[drglinski]

Originally Posted by J-Mech

Just FYI:
You guys who talk about loaded tires not in tubes and how bad it is..... apparently haven't been around farm equipment for over 20 years, or are only familiar with older tires. They have been using CaCl2 in tubeless tires for years. Only time it rots the rim is where it's exposed to outside air, as in a leak at the valve stem. Which is also the place that a tubed tire always rots the rim, because the stem or tube leaks. It's very, very common for tractors to have tubeless tires with fluid, and I've seen no worse effects to the rim than with a tubed tire. I've said this a million times on this topic and I'll say it again: They only rot if there's a leak.

My opinion:
Like YosemiteSam, I like loaded tires and have a whole drum of CaCL2 for loading them. I prefer to use tubes. Why? Personally I'm afraid the rim will leak at the bead. I'm confident that it would be fine, but for $13 for a tube with a metal bolt in stem, it makes me feel better. Besides... if I ever want to replace the tire with a new or different one, it's a lot cleaner when there is a tube. You pump the fluid out, and dismount the tire, pulling the remaining fluid out in the tube. If not tubed, you can't get all the fluid out, and have to deal with the mess when you break it down.

Dad has fluid (calcium) filled wheels on his Farmall H for years w/ no problems of corrosion. One time he parked it with the valve stem down and us kids were messing around near it and busted the stem off. I was sprayed with salt water (so not by choice I know what it tastes like haha) It kept coming out so bad that mom called Dad at work and was freaking out cuz she didn't know how to stop it. I stuck a screwdriver in it and fixed that till he got home and put in a new valve stem. I think I was like 12.