Do your tractor tires need more traction? Are you looking to increase your tractor’s rolling resistance? Liquid ballasting might just be the solution you are looking for. It both increases traction and lowers your tractor’s center of gravity—a bonus for navigating any sloped terrain.
Liquid ballast also helps counterbalance the weight of heavy equipment, improving both performance and safety. But with so many types to choose from, it’s hard to know which liquid ballast will be the best for you. Continue reading to explore the pros and cons of the five most common liquid ballast choices.
Adding a liquid to your tractor’s tires is one of the easiest and most affordable ways to improve your tractor’s stability and traction. And because the tires are the lowest point on your tractor, filling them with heavier fluid lowers your tractor’s center of gravity.
The extra weight helps press the tires into firmer contact with the soil, leading to more engine horsepower that can be turned into pulling power—or front-end loader pushing power—before the power overcomes the grip and the tires lose traction.
Farmers may choose to put water in their tractor tires because it is one of the cheapest and most accessible options when it comes to liquid ballasts. However, it isn’t as heavy as other ballasts, weighing in at about 8 pounds per gallon. And when it comes to climates where temperatures get below freezing, water isn’t recommended. Because of this, water isn’t a prevalent choice in the US.
Pros:
- Inexpensive - Readily available - Nontoxic and safe to use
Cons:
- Isn’t as heavy as other options (8 lbs per gallon) - Freezes at a relatively warm temperature (32°F) - Risk of expanding ice separating the tire from the wheel rim
Rightfully named, Antifreeze (ethylene glycol) is designed to resist freezing. A 50/50 antifreeze/water mixture is freeze-resistant to -35°F and weighs about 9.4 pounds per gallon. A higher 70/30 mixture of antifreeze/water can perform even better in colder temperatures, but it’s not wise to assume straight antifreeze will serve better. Antifreeze without water will freeze at a little less than 0°F.
NOTE: Because ethylene glycol antifreeze is very toxic, consider using propylene glycol antifreeze instead, which is a little bit safer.
- Freeze-resistant down to -35°F when mixed with water (50/50 mix) - Heavier than water at 9.4 lbs per gallon
- One of the costliest liquid ballast selections - If a tire ever erupted, the spilled Ethylene glycol antifreeze is toxic and very attractive to animals
Calcium chloride is a salt solution that is dense, widely available, competitively priced, and quite corrosive. So, if you plan on using calcium chloride as your ballast, you’ll want to add inner tubes to the tractor’s wheels and tires to protect them from corrosion. And if a liquid ballast leak ever occurred, the salt could damage any plants growing on the affected soil.
- Inexpensive - Widely available - Freeze-resistant down to -58°F when mixed with water (31% mixture) - Weighs 11.3 lbs per gallon (40% more than just water)
- Hazardous to handle - Corrosive (Can cause significant damage to wheel rims) - A leak could damage any plants growing on the affected soil
Beet juice is a newer addition to the list of liquid ballast choices. You might instead recognize it under the brand name Rim Guard® tire ballast. The advantages of beet juice include being nontoxic and non-corrosive to wheels. And weighing about 11 pounds per gallon, beet juice is better at adding weight to your tractor than many other liquid ballast choices.
- Freeze-resistant down to -35°F - Non-corrosive and non-toxic - Water Soluble - Biodegradable - Effective with or without tubes - Heavier than many other liquid ballast choices (about 11 lbs per gallon)
- More expensive than other liquid ballast options
Bio-Ballast® is a USDA Certified Biobased product that encourages tire health and safety without the stress of corrosion. This ballast works by coating the inside of tires and wheels to prevent rust or rim failure. Bio-Ballast® is also biodegradable and water-soluble, making it an environmentally safe substitute for Calcium Chloride.
- Non-corrosive, non-toxic, and biodegradable - Non-flammable and water soluble - Effective with or without tubes - Is slush free down to -30°F - Non-foaming when pumped - Keeps the inner liner of the tire soft and pliable - Weight is comparable to other liquid tire ballasts - Can be mixed with other liquid tire ballast products
When deciding on the best fluid to fill your tractor tires, there are four main characteristics you’ll want to look for. You’ll want it to be non-toxic, non-corrosive, heavy in weight, and have a low freezing point. The two liquid ballasts that meet every one of those criteria are beet juice (Rim Guard®) and Bio-Ballast®. And because of that, Rim Guard® or Bio-Ballast® is always our first recommendation.
However, we know that Rim Guard® and Bio-Ballast® can be more costly than other liquid ballasts. With that in mind, we also offer a more inexpensive option: Calcium Chloride. While it is corrosive and hazardous to handle, Calcium Chloride is heavier than and has a lower freezing point than many of the other liquid ballast options. Because of this, Chloride is our second recommendation.
Once you’ve determined what liquid ballast will work best for you, what now? Wonderland is here to help! Not only do we sell Rim Guard®, Bio-Ballast®, and Calcium Chloride tire ballast in-store, but we also offer on-site services to fill your tractor tires with our two types of liquid ballast.
Find our Rim Guard®, Bio-Ballast®, and Chloride sales and services in 7 stores across Michigan and Indiana:
- Byron Center, MI - Scottville, MI - Howard City, MI - Greenville, MI - Holland, MI - Zeeland, MI - Rensselaer, IN
Have any other questions about liquid ballasting? Contact us and we will be sure to answer all of your questions!
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