We often get calls about filling tractor tires with liquid fill such as calcium chloride, so I thought it might be useful to insert an article by Titan Tire, one of our long time suppliers.

“The traction or pulling power which a tire can exert is in proportion to the weight it carries. The greater the load on the tire, the more traction effort it can exert. The way to secure more traction and reduce tire slippage and tread wear is to add weight to the rear axle.

Filling tires with liquid is one of the most widely used methods of adding weight to the drive axle of a tractor because of its economy and simplicity. Plain water may be used where freezing never occurs. In colder climates where freezing temperatures occur, calcium chloride flake can be added at the strengths of 3.5lbs per gallon of water. For extremely cold climates, 5lbs of calcium chloride per gallon of water is used. Note that calcium chloride not only provides freezing protection but also increases the weight added by 20% and 28% for 3.5lbs./gal. and 5lbs./gal. respectively.

Front and rear tires should only be filled to 75% or “valve level”. Use of fills greater than this are not recommended because the tire becomes more susceptible to impact breaks. For softer ride and better control of power hop, it is recommended that 40% fill (4 o’clock valve position) not be exceeded.

Liquid fill has a stiffening effect on tire deflection, especially at lower inflation pressure. Because of this, use of liquid fill may make controlling power hop more difficult.

Either tube type or tubeless tires may be filled with calcium chloride solution. Rim corrosion is not a problem with tubeless tires as long as the tire is always kept inflated. This keeps outside air sealed away from the rim and restrains corrosion. A rim used tubeless with calcium chloride solution must be rinsed with tap water immediately after dismounting to prevent extremely rapid corrosion.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself!

One additional thought about calcium chloride and rim corrosion. In our experience, rim corrosion around the valve stem is very common, often leading to more rim damage that can’t be seen until the tire is dismounted. It usually requires a patch be welded and the rim repainted before any tire work can be done.

Thanks to Titan for the content. You can check out there website at www.titan-intl.com.

Have a great week!

Brian