Loading tires with Propylene Glycol

[Wyld Bill]

Ok I am new to tractors. I just learned today what "Loaded tires" meant.
Actually I grew around & using tractors but never paid any attention to the details.
Anyways I was thinking. I get free Propylene glycol quite often through my HVAC job. Would this be good to use? I was thinking mixed deionized water to -10F or lower & then the tire filled with dry nitrogen gas instead of regular air.
What do you guys think?

 

[john_bud]

That's the same stuff as in anti-freeze, so it should work. I would just use tap water and go down to 10F lower than the area gets.

jb

 

[mjncad]

I think ethylene glycol is the stuff that kills pets, while propylene glycol is relatively non-toxic.

 

[CurlyDave]

I was thinking mixed deionized water to -10F or lower & then the tire filled with dry nitrogen gas instead of regular air.

If it is really free, why not mix it for the lowest freezing point you can get?

I can just imagine a snow storm followed by a hard freeze, and just when you want to clear your roads, you can't if you mix it for anything less.

A quick check shows that you can go to a -55 degrees F freezing point with 60% propylene glycol, and best of all, the density is slightly higher than plain water.

Not as high as a calcium chloride solution, but a whole lot less corrosive.

 

[larso1]

I think (IMHO) that propylene glycol would be a good choice vs ethylene glycol or calcium, and using nitrogen I believe should stop algae growth, etc that would normally start to grow with air. However, I would be careful about using deionized water vs drinking water. It can be very agressive on metals since there are no minerals in the water to make it stabile, and there is even a rule that you don't use it in a cooling water circuit that has stainless steel because it will corrode. I know you don't have S.S. in your wheel but it is an indication that it may not be a good thing for this application.

Bill

 

[Mackinac Joe]

I think ethylene glycol is the stuff that kills pets, while propylene glycol is relatively non-toxic.

Propylene glycol is apparently an ingredient in some sodas.
The Soda Gallery Blog - All Things Soda (And Then Some!) » Blog Archive » ‘Floating’ on a cloud of A&W…

Mackinac Joe

 

[Wyld Bill]

Thanks guys. So I'll use Prop. Gylcol with straight well water.
Yeah the stuff is quite harmless. A guy at work said that he knows for a fact that they spray it on cookies as a preservative.

How much will I need for 2 27X8.5-15s & 2 15X19.5s 80 to 90% full??

 

[sandman2234]

And I stand corrected on the glycol mistake. I had the wrong one on my mind. Sorry for the confusion I might have caused.
David from jax

 

[CurlyDave]

Yeah the stuff is quite harmless. A guy at work said that he knows for a fact that they spray it on cookies as a preservative.

Holy Mackerel. You obviously have a computer, know how to use the internet, and Google is free.

I would look something like that up before taking it as the gospel truth, although it is on the FDA "Generally Recognized as Safe" list as a food additive. (Which took less than a minute to discover on Google.)

 

[mjncad]

I also agree that using deionized water would be a bad idea due to its metal corroding properties.

 

[Hookblock]

Has anybody seen this stuff or used it?



Rim Guard - Liquid Tire Ballast Product Information

 

[AndyMA]

Has anybody seen this stuff or used it?



Rim Guard - Liquid Tire Ballast Product Information

Yes I've been using it for about 7 years now. It's made from Beet Juice and is totally nontoxic. I believe it to be the safest and best material out there to fill tires. I realize many people try to save a buck filling tires, but much of what is used is certainly harmful to the environment or animals if spilled. RimGuard is also noncorossive.

Andy

 

[Soundguy]

I've seen it listed as a toothpaste ingredient.

To the original poster.. fillingthe tires with nitrogen may help prevent/lessen hot/cold expansion cycles.. etc.

I know when we play paintball, the nitrogen guns are much less effected by the cold than the CO2 guns.. etc.

soundguy

Yeah the stuff is quite harmless. A guy at work said that he knows for a fact that they spray it on cookies as a preservative.

Holy Mackerel. You obviously have a computer, know how to use the internet, and Google is free.

I would look something like that up before taking it as the gospel truth, although it is on the FDA "Generally Recognized as Safe" list as a food additive. (Which took less than a minute to discover on Google.)

 

[Soundguy]

Yes I've been using it for about 7 years now. It's made from Beet Juice and is totally nontoxic. I believe it to be the safest and best material out there to fill tires. I realize many people try to save a buck filling tires, but much of what is used is certainly harmful to the environment or animals if spilled. RimGuard is also noncorossive.

Andy

Beet juice, if spilled on some plants and grasses, usually kills it just like cacl, unless you 'wash' it down with the hose to dilute it...

soundguy

 

[IslandTractor]

Why bother trying to fill your tires with nitrogen when air is essentially free and can be topped up at home? The idea that it will delay algae growth seems odd as even plain air in a tire doesn't have enough oxygen to allow growth of algae. And why deionized water??? Does a tad of sodium or other salt really matter in an anaerobic environment?

Why worry about having sterile fluid in your tires either? Has anyone ever heard of a tire being eaten apart from the inside by superbugs? Don't we all drive through manure etc routinely? There are a lot more bugs on the outside of a tire than will ever be on the inside with an environment that has no sunlight (algae kinda like that) and no nutrients.

 

[Treemonkey1000]

Still wondering if just using foam despite the cost is not a good idea? No leaks to the environment to worry about. Flat tires don't happen. You get the weight that you want for ballast. The tire can still be replaced if need be. Unless I am missing something. The cost is probably the biggest factor.
Jim

 

[IslandTractor]

Still wondering if just using foam despite the cost is not a good idea? No leaks to the environment to worry about. Flat tires don't happen. You get the weight that you want for ballast. The tire can still be replaced if need be. Unless I am missing something. The cost is probably the biggest factor.
Jim

Cost and the fact that it would be hard to do yourself.

 

[Treemonkey1000]

Ok I figured cost would be a big part of the equation. Les Schwab does the filling so that would be another part. I guess they drill a hole in the tire and pump the foam in there. I wonder if they just use the same type of foam you get in a can to seal air leaks in walls. That stuff expands and then hardens.. Might be a good experiment with some old car tires on rims to figure out the expansion rate.. To me not having a flat out in the boonies is worth some $$$
Jim

 

[IslandTractor]

I also agree that using deionized water would be a bad idea due to its metal corroding properties.

Isn't it the other way around. Deionized water has no salt to corrode metals. I'm not aware of any advantage for deionized water in tractor tires but it doesn't seem likely it would corrode metals.