VERY expensive beet juice!

[North Country]

I've not gotten too much input on weights. Do they really not provide a benefit over fluid? I mean having a tire filled with air so that it can deform must have some value? Is fluid that much more stable than weights?

People always quote Beet juice and other fluids in dollars per gallon. Start measuring it in $ per lb, and you'll see why so many people don't talk about steel or iron weight.

In the previous example, 110 gallons is about 1150lbs, IIRC. At over $1.50/pound for new weight, the $325 looks like a bargain - even after 4 full refills (if you ever need that many.)

 

[canoetrpr]

People always quote Beet juice and other fluids in dollars per gallon. Start measuring it in $ per lb, and you'll see why so many people don't talk about steel or iron weight.

In the previous example, 110 gallons is about 1150lbs, IIRC. At over $1.50/pound for new weight, the $325 looks like a bargain - even after 4 full refills (if you ever need that many.)

I guess in my case, beet juice is quite exotic around here. Going with it is at least $1000 when transportation, storage containers and some extra lying around for leaks etc. are factored in. That will add 1600 lb of weight so $0.63 per lb. Weights are $1.75 per lb. So 3x the price pretty much.

PG seems prohibitive cost wise around where I am. A 55 gallon drum is like $1000! Unless I am missing something basic, I will need a 3:1 mix of water to PG to get a decent freeze point.

Looks like Methanol concentrated to be mixed on my own or WWF if I can source it at a decent price is the way to go. Noticed that Fastenal carries a 55 gallon drum of WWF for $125. I expect the price here should be about the same. I'm going to follow up on a few sources like Napa and another bulk supplier. My guess is that this will work out to be the best route.

 

[whistlepig]

Calcium Chloride will last many years before it rears its ugly head. First it will eat out the valve stems on the tube. Then the seepage will eat out the rims. The tire has to come off, tube replaced, and the rim patch welded and ground smooth. Then a new tube must be purchased and the price of refilling the tires must be paid.

 

[SSdoxie]

Check into price on Magnesium Chloride. My farmer budding in ND tells me that is what some of the dealers are starting to use for tubeless tires.

 

[XSKIER]

Thank God I put Beet juice in my rears 2 years ago. 110 gallons cost me 325 and they did the filling. Prices on everything are out of hand. In still feel beet juice is the best filling because of tyhe weight per gallon and the non corrosiveness of the solution. If everyone was sure they wouldn't get flat I feel this is the way to go...

After all of these replies about glycol, only one of them acknowledges that the rimgaurd is actually heavier. Rimgaurd, around 40% heavier per gallon than glycol, why would anyone even consider filling their tires with anything else?

 

[MikeD74T]

Table sugar is made from sugar beets. At Sam's club sugar is about sixty cents per pound. Seems like one could make a 80/20 mix of sugar/water for less money than antifreeze or the current price of Rim Guard where transportation & container costs are included. MikeD74T

 

[Short Game]

Table sugar is made from sugar beets. At Sam's club sugar is about sixty cents per pound. Seems like one could make a 80/20 mix of sugar/water for less money than antifreeze or the current price of Rim Guard where transportation & container costs are included. MikeD74T

Your tire pressures may vary once fermentation starts. There may be some left to drink (after the blowout).

 

[Alien]

I recently read, on KeelyNet I think, that honey is a good anti boiling mix in a radiator so I guess it acts like anti freeze too. I don't know how much is required but just thought I would mention it for general interest. When I bought my CK30 I asked the salesman about water in the tyres and he said they had already done that for me. We don't have frosts here. Not like you poor sods. lol

 

[Soundguy]

CC will kill your rims, given time. We had to replace the rims on our combine recently because of corrosion. Ouch! Don't want to do that again.....

GGB

that's where a tube comes in handy.

soundguy

 

[Qapla]

According to a Google search, Rimguard IS beet juice.

What about just "foam-filling" the tires? It is quite heavy, doesn't freeze and can't go flat.

 

[Soundguy]

... and can't ever be drained if you need less weight.. etc.. etc.

and still has a decent amount of cost involved.

soundguy

 

[North Country]

According to a Google search, Rimguard IS beet juice.

What about just "foam-filling" the tires? It is quite heavy, doesn't freeze and can't go flat.

Heavy? What kind of foam is heavy?

 

[Soundguy]

it's a high density poly urethane foam.

does double duty as flat prevention and ballast.. more or less permanent.. so don't have any future plans for them tire casings..

soundguy

 

[rd_macgregor]

If the extra solutes in beet juice make it heavier than most or all of the current alternatives, I wonder if you could take wwf and add a bunch of corn syrup (HFC can be bought in bulk) to raise the density of the fluid fill? I don't know about possible chemical reactions, effect on freezing point or whether the methanol content would keep yeasts from fermenting the sugar, though.

I wonder if there isn't another medium that might be used? I though sandblasting glass beads would work well, but it looks like they are over $1/lb (though a tire half-full of these would really weigh a lot!).
BOB

 

[Soundguy]

it's all a compromise.

water is the cheapest.. but it freezes.

then non corrosive ballasts, or mixes to go with water, cost alot.

cacl salt added to the water make it darn heavy, and freeze proof, but corrosive.

a good tube, nad a good well painted rim will make cacl a cheap alternative for decades. keeping in mind if you get a leak, when you tear down to fix, you have alot of cleaning.. plus.. if it has a bad leak in a field.. you will have a dead zone you might want to excavate quickly.

soundguy

 

[IslandTractor]

While more weight is desirable, ya gotta consider the incremental cost of getting that last hundred pounds or so. Yes, beet juice is heavier but WWF or methanol mixes are so much less expensive that you will literally be paying about $4-5 bucks a pound for the extra 100 lbs or so difference in weight.

Also, while CaCl is cheap and heavy, the risk of corrosion and the cost of having a tire shop install a tube needs to be considered against what is really a completely safe DITY project with water, methanol mix or WWF.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I have been down the Cal Chloride route on my Ford 861. Never again. It cost me a but load of money to have the wheels replaced.

I also had a co-worker have a tire let go on his 8N while mowing with Cal Chloride in it. Long story short, $800 later for 2 new tires and wheels, disposal cost of Cal Chloride in the other, 2 dump truck loads of top soil to replace the area of his yard that will not grow grass, a half a day for a Back Hoe operator to dig it out. Yea, Cal Chloride is cheap, NOT. lol

I can not get over the cost of WWF in your area. Everything we have around here is -20 or -30, cant remember, but it runs about $1.50 per gallon and maybe $2.00 per gallon even at the quicky mart. Like I said, my bulk oil guy can get me a 55 gallon drum for under $40.

Chris

 

[North Country]

it's a high density poly urethane foam.

does double duty as flat prevention and ballast.. more or less permanent.. so don't have any future plans for them tire casings..

soundguy

But exactly which high-density foam? I'm pretty sure the words "high-density" only are used in comparison to other types of foam. Foam, by definition, is partly air.

This "high-density" polyurethane foam is 2 lbs/cu ft.
Polyurethane Foam 3
Beet juice is over 80 lbs/cu ft. Roofing tar *floats* in beet juice.

I could add more weight to my tractor by having a grand slam at Denny's than I could by filling a tire with 2lbs/cu ft foam.

 

[Soundguy]

the cost of having a tire shop install a tube needs to be considered against what is really a completely safe DITY project with water, methanol mix or WWF.

why have a tire shop do it. that's a DIY project..

soundguy

 

[Soundguy]

But exactly which high-density foam? I'm pretty sure the words "high-density" only are used in comparison to other types of foam. Foam, by definition, is partly air.

This "high-density" polyurethane foam is 2 lbs/cu ft.
Polyurethane Foam 3
Beet juice is over 80 lbs/cu ft. Roofing tar *floats* in beet juice.

I could add more weight to my tractor by having a grand slam at Denny's than I could by filling a tire with 2lbs/cu ft foam.

this foam is more like a foam rubber..

our local store that does it charges by the #, 1.60$ per #, and for instance.. a 6.00-16 front holds 70#, an 11.2-28 rear holds 324#

edit:

here are some further numbers to chew on:

a 6.00-16 tire filled with water to 75% holds 6 gallons, and adds 50# water, if you looked at 100% fill, like the foam would fill.. that would be 8g of interior space for foam.

a 11.2-28 tire filled with water to 75% holds 27 gallons, and adds 225# water, if you looked at 100% fill, like the foam would fill.. that would be 36g of interior space for foam.

soundguy