[JB222]

I am trying to decide if I should use windshield washer fluid or salt water (CaCl mixture) to fill my tires. I already have inner tubes and thought the additional weight of the CaCl mixture might be worth it. I know at some point the valves will corrode, but that is an easy fix.
My 23 x 8.5 x 12 rear tires should hold around 6 gallons 12 between the two of them. So WW would be roughly 42 pounds per tire and 84 total. A CaCl mixture should be roughly 30% heavier so around 54 pounds per tire and 108 total.
what are your guys thoughts on the value of the additional 25 pounds for traction vs. the potential corrosion from a CaCl mixture?

 

[Bob Mac]

My former 1985 448 had CaCL filled rears with innertubes. The valve stems corrode fairly quickly and no matter what or how, the rims rust on the outside. 5 or 6 years ago I filled two 16" rears for a friend. We installed innertubes and powdered them and the tire interior. I used a vacuum pump to suck down the innertubes, hooked up a hose to a large container and poured in WW. The innertubes drew in a large amount of the fluid before I had to use a pressure container to final fill. While filling, the air trapped between the innertube and tire interior needs to vent out around the valve stem.
Bob MacGregor in CT

 

[D-Dogg]

I think we all believe any salt solution to be pure evil. But on the other hand, it has only been used for 70 years or so.

RimGuard is about the best solution, but not everyone can afford it, nor is it always available in their area.

There are dozens of threads on this subject here, with thousands of opinions on the subject.

You have to make the decision for yourself. More weight versus the corrosion risk?

 

[smokehouseman]

Rim guard is the only way to go weighs more than WW and is not that expensive. No need for tubes either it won't rot your rims. You can usually find it at your farm equipment stores or tire dealers that do alot of agriculture tires.

 

[dweber85rc]

calcium chloride will rot your rims over time to the point where you will have to replace them.

 

[earth]

When I was runnning 23" tires I used 4 gals of ww with 4 lbs of air pressure. I ran with ww fluid so that I wouldn't destroy a portion of my garden in the event of a blowout. I have done this for 4 years without any sign of rust or deteriation. I live in an Agriculture Zone that is declared by the state as a no salt zone. I assume there is a reason for the zoning.

I also followed the advice of the local farmers. They would only fill the tires 1/2 way.

 

[Caseman2]

I used beat juice in my 646.

 

[JB222]

I ended up going with the Windshield Washer Fluid. I decided that even with the tubes the extra few pounds was not worth a rotten rim down the line. This tractor has been in the family for 39 years and I plan on trying to keep it another 40.
I ended up with 5 gallons in each tube. I probably could have gotten 6 but wanted to maintain a decent cushion of air for bumps. So at 7-8 pounds per gallon I have an additional 70-80 pounds total.
One question I still have is if I need to run a lower psi to maintain a decent cushion since the volume of air is so low now. Any thoughts?

 

[JB222]

Just a little update. I just got done mounting the tires and gave her a test run. The difference is night and day. I have a very steep slope down to the garage behind my house and have always had trouble spinning when pushing gravel back up the hill.
I tried just now and had no spinning or even bogging of the motor. Looks like the WW was plenty of added weight.