Question regarding calcium chloride in tires

[SylvainG]

Hi, so I learned after buying this 2010 Kioti LK30 tractor that the rear wheels are filled with Calcium chloride (first tractor, didn't know about this before). Don't know (yet, I've asked the dealer) when they were filled. This is what the valve on one rear wheel looks like (the other one is the same). I doubt this represent that a tube is inside. Should I be concerned about the wheel's integrity? Should I get the wheels emptied? Like I said, I'm new to owning a tractor so I have way more questions than answers

(sorry about the size of the image, don't know how to adjust it here)

Thanks

 

[fishheadbob]

Ideally they would have been filled with something other than calcium chloride, but that's the way it was done, and apparently still is. I cannot tell if there is a tube present, someone else will likely know. If you have a loader on this tractor you need rear ballast for best operation/counter balance. I wouldn't go off the deep end about CC's presence. I have tractors with it in the rear with no adverse effects after decades. On one I do wire brush it every few years and put a layer of matching paint on; I've had that one maybe 25 years.

 

[RickB]

That is a tubeless valve stem. If the wheels are filled full enough that the rims are fully covered by the calcium chloride solution I wouldn't be terribly concerned. Others will disagree.

 

[SylvainG]

So as long as no air hits the inside of the rim, oxidation should be minimal? How long does such a rim last though? When the wheels are turning, air bubbles will mix with the fluid and won't those air bubbles adhere to the rims when at rest, accelerating oxidation?

To check the level of fluid, do I put the valve at its highest position and see if fluid comes out? If it's air, how do you get more fluid higher than the valve stem? I'm assuming there is some kind of pumps for that, or do you take the wheel of, lay it on its side and fill it? Those are quite heavy tires!

 

[George2615]

Your tires should have fluid above the rim level. If you can jack up one rear wheel start with the valve stem at 12 O'clock and remove the core. Air should come out. Then rotate the tire left or right, fluid should start coming out about 10 or 2 O'clock position. At those positions the rim should be covered in fluid thus keeping air from contacting the rim. Adding fluid can be done on the tractor with the stem at 12 O'clock using a pump. When filled properly replace the core and re-inflate the tire.

 

[SylvainG]

Thanks, I'll take a look in the spring when the temperature is milder.

 

[fishheadbob]

Thanks, I'll take a look in the spring when the temperature is milder.

Sometimes when it is tres cold you can see a frost line towards the top of the tire. I suppose it is caused by the temperature difference between the fluid and the air in the tire. Air above the line, fluid below.

 

[SylvainG]

Thanks, I'll keep note of it and see if I can spot that line.

 

[fried1765]

Hi, so I learned after buying this 2010 Kioti LK30 tractor that the rear wheels are filled with Calcium chloride (first tractor, didn't know about this before). Don't know (yet, I've asked the dealer) when they were filled. This is what the valve on one rear wheel looks like (the other one is the same). I doubt this represent that a tube is inside. Should I be concerned about the wheel's integrity? Should I get the wheels emptied? Like I said, I'm new to owning a tractor so I have way more questions than answers

(sorry about the size of the image, don't know how to adjust it here)

Thanks

I had to buy new rims ....twice!
Both tractors were 25 years old.
If you are OK with that......no worries.

 

[RickB]

Sometimes when it is tres cold you can see a frost line towards the top of the tire. I suppose it is caused by the temperature difference between the fluid and the air in the tire. Air above the line, fluid below.

Actually that's a more common occurrence in spring and fall when wide temperature swings are accompanied by wide humidity variations. Water vapor from warm air condenses on the cooler liquid filled portion of the tire.

 

[SylvainG]

I had to buy new rims ....twice!
Both tractors were 25 years old.
If you are OK with that......no worries.

I'm more worried with catastrophic failure of the rims. I guess there will be plenty of warning before this happens?

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I've have tractors with cal. in the rears more than 30 years without any problems at all.

My loader tractor is over 20 years with the rears loaded with cal., they are just fine.

SR

 

[fried1765]

I've have tractors with cal. in the rears more than 30 years without any problems at all.

My loader tractor is over 20 years with the rears loaded with cal., they are just fine.

SR

They may LOOK fine, but when you need to replace tires, you will most likely need to replace rims also.

 

[i7win7]

They may LOOK fine, but when you need to replace tires, you will most likely need to replace rims also.

I 2nd that idea

 

[RickB]

They may LOOK fine, but when you need to replace tires, you will most likely need to replace rims also.

If the tires are tubed (which the OP's are not) and leaks are immediately addressed there will be no rim damage. In 2017 I sold a 1976 Case 885 and 1970 Ford 4000 both with pristine original rims that had been calcium filled for many, many years if not since new.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

They may LOOK fine, but when you need to replace tires, you will most likely need to replace rims also.

Not if you use the tractor much, you will wear the tires out long before the cal. affects the rims enough to need replacement.

At least that's what I'm seeing from myself, and my farmer friends...

SR

 

[LouNY]

Well many years ago all of our farm tractors had calcium filled tires.
This past year two of them had to have new rims the JD 4020 and one of the IH 656's.
The 560 got new ones a couple of years ago.
My 574 because it is not used for heavy work got about 10 hours of welding repair and grinding last year.
I think out of over a dozen tractors on the farm, one may still have calcium it the rest are all dry and carry wheel weights instead.
I have seen rims that rotted out in a dozen years and others that have made it 50 years.
I use iron and will not fill a tire with liquid if I can avoid it anymore,
that said calcium fill is the least expensive way to add considerable weight to a tractor.

 

[Tractor Seabee]

When calcium started as a weight for tires it was the go to method especially in colder climates. Calcium does too things, adds weight and prevent water fill from freezing. In my industrial refrigeration days calcium was used as secondary refrigerant for product freezing. We mixed it sometimes to withstand -60F degrees. At that concentration is is like syrup and very heavy. That was like 20#/gallon of water. 3 times the weight of the water. Non of the other common ballast liquids come even close to that. Proper ballast calcium has an additive to prevent oxidation of the steel rims. If you have constant leaks and add air often the additive will dilute rapidly and then corrosion sets in. In general it destroys the rubber much faster than the steel. The refrigeration applications were open to atmosphere so we had to add inhibitor often and add calcium as it sucked water from the air and diluted. Weekly testing.

Interested in how we got to -60 ask your questions in a new thread.

Ron

 

[i7win7]

Knew CaCl could be used for dust control but didn't know it's added to some foods
Calcium chloride - Wikipedia