# How do you put fluid in a tractor tire?



## uarelovedbygod (Nov 1, 2003)

I recently purchased a used International 464. I would like to add water/antifreeze mixture in the tires to give it more traction. Any pointers? Is this something that can be done at home, or does it require a professional?

--Chris


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## YuccaFlatsRanch (May 3, 2004)

Go to your tractor supply store such as Tractor Supply and buy the special valve used to attached to a hose and to the tire. Its easy. I put the antifreeze into the hose and then turn on the water to pump it into the tire.


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## Lt. Wombat (Jul 3, 2003)

People around here put calcium chloride in their tires. After seeing what it does to car body metal I don't see how it doesn't eat the tractors wheel but they say it won't.


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## rambler (Jan 20, 2004)

Lt. Wombat said:


> People around here put calcium chloride in their tires. After seeing what it does to car body metal I don't see how it doesn't eat the tractors wheel but they say it won't.


Antifreeze is a toxic hazzard, while Calcuim Cloride is not.

Antifreeze is lighter than water, while CC is a salt that makes a solution heavier than water - weight is the point, you want weight.

My tire coop would throw a fit if I asked them to repair a tire of mine, & I had antifreeze in them to contaminate their CC supply.

CC is a whole heck of a lot cheaper than antifreeze. Can't imagine buying 40-50 gallons of antifreeze or more per tractor.

The CC only rusts metal when it is exposed to air (o2). Take care of leaks promptly, flush them, do a tiny bit of maintenence, and CC is far & away the better product for tractor weight. I would certainly put a tube in the tire & put CC in the tube, but I have a nearly 30 year old tractor with CC in all 4 tires, no tubes, & it has worked fine.

There is a non-corosive product made of beet pulp, called Rim Guard & perhaps other brand names, that can be used instead of CC.

Of course, this topic is about like chevy vs Ford, which is better - everyone has a strong opinion, and that is fine. 


As to how to do it, my tire coop comes out & does it for me for $20, but you can do it yourself. They make a special valve that someone mentioned & a cheap drill powered garden hose pump, or you can (safely!) put a barrel above your tire & let gravity do the work.

Tire on the tractor, tire jacked up, valve stem to the top, only fill the tire up to the valvestem, you need about 1/4 of the tire to be filled with air to allow for shock load.

--->Paul


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## Beeman (Dec 29, 2002)

It was my belief that they stopped usinf calcium chloride years ago because of the damage it would do to the rims of the tractor.


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## rambler (Jan 20, 2004)

Beeman said:


> It was my belief that they stopped usinf calcium chloride years ago because of the damage it would do to the rims of the tractor.


What happened is a lot of old tractors got parked in the grove. Twenty years later people want to collect them. One thing they are finding wrong with the old tractors is - the rims are rusted away. This is because the tires, out in the sun, rotted & slowly oozed out the CC, and with no attention the metal rusted away.

Now these tractor collectors think that is what CC does to all tractor rims.

Real farmers much, much prefer CC for the reasons I listed above. Antifreeze is the real horror to have in a tire, when it bursts that fluid will soak into the ground & it is a toxic hazzard to the ground water in those large quantities.

CC is much prefered by EPA, farmers, tire manufaturers, and the like.

Tractor collectors have gotten the notion that antifreeze is the way to go.

At least, that is the boundry lines I have seen on this issue. People are rather passionate about their view of this issue on other tractor sites, and I don't wish to step on any toes. 

If you actually want weight in your rear tractor tires, CC is still the best bang for the buck, while Rim Guard (beet pulp solution) is a more expensive, less rusting option. Antifreeze has a lot of problems that people don't realize.

--->Paul


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## Ross (May 9, 2002)

We use CC in out tires but you can buy 45 gallon drum of proplene glycol which is not toxic and fairly reasonably priced. Paul's right about the tire service folks hating it though and as tractor tires use tubes the cc isn't in contact with the steel unless as Paul says the tires rot away! I'll stick to cc, its cheap and it works.


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## Beeman (Dec 29, 2002)

Our farmers co-op along with every other tractor dealer that touches tires uses methanol and water. 1/3 methanol to 2/3 water. The calcium chloride rotted the rims around the valve stems on tractors being used every day, especially when the tube leaks a little the fluid comes out around the valve stem. I've already replaced the rims on one tractor and have bad rust around the valve stem of the other. Both were originally filled with C/C. The one that I've replaced the rims on was refilled with methanol about 18 yrs. ago and the rims look like new.


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