Rim Guard aggrivation

[IMCA38]

A couple of years ago, I made the discovery that the rear tires on my tractor were loaded with calcium chloride. I caught it as one of my valve stems was starting to rot, but got them pumped out before there was any wheel damage. I felt like I needed to go back with some sort of ballast, so I opted for Rim Guard from a local supplier. He loaded up my tractor tires, and then I decided loading the back tires on my Dixon ZTR would be a good thing as it doesn't get very good traction on slopes or long/wet grass. Last year I was mowing and noticed a weird smell and a brown streak in the grass when I turned around at the end of the pass. Initially I thought I was blowing oil out of the engine, but then discovered it was Rim Guard. Turns out that the inside valve stem on the left rear came apart. (At the time I surmised that I might have hit a stick to cause the damage.) As I had lost the majority of the Rim Guard, I cleaned up the mess, installed a new valve stem and finished mowing with one unloaded tire. Later on, I took that tire back to be re-filled.
Fast forward to this year.
I got the Dixon out, serviced it and started to mow. When I stopped for a break, I noticed that the right rear looked a little low. I took it to the shop and went to add some air. When I tried to unscrew the valve cap, I twisted the guts out of the valve stem. The nasty brown juice started to ooze out, I covered it with my finger and found a nearby bolt to jam in it and stop the flow with minimal loss. I took the weel back to the supplier and he said he could put in a new valve stem. I mentioned that it might be wise to also replace the undamaged valve stem on the back side as well. (The Dixon has reversible offset wheels and thus a valve stem on both sides.)
I picked up the wheel today and the supplier mentioned that he just thought that it was a cheap valve stem and he had only replaced the bad one. I got it home and as I was sliding it back on the hub, I apparently hit the back (unreplaced) valve stem on the hub and suddenly brown stuff was spraying all over the place! I had to pull it back off so I could see the valve stem and put my finger over it. By that time, I had sprayed $#!+ 15 feet in every direction inside my shop. I had the stuff running down the walls, in my bolt bins, and all over the floor.
Needless to say, I'm pretty ticked and about ready to scrap the whole idea of ballast in mower tires. I'm tempted to drain the stuff into some milk jugs and take it back to the supplier.

 

[David_Kb7uns]

Have had a lot of problems with the cheap valve stems on just about everything, even had one go on the Dodge RaM 3500. Around here they usually put tubes in when they load the tires if it is calcium chloride or Rim Guard.

David Kb7uns

 

[Gary Fowler]

Sounds like rimguard might not be corrosive to steel but is to rubber. I wonder how long it will be before we start hearing about other folks having to replace the tubes or even the tires. Has anyone heard of any testing on this stuff to determine the effects on rubber. Cheap valve stems or not, looks like there is a definite problem.

 

[wedge40]

Its sugar water. When was the last time your Honey bottle sprung a leak?
I'm thinking the OP got some bad valve cores and they would have leaked with just air in the tires. Cheaper and less messier, but still would have leaked.

 

[simonmeridew]

how well did you rinse out the tires and rims before you put in the beet juice? A little residual saltiness is enough to gradually rust and rot out steel rims and/or corrode brass valves and fittings.
simonmeridew

 

[IMCA38]

how well did you rinse out the tires and rims before you put in the beet juice? A little residual saltiness is enough to gradually rust and rot out steel rims and/or corrode brass valves and fittings.
simonmeridew

The mower tires never had anything but air before I put the Rim Guard in.

 

[Deere Dude]

Go with steel valve stems. Then you only have to worry about breaking them off. That is a sinking feeling when beet juice is spraying all over the place. Been there, done that:laughing:

 

[radioman]

First- I just can't beleive you had NO tubes when you had calcl, if you did, you mad no mention of it. without tubes, the rims are going to be already rusting within 2 years and adding rimguard perhaps is making a cleaning effect on the rubber and metal. I have rimguard and its in a turf tire and have issues except one. I had one stem leaking and it was where the threaded brass core goes into the rubber had seperated. I suspected it might be the rimguard but more of blamed kubota using crappy cheap stems. I replaced it and moved on. one stem been there since I had tractor for over 4 yrs and other replaced 2 yrs ago.

I really don't think its the rimguard itself or many others would be posting the same issue after 2 years. I think its the combination of thee salt, rimgaurd and possibly bad stem. Too many variables to pin it down.

 

[grsthegreat]

rimguard is Beet juice. it doesn't corrode rubber. Id say the valve stems are at fault. Ive had rim guard in my old JD for years...never a problem. Now the calcium chloride is crap. I blew a tire and rained CaCl all over sheets of steel in my shop. wrecked havoc on my shed. Never again for that crap.

 

[CBW1999]

Even though itis just "beet juice", it's concentration of sugars may still have an effect on natural latex (tube) as well as it's PH adding to the problem.

Since latex IS a porous material, the higher concentration on the inside of the tube will naturally want to diffuse through to the outside- which will always have some minute amount of moisture trapped inside the rim.

The same is true for any solution used as ballast. Using a tube is not a fool proof method of preventing solution from coming in contact with the rim, althoug it will slow it down a bit.

Using "Rim Guard" is on my mind right now as, my tires are loaded (likely) with Calcium Chloride. They are 5 years old and I am getting nervous about the condition of the rims. The valve stems are in tact and I have added air here and there over the years.

Just not sure if taking the tires off, cleaning and trying to refill will cause more problems or flat out failure.......and of course, I have no idea if there are tubes inside!

 

[IMCA38]

There seems to be a little confusion among the replies.
I have Rim Guard in both my tractor and my mower. Tractor had CaCl prior. I've had no issues with the tractor tires to date (Heavier, stiffer tires, and steel valve stems).
The mower has the issues, smaller, lighter, more flexible tires, and now we find, crappy valve stems. There was nothing in the mower tires prior to me putting Rim Guard in.
The Rim Guard supplier tole me he wanted to put a steel valve stem on the mower wheel yesterday, but couldn't as the hole was the wrong size.
I suppose I could bite the bullet and replace the now broken rear valve stem, and they will have all been replaced. Then the question becomes did I replace them with better quality valve stems?

 

[Don87]

When I called Rimguard to find a dealer..........I was advised by Rimguard to replace the rubber valve stems with steel ones.

Ringuard does eat the glue that holds the metal cores in the rubber stems.


Hope this helps

 

[kco]

When I called Rimguard to find a dealer..........I was advised by Rimguard to replace the rubber valve stems with steel ones.

Ringuard does eat the glue that holds the metal cores in the rubber stems.


Hope this helps

Hmmmmm....this is unsettling news. I had Rim Guard installed onsite on my new Kioti DK35 and did not replace the rubber stems. It will be a pain if I have to change to steel stems.

 

[tsteahr]

My dealer also changes the rubber stems to metal when installing rimguard. Gave the same reason that the cores can come out of the rubber stems.

 

[Don87]

Hmmmmm....this is unsettling news. I had Rim Guard installed onsite on my new Kioti DK35 and did not replace the rubber stems. It will be a pain if I have to change to steel stems.

It's gonna be a pain, but they need changed.

As was explained to me by Rimguard..........It may not be tomorrow, or next month, but at some point you will remove the valve cap to check the air pressure, and you will get a face full of rimguard (might as well be sprayed be a skunk.........that stuff is rank).

 

[kco]

I checked Rimguard's site and the dealer instructions confirm the rubber valve problem. I attached the .pdf showing dealer instructions. Here is the relevant instruction for tubeless tires:

===========
With tubeless tires, replace rubber valve stems with brass valve stems. Rubber valve stems
sometimes turn in the rim hole because Rim Guard is slippery. In some rubber valve stems the brass core is held in place by adhesive. This adhesive sometimes dissolves over time (1-1/2-2 yrs.) and will allow the core and Rim Guard to be suddenly expelled when the valve stem cap is removed.
============

I'll contact the tire dealer who installed it Monday and see what I can arrange for changing the valve stems. I will also contact the tractor dealers I dealt with (Kioti and Kubota) to make sure they know about this.

Thanks for the information.

 

[kco]

I had another thought after posting this because of the statement:

"In some rubber valve stems the brass core is held in place by adhesive. This adhesive sometimes dissolves over time (1-1/2-2 yrs.) and will allow the core and Rim Guard to be suddenly expelled when the valve stem cap is removed."

I guess what I can do is get the Kioti dealer to check the construction of valve stems supplied with my tractor. It sounds like it may be OK if it is of a design that is not held in place with adhesive.

 

[Chilly807]

Just not sure if taking the tires off, cleaning and trying to refill will cause more problems or flat out failure.......and of course, I have no idea if there are tubes inside!

Easy enough to tell if you have tubes or not, if there's a nut holding the stem from going inside the rim, you have a tube. If it looks like a typical tubeless type stem with the rubber outer lip, you don't have tubes.

For the price of a tube, I consider them to be well worth the cost compared to the price of a rim.

Sean

 

[Don87]

I had another thought after posting this because of the statement:

"In some rubber valve stems the brass core is held in place by adhesive. This adhesive sometimes dissolves over time (1-1/2-2 yrs.) and will allow the core and Rim Guard to be suddenly expelled when the valve stem cap is removed."

I guess what I can do is get the Kioti dealer to check the construction of valve stems supplied with my tractor. It sounds like it may be OK if it is of a design that is not held in place with adhesive.

They are all held in with 'adhesive' on the rubber stems, but it's the 'overseas' stems that are the problem.

The second problem is that most all of the valve stems are made overseas.