Got my first Rim Guard FLAT

Builder · Oct 19, 2010

Man, what a mess. Picked up a piece of barbed wire fence.

Was able to get cutting done and parked tractor. Tire guy came and pulled all Rim Guard out, replaced tube, fixed puncture in tire, refilled with Rim Guard, blah/blah/blah..... I lost 15 gallons. Smells Horrible. Got some on customer's driveway. Seems to rinse off pretty easy with garden hose.

Total damage $300.

Guess it coulda been worse. Could have been Calcium, then it would have been a superfund cleanup.

Johndeere3720 · Oct 19, 2010

Sad to hear of your rim guard accident.

I have Calcium in my tires and have to be very careful when operating in areas that i havent before.

blueriver · Oct 19, 2010

Builder said:
Man, what a mess. Picked up a piece of barbed wire fence. Was able to get cutting done and parked tractor. Tire guy came and pulled all Rim Guard out, replaced tube, fixed puncture in tire, refilled with Rim Guard, blah/blah/blah..... I lost 15 gallons. Smells Horrible. Got some on customer's driveway. Seems to rinse off pretty easy with garden hose.

Total damage $300.

Guess it coulda been worse. Could have been Calcium, then it would have been a superfund cleanup.

MAN ... mine today was $95 ... I've posted on another thread. Service call, valve stem and the fluid ... $95

Builder · Oct 19, 2010

My service call was $125. Tube was $90. patch was like $40, 15G rim guard was about another $50.

Radial tractor tires are worth the extra expense. :ashamed:

Builder · Oct 19, 2010

Johndeere3720 said:
Sad to hear of your rim guard accident. I have Calcium in my tires and have to be very careful when operating in areas that i havent before.

yep, and I cut a lot of areas like that. That's why I went with Rim guard, to protect my customer's property.

I had a tractor with CC and never felt totally at ease driving off road.

magicheater · Oct 19, 2010

Johndeere3720 said:
Sad to hear of your rim guard accident. I have Calcium in my tires and have to be very careful when operating in areas that i havent before.

How do you explain this then? I have calcium in my tires and other than the corrosive nature to steel was not aware of any other "bio hazards"

picker77 · Oct 19, 2010

As far as I know snowplow crews all over the Northeast are throwing a zillion tons of calcium chloride down all winter in some areas... so I don't think it's a biohazard, although it probably wouldn't do your customer's fields or grass any good.

Builder · Oct 20, 2010

picker77 said:
As far as I know snowplow crews all over the Northeast are throwing a zillion tons of calcium chloride down all winter in some areas... so I don't think it's a biohazard, although it probably wouldn't do your customer's fields or grass any good.

That's what I mean. If you spill a large quantity of calcium chloride on a lawn, planting area, etc. it will damage growth in that area.

Carykong · Oct 20, 2010

Our state snow removal crew dumped a partial load of calcium choride on the shoulder of our county road last winter. Killed all the trees and vegetation in a 20 foot circle. The road crew finally removed all the visible salt this summer but the soil is clearly contaminated for a long time. The deer now congregate over the area at night. It has turned into a mighty salt lick.

300UGUY · Oct 20, 2010

MDOT here in Brighton, Michigan stored road salt outside, uncovered, for 20 years. The result was a couple local lakes with higher salinity than seawater, and a whole bunch of wells destroyed. The state had to build a water system for the residents of the area, at no cost to those residents. I was at one lake. It was so salty that algea wouldn't grow in it. You could see the bottom, 20 ft down. No fish tho!!!!

GeneD14 · Oct 20, 2010

About 8 years ago I was bush hogging for a neighbor and a piece of barbed wire got stuck in my rear tire. I lost most of the rim guard out of the 13.6 x 24 rear tire and it sure ruined my day.
Just yesterday I had the M95 out clearing some brush and when I stopped to walk around: I saw a piece of barbed wire sticking out of the rear tire. I pulled it out and luckily it didn't go all of the way though the tire. These tires are filled with washer fluid so it would have been a little cheaper but I would have had to curse.

Soundguy · Oct 21, 2010

Builder said:
.

Total damage $300.

Guess it coulda been worse. Could have been Calcium, then it would have been a superfund cleanup.

???

would have been cheaper with cacl.. just have to wash the rim.. get a new tube and mount / dismount the tire. ballast had to be pumped out and in either way.

soundguy

Builder · Oct 21, 2010

Soundguy said:
???

would have been cheaper with cacl.. just have to wash the rim.. get a new tube and mount / dismount the tire. ballast had to be pumped out and in either way.

soundguy

That's all they had to do with rim guard, too. If it was calcium, I'd be at Customers replacing lawn that was damaged. Not cheaper in my world. :laughing:

catskinner · Oct 21, 2010

300UGUY said:
MDOT here in Brighton, Michigan stored road salt outside, uncovered, for 20 years. The result was a couple local lakes with higher salinity than seawater, and a whole bunch of wells destroyed. The state had to build a water system for the residents of the area, at no cost to those residents. I was at one lake. It was so salty that algea wouldn't grow in it. You could see the bottom, 20 ft down. No fish tho!!!!

I live just south of Ann Arbor, which lakes were affected?

knightrider955 · Oct 22, 2010

Anyone ever tried RV antifreez? Or is washer fluid cheaper? If washer fluid is cheaper than Calcium then why do people use calcium?

yooper1 · Oct 22, 2010

I believe it is heavier than washer fluid.

Water weighs about 8.345404 pounds per gallon

Taken from Rim Guards info page

Rim Guard - Liquid Tire Ballast Product Information

Calcium Chloride is heavy about 11.5 lbs./gallon. Rim Guard weighs 10.7-11 lbs. per gallon about the same. Calcium Chloride is freeze resistant to -30F or -40F depending upon how it is mixed. Rim Guard is freeze resistant to -35F and will not solidify until -50F.

Windshield Washer Solvent is no heavier than water. Rim Guard is 30% heavier than water. Windshield Washer Solvent is freeze resistant only to -20F. Rim Guard is freeze-rated to -35F.

k0ua · Oct 22, 2010

Anyone ever tried RV antifreez? Or is washer fluid cheaper? If washer fluid is cheaper than Calcium then why do people use calcium?

Mine have RV anti-freeze.. non toxic to animals, and not hazardous to plants, Only down side I know of is the price. I was worried about the possibility of aerosolized Windshield washer fluid which contains methanol possibly catching fire in the presence of a spark. probably not a valid worry. But don't know for sure. In answer to your WW fluid vs Calcium question is Calcium solution weighs more than WW fluid or RV anti-freeze or water.
James K0UA

Travelover · Oct 22, 2010

300UGUY said:
............ No fish tho!!!!

What? Not even sharks?

Soundguy · Oct 22, 2010

knightrider955 said:
Anyone ever tried RV antifreez? Or is washer fluid cheaper? If washer fluid is cheaper than Calcium then why do people use calcium?

calcium is as cheap as you get.. but it's corosive.. if is leaks.. you MUST clean it up.. and keeping rim insides painted is good insurance.

I use rv antifreeze in mine.. works fine. lil heavier than water.. not much though.. non corosive, won't freeze.

soundguy

Soundguy · Oct 22, 2010

Builder said:
That's all they had to do with rim guard, too. If it was calcium, I'd be at Customers replacing lawn that was damaged. Not cheaper in my world. :laughing:

rim guard in direct concentration can kill some plants too.. especially 15g of it. both salt and sugar can reach levels to kill most plants pretty easilly.

rim guard has the benefit of being generally non toxic to animals, and non corosive, and freeze proof.

soundguy