Traction diy tire antifreeze

[tjkubota93]

I saw on the internet where a lady makes her own windshield washer fluid with 1 gallon water, 8oz isopropyl alcohol, and 1oz castille soap. Yall think I could load my tires with a 1 gallon water/8 oz isopropyl solution? That would cost about $0.88 per gallon. I dont need soap or blue color for Inside tires (unless soap would help the rubber). I am a tight waud so I like stuff like that. I also thought about using rv antifreeze. Any thoughts?

 

[creekbend]

Hopefully this will help? Go to OrangeTractorTalks | Kubota Tractor Tips, Classifieds, Specifications and Discussion and go to "How to ballast Tires", then go to "Comparing different types of liquid tire ballast". Best wishes.

 

[Wyobuckaroo]

From the inside of a tire...... All tractors look the same.....

I loaded my rear (turfs) with regular auto anti freeze and low temp windshield washer fluid....
Each tire held 22 gallons. I used 5 gallon anti freeze and 17 gallon ww fluid.
But I live in a lot colder zone than you. (northern zone 3)

I have read of people using rv anti freeze. I have no idea at what concentration. The thinking if it is lost on the ground it is less toxic than auto products or salt.

If you use the mix you describe, I would think you would want a little soap in each wheel to give the rubber and steel (if tubeless) a little coating of lube.

Good luck

 

[tjkubota93]

Thanks. I got the orange tractor tire ballast bookmarked already. I like the idea of rv antifreeze brcause of non toxic. I think isopropyl would be better than ww methanol as far toxicity. I think the lowest the temp at our house gets is around 20.

 

[greenrider1]

Looks like youv've got a BX? I can't imagine your tires hold enough volume to make it worth your time to mix your own washer fluid. Windshield washer fluid doesn't cost that much to begin with, so you'd only be saving a few bucks, and you would still have to find a way to pump it in there. My dealer filled the rears on my L5740 for $200. It would not have been worth my time to mess with it myself. I'm not sure what percentage alcohol is in washer fluid, but something like 20% comes to mind, which is 25.6 fluid ounces of alcohol per gallon. RV antifreeze costs much more than washer fluid too. Just be careful that you get washer fluid with alcohol in it. Some places (Walmart) carry a "summer blend" that is nothing more than colored water. Good luck with whatever you choose!

 

[tjkubota93]

I didn't know about summer blend. Thats good info. I have a 1860.

 

[tjkubota93]

Holy poop $200! I'm too tight to pay that! I enjoy doing things myself. The only thing I have paid for is seamless gutters (takes expensive machine) and a roof (it would take me a year)

 

[k0ua]

Here is a chart for Propylene Glycol.. AKA RV anti-freeze. Note as it usually comes from the bottle it is rated to -50 degrees F. So as you can see on the chart this is about a 55 percent solution. So as you can see if you cut this 1/2 and 1/2 with water, you would be at about 27 percent with a freeze point at maybe +12 deg F. Is that enough for your area? On my last tractor I used it straight from the bottle, with 1 gallon in 24 extra pumped in for a total of 25 gallons each tire. In my Kioti I have Methanol solution. as we made a new purchase deal with the dealer. Adding a small amount of isopropanol is not going to lower the freezing point a lot. Ordinary isopropanol is usually 70% straight from the bottle.. Although there are higher concentration blends. You just need to find a chart for it like I did with the RV anti-freeze. Yes a lot of the "summer blend" of windshield washer fluid freezes at +32 deg F.. same as water. Winter blends, some is 0 deg. and some is -20. I have never seen any around here lower than -20 F.

James K0UA

 

[tjkubota93]

Ok thats helpful. 12 is cold enough. It doesn't get that cold here and tractor is garage kept.

 

[k0ua]

Ok thats helpful. 12 is cold enough. It doesn't get that cold here and tractor is garage kept.

That sounds like you would be alright then with 1/2 and 1/2 with water. Just make sure the bottle says -50. The stuff I used did.

 

[Tractor Seabee]

Your BX only holds approx. 100# in each tire if using Calcium Chloride. Other anti-freezes do not add as much weight. Someone mentioned $200. you are only looking at 12 gallons of water per tire+ the anti-freeze weight. I opted for suitcase weights from Home Depot. 450# @ 45#/weight for less than $600 minus 10% military discount. Now I do not have to carry around 200# whether I need it or not. Adjust the weight to match the load. Yes you will have to build a rack front and back too hook them onto. The front brush guard works if the FEL is off. I am working on making the racks now.

Ron

 

[tjkubota93]

The john deere weights?@hd

 

[Tractor Seabee]

No I got the MTD ones, they are a little cheaper. Concrete filler vs solid steel. Very easy to handle. I use then on the rider mower also.

Ron

 

[CliffordK]

Are the lighter alcohols (ethanol, methanol, isopropanol) hard on rubber? I'm not sure I'd put them in a tire, although I'm not seeing a lot of notes about it.

Personally, I don't think I'd put anything, except perhaps beet juice in a wheel without a tube. Perhaps use a tube for everything. Check what you have.

I'm having troubles finding the actual cost of beet juice.

Here it suggests that Beet Juice is $3.20 to $3.60 per gallon, if sourced locally, and filled private containers. I can buy used plastic 55 gallon barrels for about $10 each. Thus, it could be competitive in cost with other liquid antifreeze options if one can find it, and fill one's own tire with it.

I'm seeing beet juice for deicing could potentially be less than $1 per gallon. Is it the same stuff?

I just bought a pair of rims to adapt to my Toro that had Calcium filled wheels (one with a tube, one without, both had quite a bit of rim corrosion, but the one without a tube now has eaten a hole 100% through the rim.

My Ford has some light corrosion where the valves have leaked Calcium, but not too bad. I think I need to replace one tire valve now.

I'm just buying an older Massey that has had massive wheel damage on one side due to a leaking valve stem and calcium. It'll need a new rim, and tire.

 

[sd455dan]

I saw on the internet where a lady makes her own windshield washer fluid with 1 gallon water, 8oz isopropyl alcohol, and 1oz castille soap. Yall think I could load my tires with a 1 gallon water/8 oz isopropyl solution? That would cost about $0.88 per gallon. I dont need soap or blue color for Inside tires (unless soap would help the rubber). I am a tight waud so I like stuff like that. I also thought about using rv antifreeze. Any thoughts?

The 8oz to 1 gallon sounds weak in very cold winter environments freezing just one time and using the tractor destroyed both rear tires in a matter of a couple minutes operating time for a relative of mine... total cost 800 dollars... just something to think about...

 

[burnieman]

We put jack Daniels in all our tractor tires. They never freeze but we spend a lot of time stopping and letting some out into a coke. Very convenient and the wife doesn't know where I hide the whisky.

 

[Don87]

Are the lighter alcohols (ethanol, methanol, isopropanol) hard on rubber? I'm not sure I'd put them in a tire, although I'm not seeing a lot of notes about it.

Personally, I don't think I'd put anything, except perhaps beet juice in a wheel without a tube. Perhaps use a tube for everything. Check what you have.

I'm having troubles finding the actual cost of beet juice.

Here it suggests that Beet Juice is $3.20 to $3.60 per gallon, if sourced locally, and filled private containers. I can buy used plastic 55 gallon barrels for about $10 each. Thus, it could be competitive in cost with other liquid antifreeze options if one can find it, and fill one's own tire with it.

I'm seeing beet juice for deicing could potentially be less than $1 per gallon. Is it the same stuff?

I just bought a pair of rims to adapt to my Toro that had Calcium filled wheels (one with a tube, one without, both had quite a bit of rim corrosion, but the one without a tube now has eaten a hole 100% through the rim.

My Ford has some light corrosion where the valves have leaked Calcium, but not too bad. I think I need to replace one tire valve now.

I'm just buying an older Massey that has had massive wheel damage on one side due to a leaking valve stem and calcium. It'll need a new rim, and tire.

I'm fairly certain that it is. Although I have no documentation to back that up. The sites I've found indicate that it is mixed with salt brine, in differing quantities just prior to being put on the highways.

I have Rimguard in my tires.

 

[Tractor Seabee]

If you use calcium (the heaviest additive) you must also use a corrosion inhibitor. In my younger day as a pipefitter we did a lot of calcium chloride brine system for low temp refrigeration. It was used in a spray mixture to prevent icing of coils and in pumped systems for things that run through a trough on a conveyor chain. Corrosion was a problem if the inhibitor was allowed to deplete or get diluted. No corrosion when it was up to snuff. In a closed system like a tire it should stay stable unless you have air leaks and keep adding air. Oxygen breaks down the inhibitor. Bottom line: if the tire leaks air, fix it and replace the fluid, do not keep adding air. I know nothing about theses new fangled things. Glycol antifreeze, same as calcium, keep adding air and the inhibitor will break down and corrosion will develop. Alcohol is lighter than water so there is a weight loss there instead of gain.

Ron

Ron

 

[Larro Darro]

What we always did for our tractor tires, if you put fresh antifreeze in your cars, trucks and RV's, save the old stuff and put it in your tires. We rarely used over a quarter/three quarter antifreeze to water mix. But then we live in North Florida. Those two or three days a year when it got down into the teens or single digits, we fed the cows extra hay ahead of time so we didn't have to move the tractor.

 

[radioman]

On my bx,I just piped the bead on one side and filled from open hole.. I have a tire changer, but you can use fel to pop bead.done it with car tires