VERY expensive beet juice!

[Farmwithjunk]

Ca/CL isn't a sudden death syndrome as it is portrayed. I've had Ca/Cl in the rears on my MF150 since the day after I bought it....In May of 1971. SO FAR....there is NO rust on either rear wheel. And that's after several punctures, tire/tube changes, ect. I've got dads old Ferguson F40 out behind the barn awaiting restoration. Ca/Cl has been in those rears since 1957. Same story.....no rust.

If you're the type that neglects maintenance, and would let a tire sit and leak for months on end, maybe you should find another fill material. If you take even as much as "average care" of your equipment, Ca/Cl isn't nearly as harmful as is imagined by some.

 

[DAY]

Good point 'junk.
Grandpa used it, because that was what everybody used. You've had that Massey for forty years. I wonder how many of our "beet juice" friends here will still have their CUTs after ten. . .

 

[Short Game]

The glass sandblasting beads would be slowly blasting away the inside of the rim.

I had foam in my 27HP Cub Cadet. I loved the feeling of tire immortality. I liked seeing that big fence rail spike that was buried in one of my rears. But, foam filled tires are not as flexible and are known to be harder on the running gear. I repeatedly broke front wheel bearings. The balls would literally bust out of their cages. I had to start taking it easy on my swivel joints in rough going. The tractor had the foam when I got it. It is hugely expensive. I priced it for my new tractor and it is out of the question for my meager income.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Ca/CL isn't a sudden death syndrome as it is portrayed. I've had Ca/Cl in the rears on my MF150 since the day after I bought it....In May of 1971. SO FAR....there is NO rust on either rear wheel. And that's after several punctures, tire/tube changes, ect. I've got dads old Ferguson F40 out behind the barn awaiting restoration. Ca/Cl has been in those rears since 1957. Same story.....no rust.

If you're the type that neglects maintenance, and would let a tire sit and leak for months on end, maybe you should find another fill material. If you take even as much as "average care" of your equipment, Ca/Cl isn't nearly as harmful as is imagined by some.

Same old thing, the story that is told is either not clear or is just that, a story. I have heard too many times of people just as you that have had no or minor problems with CC. I friend of ours was upset a few years ago when he had to change out his warn out tires after about 20 years. There was light rust and he had to wire wheel and repaint the inside of the rims.

Not to change the subject but sort of like filling the fronts and people say" you will wear out the front faster". No doubt, but how much faster? Now your tractor will be warn out in 10,000 hours instead of 12,000 hours? :laughing: I'll take the superior performance that I get and let the tractor wear out "faster".

 

[canoetrpr]

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

Holy cow! 40 bucks!. I'm calling around.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

On foam filled tires.....Yes, foam is heavy. A foam filled 18.4X30 (as is on 2 of my mowing rigs) is HEAVIER than a like 18.4X30 water/ca/cl mixture filled tire (as is on another mowing rig) by roughly 90lbs.

Foam filled tires ride like the proverbial "log wagon". They are NOT flexible. They do NOT like road speeds at all.

Personally, I'd rather change a flat every now and then as opposed to operating a tractor with foam filled tires.

If ALL you're doing is work that puts tires at high risk, I can understand the desire to foam 'em. If you do ANYTHING where a decent ride has a value, leave the foam alone.

After foaming those 2 tractors (as an experiment) I'm NOT foaming any others. Done with that idea.

 

[canoetrpr]

Ca/CL isn't a sudden death syndrome as it is portrayed. I've had Ca/Cl in the rears on my MF150 since the day after I bought it....In May of 1971. SO FAR....there is NO rust on either rear wheel. And that's after several punctures, tire/tube changes, ect. I've got dads old Ferguson F40 out behind the barn awaiting restoration. Ca/Cl has been in those rears since 1957. Same story.....no rust.

If you're the type that neglects maintenance, and would let a tire sit and leak for months on end, maybe you should find another fill material. If you take even as much as "average care" of your equipment, Ca/Cl isn't nearly as harmful as is imagined by some.

Hmm. now you've got me thinking again FWJ. I'm not the kind of guy that is going to let a leaking tire sit around here for ANY amount of time.

 

[DAY]

My Amish neighbor doesn't fill his tires:laughing:

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Holy cow! 40 bucks!. I'm calling around.

I filled a pair of tires for my son-in-law a few years back. He wanted WWF. I picked it up @ a NAPA store. I got 120 one-gallon jugs (on shrink wrapped pallet) for around $.65 a gallon. They ordered it with their regular fall order and it actually got them a better rate by ordering so much. They passed along part of the savings to me. We were ALL happy......Until I had to find a way to get shed of 120 one gallon plastic jugs.....

 

[Farmwithjunk]

My Amish neighbor doesn't fill his tires:laughing:

How come they don't have a team of horses hitched to the tractor to pull it around?

 

[IslandTractor]

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

soundguy

I get your point but not many have the tools or strength to be manhandling or busting beads on rear tractor tires. I suppose with experience one could change out or add a tube with the wheel still mounted but I don't cherish the idea of dealing with a several hundred pound rolling object.:laughing:

 

[Elkins45]

The glass sandblasting beads would be slowly blasting away the inside of the rim.

Wonder if anyone ever tried filling one with plain old sand?

How much is a barrel full of glass marbles? Or steel BBs?

 

[Soundguy]

Ca/CL isn't a sudden death syndrome as it is portrayed. I've had Ca/Cl in the rears on my MF150 since the day after I bought it....In May of 1971. SO FAR....there is NO rust on either rear wheel. And that's after several punctures, tire/tube changes, ect. I've got dads old Ferguson F40 out behind the barn awaiting restoration. Ca/Cl has been in those rears since 1957. Same story.....no rust.

If you're the type that neglects maintenance, and would let a tire sit and leak for months on end, maybe you should find another fill material. If you take even as much as "average care" of your equipment, Ca/Cl isn't nearly as harmful as is imagined by some.

yep.. my 8n has 1 new and one vintage tire on it.. the new one was due to a blow out of the other vintage one. tires are cacl loaded. I cleaned up the old hat style rims. ( original ), and repainted them prior to re-assembly.

both tires have good water proof tubes.. neither rim has rust.

as you say.. routine maintenance is what is needed.. and if a leak is found.. fix it and mitigate it with cleanup to protect the metal.

soundguy

 

[Soundguy]

I get your point but not many have the tools or strength to be manhandling or busting beads on rear tractor tires. I suppose with experience one could change out or add a tube with the wheel still mounted but I don't cherish the idea of dealing with a several hundred pound rolling object.:laughing:

tools are minimal.. or CAN be.. at a minimum.. you really want 2 spoons, a 3rd helps, and / or spooons of other shapes to deal with different rims and tire beads.

for smaller tires, things like c-clamps can pop beads off rims.. for larger tires, things like yer farm truck rolling over the tire can pop beads off rims.. gotta be creative.

vegi soap, or as FWJ stated, regular dish soap is the preferred lube for rubber on rims.. if you want fancy.. some stores make a ru-glyde rubber lube ( soap based )..

a real tire hammer is nice.. but a sledge will do in a pinch.

thus about 30$ of tools are the MINIMUM you need to start, and up that to 100$ and you got the stuff to do fronts all the way to rears.. harbor freight has a front tire changer rig that drops to 49$ now and then..

as for weight / strength.. again be creative / smarter than the tire a 8' 2x4 on a short fulcrum can move an 800# tire.

I do all my own so far.. that includes loaded beefy 16.9-24 rears.. which by the way.. the water loading alone weighs 510#, kick in another couple hundred easy for the rim and tire casing.. maybee more like 250#.. then the ballast.. and you have 800# right there...

I weight 130# and am 5'6 in cowboy boots.. and just got over a heart condition..

soundguy

 

[IslandTractor]

I weight 130# and am 5'6 in cowboy boots.. and just got over a heart condition..

soundguy

Maybe, but you are the mighty Soundguy with a heck of a lot more experience than most of us. :thumbsup:

I would still shy away from a rear tire project that could easily turn into a weekend of pain and frustration. Remember, this is all about whether it is worthwhile to use CaCl over WWF. You would gain maybe 30% extra weight but it isn't often that a 5000lb tractor can do something that a 4800lb tractor cannot so I still don't see the benefit. WWF or diluted methanol is so simple and there are no maintenance considerations or fear of leaks. Cost would be about the same for someone who had to go out and buy a tube and tools to do the installation for CaCl.

 

[Short Game]

Wonder if anyone ever tried filling one with plain old sand?

How are you going to measure the tire wear on the insides?

 

[Short Game]

Ooh, I bet that gives a comfy ride.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Maybe, but you are the mighty Soundguy with a heck of a lot more experience than most of us. :thumbsup:

I would still shy away from a rear tire project that could easily turn into a weekend of pain and frustration. Remember, this is all about whether it is worthwhile to use CaCl over WWF. You would gain maybe 30% extra weight but it isn't often that a 5000lb tractor can do something that a 4800lb tractor cannot so I still don't see the benefit. WWF or diluted methanol is so simple and there are no maintenance considerations or fear of leaks. Cost would be about the same for someone who had to go out and buy a tube and tools to do the installation for CaCl.

I'm 64 years old, have 40% loss of use in left shoulder as a result of a piece of flying shrapnel on a bad day in an southeast asian country, circa 1967, bad knees, and a back that belongs on a 90 year old....

I change my own tires.

No one I've ever known can wrestle a 1000lb tire/wheel....so you don't turn it into a wrestling match. Tire is balanced and rolled (not lifted) if removed from tractor. Wheel stays on tractor..... The heaviest thing I lift during the entire episode is an EMPTY innertube. (20lbs????)

With fluid pump in/out, and tube change, an hour at worst with decent equipment, a couple hours with a cheap pump and a few cheap tools. ....Done 'em in less than an hour on a number of occasions. Tire dealer charges $100 to $500 depending on tire size and circumstances. I'll stand on my head in 4' of swamp water for $500 an hour.....

Work smarter not harder...........

As far as Cal/cl v wwf....I have no more or no less "fear of leaks" with ANY liquid fill. I simply wouldn't allow a tractor of mine to sit there with a leaky tire regardless of what was inside of it. So the big bad boogy man won't be lurking inside my tires....They leak, they get fixed. I fail to see the value in using "lightweight ballast".....Sorta defeats the purpose.

 

[jimmysisson]

How about this question:
Do you need the extra weight at all? I have side hills and steep grades and am happy to have filled tires (CaCl). But with CI wheels, you could try using the new (nice!) tractor without fill and see how it performs for you. Who knows, by the time you get around to it, washer fluid may be cheap again (springtime). Just a thought.
'Course this thread wouldn't be half as much fun then...
Jim

 

[Soundguy]

. Tire dealer charges $100 to $500 depending on tire size and circumstances. I'll stand on my head in 4' of swamp water for $500 an hour.....

Work smarter not harder...........

As far as Cal/cl v wwf....I have no more or no less "fear of leaks" with ANY liquid fill. I simply wouldn't allow a tractor of mine to sit there with a leaky tire regardless of what was inside of it. So the big bad boogy man won't be lurking inside my tires....They leak, they get fixed. I fail to see the value in using "lightweight ballast".....Sorta defeats the purpose.

yep.. here it's 75$ just for the 'farm call, then the meter starts running for the labor.. usualy minimum charge is 175$ PLUS the farm call.

that's 250$ minimum... that's the price of a 11.2-28 tire new...

I squeak too much when i walk to give someone else the value of a new rear tire if i can do it myself and have the time to do so.

soundguy