Calcium filled tires, early warning signs of trouble

JerryLook

Member
Both of my rims have rust coming through around the valve stem holes. These were painted earlier this year. Also the metal is rough and bubbly in that area. So how long do I have left?

I bought these rims and tires used, and have no idea how old they are. Just wondering what my options are. Drain the calcium out and put air in the tubes? Dismount the tires and install new tubes, and put something less corrosive than calcium?

A couple years ago I had a leak in my previous set of tubes. It rusted a hole through the rim and let all the calcium out.

I like having the loaded tires for ballast on my loader tractor, but dont like chasing rusted through rims.
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Apparently the tubes are leaking. Draining them will get most of the calcium out but won't stop the rusting or guarantee the drained tubes will hold air, without adding regularly, as they are leaking now. My thoughts are the tires need to be drained and dismounted. Rims cleaned and evaluated (possibly repaired or replaced). If reused the calcium on the rims needs to be neutralized and the rims painted inside and out. Rust coming through the rims says they have been leaking for a while and paint on the outside does nothing for preventing internal rusting. You can try locating the flaw in the tube and patching it but I would replace them.

You can ballast with something other than calcium and you will get many suggestions. Calcium works but at the first sign of a leak it needs to be corrected. Just my thoughts, others will vary.
 
If it were me, I would drain and dismount
the tires. Clean, sand, repair the rims if
needed and paint inside and out, then
install new tubes and fill with windsheild
washer fluid
 
Think I could get another couple months use out of them? Basically up until it starts to get cold. I know its really up to the tractor gods. Haha.

I was talking to the guy who runs a tractor repair place down the road, and he was saying I can weld in a section to replace the rusty part. And then drill a new valve stem hole in a new spot on the rim. Or I could buy new rims.

I do think its a smart move to use windshield washer fluid to replace the calcium. Is there somewhere to buy that stuff in bulk?
 
(quoted from post at 14:35:16 09/02/21) Think I could get another couple months use out of them? Basically up until it starts to get cold. I know its really up to the tractor gods. Haha.

I was talking to the guy who runs a tractor repair place down the road, and he was saying I can weld in a section to replace the rusty part. And then drill a new valve stem hole in a new spot on the rim. Or I could buy new rims.

I do think its a smart move to use windshield washer fluid to replace the calcium. Is there somewhere to buy that stuff in bulk?

Your choice on running them a couple months more. How often do you have to add air? Leaking will continue, rusting will continue until a tire is flat or a rim separates. They might last for years, they might fail tonight. The guy down the road told you right, repair may be possible or buy new/used rims.
 
Another alternative to windshield washer fluid is Rimguard. It is a byproduct of making sugar from beets, and it is tested to not freeze down to something like -35 degrees or so, which beats most windshield washer fluid, and it is heavier than anything else per gallon except for calcium chloride. Only down side is the price.
 
Ive been running waste anti freeze in all my tractors for years. Cant get much cheaper. Works great.
 
(quoted from post at 20:30:20 09/02/21) Ive been running waste anti freeze in all my tractors for years. Cant get much cheaper. Works great.

If it leaks it could kill some animals or children of they decide to taste it because of the sweet smell.
 
Ford 2000; 3 cyl. gas; 4/1 trans......I bought a 55 gallon drum of -20 degree windshield washer fluid for about $140. Ordered it through a local fuel supply business that sends small tankers out to construction sites, etc. to fuel heavy equipment. They delivered the drum of WWF to my driveway as part of the cost of the drum. I pumped it into my rear tires via a fluid pump and one of those $10 air inlet valves. Pump fluid, stop and bleed some air out of the tire, start pumping fluid again. Very easy to do. I split the 55 gallons between the two rear tires and then pumped in some plain water since we never get to -20 degrees here. My liquid ballast takes up about 60 percent of the volume of each rear tire. Sure made a difference in traction.
 
You might save the rims. The important
thing is getting after it sooner rather
than later. I saved these rims. Ran a
needle scaler over them then had them sand
blasted, then brazed up some holes.
I brush painted them. First Rustoleum
primer then two coats of tractor enamel.
The key to brush painting is a good china
bristle brush.
Then I put new tubes in them and pumped the
calcium back in.
As for antifreeze...
Working on tractors I've had antifreeze
spill on the floor a hundred times and my
little dog never drank any of it. If a cat
or two drank some and died that would be
okay with me.
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The valve stem port is usually the first place you will see signs of oxidation if tires are loaded with Ca Chl or water. Your tractor tires should be using tubes
first of all and the liquid is in them. By this time the liquid has probably spread thru the rest of the inside rim. If you want to salvage them, especially if OEM
ones, now is the time to do it. You just can't drain the Ca Chl out and move on. Remnants will remain and the cancer will only grow further. The best and easiest
solution is to take the tractor or just the tires on wheels to a local AG Tire dealer who knows what to do. The tires need to be drained first then old tubes removed
and thrown away -DO NOT REUSE - GET NEW TUBES. The entire inside rims need to be washed and repaired of any cancer, and the whole wheel blasted, and painted. Wheel
Paint like CASE IH Silver Argent is very good. If you plan to reuse the old tires, they too must be flushed out with HD detergent and water. Some guys insist on using
windshield wiper fluid or used anti-freeze. I don't advise to. WWF nowadays can contain water. Used Anti-Freeze may also contain water. Old liquid is usually just
dumped into a 55-GAL drum and thus mixed with many variants. Who knows what one guy was using? Also, Anti=Freeze is usually ethyl-glycerol, deadly if ingested to
animals. There is a very good non-corrosive product for liquid ballast in tires called RIM-GUARD , often dubbed Beet-Juice because it is made from sugar beets.
Guaranteed non-corrosive and save for animals. I've been using Beet-Juice since the mid-1990's when it first cane out and never have had any issues and still the same
stuff that was put in.


Tim Daley(MI)
RIM GUARD
 
Ok. So Ill get some new tubes and plan on doing some rim surgery soon. Ill have to get a 55 barrel or two to hold the calcium in while I have them apart. Maybe Ill do one side at a time.

Actually I have a second set of rims the need the same repairs. Since those are off the tractor maybe Ill fix those first so I can just swap them out and keep running. It would be handy to have the second set of rims and tires in good working condition anyways.

Btw, those rims turned out nice Ultradog 👍🏻

For a while I was using loaded tires and W8 wheel weights. After breaking some front suspension parts by lifting things too heavy for the tractor, I took the wheel weights off and just have the loaded tires now. The most weight I put in the bucket nowadays is blocked up firewood. The extra weight in the tires is enough to keep some traction in the woods.

Thanks for the advice guys.
 
(quoted from post at 09:31:26 09/05/21) My 6610 is doing the same thing, I found rims for under $200 aftermarket.

Last time I was looking at aftermarket rims I think they were 130$ each from Amazon and the local tractor guy wanted a little more than that. With free shipping from Amazon thats probably the way I would do it. Since Ill be doing the mounting myself.

Im running 13.6x28 tires, and I think the 28x11 or 28x12 would work fine.

But, if I can repair these rims I will. I have a welder and some free time.... :D
 

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