Tires fluid filled tires?

[trailertrash]

I,m curious about windshield washer fluid being used as a tire weight.I was primarily wondering where one buy's large amounts and the main advantages over normal calcium. I can uderstand:corosion.price?.But I was curious if tire shops install,wondering about freezing(be some serious unbalancing)thank you

 

[GSS]

macher and I just did ours with windshield fluid. A local chain was going out of business so we got each gallon for like $0.71.

It may actually be a little lighter per gallon than straight water, but its ability to not freeze down to like -20 makes it worth it. I guess RV antifreeze would be ideal, but the price is prohibitive at ~$5/gln.

I guess the only other advantage is that you can do it yourself in a few hours with a bucket, drill pump, $8 adapter and a few feet of old hose. It cost me about $60 including the adapter and I figure I added about 600 pounds to the rear of the Cub.

- Gerald

 

[beenthere]

My take on windshield washer fluid - about 8 lbs/gal (about 3 lbs/gal less in weight than calcium chloride), will not freeze down to -20 F (if used straight), is cheaper at about $1/gal, and that is what I use. Has worked well for years (at least 5). You will get various opinions.
Don't know what you mean by "large amounts". I do know that I've seen the price/gal ($0.88) in gallon jugs less than the price/gal ($1.70) in 55 gal drums (and from the same source, plus their was a deposit on the 55 gal. drum). Go figure!??

 

[Anonymous Poster]

HI,

One of the advantages of WW fluid over Calcium cloride is that you don't need to install a tube in the tire with ww fluid, so filling the tires is an easy, do it at home job.

AS GSS said, all you need is a cheap drill pump. You don't even need an adapter...you can stick a piece of plastic tubing right on the tire valve and hold it there with a small hose clamp. An adapter that lets you releave the air pressure a couple times as the fluid fills the tire would be handy though.

If you do a search of the archives you will find a thread or two onself filling tires with WW fluid.

I think it took about an hour to fill the rear tires on my Kubota B2910. 23 gallons per tire, 12.4 x 16 R4s...

Around here [Pittsburgh, PA] WW fluid sells for about $1 per gallon normally. Make sure you get the winter blend. I have seen some that is a summer blend that does not state it is good down to -20F. It might be the same stuff, but who knows?

You do get some strange looks heading to the checkout with a train of carts filled with gallon jugs of WW fluid. Especially in summer.../w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Bill Macher in Pgh, PA

 

[Steelfan]

Welcome trailertrash,

I loaded my TC21D with Washer fluid, but I didn't use a drill. With the help of my cousin, we took the rear tires off. We let all the air out of them, and broke the bead on one side. We then used a crowbar to keep the tire away from the rim, and poured the WF in the tire. We put 15 gallons in each tire on myTC21D. Pumped up the tire to 30 LBS, and put it back on. Took 30 mins, and just the cost of the WF. I think the whole thing cost me less then $30. You can also do as the Macher did. Please remember calium will rust any metal that it touchs. I feel better about Washer Fluid. Hope this helps you. Good Luck.

Kent

 

[Moon]

hmmmmm, my dealer put in methonal. Anyone else hear of using that? I talked to two dealers and both used it. No tube necessary, and it won't freeze (they said ...for SE Ohio anyway).
I wonder what the tractor dealers figure you'll put in when they give weight with and without tires loaded. According to Kubota, loading my tires should have added 1350lbs to my 3010 (R4's). I do like the extra stability, and I don't notice any difference for other chores; on flater ground.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I might be totally wrong here...but I think that I read that WW fluid is methonal based.

Maybe the local tractor dealers just want to make the WW fluid they use sound more exotic?

Anyway, the local tractor dealer (blue) told me that they use WW fluid, and the tire dealer where I got my front tires foam filled commented that using ww fluid was OK, when I asked him if I had made a mistake filling my tires with it.

WW fluid...cheap and easy...suits my way of doing things...

Bill in Pgh, PA

 

[GSS]

That's right, it is, but I'm pretty sure WW fluid is water mixed with methanol. Maybe that dealer is using straight methanol. If so, a mix might be better though, because you are getting additional weight from the water since methanol is a little lighter than water. The difference is propbably minimal though considering the relatively small amounts of fluid we are using.

- Gerald

 

[ditt]

GSS, I'm curious as to where you purchased the drill pump and the tire adapter ?
my son and I have a TC30 and are thinking about filling the tires with ww fluid as that sounds like the sensible and cheapest way to go.

Ditt

 

[GSS]

You can find drill pumps really anywhere. Try your local hardware store. Probably like $6-10. Also make sure you have a plug-in drill. You'll go through quite a few batteries with a cordless.

I got the adapter through Gemplers ($8 + S&H) (www.gemplers.com), but as macher said, you should be able to use a screw clamp to fasten a small hose to the valve stem.

Also, don't forget that you'll need to remove the stem's valve core to pump the fluid in. I also put a jack under that side of the tractor so that when the air pressure was released, the weight of the tractor didn't crush the tire and maybe even pull it off the rim. Oh, and try putting the stem at the very top so that the fluid will run into the tire and not try to come back out...

Good luck.

- Gerald

 

[Steven]

Just out of curiosity does WW fluid or Methanol have any side effects on the rubber (drying it out, softening ect.) I don't know if it does but would want to know before I used it. Does any body have an answer to this?

 

[ditt]

Gerald, thanks for the help ! we might try the pump and the hose and hose clamp as seems that would work as long as the tractor was jacked up to let the air out as we are pumping the fluid in. OH yes I knew the valve stem had to be at the top, tried to put air in a tire with fluid when the stem was close to the bottom and what a mess.
ditt.

 

[chim]

Don't forget to "burp the baby" several times along the way............chim

 

[NY_Yankees_Fan]

WARNING !!!!!!!WARNING!!!!!!!! CAUTION!!!!!!!!!!

Methanol is a flammable liquid, so be careful, make the transfer from the drum/container outside and please do not smoke! Any, spills, leaks should be mixed with water ASAP. Make sure any hoses you use do not leak. The drill used to run the pump can also be a source of ignition. Flammable vapors can travel a long distance and flash back and make for a real bad day! Also make sure the WW you are using is not flammable, flash point below 100F, read the label, contact the manufacture and get a MSDS sheet or you can have the same problem. Mixing with water at a 7.5 parts water to 2 parts methanol, or a 25% solution should reduce the fire hazard, do not know if this will solve the freezing problem. Information I have is a weight % Methanol at 25% the flash point is 100F, a 50% mixture has a flash point of about 73F, a flammable liquid!

Be safe

Tom

 

[Phred]

Tom is right. Methanol is very flamable. MSDS rate things on a scale of 0-4. 0 meaning that it won't burn and 4 meaning it can spontanesously combust. Methanol is a 3 if memory serves. But this would not be the case when properly diluted with water. Its only the straight stuff you need to worry about.

The other guys are also right; washer fluid is in fact alcohol and water. This could be isopropanol, ethel, or methanol; all are forms of alcohol. Methanol is the most common since now one would be tempted to drink it to get high. A few CCs of methanol will make you go blind and a large dose can kill.

The cheap route might be to buy some alcohol and then dilute with water. But like tom says be carefull.
When you buy the washer fluid most of what you are buying is water and blue dye.

Fred

 

[Phred]

Steven,

The methanol won't hurt your tires.
See the attached link. This lists chemical compatibility of a whole list of compounds and natural rubber (NR). Note about half way down methanol is a 1 which means its compatible
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.barnant.com/ponndorf/compat_chart.htm>http://www.barnant.com/ponndorf/compat_chart.htm</A>

In general methanol is pretty mild other than the flamability issue. It does make a pretty good solvent so the inside of those tires are now very clean /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif.

Fred

 

[NY_Yankees_Fan]

Just a little more info, below is the definition of combustible and flammable liquid based on NFPA 30, 2000 edition. I have a chart with the flash point based on the percentage of methanol, if you are interested let me know and I will e mail it to you, it is to large to attach here 560K as a pdf.

1.7.3.1 Combustible Liquid.
Any liquid that has a closed-cup flash point at or above 100°F (37.8°C), as determined by the test procedures and apparatus set forth in 1.7.4. Combustible liquids are classified as Class II or Class III as follows: (a) Class II Liquid — any liquid that has a flash point at or above 100°F (37.8°C) and below 140°F (60°C); (b) Class IIIA — any liquid that has a flash point at or above 140°F (60°C), but below 200°F (93°C); (c) Class IIIB — any liquid that has a flash point at or above 200°F (93°C).

1.7.3.2 Flammable Liquid.
Any liquid that has a closed-cup flash point below 100°F (37.8°C), as determined by the test procedures and apparatus set forth in 1.7.4. Flammable liquids are classified as Class I as follows: (a) Class I Liquid — any liquid that has a closed-cup flash point below 100°F (37.8°C) and a Reid vapor pressure not exceeding 40 psia (2068.6 mm Hg) at 100°F (37.8°C), as determined by ASTM D 323, Standard Method of Test for Vapor Pressure of Petroleum Products (Reid Method). Class I liquids are further classified as follows: (1) Class IA liquids — those liquids that have flash points below 73°F (22.8°C) and boiling points below 100°F (37.8°C); (2) Class IB liquids — those liquids that have flash points below 73°F (22.8°C) and boiling points at or above 100°F (37.8°C); (3) Class IC liquids — those liquids that have flash points at or above 73°F (22.8°C), but below 100°F (37.8°C).

 

[ditt]

O.K. Chim, thanks for the reminder...........
ditt

 

[Steven]

Thanks Phred that list will come in handy for me.

 

[Daryl]

Does anyone know the amount of WW fluid the front tire on a a TC30 would hold?
Ag tires 4 wheel drive

Thanks
daryl