Calcium or No?

[amoscleaver]

You can't get that damn salt out of the steel. There is supposed to be something from NAPA but don't know the name.

The stuff is called "salt away" , if not napa a marine store should have it

 

[urbancase]

I replaced 2 sets of rims in the past few years due to damage from the cal fluid, new rims get weights. Not messing with it.

 

[buickanddeere]

In an ideal world , cast iron weights bolted to the rims with the tires operated dry .
As cheqpest price is usually considered best . Low cost calcium chloride tends to be the first choice .

If considering lowest cost instead of cheapest price . Use beet juice .

If the rims and tubes are rotten , they require replacement .

 

[Fixingfarmer]

The time of the year I’ve tried to get beet juice the place that sold it didn’t want to pump it since it was so cold so it never got done. Calcium chloride will corrode a rim if it’s in the tube it won’t till it leaks. How long till it leaks? You tell me could be 5 minutes till you drive over a nail could be 10 years they most often rust out around the valve stem for a reason because that’s where some is spilled. It’s still a fine option in my opinion it adds more weight than windshield washer fluid especially on a tractor with a replaceable rim don’t worry about it too much. If it’s an old spoked one that will cost a lot to fix or can’t find one that’s one thing but if it’s the cast hubs with the separate rims they are replaceable.

 

[MarkB_MI]

Some discussions never die!

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

The time of the year I’ve tried to get beet juice the place that sold it didn’t want to pump it since it was so cold so it never got done. Calcium chloride will corrode a rim if it’s in the tube it won’t till it leaks. How long till it leaks? You tell me could be 5 minutes till you drive over a nail could be 10 years they most often rust out around the valve stem for a reason because that’s where some is spilled. It’s still a fine option in my opinion it adds more weight than windshield washer fluid especially on a tractor with a replaceable rim don’t worry about it too much. If it’s an old spoked one that will cost a lot to fix or can’t find one that’s one thing but if it’s the cast hubs with the separate rims they are replaceable.

Dad put new tires on the 856 when he bought it in 1987. I had to change the rim in 2023 because of rust damage around the valve stem. By my math that's 36 years for the rims to rust out.

The rims weren't new in 1987 either. I'd bet they were original. The old tires had calcium in them too. Tractor is a 1970 model, so really, the left rim lasted 53 years, and the right rim is still going strong.

Point being, the rims don't instantly dissolve upon contact with calcium chloride.

That being said, tractors that don't do work don't need ballast. You can ride them in parades, drive them around, look at them, even work them to a degree, and you'll be fine. They won't float away on the wind if you don't fill the tires with fluid. They're plenty heavy on their own. They're not going to spontaneously flop over on their backs either.

 

[showcrop]

Some discussions never die!

I'll bet that CaCl is one of the all time top ten topics.

 

[ss55]

I would like to hear people's opinions on whether or not putting calcium in an old tractor's rear tires is a sacrilege. When I say old, I'm talking about a 1947 JD D. The tire company I called
today recommended it over beat juice, because that gets too thick in the winter to pump.

I imagine this topic has been covered here before, but I haven't read it.

Thanks folks.

Cast iron weights cost over a dollar per pound. Calcium chloride is much less expensive per pound. The savings by using CaCl2 will more than pay for new rims thirty or forty years in the future, if new rims are needed at all.

Putting Slime or some other tire sealant in tires is just as controversial as using CaCl2.

 

[Walston]

All the liquids have +/-. CaCl is heavier than all the other options and works fine. If you use it and it leaks, don't fiddle around, get it fixed right away and you will be fine. They put it on roads all the time for ice prevention. It is the liquid they spray.