Ballast BioBallast vs Rim Guard

[Cumbres]

I am in the process of investigating putting some ballast in my Kubota's tires. She is very light in the back when digging our clay dirt, especially when it is wet like the Midwest has been this spring. I had previously looked at Rim Guard but was concerned about the price. I had thought of windshield washer fluid. Today I talked to a local tractor tire dealer who use BioBallast which is supposed to be made from a corn waste product, I believe from Ethanol plants. The price was cheaper and it is supposed to be safe for metal, plants and animals. It also does not have any CaCl or similar material in it per the SDS on their website.

I had never heard of this product before today and in searching the archives I find few references to it. I have read a lot about CaCl, windshield washer fluid, steel weights and Rim Guard. Reportedly it does not turn slushy until -30. In another thread I think it stated it was about 9.75 lbs/gallon which is less then Rim Guard.

Anyone have any comments for or against BioBallast?

Cumbres

 

[oosik]

Yes - I've never heard of the stuff. I guess the situation revolves down to cost per gallon vs weight per gallon. I've had CaCl and it is a PITA. I now have Rim Guard and have had no problems, what-so-ever, in ten years.

I would suggest you talk to a tech from the tire company. See what their opinion is......

 

[Wagtail]

"BioBallast" has been, somewhat, discussed on TBN as far back as '09.

They seemed to think that it's canola based; https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/tires/142299-bio-tire-ballast.html

 

[Thomas]

Dealer put beet juice in my rear tires.

 

[fried1765]

Dealer put beet juice in my rear tires.

"Beet juice" aka "Rimguard"..... is expensive, and is only dealer installed.

 

[shooterdon]

I put WW fluid in my JD 855 tires last year only because it was cheap. Waited for a sale at Menard's and the whole job cost me under $75 including the connector.

I have Rim Guard in the new LS. It is a long term investment and I know RG is a proven and possibly the best product out there. Consider how long you will be keeping the tractor when looking at price. I doubt you will save much using BioBallast. One of the dealers here uses it and has had no problems with it. RG is about 20% denser so do a cost per lb. calculation. I expect labor costs to be the same with either product but special pumps are needed for RG and it is not a product you can install yourself.

If economy is important, WW fluid works, requires little equipment to install (used my sprayer tank and pump), but has less density. Took about 2 hours to do.

 

[Cumbres]

Thanks all for your input. I had seen the reply about it being Canola based but the tire company said it was corn based and I found a reference on the Bio ballast web site reporting their product is a byproduct of ethanol plants which would fit with it being corn based.

I am not looking for the cheapest route but have also not been necessarily wanting to go the Cadillac route. This seemed to be a nice in between product that had most of the good attributes of Rim Guard, ie non-toxic and non-corrosive but cheaper with the main issue being it is not as heavy.

I did talk to the techs at the tire company and they said they had been using it for quite awhile and they did not have any issues that they were aware of. It apparently comes as a concentrate or powder as I was told they would have to mix it up when I would come in to have it installed. For my tires I would need 21 gallons per tire or about 42 gallons total. Was told the fluid itself was a little bit more then $100 for that amount and about $50 for the install fee. If I remember correctly this place had sold Rim Guard in the past and they no longer are a dealer for them.

I also appreciated the comment about looking at the tire ballast as being a long term investment. That is why I am asking the question. I was prepared to do WW fluid but after finding this product the value proposition seemed to be better then WW even though it is more costly.

As to weight. My tractor will pick up about 850 pounds with the loader. I find that when I get close to a heavy bucket the rear end will pick up. BioBallast will add about 410 pounds to the rear end total and Rim Guard will add about 462 pounds (ie 9.7 lbs/gallon BB and 11 lbs/gallon RG) I don't have any practical experience if that 52 pound weight difference will make much difference in the loader abilities and in stability.

My last question is does Rim Guard foam? BB advertises no foaming so wondered if that had been a problem for those of you using RG. Is this a concern other then when checking tire pressures?

Thanks all,

Cumbres

 

[TractorNH]

"Beet juice" aka "Rimguard"..... is expensive, and is only dealer installed.

Rimguard is dealer installed but if you have a REAL tire shop, one that deals in truck and equiment tires in addition to car tires, many of them install it too. The advantage of Rimguard is that it is 11 lbs per gallon whereas WW fluid or water is only 8.3. So you get almost 3 lbs more weight per gallon.

There is also a product called Ballast Star which is a citrus based liquid ballast.

 

[Fallon]

I have BioBallast in mine. It's what my Kubota dealer uses. I still havent figured out what it is, but they claim it's not beet juice. It performs similarly to beet juice for weight, freezing & being non-toxic. I'm happy with it & have stopped caring what's the differences are.

 

[fried1765]

Rimguard is dealer installed but if you have a REAL tire shop, one that deals in truck and equiment tires in addition to car tires, many of them install it too. The advantage of Rimguard is that it is 11 lbs per gallon whereas WW fluid or water is only 8.3 and calcium is only slightly more than water. So you get almost 3 lbs more weight per gallon.

There is also a product called Ballast Star which is a citrus based liquid ballast.

"calcium is only slightly more than water"

Yah think....???

Water weighs 8.33 lbs. per gallon.
Calcium Chloride weighs 11.3+ lbs. per gallon.
36% more = "only slightly more"?

I am NOT advocating CaCl......I hate the stuff!