Beet juice? Tractor Tires? How to Combine and Save!
Why you would consider using liquid ballast for your tractor’s tires...
If you are an experienced tractor owner, those tips might be not very helpful. But if you just purchased a tractor or using it not for a long time. These tips can help you to improve tractor stability and traction. Tires are the lowest point on the tractor, filling them with heavier liquid lowers your tractor's center of gravity and will help you turn more tractor power into useful work.
What is liquid ballast? Liquid ballast is the extra weight and better traction. More weight pressing the tires into firmer contact with the soil - more engine horsepower can be turned into pulling power or front-end loader pushing power, before the power overcomes the grip and the tires lose traction and spin.
Types of liquid ballast that you can easily find:
Water. The cheapest option but it is not recommended in climates where temperatures can get below freezing. So if you are currently using your tractor in U.S. water is not your type of liquid. It weighs only 8.3 pounds per gallon. Compared to some of the other liquid ballast choices - you can do more.
Calcium Chloride or Salt Solution. It's dense, widely available, competitively priced, but very corrosive. You must add inner tubes to the tractor's wheels & tires, otherwise the steel wheels will corrode away quickly. A 31% mixture of calcium chloride is freeze resistant down to minus 58 F. Weighs 11.3 pounds per gallon making it a good option to get the most weight on your tractor. In case of a tire rupture resulting in a liquid ballast leak, the salt is non-toxic to animals but can damage any plants growing on the affected soil.
Beet Juice? Yes :). Beet juice is a recent addition to liquid ballast choices. Advantages of beet juice are it is nontoxic and non-corrosive to wheels. It is freeze resistant down to minus 35 F. Weighs about 11.0 pounds per gallon. Like the calcium chloride choice, it is better at adding weight to your tractor than many other liquid ballast choices. The downside - it is more expensive than some other liquid ballast options.
Windshield Washer Fluid. One of the less expensive liquid ballast choices on the market is windshield washer fluid. It is non-corrosive and freeze-resistant down to at least minus 25 F. The biggest downside to windshield washer fluid is it weighs only 7.6 pounds per gallon, less than plain water, which really limits the amount of weight you can add to your tractor.
Antifreeze. Antifreeze (ethylene glycol) in a 50/50 mix with water is freeze resistant to minus 34 F and weighs 9.4 pounds per gallon. The biggest disadvantage of antifreeze is if a tire ever ruptures the spilled fluid is very attractive to animals but is also very toxic. Antifreeze is also one of the costliest liquid ballast selections.
But if you have never filled tractor tires, with liquid, before. Try, first, visit your tractor dealer. If your tractor dealer is not able to provide liquid ballast installation, tire dealers are another possible source, especially tire dealers in rural areas that do significant amounts of tractor tire business.
The worst-case scenario, but yet the most popular - google it or find information on YouTube channels. Sometimes forums can help as well. In case you are really want to do it by yourself, here is some Liquid Filling Process Tips. But, please watch at least, YouTube, first:
Deflate the tire.
Rotate the tire in a way to position the valve at the top.
Remove the valve core.
Start filling the liquid according to the instructions in the manual of the pump.
During the filling process, remove the pump regularly and let the air out of the tire.
Stop the filling process when liquid starts to flow from the valve. Mount the valve core. Important Remark: In tubeless tires, it is recommended to use an inner tube to prevent rim to rust.
Disclaimer - Procedures mentioned are purely suggestive and recommended practices. Team Tractor and Equipment holds no responsibility for any consequences thereof. Data can be amended at any point without prior notice and at the sole discretion of Team Tractor and Equipment.