# man I regret using rim guard/tube filled rear tires.



## JD3430

What a mess and expensive to fix. This is my second tube failure. I have Firestone on the rear with tubes. Tubes are filled with "Rim Guard" (beet juice). When a tube lets go, the rim guard starts to leak into the tire, then the rim guard leaks out around the valve stem and makes a huge mess. $450 to have a tire jockey come out, suck out all the rim guard, install the new tube and refill with rim guard.

NEVER do this! Buy wheel weights, cast rims, or radials *without tubes.* My rear tire setup *SUCKS!!!! *

I think Rim Guard is fine, but don't put it in a tube.


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## urednecku

I've been lucky so far, only 1 flat on my rear. We only load them with water, so no big mess. Of course, we don't have to worry about them freezing down here, either.
When I had my leak I aired it up good, & left blocks under the rear so it wouldn't set down on the rim, until I could pull it. 

The next day, it had come off the bead, & it was no problem for me to get the outside bead over the rim, (_*Leave the rim/tire on the tractor!!*_) get the tube drained, pulled, went to Wallyworld for a patch kit. Really surprised me how easy it was to repair. The slowest part is draining the water out, the next is re-filling. other than that I think it only took an hour or 2.

Total $ for my repair, about $15 including the gas to WW.


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## swmnhay

Wow that would maybe cost $100 [email protected] $450 I would be buying some tire tools.Get rid of the juice and go with wieghts if needed.


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## Teslan

It was $200 here the other day, but it was just a 4 wheel assist front tire that needed the tube. No liquid.


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## Shetland Sheepdog

I'll stay with the liquid ballast, thank you very much!! Cast iron @ $1.00 per lb, only when the liquid isn't enough weight! I just had 2 - 15.5x38's loaded with RimGuard for $450.00. I have 2 tractors with RimGuard, and one still on CaCl.
JMHO, Dave


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## Shetland Sheepdog

Oops! sorry for the double post! musta pushed the wrong button!


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## CockrellHillFarms

You shouldnt need filled tires unless you are plowing some heavy ground with a light tractor. Just my thought. Non of my hay tractors have fluid in them. Just rear weights on the ones with loaders.


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## swmnhay

Shetland Sheepdog said:


> Oops! sorry for the double post! musta pushed the wrong button!


Fixed it for you.


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## Vol

I have weights and liquid ballast in/on the rears of my loader tractor. I also use it for baling or whatever if need be. NIce to have the weight on hills when loading/grappling or whatever.

Regards, Mike


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## haybaler101

Had a 18.4-34 with cacl fixed the other day. Bout crapped when I got the bill for $284. Was about half that a year ago. Only run fluid in loader tractors now. Everything else is cast if needed and with more no-till and less heavy tillage need less of that.


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## mlappin

CockrellHillFarms said:


> You shouldnt need filled tires unless you are plowing some heavy ground with a light tractor. Just my thought. Non of my hay tractors have fluid in them. Just rear weights on the ones with loaders.


We have fluid in the rear tires of our loader tractor, will get changed out to beet juice next time we need a repair. Have the weights on the front of our MF 8160 and the front tires filled with beet juice, that 30 foot 3 point Hiniker bean planter is heavy and would rather have the front tires loaded than use the brakes every time we turn around.


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## CockrellHillFarms

mlappin said:


> We have fluid in the rear tires of our loader tractor, will get changed out to beet juice next time we need a repair. Have the weights on the front of our MF 8160 and the front tires filled with beet juice, that 30 foot 3 point Hiniker bean planter is heavy and would rather have the front tires loaded than use the brakes every time we turn around.


Yeah I could understand that. Those planters are heavy, especially when they are full of seed. You prob have a lot of momentum coming down a row and turning around.


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## JD3430

Shetland Sheepdog said:


> I'll stay with the liquid ballast, thank you very much!! Cast iron @ $1.00 per lb, only when the liquid isn't enough weight! I just had 2 - 15.5x38's loaded with RimGuard for $450.00. I have 2 tractors with RimGuard, and one still on CaCl.
> JMHO, Dave


If you have tubeless tires, it's not a big deal, but if you have tubes, like me, LOOK OUT.


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## JD3430

CockrellHillFarms said:


> You shouldnt need filled tires unless you are plowing some heavy ground with a light tractor. Just my thought. Non of my hay tractors have fluid in them. Just rear weights on the ones with loaders.


I have them for doing loader work and it makes a huge stability difference. I opted for fluid over wheel weights because it stays at the bottom of the wheel and provides more stability than wheel weights. I never contemplated the tube repair cost/difficulty.


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## rjmoses

CockrellHillFarms said:


> You shouldnt need filled tires unless you are plowing some heavy ground with a light tractor. Just my thought. Non of my hay tractors have fluid in them. Just rear weights on the ones with loaders.


I wouldn't drive a tractor around here without fluid in the tires--1) ground's just too hilly and 2) I want the extra bite when the hay or ground is wet.

Ralph


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## JD3430

I changed my thread title to "man I regret using _rim gaurd/tube _filled rear tires. "


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## Toyes Hill Angus

One more thing to keep in mind, if you have radial tires, you are taking away the added benefit of a softer riding tire by adding fluid of any kind. We use air-ride seats and not water-ride for a reason, the air is compressable and fluid is not, so reducing the air volume of the tire leads to a sharper ride.But fluid is so much cheaper that cast iron balast, some time we cheap out.


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## JD3430

I wish I could find a set of kubota cast rims. Dealer quoted me a price, but shipping was crazy because of the weight.


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## mlappin

CockrellHillFarms said:


> Yeah I could understand that. Those planters are heavy, especially when they are full of seed. You prob have a lot of momentum coming down a row and turning around.


Well actually the seed is carried in a two wheeled cart behind the tool bar and it pretty much balances on those two wheels so full or empty it doesn't transfer much weight to the tractor. We have the tri-fold yetter marker arms on it though and like I said, it's HEAVY. Think the MF is rated for almost 16,000lbs of lift but the front end is still a little light on end rows or sandy ground.

Forgot I had this on Youtube. later on I'll get some footage of using the autosteer edited and posted.


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## Grateful11

The only tractor here that doesn't have fluid in the rear tires is the JD 5065M that was delivered today, decided to go with 2 sets of wheel weights.


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## mlappin

Something else and I've never heard a good explanation as to why, but if you use calcium in tubeless tires your rims will look like new forever, use with a tube and even if you don't think you've ever had a leak eventually that rim will look like Swiss cheese.


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## Nitram

mlappin said:


> Something else and I've never heard a good explanation as to why, but if you use calcium in tubeless tires your rims will look like new forever, use with a tube and even if you don't think you've ever had a leak eventually that rim will look like Swiss cheese.


Amen Marty!!! That is the main reason I don't use liquid in mine, In the past have replaced rears on 656 and AC 180 bought old and they both had rotted rims not just around the valve stem (learned on the 656 if the valve is rusted welding will delay the inevatable!) Martin


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## Shetland Sheepdog

JD3430 said:


> If you have tubeless tires, it's not a big deal, but if you have tubes, like me, LOOK OUT.


I've got tubes in the rears on all 3 tractors! So far, not a problem! But then, I've had good luck with Titan tires too! I guess I must be living right!
The good thing about the Rim Guard is that it cleans up well after a leak, and is biodegradeable! The tire shop had the stuff everywhere when they loaded my tires, and just rinsed it away with a garden hose! no sign of residue/rust, like with Calcium Chloride!


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## nanuk

I have had two flats to repair, both with CaCl, and did it myself as not much fluid left in them

I made a promise after the second one that if I need stability, I'd look into duals

and for pushing wet snow in winter, Fluid tires is a hindrance, better traction with dry


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## ARD Farm

JD3430 said:


> What a mess and expensive to fix. This is my second tube failure. I have Firestones on the rear with tubes. Tubes are filled with "Rim Guard" (beet juice). When a tube lets go, the rim gaurd starts to leak into the tire, then rim gaurd leaks out around the valve stem and makes a huge mess. $450 to have a tire jockey come out, suck out all the rim gaurd, install new tube and refill with rim gaurd.
> NEVER do this! Buy wheel weights, cast rims or radials *without tubes.* My rear tire set up *SUCKS!!!! *
> I think Rim Gaurd is fine, but don't put it in a tube.


None of the 4 here (tractors) have loaded rears. We have a compaction issue anyway so if anything, we run cast weights on rear drive's. At least beet juice, if it leaks in the field, won't kill plants like CaCl will. Had a friend who lost a drive in a hayfield (alfalfa) and it took 3 years for the scar (dead spot) to fill in.


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## slowzuki

I unloaded the tires in my big tractor after losing a tube on one side. Still have the rears of my little loader tractor loaded but would go cast in future.

Just dealing with flats is so much easier unloaded.


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## slowzuki

The reason for filled tires without tubes not rotting is if its over the rim it keeps air off the steel. If you use tubes, a small leak has all kinds of air and steel to react with.


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## ARD Farm

JD3430 said:


> I wish I could find a set of kubota cast rims. Dealer quoted me a price, but shipping was crazy because of the weight.


Look around for some used Olympic Weight plates like Weiders and fab up a spindle with a spider that reaches from the rim bolt holes across the center of the wheel and add weight plates for ballast. Used weight plates are cheap and heavy.

My large frame Kubota's have the cast centers and you can't have 'em......lol


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## JD3430

Shetland Sheepdog said:


> I've got tubes in the rears on all 3 tractors! So far, not a problem! But then, I've had good luck with Titan tires too! I guess I must be living right!
> The good thing about the Rim Guard is that it cleans up well after a leak, and is biodegradeable! The tire shop had the stuff everywhere when they loaded my tires, and just rinsed it away with a garden hose! no sign of residue/rust, like with Calcium Chloride!


Ah, I wish that was the case with mine. When my rim gaurd leaked, it DID kill the grass. I was shocked to see that happen. Iy could be because the fluid was very warm-maybe over 100* and the heat killed the grass?


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## Derf8671

CockrellHillFarms said:


> You shouldnt need filled tires unless you are plowing some heavy ground with a light tractor. Just my thought. Non of my hay tractors have fluid in them. Just rear weights on the ones with loaders.


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## Derf8671

Balast is not just for traction; it also lowers your center of gravity.


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