Beet Juice

Need some rear weight on my Ford 3000 with loader. My neighbor says beet juice is the best choice. No corrosion and will do the job. Any info on this solution? Is this something I'll need my tire guy to come out install How much weight will a 28" tire hold?
Pros/cons welcome, including cost compared to a ballast box.

Juce is not corrosive like calcium. It is more expencive. You will need to have your tire guy pump it in.Either take the tractor to him,or pay for a service call.IMHO,fluid filled tires are vastly superior
to dry,or even cast wheel weights.

CaCl is 12.5 pounds per gallon.
Rim Guard/Beet Juice is 10 pounds per gallon.
Water is 8.35 pounds per gallon.

13.6x28- 43 gal,

14.9x28- 53 gal.

You will probably want both. Loaded tires and weights or weight box. Dad has 18.4-28's on his loader both loaded with Chloride and about 5-800 in weights on each wheel some inside and a couple outside. Outside is just flush with the outside of tire. It does pretty good. If he needs more traction he gets the old bale forks for the 3pt that has an old gear of about 1000 on it. Then he can get through about anything he can push the front end through. I would just load them with chloride and be done with it. If you fix the leak right away and don't wait for it to set there for months to years, it will not ruin the rims like everybody claims. We have an H with the original rims the loader has the original rims and both are over 50 years old. 1953 and 1972. I am going to guess the MD is also on the original rims . We have had it since the early 70's and the same rims that long. Other tractors have been here about the same length of time with all the same rims and no rim problems. I think loaded tires do better than weights of any kind. The weight has a lower center of gravity than weights will since it goes from the ground up to the top of the rim inside the tire versus weights are from the casting bolt holes to the top casting bolt holes they never get to the ground. If you are in freezing weather conditions don't I repeat don't fill them with water.

Your tire guy probably won't give you a choice for ballast. Few, if any, still use CaCl. Your tire installer might use Rimguard or he might use windshield washer fluid; you'll get whichever ballast he uses. Rimguard is more expensive than washer fluid, but is quite a bit heavier. Some shops prefer washer fluid as the beet juice can cause problems with their equipment (or so I've been told).

I much prefer using windshield washer fluid or non toxic RV anti freeze as either are so readily
available,,,, at a reasonable cause,,,,,,, compatible with rubber,,,,,,,,,less corrosive then CaCal,,,,,,,
even if not as heavy as other ballast but thats ONLY my choice..As always, to each THEIR own

John T

Ballast on the three point is more effective as a weight transfer than wheel weights. If you don't need the weight, drop it off of the three point. That is not
a viable option with fluid or wheel weights.

I use water and antifreeze.
Good antifreeze will prevent corrosion.
Oldest son just had water in his 90 HP Kubota.
Frozen solid a week ago.
I told him he should put antifreeze in with the water when he put new tires on.
He did not listen to me.
Last week after being 3 Degrees F, I told him not to move it til it was completely thawed.
NOW, he will add antifreeze so he won't have to feed cows with his smaller open station Kubota.
Richard in NW SC

Without rear ballast all the weight was on the front tires.
The front tires looked flat.

Not sure how much weight I was lifting.

The best solution for FEL counterweight is weight added behind the rear axle. I use ballast boxes filled with bagged playground sand as such are both heavy and rather small so do not interfere much
with maneuverability. Many folks, such as George, below construct their own counter-weights from steel, concrete, etc.

Rim Guard is made from beet juice, does not freeze and is non corrosive. It is slightlly heavier than standard CaCl solution but considerably heavier than windshield washer fluid. It is considerably
more expensive than either. It cannot be installed without special equipment, meaning that you will need to take tractor or loaded wheel to your dealer to repair mamage, etc.

Unlike CaCl, most folks install Rim Guard into tubeless tires without installing tubes. Rim Guard has resulted in tubeless tires slipping on the rims, especially if one does not properly monitor
pressure. Any slippage, puncture, etc., is a real problem because things must be thoroughly cleaned before reinflation to avoid future slippage issues.

I use only cast iron and ballast boxes when using FELs to avoid such issues and because I still mount/dismount/repair my own tires and have no way of handling liquid ballast.

Liquid ballast is the easiest solution, while a counterweight is the best solution for most situations.

My preference is cast iron. If you have a tractor salvage
yard anywhere nearby, most have a pile of wheel weights.
Might not be the exact weight for your tractor, but you
can usually find something that will work. While they are
more expensive than liquid, cast weight is not lost if you
punch a tire.

Beet juice is heavier, but I was able to buy a 55 gallon drum of washer fluid and mix it with water (SE MI) for my Funk and put it in my self. No problems in 10+ years. Make sure your tires and tubes are in excellent shape before adding. I got my drum from auto parts.


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There are pluses and minuses to both ways. Fluid in tires means you get traction but dont have to carry the weight on the axles, and can pretty much leave it year around with no harm, no foul. Can be easiest if you have a pump. BUT.. if your in thorn country, or in freeze country, not necessarily the best solution. Down in the south, plain water works as it does not get below freezing more than a couple hours a night in most cases. But every 10 years there will be a longer freezing event keeping you off your tractor a while. AND water and slime actually do well together in the thorn country. Rule... dont plow below freezing...

Weights on the rims... see above. but no leaks to deal with, so probably the best option.

3pt weight is further back so the leverage work well to help with traction and especially a front end loader work. AND can be taken off and on. BUT.. it beats up the 3pt, loads the axle bearings, makes tractor longer (cleaning corrals), and keeps your 3pt tied up.

Over axle weights are good but hard to find, and do put weight on the axle bearings...

Last week at the local quick stop it was -10 and the
windshield washer fluid setting out front on display
was frozen solid. The jugs had fallen over when the
bottoms rounded out and fallen over.

RV antifreeze buy in 55 gal drum use it all the time

Great info !!!!!!! Thanks

John T

Thanks for the capacities. If this is per tire, fluid is a great choice. Can't touch this with a ballast box. Even if this is combined tire weight I like these numbers and a Ford 3000 has a weird hydraulic system where loader and 3 pt. can't operate simultaneously without a toggle.

Just curious but does your 504 handle mean that you own one (IH)?

CaCi isd best way but you need to keep track of your valves to make sure
they are not leaking. I had to put new rims on my ford a few years ago but
things got to where I could not replace the stem when I should have, Health
problems, But the orignal rims made it for 70 years yven with eventually
rusting out. CaCi will give more traction than rim-guard due to being
heavier. Anti freeze is so light it is basicly usueless as weight. But for
best way to go if you can get CaCi is that and then steel weights as well as
for a front loader you will still be short of traction if you are trying to
move manure. On our 44 2N ford with front loader and also front snow plow we
had CaCi in tires pluss homemade weights out of concrete weighing I an
guessing 3-400 each. And the weight box means you cannot use the tractor for
any drawbay use. So many variables but if you need the most weight you can
get for traction on wet manure or snow or ice then it ia CaCi and pay
atention to your tire valves that most of the people that have had rusted
out rims never did pay any atention to. You can try to put so many weights
pn per wheel it will make the tractor too wide to get thru a door, fluid
does not widen out the tractor. Last I had done was several years ago and
dealer would not consider beat juice let alone any antifreeze. So many
things to consider.