Rear Ag Tires Loaded With... Cost Savings?

[lazyuniondriver]

Earlier this week I commented on an air cleaner post about finding drain or waste oil in oil bath air cleaners, thinking this may have been a cost saving measure. This was found on former company owned road paving equipment.

Back in the late '70's, I ran across a few rear ag tires (old timers) loaded with sewage or septic tank water. Calcium Chloride flakes mixed with water was the preferred ballast mixture at the time.

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.

I never broke one of these nasty things open in sub freezing weather so I don't know firsthand if this theory is correct. Never had the ambition to dip any septic tank water to chart its freeze point either.

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?

Does anybody still use this method?

Fact: The old timers' wheels had far less cancer than much newer wheels leaking CC.

[Denny Clayton]

Yep, I never saw a frozen septic tank.

[Matt Kirsch]

I just threw up a little in my mouth...

It does sound like an old-timer thing to do, though. Contaminants dissolved in water lower its freezing point. A water solution saturated with salt lowers the freezing point to 0F, for example. IIRC calcium chloride is good to around -25F. Ethylene glycol (i.e. antifreeze) can bring the freeze point down to -50F.

Sewer water is pretty much saturated with contaminants, that's for sure. Lots of salt in there and other unmentionable substances... but yuck... just... YUCK!!!

I wouldn't be so queasy but my sister in law cleaned the diaper pail while I was visiting recently, and that pretty much ruined me.

[CubitisNH]

I truly can't think of a practical way to strain out the solids before pumping the liquid into the tube. Is there anyone that tight with money? Go drain old anti-freeze from junk cars and use it for tire ballast.
Mike

[Rob in NH]

i can't believe anyone would do that, just too gross to even think about it

[Yogie]

Dang, and to think of how many zillion times in the past 35 years I've taste tested tractor tires to see what type of fluid they had in them.

Thanks a lot !

[Bill E Bob]

Dang, and to think of how many zillion times in the past 35 years I've taste tested tractor tires to see what type of fluid they had in them.

Thanks a lot !

Since it didn't kill you, you must be considerably stronger

[tractordad]

I've seen people use windshield washer fluid. Buying the concentrate and mixing it yourself would be the way to go. I would not even consider the "OTHER" product.

[Buzzard Wing]

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

The set of tires I 'unloaded' were FILLED with very clear water, I guess you can get away with that in FLA. They survived a cold winter up here before I drained them, didn't know they were loaded till I took one off to get it sandblasted . I let it run a while before I tested it using Yogie's method. I think he he will be a bit more cautious now, after all he is suspiciously close to Ohio

[Boss Hog]

that is a very sick way to load a tire. But you see some strange post

[Landreo]

Back in the late '70's, I ran across a few rear ag tires (old timers) loaded with sewage or septic tank water.

How do you know it was sewage? Did you see it loaded into the tire? If not, likely it was just someone playing with your mind. I have only drained a few tires but some looked reasonable clear while others were discolored and brown. I do not think it was sewage I saw but just old water.

[Stanton]

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

I truly can't think of a practical way to strain out the solids before pumping the liquid into the tube. Is there anyone that tight with money? Go drain old anti-freeze from junk cars and use it for tire ballast.

I just threw up a little in my mouth...Lots of salt in there and other unmentionable substances... but yuck... just... YUCK!!!

I just laughed and laughed at this whole thread!!! Thanks all for a great morning!

[jim turner]

I am pretty old and go back too when steel wheels were very much still in use, and never in my life time I ever heard of the use of sewer water in tires it has always been CC sometimes when it is drained it looks as though it may be sewer water but it isn't.

[cubguy47]

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?

Does anybody still use this method?

uhhh, no, I'm pretty sure its not being used anymore, if it actually ever was.....

[Denny Clayton]

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