Tire Ballasts, Weights &c...

[TractorGunn]

I have no clue about any of these, but realize that adding weight to the back of a tractor adds to its safety from flipping via using the loader, and in other situations.

My tractor dealer wants to add methanol to the tires at a price per gallon. He said it won't cause corrosion to the steel wheels. But then said the wheels don't need tubed. Afterwards I looked up methanol and read that it can corrode steel wheels and needs to be tubed.

Any advice and experience will be much appreciated.

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

Pure methanol can slowly corrode. It is also extremely flammable! Methanol should be diluted.

Most windshield washer fluid contains methanol, at different percentage, depending on how cold it will prevent freezing.

My dealer (way down south) usually fills with just water. With methanol fill, very little oxygen remains in the tire.... no oxygen = no rust. I opted to fill my own.

I purchased 2- 55 gal drum of "-20°" WWF and a $10 fill valve, short 6' garden hose, and a small pump from Harbor Freight.

https://www.harborfreight.com/plumbing/pumps/transfer-pumps/110-hp-transfer-pump-320-gph-63317.html

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/slime-air-water-adapter-kit-with-bleeder-valve

Took a few hours, but have the tires 80% filled. Total cost was around $250 a few years ago. Plus, I have a transfer pump that I use for other projects. Things have gone up in price , but DIY may be cheaper than the dealer. Plenty of YouTube videos showing how it is done.

Hope this answers your question and relieves your fear. I would ask the dealer what percentage of methanol they use.

 

[JohnT3383]

My dealer advocated a beet-derived fill product, claiming that corrosion would not be likely. It's been only 5 years since, so I don't think that is enough time to find out one way or the other about their recommendation. I took the bait.

 

[jyoutz]

There is another newer non corrosive option named Bio-ballast. My dealer uses this exclusively and filled my tractor tires with it when I bought it. It’s far less messy than beet juice, and non flammable also.

Tire Ballast - EnviroTech Services

envirotechservices.com

 

[TractorGunn]

Pure methanol can slowly corrode. It is also extremely flammable! Methanol should be diluted.

Most windshield washer fluid contains methanol, at different percentage, depending on how cold it will prevent freezing.

My dealer (way down south) usually fills with just water. With methanol fill, very little oxygen remains in the tire.... no oxygen = no rust. I opted to fill my own.

I purchased 2- 55 gal drum of "-20°" WWF and a $10 fill valve, short 6' garden hose, and a small pump from Harbor Freight.

https://www.harborfreight.com/plumbing/pumps/transfer-pumps/110-hp-transfer-pump-320-gph-63317.html

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/slime-air-water-adapter-kit-with-bleeder-valve

Took a few hours, but have the tires 80% filled. Total cost was around $250 a few years ago. Plus, I have a transfer pump that I use for other projects. Things have gone up in price , but DIY may be cheaper than the dealer. Plenty of YouTube videos showing how it is done.

Hope this answers your question and relieves your fear. I would ask the dealer what percentage of methanol they use.

Thanks for the good info. Apparently our dealer wants $400 for the fill, and I'll have to ask what % the methanol is. If you did yours a few years ago, then his price seems fair. The only other thing I am considering is weights. If a tire leaks out the fluid, then their goes the money, but weights are expensive.

 

[TractorGunn]

There is another newer non corrosive option named Bio-ballast. My dealer uses this exclusively and filled my tractor tires with it when I bought it. It’s far less messy than beet juice, and non flammable also.

Tire Ballast - EnviroTech Services

envirotechservices.com

They don't make it very easy to find out who sells that stuff, no dealer search or anything either. It looks like it's about 9+ pounds per gallon. I'm going to contact them and see what they say.

 

[oosik]

I had salt solution in my first tractor. It took about twenty years but, at that point, I began having problems. The salt solution kept "dissolving" the core of the valve stem. I fought it the last seven years.

My 2009 Kubota M6040 has RimGuard in the rear tires. Fifteen years and no problems. At around eleven pounds per gallon - I have 1500 pounds of this stuff in the rear tires. Around 72 gallons per tire.

No idea what it cost back in 2009. The tractor came setup that way.

I would recommend that you not even consider any type of salt solution. Methanol - I really can't say. RimGuard or Bio-Ballast would be my recommendation.

 

[TractorGunn]

I had salt solution in my first tractor. It took about twenty years but, at that point, I began having problems. The salt solution kept "dissolving" the core of the valve stem. I fought it the last seven years.

My 2009 Kubota M6040 has RimGuard in the rear tires. Fifteen years and no problems. At around eleven pounds per gallon - I have 1500 pounds of this stuff in the rear tires. Around 72 gallons per tire.

No idea what it cost back in 2009. The tractor came setup that way.

I would recommend that you not even consider any type of salt solution. Methanol - I really can't say. RimGuard or Bio-Ballast would be my recommendation.

I just sent an email to Rimguard and it said I'll receive a list of dealers closest to me by email in a couple of minutes.

 

[TractorGunn]

It looks like there is a Rimguard dealer about an hour from us. I will call them and ask about their pricing.

 

[oosik]

One other point to consider. Who will be handling the mounting of your rear tires if you get them filled.

My rear tires weigh around 300 pounds when empty. With RimGuard the weight is well over 1000 pounds, each. I'm certainly not setup to handle a tire at that weight.

 

[TractorGunn]

One other point to consider. Who will be handling the mounting of your rear tires if you get them filled.

My rear tires weigh around 300 pounds when empty. With RimGuard the weight is well over 1000 pounds, each. I'm certainly not setup to handle a tire at that weight.

I'm assuming that whoever fills them will be set-up to mount them as well. Guess I'll find out.

 

[jyoutz]

They don't make it very easy to find out who sells that stuff, no dealer search or anything either. It looks like it's about 9+ pounds per gallon. I'm going to contact them and see what they say.

Yeah I would call them direct. My dealer in Durango, CO uses this product exclusively, but the manufacturer is in Colorado too, so hopefully it’s not just a local sales product.

 

[jyoutz]

Thanks for the good info. Apparently our dealer wants $400 for the fill, and I'll have to ask what % the methanol is. If you did yours a few years ago, then his price seems fair. The only other thing I am considering is weights. If a tire leaks out the fluid, then their goes the money, but weights are expensive.

I had methanol fill on my last tractor. I did have one flat and had to have it refilled. After about ten years, I noticed some rubber checking. I’m not sure if this was due to the methanol or just age. The tractor was stored indoors. The Bio-ballast product manufacturer claims that it conditions and preserves the rubber. I guess time will tell.

 

[jyoutz]

I'm assuming that whoever fills them will be set-up to mount them as well. Guess I'll find out.

They usually fill the tires mounted on the tractor.

 

[TractorGunn]

Yeah I would call them direct. My dealer in Durango, CO uses this product exclusively, but the manufacturer is in Colorado too, so hopefully it’s not just a local sales product.

They've already contacted me. There is a dealer about 2.5 hours away from me. I'm thinking methanol or rimguard. Rimguard dealer is an hour away, if they still do it. About to call them.

Do you know what bioguard is made of?

 

[jyoutz]

They've already contacted me. There is a dealer about 2.5 hours away from me. I'm thinking methanol or rimguard. Rimguard dealer is an hour away, if they still do it. About to call them.

Do you know what bioguard is made of?

The MDS sheet on their website says a proprietary organic based product. My dealer said corn based. After having methanol in a previous tractor, I would lean towards rimguard or bio-ballast. The dealer said they went away from rimguard due to the mess when they had to fix a flat or change tires. I don’t have it, but I noticed on the Bioballast website that they have a compatible product that can be installed with bioballast that seals small tire punctures like slime does.

 

[Avenger]

I had my tractor tires filled with the Rimguard ("beat juice") ballast. It was part of the purchase agreement and was done before the tractor was delivered. It was the only option my dealer offered, although they didn't preform the filling. They took the tractor to a local tire shop (no idea which one) and they did it.

I have taken the tires on and off my tractor a few times since owning it. Only once did I need help getting the tire back onto the hub. The key is to not let the tire fall over. Take it off the hub and lean it up against something sturdy. Lifting the tire back onto the studs is a real pain, but no impossible. A few blocks of wood, a long pipe or pry bar, and a delicate ballet of brute strength, and the tire will go back on.

As for what to put into the tires, you really cannot beat beat juice. It does not freeze in our temps, does not corrode, and does not cause harm to the environment if you puncture the tire. It's relatively inexpensive, and several tire shops around the country offer it.

But probably the most important aspect is, its freaking heavy! After all, thats what were after, the weight. Water is 8.34lbs per gallon, windshield washer fluid is lighter at ~7.6lbs per gallon, calcium chloride (definitely not recommended) is very heavy at 11.3lbs/gal but is horrible stuff, mixed with water, antifreeze is kind of heavy at ~9lbs/gal, and beat juice is right at 11lbs/gal. So, all things considered, beat juice is the way to go, in my opinion.

 

[LouNY]

My preference is bolt on iron but at $1.25 per pound it adds up fast, plus on the smaller tractors many of the rims are not drilled for weights. So finding a suitable weight and drilling the wheels can be a pain.
If not iron I'd go with either the beet juice or bioguard, have the installer come to the tractor and fill while mounted.
There are a few stop leak products advertised for liquid filled tires.
If going liquid fill I'd recommend tubes and or stop leak. Beet juice can penetrate to the tire beads and lubricate the wheel and tire beads resulting in tire slippage on the wheels.

 

[TractorGunn]

My preference is bolt on iron but at $1.25 per pound it adds up fast, plus on the smaller tractors many of the rims are not drilled for weights. So finding a suitable weight and drilling the wheels can be a pain.
If not iron I'd go with either the beet juice or bioguard, have the installer come to the tractor and fill while mounted.
There are a few stop leak products advertised for liquid filled tires.
If going liquid fill I'd recommend tubes and or stop leak. Beet juice can penetrate to the tire beads and lubricate the wheel and tire beads resulting in tire slippage on the wheels.

So beet juice can cause the tires and wheels to slip independently from one another?

 

[LD1]

While I have all forms of weight.....fluid in the tires, wheel weights, and heavy implements. Ballast/counterweight is based on needs.

Ballast in the tires alone is not enough for doing alot of loader work.

Tire ballast/wheel weights are also not enough for loader work.

Both are great for ground engaging rear implements. Like a disc, box blade, rear blade, etc. Because when in use....the weight of the implement is not on the tractor but on the ground. This makes your tractor light in the rear and easy to spin out due to lack of traction/weight.

A heavy rear implement is a far better match for front loader work....without the added cost of ballast in the tire or wheel weights.

If you don't plan on much in the way of heavy rear ground engaging implements....I'd honestly skip the hassle and go with weight on the 3PH.

Only if you plan on plowing, discing, or dragging around a blade.....then loaded tires can be of benefit