what to put in rear tires

bearbait

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
L3560, 64" snowblower, 72" back blade
Dec 9, 2011
4,058
834
113
New Glasgow Canada
just bought a L3901 what is best to fill tires with besides air ?
I picked up windshield washer from Home Depot (-40) when it was on sale. I also bought a bleeder and used a 5 gallon bucket with a piece of old garden hose along with a couple fittings inorder to attach it to the bottom of the bucket. Jack up the wheel your filling so it's off the ground and let the air out by pulling the stem but go slow so the tire doesn't come off the bead. When I was ready I put the bucket on top of a step ladder and attached the bleeder. I actually found it quicker to lower the bucket once the tire stopped taking fluid so it could burp. If you have a pump like a bilge pump it would probably go faster. Probably a couple beer job.

https://www.amazon.ca/Slime-20073-A...ocphy=9000055&hvtargid=pla-493830901388&psc=1
 

Bmyers

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
Grand L3560 with LA805 loader, EA 55" Wicked Grapple, SBX72 BB, LP 1272 mower
May 27, 2019
3,293
3,849
113
Southern Illinois
I went the expensive option, which is beet juice. Yet, I wanted something that if it leaked wouldn't pollute the fields.
 

ccoon520

Active member

Equipment
L2501 w/ FEL
Apr 15, 2019
360
106
43
IA
I also went with the more expensive option of Beet Juice. My L2501 with R4s cost something like $300 for both rears filled and I chose it for a couple reasons. First I didn't have to buy tools that would get used once in a blue moon that I would have to find somewhere to store and hopefully not lose them. Second I have a dog and do not want to have to worry that if I popped a tire that she would start drinking antifreeze (which they do because it tastes sweet) and poison herself while I might be distracted trying to fix the situation to be able to keep an eye on what my dog is doing. Third it is 11 lbs per gallon for beet juice vs ~8 1/3 lbs per gallon for water/antifreeze mix. So over 60 gallons that is a good 150 lbs of extra weight added to it.

But the water and antifreeze/windshield wiper fluid isn't a bad way to go if the cost savings outweighs those other items.
 

SidecarFlip

Banned

Equipment
M9000HDCC3, M9000HD, Kubota GS850 Sidekick
Oct 28, 2018
7,197
554
83
USA
For me, cast centers on the rear wheels and air. It's free and don't corrode the rims either.
 

Tornado

Well-known member
May 7, 2019
793
254
63
usa
My rear tires on my new L2501 came prefilled from the dealer. To me it looks like pure water. Is there some way to tell if it is pure water. Ive often worried about this, but not sure how to test it to know if it is indeed JUST pure water. Obviously if the dealer filled my tires with water Id be a little annoyed. Is there some way to test this? How hard is it to fill tires with a different liquid? I had to drain a few gallons out of one tire cause it was essentially 100% full from the dealer, with hardly any air room. This is when I noticed it looked like plain water to me. It has no odor, looks clear just like water. Does rim guard look like water? Draining the tire seems like it could be done, at least to the lowest point of the stem... How hard is it to get liquid INTO the tire?
 
Last edited:

SidecarFlip

Banned

Equipment
M9000HDCC3, M9000HD, Kubota GS850 Sidekick
Oct 28, 2018
7,197
554
83
USA
CACL in solution is basically clear. Easy way to find out is take a drop and put it on your tongue. If it's salty tasting, it's CACL and CACL in solution is also slippery feeling. A tiny bit won't hurt you. A lot will give you the runs and more.

If it is water, not CACL, you will have to pump it out with a vacuum pump and a special drain fitting. I'd leave that to a reputable mobile tire shop. Same with filling. You can fill them at home but be prepared to take a long time. Commercial fillers pump it in.
 

Tornado

Well-known member
May 7, 2019
793
254
63
usa
Well Ive always heard that pure water is bad because it will rust out the wheel, so I was always under the impression pure water was a no no. It came from the dealer brand new with whatever is in there. Should I just leave it alone or go through the trouble (If I can find out it is pure water) of draining it and refilling. Id prefer to use the best stuff, which seems to be rimguard beet juice - if the cost isnt insane.

EDIT: Doing some quick research it appears I may be better off it it ISNT CACL mixed with water, and is instead just pure water. CACL is more corrosive than plain water it seems? I am in florida so there is almost zero chance of the liquid in the tires ever freezing. Given that, is pure water a terrible choice? If it will eventually rust out the tires Ill probably try to replace it eventually. Id love to have the rimguard from all im reading, it seems like the real deal.
 
Last edited:

SidecarFlip

Banned

Equipment
M9000HDCC3, M9000HD, Kubota GS850 Sidekick
Oct 28, 2018
7,197
554
83
USA
Well Ive always heard that pure water is bad because it will rust out the wheel, so I was always under the impression pure water was a no no. It came from the dealer brand new with whatever is in there. Should I just leave it alone or go through the trouble (If I can find out it is pure water) of draining it and refilling. Id prefer to use the best stuff, which seems to be rimguard beet juice - if the cost isnt insane.

EDIT: Doing some quick research it appears I may be better off it it ISNT CACL mixed with water, and is instead just pure water. CACL is more corrosive than plain water it seems? I am in florida so there is almost zero chance of the liquid in the tires ever freezing. Given that, is pure water a terrible choice? If it will eventually rust out the tires Ill probably try to replace it eventually. Id love to have the rimguard from all im reading, it seems like the real deal.
If in Florida, water is fine and cheap to boot but the tires should only be filled to 85% so what you need to do is put the valve stem at 12:00 o'clock and take out the core and let the water drain until it won't drain any more and replace the core and air them up to whatever you want (I rum my rears at 25, front's 30).

Like I said previously, if it's CACL a drop will taste salty so try it, it won't kill you....:D

Yes CACL will rot rims big time. Why CACL filled tires really should have tubes in the tire carcass.

I bet it's water but you need to make sure. Kubota rims are all painted on the outside and inside btw.
 

Tornado

Well-known member
May 7, 2019
793
254
63
usa
If in Florida, water is fine and cheap to boot but the tires should only be filled to 85% so what you need to do is put the valve stem at 12:00 o'clock and take out the core and let the water drain until it won't drain any more and replace the core and air them up to whatever you want (I rum my rears at 25, front's 30).

Like I said previously, if it's CACL a drop will taste salty so try it, it won't kill you....:D

Yes CACL will rot rims big time. Why CACL filled tires really should have tubes in the tire carcass.

I bet it's water but you need to make sure. Kubota rims are all painted on the outside and inside btw.
did the taste test. no taste at all. no odor, clear, Im left to assume its just plain water. When I first got the tractor one tire was at around 65% Id guesstimate, the other was nearly 100% water. I drained the 100% tire down to match the other one, so both are around 65% or so. I may replace with beet juice but I think after reading some, I wont do it right now. With the inside tires painted, and it just water, I would expect the rusting would be slow. Ill put it on my thinks to do though.
 

ccoon520

Active member

Equipment
L2501 w/ FEL
Apr 15, 2019
360
106
43
IA
did the taste test. no taste at all. no odor, clear, Im left to assume its just plain water. When I first got the tractor one tire was at around 65% Id guesstimate, the other was nearly 100% water. I drained the 100% tire down to match the other one, so both are around 65% or so. I may replace with beet juice but I think after reading some, I wont do it right now. With the inside tires painted, and it just water, I would expect the rusting would be slow. Ill put it on my thinks to do though.
If you are in an area where you don't need to worry about freezing temperatures I would just leave the water. It won't rust through your rims since they are painted inside and out and because the internal rim is almost entirely submerged so Oxygen will have a fairly rough time finding it's way to the metal. At most I would put the spout at 12 o'clock like Sidecar suggested and fill it to the proper level so you can get the most ballast possible and maybe put some antibio solution in it to restrict any unwanted biological growth.
 

GreensvilleJay

Well-known member

Equipment
BX23-S,57 A-C D-14,58 A-C D-14, 57 A-C D-14,tiller,cults,Millcreek 25G spreader,
Apr 2, 2019
11,401
4,899
113
Greensville,Ontario,Canada
You could put tubes in, then fill the tubes. That would prevent rusting....until ..you 'find' a thorn or nail or screw.......
 

SidecarFlip

Banned

Equipment
M9000HDCC3, M9000HD, Kubota GS850 Sidekick
Oct 28, 2018
7,197
554
83
USA
This is exactly what my tire guy told me, I get my tires done at the farm, way too big to manhandle myself.

I use Speck Tire in Bowling Green, Ohio. They are a large commercial tractor tire and commercial truck tire service center and have a fleet of service trucks so I'm not 'dreaming' this up....:)

Had my tire guy out to evacuate the CACL in the rears on the M9 I bought used last spring. One tube needed replaced too. I don't fill my tires, no need as I run 800 pound each side cast centers but we got talking about beet juice fill and he told me, "it's easy to put in but hard to get out and we don't recommend it, we recommend washer fluid" direct quote and he had 2 55 gallon plastic drums of washer fluid in the back when he was at my farm.

I asked him why it was hard to get out and he said because of the consistency the vacuum evacuation pump really labors with it and it takes a long time to suck out.
 

BigG

Well-known member

Equipment
l2501, FEL, BB, Rotary cutter, rake,spreader, roller, etc. New Holland TL80 A
Sep 14, 2018
1,951
770
113
West Central,FL
I had a MF 1528 with water in the tires for 15 years without any problem in Florida.