olPete
Gold Member
ZL4PJ. Got my license at age 11 and sat my 12wpm CW to get my general call at 13, havent even got set up for HF here yet but will pop up a G5RV when i get some tower up! And then I will track you down!!
Ballast Can I do it Myself?
- Thread starter mmranch
- Start date
- Views: 22088
k0ua
Epic Contributor
Very good.. I look forward to meeting you on the air. 73 de K0UA
olPete
Gold Member
I look forward to it too. What bands do you prefer? Used to give 80/75 most of my time, need the nightime bands when you live on the wrong side of the planet...
arrow
Super Member
I was in the ops shoes once. Had calcium in the tubes. On the advice from Carl in NewHamshire, (a guy on the Forum here. Thanks again Carl) I was bolstered to tackle this myself.Went to Harbor Freight and bought a cheap ($29) transfer pump. Ordered the hose fittings from Gemplers and two 30" tire irons from Northern products to the then tune of $8 a piece. I also bought a new tube from Gemplers along with their valve stem "fishing tool" that allows you to easily get the tube stem through the tire hole.
I demounted the rim and tire after taking out the air and calcium, placed it flat on the ground, and drove my pick up truck onto the 2x6 I strategically placed on the tire to break the bead. Had to wait till the next morning for one of the tires to unseat leaving the p.u. on the 2x6. The other broke immediately. I then used the two 30" tire irons to demount the tire.
Now for the good parts: I had CaCl in my tires for 26 years. I drained the remaining calcium out of the tires using two 18 gal. muck buckets and the above mentioned pump. Your tires are might need something larger depending on how much is left in there. The calcium wore two dime size holes in the rim. I had these tig filled at my local welders. When I got it back, I also decided to do the other tire seeing it was only a matter of time. The other rim had no holes. Both rims were rusted pretty badly. Wire brushed the rims with a hand held grinder then sanded them smooth. I then got some POR 15 and brushed that on. Primed the rims then used bridge paint I had laying around and brushed this on to the inside part of the wheel as well. From the advice of an old farmer, I then duck taped the inside part of the rim so I would get no chafing from all the uneven rim indentations the rust caused to the metal of the rim.. After I painted the rims and made the outside pretty again with JD yellow, I mounted the rims on the tractor and proceeded to soap up and mount the rear tires. I used vice grips to prevent that part of the tire wanting to come off the rim as you're going around with the tire irons. I put the tubes in using the fishing tool and proceeded to refill the calcium again with the pump. I got the self burping fitting so I did not have to stop the fill process. Took less than 5 minutes per tire to refill with the calcium.
Since I was working alone, I was careful to place the tractor while on jack stands, where I could still use the front end loader to place the rim and take it off the back of the pick up.
This is what it takes to do it yourself. I did not expect to have to deal with these tires again until I was dead. As I traded the tractor in shortly after this, I did not have to wait to be dead to fix them again.
I demounted the rim and tire after taking out the air and calcium, placed it flat on the ground, and drove my pick up truck onto the 2x6 I strategically placed on the tire to break the bead. Had to wait till the next morning for one of the tires to unseat leaving the p.u. on the 2x6. The other broke immediately. I then used the two 30" tire irons to demount the tire.
Now for the good parts: I had CaCl in my tires for 26 years. I drained the remaining calcium out of the tires using two 18 gal. muck buckets and the above mentioned pump. Your tires are might need something larger depending on how much is left in there. The calcium wore two dime size holes in the rim. I had these tig filled at my local welders. When I got it back, I also decided to do the other tire seeing it was only a matter of time. The other rim had no holes. Both rims were rusted pretty badly. Wire brushed the rims with a hand held grinder then sanded them smooth. I then got some POR 15 and brushed that on. Primed the rims then used bridge paint I had laying around and brushed this on to the inside part of the wheel as well. From the advice of an old farmer, I then duck taped the inside part of the rim so I would get no chafing from all the uneven rim indentations the rust caused to the metal of the rim.. After I painted the rims and made the outside pretty again with JD yellow, I mounted the rims on the tractor and proceeded to soap up and mount the rear tires. I used vice grips to prevent that part of the tire wanting to come off the rim as you're going around with the tire irons. I put the tubes in using the fishing tool and proceeded to refill the calcium again with the pump. I got the self burping fitting so I did not have to stop the fill process. Took less than 5 minutes per tire to refill with the calcium.
Since I was working alone, I was careful to place the tractor while on jack stands, where I could still use the front end loader to place the rim and take it off the back of the pick up.
This is what it takes to do it yourself. I did not expect to have to deal with these tires again until I was dead. As I traded the tractor in shortly after this, I did not have to wait to be dead to fix them again.
k0ua
Epic Contributor
I think we would have a good chance on either 40 or 80. As you know we are heading down in the depths of the sunspot cycle and our chances on the upper bands are not that great. Maybe still possible on 20, but it is slipping away fast. I think we are all going to have to live and get along with 160, 80 and 40 meters for several years to come.
olPete
Gold Member
I like 80. Its 'proper' HF imo. The way music is better on vinyl, and guitar needs a tube amp. Pleased to have our own land after 7 years of moving around, and should be fairly quiet where we are regards QRM. I only twigged a few days ago your handle was a callsign
BHD
Veteran Member
one can do it your self, and I do it for my self, but I have two debeaders, and some times need both of the, a number of good tire irons, an air powered fluid pump, 20 ton jack, vice grips, and so on, and the experience to do the job,
I have had a number of "new" tubes split on a seam, if you do plan on doing this just buy a new tube,
on the rim wash it up very good, and a few rolls of duct tape put on the rim can protect the tube from a rusted up rim, a good cup brush on a 4" grinder helps a lot, (if doing it your self repaint it), lot of drying time is needed,
one can get a lot of the fluid out if the tube is not tore loose from the valve stem, by airing up the tire and then rotate the stem down to the bottom of the wheel and with a hose put in to a plastic drum, or two, depending on the size of the tire, one may have to do this a number of times, but one can get about 90% out this way (I would guess by letting the jack down and flatting the tire at the last would get a lot of the last (below the vale stem with it down), to where one could work it out the tube out of the tire and rim with the tire off the wheel one sided, Gemplers has some tips on tire repair,
near the top of the page there is a menu with various aspects of tractor or large tire repair,
Changing a Tractor Tire - Dismounting | GEMPLER'S mounting, dismounting, liquid ballast. and some on safety,
use a special tire gauge that is made for liquid ballast filled tires, the crap will destroy a gauge or even a air head at times if it get in to them
(can you air up the tire and drive the tractor to a location where they can work on it)
I would suggest for a beginner, hire it done, and watch and ask a lot of questions, before trying it your self with out experience.
I have had a number of "new" tubes split on a seam, if you do plan on doing this just buy a new tube,
on the rim wash it up very good, and a few rolls of duct tape put on the rim can protect the tube from a rusted up rim, a good cup brush on a 4" grinder helps a lot, (if doing it your self repaint it), lot of drying time is needed,
one can get a lot of the fluid out if the tube is not tore loose from the valve stem, by airing up the tire and then rotate the stem down to the bottom of the wheel and with a hose put in to a plastic drum, or two, depending on the size of the tire, one may have to do this a number of times, but one can get about 90% out this way (I would guess by letting the jack down and flatting the tire at the last would get a lot of the last (below the vale stem with it down), to where one could work it out the tube out of the tire and rim with the tire off the wheel one sided, Gemplers has some tips on tire repair,
near the top of the page there is a menu with various aspects of tractor or large tire repair,
Changing a Tractor Tire - Dismounting | GEMPLER'S mounting, dismounting, liquid ballast. and some on safety,
use a special tire gauge that is made for liquid ballast filled tires, the crap will destroy a gauge or even a air head at times if it get in to them
(can you air up the tire and drive the tractor to a location where they can work on it)
I would suggest for a beginner, hire it done, and watch and ask a lot of questions, before trying it your self with out experience.
SandburRanch
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Oct 12, 2010
- Messages
- 1,418
- Tractor
- NHtd75
If you don't have a valve stem retainer to pull the stem through, a strong string/cord can be attached to the stem threads with a clove hitch knot and the two ends brought through the hole for later use as the vid showed with the cable. I use waxed linen boot thread.
OP
mmranch
Gold Member
Thanks again to all for the ideas! I really appreciate it. I will update this after I've gotten it solved but for now I'm busy with clearing roof snow & ice.
Thanks again.
Thanks again.
OP
mmranch
Gold Member
Howdy folks... an update and a question.
I finally got all my tools to repair the tire and am in the process of pumping out the Calcium Chloride with my fluid pump. I have gotten approximately 90-99% of the fluid pumped out into some containers.
My question is this... the suction of pulling out the last of the liquid has made the tire suck inward on itself and look very deformed. The tire beads have also pulled inward away from the rim.
Is this normal? Am I damaging the tire?
Have I gotten all the liquid out that I should expect? There is still smaller squirts of liquid passing out through the pump & hose.
If there is a tube inside (I expect there is), should the tire be sucking in on itself like this?
I'll post some photos in a bit.
Thanks for any guidance!
I finally got all my tools to repair the tire and am in the process of pumping out the Calcium Chloride with my fluid pump. I have gotten approximately 90-99% of the fluid pumped out into some containers.
My question is this... the suction of pulling out the last of the liquid has made the tire suck inward on itself and look very deformed. The tire beads have also pulled inward away from the rim.
Is this normal? Am I damaging the tire?
Have I gotten all the liquid out that I should expect? There is still smaller squirts of liquid passing out through the pump & hose.
If there is a tube inside (I expect there is), should the tire be sucking in on itself like this?
I'll post some photos in a bit.
Thanks for any guidance!