L4740 HSTC - Tire Ballast ????

[Mike_VT]

I know there has been much talk about tire ballast, but I have not seen ay discussions on Caliber M-1000. The reason I put this out is because when I purchased my tractor I thought that the dealer was using rim guard. I did not even consider to ask because I have bought mutiple tractors from the dealer and they have always used rim guard.

While I was adjusting my rear tire pressure the small amount of ballast that came out was not rim guard, so I inquired to determine what they were using as an alternative, I hoped and prayed it was not calcium chloride. They told me it was a product sold by innovative surface solutions called Caliber - 1000 used for road de-icing. Said it was not as corrosive as Calcium Cloride and they switched because the rim guard was next to impossible to pump in the cold weather (too thick).

This morning I called the company's local sales rep and he spoke highly of the product (of course) saying it had less ph than rain water???? I attached the web-site with the details.

I really just want to avoid the aggravation of corrosion and I am contemplating having this pumped out and getting rim guard installed. The local wholesale tire company said the cost to switch would be $330.

Does anyone have any real life experience with this new stuff?

Thanks. Mike

http://www.innovativecompany.com/userfiles/file/sell_sheets/Caliber_M1000_Brochure.pdf

Caliber M-1000 Liquid Tire Ballast

 

[nybirdman]

Tho I have Rim Guard..I don't think I would go to the expense of changing it out.Even with calcium chorlide it would take many years to present a problem.

 

[Chilly807]

After reading the company info sheet, it looks like pretty good stuff. It's more corrosive than distilled water, but more than 10 times less corrosive than CACL.

I have CACL in mine now, in tubes. As long as you don't have a leak it won't harm the rims. Any water based liquid will corrode rims, if there is a bare spot for it to work on, so I expect that even Rim Guard will attack steel to a certain degree if it has bare metal exposed.

There comes a point when you have to weigh the cost of rims against the cost of the liquid being used, assuming you WILL have a leak at some point, which isn't guaranteed either.

One other thing to consider, if you do lose some fluid for whatever reason, say 5 years from now, will you be able to get replacement fluid instead of having to switch brands and types?

If you park the tractor in a spot where any leaks will be apparent, like a concrete floor, I wouldn't be too concerned over the corrosive factor. I'm assuming your tires have tubes installed already? If not, it's something you'll want to do, at least that's my opinion.

Sean

 

[crazyal]

The other day I was looking at one of the rear ag tires on my 4240 and noticed that they came with tubes in them (the front do not have tubes). On the valve stem there's a plastic nut that holds the stem/ tube in place while mounting the tire. I'd check to see if you also have tubes and if so I wouldn't worry one bit about what's in them.

My guess is your dealer switched because the salesman gave them a better price than Rim Guard.

 

[Mike_VT]

No tubes. I am in no rush to change, I just think the $300+ to change it out is not a bad price and prefer not to have corrosion issues down the road. Mike