Rear Ag Tires Loaded With... Cost Savings?

[Mr E]

Some serious weird stuff going on in Ohio.....

Larry, you have to understand this wasn't Ohio, but Cleveland, Ohio. The rest of Ohio doesn't always claim Cleveland. There was a time that the river up there was on fire. What do you think was burning

I saw THAT river a few times back in the 80s. I understand how it could burn.

[Lurker Carl]

Having worked extensively with effluents from waste water treatment facilites, more commonly known as sewage, I can assure you it freezes in spite of the bacteria load and assorted household/industrial chemicals that go down the drain. Resisting the puns . . .

[Hengy]

Having worked extensively with effluents from waste water treatment facilites, more commonly known as sewage, I can assure you it freezes in spite of the bacteria load and assorted household/industrial chemicals that go down the drain. Resisting the puns . . .

What... are you saying that it makes a "crappy" antifreeze?

[danovercash]

A late friend of mine said that his dad drained the water fron the new T model and replaced it with kerosene so he would not have to buy anti freeze or drain the radiatior nightly.

[gitractorman]

Yea, as Carl said, S#!+ will freeze, just ask anyone who cleans up after a dog! Guess what, sewage and landfill leachate (quite similar) will freeze too. I cannot believe that someone actually went through the effort to put that into a tire (or two).

However, different situations call for different measures.

I was working with a landfill in Argentina several years ago, and one of the problems there was people breaking in and cutting up the bottom HDPE leachate lagoon liners to use as roofing on their "houses". I didn't believe my site guys until they sent me a photo of someone swimming in the leachate lagoon, pulling out a piece of liner. Yea, I know we characterize it as being 95% water, however, it's water that landed on the waste, perked through the waste mass, collected at the bottom of the landfill, then was pumped out into the leachate lagoon. I couldn't start to tell you all the nasty stuff in it. The guy with the sewage was at least only dealing with one or two nasty things!

[Lurker Carl]

Having worked extensively with effluents from waste water treatment facilites, more commonly known as sewage, I can assure you it freezes in spite of the bacteria load and assorted household/industrial chemicals that go down the drain. Resisting the puns . . .

What... are you saying that it makes a "crappy" antifreeze?

Resisting, resisting, resisting. Don't want Bigdog or Dennis swinging the hammer on me. The pain is intolerable! I'll unload on the cat while I freshen up the litter box.

[ricky racer]

I can only think of how it would smell if you developed a leak. I know at my age, I sometimes I develop a leak and, trust me, it ain't pretty.

[lazyuniondriver]

Did you guys already forget about the Cleveland mayors' hair catching on fire in 1972! ?

Stuff like this you just can't make up. Actually it wasn't as bad as it sounds. If you've ever done any sewer or drain work, you've actually experienced worse.

True enough, septic tanks don't freeze, but they are usually dug well below the frost line. Does effluent freeze? Probably does as reported here. Effluent is the run off from septic tank or sewage treatment systems in which the leach bed fields should be buried at least a foot below the frost line.

Does a mixture of raw sewage freeze? According to the farmers who did this no.

Why does the manure pile stored above grade steam in the middle of January when you bulldoze it with the loader? It's because of decomposition or composting, bacteria at work. The same principle the septic tank is based on. Maybe the manure pile is where the concept originated.

A healthy septic system of adequate capacity should theoretically never need serviced or vacuumed out. The bacteria should thrive breaking down the solids into liquid effluent which runs out the top of the tank.

The first two sewage laden tires I encountered were tire changes mounted on a tractor, the liquid was vacuumed out and disposed of with only conversation about the find.

The shop ballast tanks had clear plastic tubes running from top to bottom forming a sight glass or liquid level gauge. At first I thought I was evacuating used oil. The older hands in the shop clued me in to what it actually was. Of course I didn't analyze it beyond smell, but if it smells like sewage, it probably is sewage.

The third one was a flat repair off a tractor laying in a pick up bed which was quite a bit messier.

One older gentleman explained to me when water has bacteria swimming around in it, it will not freeze and it will live for years with a little top up once in a while.

This tire was brought in loose by the elderly gentleman who confirmed what I had been told the black liquid was. I'm sure this guy was a penny pincher as most folks with loaded tires would opt for our farm & field service for a little extra instead of handling a loaded tire.

I'm sure I asked him how it was put in but my memory fails to recall that detail.

According to the old hands at the shop, this ballasting method was found on occasion in very old tires on very old machines.

They are out there, perhaps only in the regions surrounding Medina County Ohio. If you would aquire an old piece of rubber tire equipment with loaded tires from around here, I'd skip the taste test.

[Buzzard Wing]

Sorry Denny.... Possibly a reactive jab because I have family ties to wolverines?? Not that I care and in fact I am happy that the buckeyes had great year! (had to look it up )

I got pukey the other day driving behind a full septic truck the other day, it had a clear (sort of) level gauge on the back. If I found a tire like that I would probably buy a new rim, tire and tube! Pure insanity! Glad the Cub I got in that neighborhood had funny weights and tires with air in them.

[Boss Hog]

This has been a sick post from the start

[oronc]

This has been a sick post from the start

I hear ya brother, The question that entered my mine is.... How in the h ll this pop in somebodys mine to ask this question is one that Sigmund Freud could not answer.

[Paul Wells]

Did you guys already forget about the Cleveland mayors' hair catching on fire in 1972! ?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1972-Press-Phot ... 1123706822

[Barnyard]

Grab a bit of popcorn and we'll head (pun intended) to the movies.


Okay, enough of that and back to the fecal matter at hand.

I was curious if the sewage method was widely utilized before Calcium was used or if it was just a regional cost saving way to add cheap weight?

I'm not so sure it was even a regional thing. Since nobody else, even Yogie who has changed a zillion tractor tires in his day, has heard of this I tend to think it was more of a local thing. I talked to an old guy today who used to work at my uncle's IH dealership and he said he had never heard of such a thing. Of course the guy is up in years and is a bit forgetful at times, but I think this is something that remains in the memory bank.

[lazyuniondriver]

I think this is something that remains in the memory bank.

Yes, something like this does remain in the memory bank.

I'm sure few or less forum readers remember hearing about the mayors' hair fire. http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/news/local_ ... -hair-fire.

The burning Cuyahoga river, possibly a couple dozen or more. http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/01 ... edir=false

Pictured is Cleveland Fire's 1961 boat, still working today because it doesn't work much. When it does, it can pump directly into city water mains to supplement pressure and volume when the fire division fights inland fires.

IAFF Local 93's boat history page http://www.iafflocal93.org/Stations%20P ... %2021.html

Being a Clevelander or at least living within 50 miles of the big city, you tend to remember regional points of interest or history.

In the years 1977 through 1979 when I made this discovery, I recall the only way to research this would be to go to the library, use our half century old encyclopedia set, or from the one phone on the wall in the kitchen if the party line wasn't busy.

Since today's resources include forum panels compromised of thousands of enthusiasts which can be reached in one click, I asked a question I always have wondered about whenever I thumped a tire finding it to be loaded.

I'm not claiming sewage loaded tires are points of interest or even worth noting historically, however it has been one of those things that has remained in my memory bank over the years.

[Paul Wells]

I think this is something that remains in the memory bank.

In the years 1977 through 1979 when I made this discovery,

I think I see whats going on here, you would have been about 16 or 17 years old.
On my first public job at 16 in a furniture factory, I was sent for bolt reamers, board strechers, and one time for a sky hook. It was real funny to the older guys. Didn't take me long to learn.