ballast in tires

Forum Members,
Got the gifted tractor home today. Will take my time in getting it going, cleaning fuel system, get a battery and such. One thing I noticed is there seems to be calcium chloride in the tires. I am not so sure I want that in the tires. Is it a good deal or not a good option? If not, how would I at least remove some if not all of the fluid? Any and all thoughts are welcome!
Mr. T. Minnesota
 
First, I'd make sure CaCl is what is actually in them.
It is one of the heaviest, cheapest ballast systems out there.
It works well. Until it leaks and the leak isn't attended to.
Then it causes rust in a very short period of time.
I use CaCl in all of my workers and monitor them closely.

If you're not going to work it, you may not need the ballast.
Your local TSC or similar store sells an adapter to fit the valve
stem that can be used to pump it in or out. About $10.
They are also available online.

That adapter then attaches via a garden hose to a pump.
I use the cheap plastic drill mounted ones because any good
pump it susceptible to the same rust issues as the rims.

Those pumps will get rid of most of it. The only way I know
of to get rid of every bit of it is to change the tubes.
 
If it ain't broke don't fix it, or on the other hand, fix it until it is broke.

If you are not showing damage from the fluid, I would leave it. Damage, then replace and more than likely the rims also. Either leave it all or remove it all, why just remove part of it?
 
Mr T.........ever hear the expression, let sleepin' dog lie?....er, leakin' tires alone? Yer 11x28 tire holds about 350lbs of calcium chloride water (which rusts rims) While most N's are NOT used fer plowin', the added water weight don't hurt nuttin'. Then there's disposing of the SALT WATER too. You'll need new innertubes too. Tire pressure, loaded or unloaded is 12/psi.........HTH, the tired Dell
 

Hmmmm---tire pressure the same..loaded and not loaded...I believe you are wrong..my Loaded rear tires do not need anywhere near 12 psi to be equally inflated to a non-loaded tire..

The "N" series tractors were very light in the Butt and too light in the front if they had much on the 3-point..

Either get or make weights or have (Keep) your tires Loaded..Properly preped and painted rear rims and new tubes, Loaded should be good for at least 20 years..I have a couple pair that have been Loaded for 60 years and they are not rusted..
 
"calcium chloride water (which rusts rims)"

Of course, we might be HONEST here and state that leaky inner tubes fill with CaCl rust rims.

But what fun would THAT be???
 
Mr. T,

When I got my tractor in the Spring of 2014, I saw what i thought was CACl weeping out of my rims in a couple of spots. They are 13" wide Hat Box rims.

So I pulled the valve cores and let them drain of the CaCl over a few days.

As it turns out my tubes weren't leaking CaCl at all but were leaking water that was trapped in the Hat Box channels.
It got in there through the disk mount bolt holes and maybe a little got in through worn tube stem holes. but those bolt passages in the channel were slab thick with rust . . . took a lot of chiseling in each hole.

So I dumped the CACl in a ditch across the road and all through that summer and right into next spring, that patch of ditch stayed deader than a doornail -- not a sprig of life.

So having thrown it away and dreaming of rear wheel weights somewhere down the road, I restored the rims inside and out, put the old tubes back in but haven't as yet added any fluid --or any additional air.

One thing I noticed was that these older slightly cracked tires seem to flex more as they lay flatter on the ground when liquid filled. So with them firmer and riding high now, it looks like it really slows up the flexing/cracking process that is aggravated the softer the ride.

I sealed all the bolt holes in the Hat Box channel and sealed my tube stems so water can't get in any more and if there's a pool of water in one of my rims when I put the tractor away, I sponge it out especially if a disk bolt hole comes to rest bottom center in the pool. I used blue silicone under the bolt heads and thin oiled, leather washers on the nut side.
42356.jpg
 
A couple of thoughts:
A tractor can not put it's full horsepower
to the ground without additional ballast.
A ballasted tractor is a more stable
platform. Makes them safer to operate on
side hills and on rough terrain.
As said, CaCl is about the cheapest form of
ballast you can buy.
I think it gets more of a bad rap than it
deserves. Like, some folks complain that
they only got 75 years out of a set of rims
because of the stuff.
I prefer cast iron weights and have spent
the time and money to find and install them.
But if I buy a tractor that has CaCl in the
tires I will save it.
 
it all comes down to maintenance. if you see a leak fix it right away. ignore the leak and pay the consequences.
 
I concur with Ultradog, Ca Chl is the cheapest liquid form of ballast and was the recommended substance back then but since others have been around. The issue with calcium chloride is when it starts to leak out and attacks the ferrous areas. On my '48 8N, I use a product called Rim Guard, aka 'beet juice', in my rear 11.2 x 28 Firestone Field & Road work tires, and it has been great for me since it first came out. I have 6.5 x 16 Firestone Guide Grip tires on the front with the 2-piece wheel weights that add another 90# per side. Others use windshield washer fluid, but today many contain a lot of water and that ain't good either. Still others use old anti-freeze. If you decide to dump the Ca Chl, no matter what you go with, or nothing if you prefer, get new tubes and have the rims washed and rinsed real good. Just my 2 cents...

Tim *PloughNman* Daley(MI)
 
Agreed. Rubber don't rust. And some people are a tad lazy when repaing leaky innertubes and down wash out and repaint rim innards...
 

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