Loaded Tires: Water only?

[spivey44]

I'm near Atlanta. Considering having tires on my new tractor loaded. I am looking at plain old water. No worries about freezing. My concern is that over time water will cause rust to the rim and/or valve. Am I being paranoid?

I know beet juice etc is better but just need a clear answer about good old tap water.

Thanks.

 

[gwdixon]

My dealer in Central California, where there is only light frost, just fills with straight water.

Many years later nothing has rusted through. Since rust is iron oxide there has to be free oxygen available for rust to form. There is not much air left in a tire filled with water. If you had a source for nitrogen to fill the tires that would even be better.

Years ago there was an anti-rust additive for radiators but I haven't seen it for a while. It would probably work as well.

 

[Bird]

Even way back in the late '50s when I was a teenager working in my Dad's service station about 20 miles north of Dallas, when we fixed a tractor flat, we filled it with plain tap water. And then in the late '90s, 60 miles south of Dallas, I filled mine with water and antifreeze, although a real farmer who served with me on the board of directors for the water company said he never used anything but plain water.

 

[woodchuckie]

With a tube the water won't even come in contact with metal.

 

[bigdeano]

If they're tubeless tires I'd take some precaution against rust. You're going to be adding fresh oxygen (air) from time to time which will cause rust if the rims aren't protected by paint or a tube. The tire beads can get locked on by rust making a tire change difficult. I thought what they do in boilers was interesting. Making the water alkaline is apparently a big help.

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[Gary Fowler]

As long as you fill the tires over the rim with water, there is no free air to cause oxidation. The rims are painted also so fresh water is about as neutral as you can get. There is a product called oxygen scavenger that removes the oxygen from water. We used it sometimes on unpainted tanks to help prevent rust when testing them, but I don't recall the brand name or where one could purchase it.

I have plain water in my tires also. Dad used nothing but plain water in his tractors also from the 8N to the Ford 9000 and never had a rust problem but that was with tubes. It shouldn't be any different with the tubeless with good enamel paint on the rims as long as you cover the rims completely with water.

 

[bigdeano]

The oxygen from the air dissolves in the water and will rust any bare steel, even if it's under water. Boiling the water before putting it in the tire drives out the free oxygen, at least that's what I've read. If the water was boiled and then nitrogen was used for inflation there shouldn't be any rust. I've never done it though.

 

[Wyobuckaroo]

Around here where winters can go to -40* in the winter. In your area, I would still use 10% minimum auto antifreeze. For the anti rust agents and such in it....
I don't think one gallon in a 20-30 gallon wheel is enough concentration to help much.....

The mix in my tractor tires is 25% anti freeze with -20* windshield washer fluid.....

Good luck

 

[MHarryE]

http://firestoneag.spinutech.com/webres/File/Tire-Info/TireInfo-Hydroinflation.pdf

Firestone hydro-inflation recommendation giving volumes and weights along with recommended filling procedures. I had reports of ballast streaks on the outside of the tires from product produced at one of our plants. Checked and discovered the were not supporting the machine before deflating. Had them change the procedure and problem was solved so support before filling. Use whatever ballast you want to use but I can relate from tens of thousands of tires ballasted with CaCl solution over the last 30 plus years rusty rims have never been an issue. However, having seen many rusted rims on old tractors, every one I can remember being a tube type tire, it can be an issue especially if you get a slow leak in a tube type tire and keep adding air while the solution keeps leaking between the tube and wheel/rim combination. Fresh oxygen is always available, unlike the oxygen in a sealed tire which is quickly depleted creating a rust scale. The oxygen in H2O is already bonded to the hydrogen atoms and is therefore not available to create iron oxide. Once outside the sealed chamber it is bad news.

 

[SPYDERLK]

The oxygen from the air dissolves in the water and will rust any bare steel, even if it's under water. Boiling the water before putting it in the tire drives out the free oxygen, at least that's what I've read. If the water was boiled and then nitrogen was used for inflation there shouldn't be any rust. I've never done it though.

This.