VERY expensive beet juice!

[canoetrpr]

I have finally bit the bullet and my new Kubota M7040 HDC will be delivered in the second week of October.

The tractor has cast iron rims which the dealer estimates add 700 lb to the rear (both wheels). No one here has heard of ballasting with anything other that Calcium Chloride and I've decided not to do that this time around.

I'm going to be adding some sort of ballast to the wheels / tires - either weights or Rim Guard. I haven't found a source for WWF yet. I guess RV antifreeze might be an option.

Weights price out at $1750 and they will give me about 1000 lb in addition to the cast iron wheels - so 1700 lb total.

Through TBN I have found a supplier of an equivalent beet juice product here. They will sell for $0.95 per liter ($3.6 per gallon!) + $120 for poly drums I have to purchase + $ 170 for transportation. With the 16.9-30 tires I will need ~150 gallons. I would probably order more (180 perhaps) to have some around in case I lose some due to a leak in the future.

That is $1058 for the beet juice (including taxes) and a service call from a tire guy to fill it up. I'm estimating $1150 total . It is expected to add ~1500-1600 lb so a total of 2200-2300 lb.

What would you do if you were me?

Beet juice: $1150, Weights: $1750
Beet juice: 2200 lb, Weights: 1700 lb
Beet juice: lower CoG - I don't have any hills but do mow in the ditch.
Weights: Better ride perhaps?

I'm leaning towards the weights at this point but I'm not quite sure.

 

[k0ua]

I could not find any RV anti-freeze less than $4 per gallon. That was last summer in Arkansas. I saw some today for $5.62. Perhaps if you bought in bulk from a petro chemical supplier?. One thing you might want to check out is Methanol in bulk 55 gal drums and mix your own "WW fluid" it won't weigh as much as the beet juice of course, but might be a lot cheaper.

James K0UA

 

[Patches]

I have finally bit the bullet and my new Kubota M7040 HDC will be delivered in the second week of October.

The tractor has cast iron rims which the dealer estimates add 700 lb to the rear (both wheels). No one here has heard of ballasting with anything other that Calcium Chloride and I've decided not to do that this time around.

I'm going to be adding some sort of ballast to the wheels / tires - either weights or Rim Guard. I haven't found a source for WWF yet. I guess RV antifreeze might be an option.

Weights price out at $1750 and they will give me about 1000 lb in addition to the cast iron wheels - so 1700 lb total.

Through TBN I have found a supplier of an equivalent beet juice product here. They will sell for $0.95 per liter ($3.6 per gallon!) + $120 for poly drums I have to purchase + $ 170 for transportation. With the 16.9-30 tires I will need ~150 gallons. I would probably order more (180 perhaps) to have some around in case I lose some due to a leak in the future.

That is $1058 for the beet juice (including taxes) and a service call from a tire guy to fill it up. I'm estimating $1150 total . It is expected to add ~1500-1600 lb so a total of 2200-2300 lb.

What would you do if you were me?

Beet juice: $1150, Weights: $1750
Beet juice: 2200 lb, Weights: 1700 lb
Beet juice: lower CoG - I don't have any hills but do mow in the ditch.
Weights: Better ride perhaps?

I'm leaning towards the weights at this point but I'm not quite sure.

Were it me, I'd go with the loaded tires, as the weight is not being carried by the tractor, but is on the ground. If, for some reason you may need to move the weight around, go with the weights

 

[leonz]

I would get the name of the manufacturer of
the windshield washer fluid you use and call
them and ask about buying it in bulk as you
will be spending less money on it rather than
buying "RIM GUARD"

Buying WWF in bulk is not a problem
as it is available but may have to be bought
in a pallet tote which is 250 gallons.

Even with trucking I think you will be well ahead
of things buying windshield washer fluid
as the rim guard retailer has to have
1,000 gallons of storage as I think 1,000 gallons
is the minimum drop for a load.:thumbsup:

 

[Don87]

I would go with the loaded tires, and as a matter of fact........I did:laughing:

I have Rimguard in mine. I never even gave a second thought to wheel weights, nor did I want to use windshield washer fluid again.

I can't comment on the exact product you are using, but Rimguard, when exposed to air, will dry relatively fast, and hard.........so I believe their claims that it can seal small punctures on it's own.

 

[Elkins45]

One plus for weights is that they won't ever pour out onto the ground if you puncture a tire.

I've been thinking about what makes beet juice better at resisting freezing and have come to the conclusion that it is probably a colligative property resulting from the sugar content. Wonder if mixing up a syrup of plain old cane sugar and water would behave the same?

I've just assigned myself a new experiment for the winter...I'm going to mix up a saturated gallon of sugar water and leave it setting on the deck. If it doesn't freeze then I've just invented my new tire fluid!

 

[Don87]

I would get the name of the manufacturer of
the windshield washer fluid you use and call
them and ask about buying it in bulk as you
will be spending less money on it rather than
buying "RIM GUARD"
Buying WWF in bulk is not a problem
as it is available but may have to be bought
in a pallet tote which is 250 gallons.

Even with trucking I think you will be well ahead
of things buying windshield washer fluid
as the rim guard retailer has to have
1,000 gallons of storage as I think 1,000 gallons
is the minimum drop for a load.:thumbsup:

" Rim Guard"...........and "Rimguard", are two totally different products.

And windshield washer fluid leaked into a field used for crops, and/or livestock........could cause a problem.

 

[Soundguy]

I have finally bit the bullet and my new Kubota M7040 HDC will be delivered in the second week of October.

What would you do if you were me?

Beet juice: $1150, Weights: $1750
Beet juice: 2200 lb, Weights: 1700 lb
Beet juice: lower CoG - I don't have any hills but do mow in the ditch.
Weights: Better ride perhaps?

I'm leaning towards the weights at this point but I'm not quite sure.

water ( free ) and rv antifreeze is what I'd do...

16.9 x 30 at 75% fill will take about 73 gallons per side... calculating water weight alone, that's about 609 pounds PER side. add in the antifreeze as ballast and the number will go up slightly.

thus at a minimum you are looking at adding about at least 1300# for just the cost of a few gallons of RV antifreeze. napa here has it at 5$ per gallon. burp adapters go for 5-9$ depending on where you get them.

soundguy

 

[Don87]

One plus for weights is that they won't ever pour out onto the ground if you puncture a tire.

I've been thinking about what makes beet juice better at resisting freezing and have come to the conclusion that it is probably a colligative property resulting from the sugar content. Wonder if mixing up a syrup of plain old cane sugar and water would behave the same?

I've just assigned myself a new experiment for the winter...I'm going to mix up a saturated gallon of sugar water and leave it setting on the deck. If it doesn't freeze then I've just invented my new tire fluid!

Be sure to let us know how your experiment turns out.

 

[Don87]

What you have so far is:

1750 for wheel weights

1300 'ish for RV antifreeze, installed yourself

1150 for the Canadian version of 'Beet Juice' , installed by someone else.

 

[canoetrpr]

What you have so far is:

1750 for wheel weights

1300 'ish for RV antifreeze, installed yourself

1150 for the Canadian version of 'Beet Juice' , installed by someone else.

I think Soundguy typoed on the RV antifreeze. I think he meant 1300 lb not $. I'm assuming the cost of concentrated RV antifreeze solution is negligible.

Any downsides to using RV anti-freeze? Does sound like a good option. Forgive the lack of knowledge here but how does one go about filling it themselves without it taking the whole day? I was thinking about just hiring my tire guy to do a service call and get it done.

 

[Soundguy]

yep.. 1300#, and rv af is 5$ a jug here in florida. darn lil 8" netbook keyboard. typo's abound..

fill yerself fast...

burp valve lets you put in water from a garden hose.

and a 4$ drill pump from harbor freight is the fast way to get the ballast in.. however funnle and fuel line work fine too.

add ballast first.. then garden hose the water in, burping as you go.

why pay someone lots of $$ for something that you can do at home for alot less than 100$ of all materials combined. the AF will be the bulk of the ost.. the drill pump abd burp valve, under 20$.. half that if you funnle it in ..

soundguy

 

[canoetrpr]

Soundguy - I'm guessing you are suggesting diluting the RV antifreeze that is sold in stores?

Our RV antifreeze is made of gold here in Canada. 4 literes - just over a gallon for $9.49. It is fancy Prestone stuff and is meant to be used straight without dilution. Apparently it is good to -50 Celcius. On the downside it is more expensive that beet juice!

I'll try to see what bulk prices are like. Perhaps the Napa store or a wholesaler has a good deal on WW fluid in bulk as well.

 

[Soundguy]

farther north ya go.. the more $$ stuff costs it seems. can believe that it is 2x the cost of here.. that's not surprising..

for freeze protection.. all you need is slushy.. just need to prevent a solid.. etc.

soundguy

 

[MtnViewRanch]

I filled all four of my tires myself on both of my Mahindra tractors. My 7520 will hold about the same amount of fluid as the M7040. Took me about 2 1/2 hours with a garden hose and a funnel for the anti freeze. Absolutely no reason to pay someone to fill and unless you really need the few hundred pounds more that the beet juice gets you, why speed the big bucks for the extra weight.

And the tractor will ride better with the fluid vs the cast iron. I know, I have both. I did the wheel weights first and it just was not enough weight for my purposes so I then added fluid. Waaaaaaaaaaay smother ride and just a better over all feeling with the tractor itself.

 

[canoetrpr]

So what kind of a ratio do you guys use to dilute the RV antifreeze stuff? It's a bit colder here so I have to be careful

That was gold plated Prestone stuff at $9.50. I'm sure I will be able to find the generic variety at Napa or elsewhere.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

So what kind of a ratio do you guys use to dilute the RV antifreeze stuff? It's a bit colder here so I have to be careful

That was gold plated Prestone stuff at $9.50. I'm sure I will be able to find the generic variety at Napa or elsewhere.

There should be ratios needed for different temps on the anti freeze bottles.

 

[foggy1111]

-30 f Windshield Washer Anti-freeze is about $3.00 per gallon....and would appear to the the lowest cost DIY alternative (without going to CC). One of the Mart's is likely the cheapest place to buy it. It's not as heavy as cc or beet juice....but it is lower cost and weighs about as much as the RV antifreeze. A flat tire does not pollute like others....IMO.

I would not dillute the RV antifreeze if you live in the north country.....and it costs more than RimGuard around here. No advantage in it for ballast....as I see it.

I run Rim-guard. No regrets.

 

[k0ua]

Well here is your chart, but here is how I see it: since the rating for the RV antifreeze is -50F straight out of the bottle, I believe it is already cut with water at about 55 percent Propylene Glycol and 45 percent water. so if you were to cut that volume in half you would have somewhere near 28 percent Propylene Glycol so the way I see it that would only be about +10 degrees F . Not so good for Canada I would think. Now the chart shows by weight not volume, but since PG and water weigh near the same I would think it would not make much difference in the calculation. I put 24 gallons of RV antifreeze in each tire and 1 gallon of water, so nearly straight stuff in my L3400HST. I used RV antifreeze, not because it was cheap, at $4 per gallon it was not, I just could not find a Rimguard dealer anywhere around here or I would have done that. Someone else please check my math and line of thinking, I could be wrong, but this is how I see it.

James K0UA

 

[Don87]

yep.. 1300#, and rv af is 5$ a jug here in florida. darn lil 8" netbook keyboard. typo's abound..

fill yerself fast...

burp valve lets you put in water from a garden hose.

and a 4$ drill pump from harbor freight is the fast way to get the ballast in.. however funnle and fuel line work fine too.

add ballast first.. then garden hose the water in, burping as you go.

why pay someone lots of $$ for something that you can do at home for alot less than 100$ of all materials combined. the AF will be the bulk of the ost.. the drill pump abd burp valve, under 20$.. half that if you funnle it in ..

soundguy

Sorry for misquoting your typo............I haven't used RV Antifreeze, but if I wasn't using Rimguard, that would be my next choice.