Saltwater for tire ballast

[Danny1553]

Anyone ever used salt in place of calcium chloride as tire ballast? I can get 40# bags of powdered water softener salt for about 5 bucks, versus $25 for a bag of CC. Would there be a huge weight differnce? My tires are tubed, so corrosion is not an issue with any type of ballast I use

 

[k0ua]

Well I have not done it, nor have I heard of using saltwater for ballast. But here is my opinion, take if for what it is worth. I would think the salt would eat the valve stem up pretty quick, might even damage the rubber and cause a leak, not sure on that, and the freezing point of fully saturated saltwater (all the salt you can dissolve in the water no mater what) is about -6 degrees F. Now that might be enough for where you live, dont know. But if you do have a leak for any reason, you had better get to a freshwater source and wash that saltwater off of the steel, pretty good, cause when you have a leak you have a nice rotating squirtgun that sprays saltwater everywhere. You might be alright, I don't really know, like I said, just an opinion.

James K0UA

 

[Don87]

Well I have not done it, nor have I heard of using saltwater for ballast. But here is my opinion, take if for what it is worth. I would think the salt would eat the valve stem up pretty quick, might even damage the rubber and cause a leak, not sure on that, and the freezing point of fully saturated saltwater (all the salt you can dissolve in the water no mater what) is about -6 degrees F. Now that might be enough for where you live, dont know. But if you do have a leak for any reason, you had better get to a freshwater source and wash that saltwater off of the steel, pretty good, cause when you have a leak you have a nice rotating squirtgun that sprays saltwater everywhere. You might be alright, I don't really know, like I said, just an opinion.

James K0UA

My opinion is the same as yours.

Personally I'm a follower of the 'beet juice' craze(Rimguard). While it is more expensive, it is non-toxic, and non-corrosive, and weighs about 11lbs. per gallon.

 

[Danny1553]

Thanks for the quick opinions. Probably stick with Calcium, and do it right...might check out the Beet Juice, if I can find a dealer nearby

 

[Don87]

Thanks for the quick opinions. Probably stick with Calcium, and do it right...might check out the Beet Juice, if I can find a dealer nearby

Heres the website:

Rim Guard - Liquid Tire Ballast

ya gotta call the toll free number to locate a dealer.

 

[k0ua]

Rimguard is probably best, but other choices if you cannot find a dealer:

WindShield washer fluid (the -20 winter kind) not terribly toxic, or dangerous. so so cheap

Methanol/water mix about the same. and cheap if bought in bulk

RV antifreeze (Propelene Glycol) (whats in mine) Totally non toxic, non Corrosive, not dangerous. but weighs same as water or so. and NOT cheap.

Ethylene Glycol: (regular antifreeze) toxic, non corrosive (reasonably) same as water weight, could be free for used stuff.

James K0UA

 

[Wyobuckaroo]

Dan

Do a test on the softener salt mixture.

Say if your tires hold 20 gallon, mix 18 oz water and 2 oz salt. Mix well and see if it freezes. Next test 16 oz water and 4 oz salt.......

You get the idea. You will find a formula that will work for the lowest temps in your area.......

My tractor tires hold 22 gallon. I found 5 parts antifreeze, and 17 parts windshield washer fluid is good for this area. I don't like the idea of salt in my tubeless rims.

Good luck

 

[284 International]

Anyone ever used salt in place of calcium chloride as tire ballast?.... Would there be a huge weight differnce?

Calcium chloride IS a salt, but I know what you meant. At room temperature, you can mix about 86 grams of calcium chloride into 100CCs of water. Put into everyday units, it's about five pounds of calcium chloride into a gallon of water at saturation.

Sodium chloride has a lower but more stable solubility curve. At room temperature, you can dissolve at 36 grams of sodium chloride into 100CCs of water, or about 3 pounds per gallon of water at saturation.

There is a solubility chart here.

One thing to consider is that calcium chloride gives freezing protection to significantly lower temperatures than sodium chloride. Calcium chloride at saturation is good to about -40 degrees, while sodium chloride at saturation is good to about -17 degrees Celsius, or -2 degrees Fahrenheit.

It may not get anywhere near that cold where you live; I don't run anything other than straight water in mine without trouble. I'm lucky to not live where it freezes hard. I don't like the idea of running salt water all over my garden and orchard for the time I have a leak or puncture. On a tractor with 11.2x24 tires, I give up about 250 lbs running straight water rather than calcium chloride: straight water weighs about 400 lbs and the solution would weigh about 650 lbs. Or, it's the difference between having me on the tractor vs not being aboard.

 

[kco]

I'm another fan of beet juice because of the non-corrosive and safety aspect. Another brand of beet juice is Biotire which is based near Seattle.

I would never go with ordinary antifreeze (ethylene glycol) for tire ballast because it is very toxic. It is sweet and animals (and also children?) will drink it. Here is a link to an article on its dangers:

Ethylene glycol poisoning - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

As K0ua stated RV antifreeze (propylene glycol) is safe.

Windshield washer fluid is mildly toxic and best avoided.

CaCl and beet juice add significantly more weight than the other options.

CaCl is safe for animals but I wouldn't want to spill it on a lawn. Also, don't use leather gloves when handling it--it instantly dries them out and ruins them.

Here is a link to an interesting article on different ballasts:

Comparing Types of Liquid Tire Ballast | OrangeTractorTalks

cheers

 

[Bigfoot62]

Anyone ever used salt in place of calcium chloride as tire ballast? I can get 40# bags of powdered water softener salt for about 5 bucks, versus $25 for a bag of CC. Would there be a huge weight differnce? My tires are tubed, so corrosion is not an issue with any type of ballast I use

Depending on where you live, you might could get by with just water in your tires, especially if you park your tractor inside. I've done it for years, but I'm in the bottom half of Louisiana.

If you use any kind of corrosive ballast, rim corrosion will always be an issue, regardless of tubes. In fact, my 30 year old Ford wheels have slight corrosion on them an they've never had any ballast in them. (just had a front wheel tube patched this week)