Tire Ballast

[Egon]

Just curious; does anyone use "Metal Shot" for tire ballast?

 

[BearKiller]

Just curious; does anyone use "Metal Shot" for tire ballast?

If you are meaning inside the tire, like fluid, then I haven't yet seen it tried in the over a dozen a day rear tractor repairs that we get.

The only feasible way I see for it to work would be to run the tires TUBELESS, seat the beads, then break loose the bead only on one side; with the tire laying flat, pour the shot into it until as full as practicable, then seat the bead and inflate.

The wheels would be in a constant state of sand-blast and might not fare well.



Having seen the multitude of expensive problems that liquid tire ballast brings on, I would only consider fluid in a tire as a final last-ditch resort.

I would exhaust all other possibles of acheiving traction and balance, before I would add fluid.

I have always said that, if you need fluid in your tires to accomplish the task, then you're money would be better spent in getting a tractor big enough to do the job without the fluid; you are only expecting the little mule to do the big mule's work.

 

[Egon]

Many a year ago some rubber tired construction equipment had lead shot loaded tires. I'm assuming lead would be a no go these days.

 

[bpattie]

I



Having seen the multitude of expensive problems that liquid tire ballast brings on, I would only consider fluid in a tire as a final last-ditch resort.

I would exhaust all other possibles of acheiving traction and balance, before I would add fluid.

Bearkiller.

just curious what problems you are speaking of with liquid filled tires?? I have seen rusted wheels that had leaks and they used a corrosive liquid like Sodium Chloride, but ahd not heard of issues with the non-corrosive liquids.

 

[Soundguy]

It was probably calcium chloride for the tire ballast.

soundguy

 

[Soundguy]

That seems like a real hard way to do it for a tubeless tire.

how about instead, use a hole saw and cut a hole inthe rim.. weld in a pipe nipple and use a pipe cap to close it.. sea the bead, then remove cap and add the shot.. apply thread sealant and the cap...

soundguy

If you are meaning inside the tire, like fluid, then I haven't yet seen it tried in the over a dozen a day rear tractor repairs that we get.

The only feasible way I see for it to work would be to run the tires TUBELESS, seat the beads, then break loose the bead only on one side; with the tire laying flat, pour the shot into it until as full as practicable, then seat the bead and inflate.

The wheels would be in a constant state of sand-blast and might not fare well.



Having seen the multitude of expensive problems that liquid tire ballast brings on, I would only consider fluid in a tire as a final last-ditch resort.

I would exhaust all other possibles of acheiving traction and balance, before I would add fluid.

I have always said that, if you need fluid in your tires to accomplish the task, then you're money would be better spent in getting a tractor big enough to do the job without the fluid; you are only expecting the little mule to do the big mule's work.

 

[BearKiller]

Bearkiller.

just curious what problems you are speaking of with liquid filled tires?? I have seen rusted wheels that had leaks and they used a corrosive liquid like Sodium Chloride, but ahd not heard of issues with the non-corrosive liquids.

I guess my perspective is quite different than someone who doesn't have to fight with the stuff on a daily basis.

Probably 90% of liquid-filled tires have a solution of calcium chloride, mainly because it is about one-tenth the cost of the cheapest alternative and is the only one that will not freeze regardless of how cold.

I have seen many anti-freeze filled tires frozen solid; same for methanol, plus both are highly explosive, especially when under pressure.

Due to calcium chloride's nature of clinging and crawling all over, no matter how much floor-washing and hosing down one does, anything steel or aluminum within two hundred yards will eventually just dissolve from the stuff.

Everything in our shop is constantly getting eaten away with rust or corrossion.

Regardless of what type of fluid is in a tire, let a tiny pin-hole start seeping, maybe the tire won't need air added twice a year, but the fluid is constantly seeping between the tube and wheel, seeking it's way toward the valve-stem hole.

Just like a bed-liner in a metal truck bed, when you finally do dismantle the tire, the rim will usually be so rusty and corroded that it is unsafe to hold air under pressure.

I have seen the whole wheel bead split and blow off the wheel, more times than I care to count, always after some penny-pinching farmer has co-erced us to go ahead and try to save him the expense of a rim.

Fluid does something detrimental to the compound (?rubber?) of the tire and tube, such that any patch applied, no matter how carefully, will soon peel off; we had so many comebacks from patches letting loose that we refuse to patch a rear tractor tube anymore and, even for a tiny briar puncture, install a brand new tube; it is just too much work to have to redo over a silly patch.

Full of fluid, tires are dangerously heavy; and, when one falls on someone, it is the end for them.

I can go on and on, but you get the idea.

That seems like a real hard way to do it for a tubeless tire.

how about instead, use a hole saw and cut a hole inthe rim.. weld in a pipe nipple and use a pipe cap to close it.. sea the bead, then remove cap and add the shot.. apply thread sealant and the cap...

soundguy

That is a good approach if someone always does their own tire changing; but, doing work for the public, we are not allowed to service a welded or otherwise repaired wheel.

To the un-initiated, a tire/wheel under a mere fifteen or twenty PSI seems to be fairly safe, with no apparent danger.

In the real world, a welded wheel letting loose with ten PSI will take your head off.

I have seen tubeless truck tires of one truck take the side out of a stainless-steel insulated milk tanker parked thirty feet away, when a slightly flattened rim wasn't noticed before the tire was aired up.

 

[bpattie]

thanks for your insight Bearkiller. I had bad luck with Calcium Chloride also. I got a new tractor this las tSPring and it came with the Methanol mix. I did some research and yes did see some data about it being explosive, makes sense to me, but most articles said that with the dilution factored in it really wasn't all that flammable. if I am still posting in the Spring I guess I survived.

 

[Builder]

I did mine with magnesium chloride. Supposedly much less corrosive. We shall see.

 

[pat32rf]

I'm about 7 yrs into both rears filled with wwaf. No problems but we only get to minus 35C...