new Kubota until I found out about Rimguard. My problems with the old tractor were more than just the CaCl, I think. I think it also had to do with galvanic action - the brass or bronze stems and cores and the steel wheels aided by the CaCl. And like you say, Soundguy, it could have been a batch of crummy cores. In any case, now its no longer a problem.

 

[jwstewar]

I just had a flat a week or so ago. You can see my wheels after 9 years of Windshield Washer fluid with no tubes. No signs of rust or anything.



Now as to what caused the flat, several years ago I ran a piece of barbed wire through the sidewall so I took it in to the tire shop where Dad worked. Having the windshield washer fluid in it, Dad didn't want to pump it out and have to put it back it, so he just plugged the side wall. Well it as always had a slow leak, but it gets a bit worse in the winter. I know to keep an eye on it but Monica got the tractor out to move some dirt into our new barn and this is what ensued. Dad isn't around anymore for me to have fix it again, but now that the WW is gone, I will probably pop the tire off the rim and put a patch over the plug to stop the leak. Once I know for sure then that it isn't leaking anymore I will refill with Winter Windshield Washer fluid.

 

[Soundguy]

i'd remove the plug and go with the patch. if it won't stick.. tube it

 

[jwstewar]

I will probably remove the plug and try the patch. As soon as Dad looked at my wheels first thing he said was, you can't use a tube in those wheels. With him being in the tire business for almost 50 years, I have to believe him.

 

[Soundguy]

I will probably remove the plug and try the patch. As soon as Dad looked at my wheels first thing he said was, you can't use a tube in those wheels. With him being in the tire business for almost 50 years, I have to believe him.

being around farm and heavy equipment and large trailers for decades.....i've never seen a rim you couldn't tube. even split rims. just requires a boot.

 

[lostcreekranch]

i'd remove the plug and go with the patch. if it won't stick.. tube it

Try a hot patch if you can find a place that still knows how to do them.

 

[Soundguy]

Try a hot patch if you can find a place that still knows how to do them.

good luck on that...

I haven't seen a hot patch in 25ys in my neck of the woods.

I do remember them doing them at the filling station in town though. never had one of those fail before the tire was ready to be scrapped.