Methanol?

[glockster157]

Where can I get methanol around Nashville? I need to fill some tractor tires.

[141FE]

Here in East Tennessee, I go to the local Farmer's CO-OP. Is there one in your area?

[Guest super99gm]

Try Cone Solvents. I buy it from a tire dealer in Gallatin, but he gets it from Cone. Mix 2 parts water and one part Methanol.

[Mike.357]

I will ask,

why do you need methanol to fill tractor tires?

[glockster157]

I will ask,

why do you need methanol to fill tractor tires?

To keep the water I put in tires from freezing. The standard solution is to get calcium chloride but you have to have tubes installed and it is very corrosive. It is a type of salt. Weighs 12 lbs a gallon. Ethylene glycol is too expensive. Windshield washer fluid works fine and is cheap enough but you have to pump in the whole 60+ gallons. I have a hose adapter, if I can get the methanol cheap, I can just fill them up with a hose pipe after adding a much smaller amount of methanol.

I will check Cone solvents but most places I have called have it in 55 gallon drums. I do not eed that much.

[glockster157]

Try Cone Solvents. I buy it from a tire dealer in Gallatin, but he gets it from Cone. Mix 2 parts water and one part Methanol.

Thanks, I live very close to them, I will give them a call. BTW, 2 to 1 sounds strong, what temp does that get you to?

[Guest 70below]

To keep the water I put in tires from freezing. The standard solution is to get calcium chloride but you have to have tubes installed and it is very corrosive. It is a type of salt. Weighs 12 lbs a gallon. Ethylene glycol is too expensive. Windshield washer fluid works fine and is cheap enough but you have to pump in the whole 60+ gallons. I have a hose adapter, if I can get the methanol cheap, I can just fill them up with a hose pipe after adding a much smaller amount of methanol.

I will check Cone solvents but most places I have called have it in 55 gallon drums. I do not eed that much.

Ok..........so why are you putting water in the tires??? Forgive me........I've not worked on a farm before

[Motasyco]

I have learned something new today. I always just put air in my tires. I guess I need to start thinking outside the box.

[Guest WDfrmTN]

Ok..........so why are you putting water in the tires??? Forgive me........I've not worked on a farm before

Weight/traction. Aired up tires float on soft ground/in mud.

[Guest 70below]

I see.........makes sense........thanks!

[glockster157]

Ok..........so why are you putting water in the tires??? Forgive me........I've not worked on a farm before

The reason you put liquid in rear tractor tires is for weight. The weight give you better traction and also helps act as a counter balance to my front loader when I am moving dirt/gravel. The other reason is balance, it does help lower the center of gravity since most of that weight is below the center line of the axle. So by adding 30 gallons of washer fluid to each of my rear tires I will be adding 240 lbs to each one for 480 lbs total. It has been done for years and years.

[Mike.357]

how do you fill the tire?

I assume it has to be under pressure.

[Guest Moose]

they've had it the co-op in Franklin on Eddy Ln , probably would even fill the tires if you leave them

[glockster157]

how do you fill the tire?

I assume it has to be under pressure.

I use a fill valve that you can buy at TSC and I pump with a drill pump. The fill valve has a air bleeder on it so as pressure builds you let the air pressure out. Once it is filled to right below the valve stem (with the valve at 12 O'clock) you inflate to normal pressure.

One other method I have heard of is to take a wratcheting tie down, wrap it around the tire and squeeze the tire down, this forces the air out, take the hose from the fill valve and stick in in a bucket of WW fluid and undo strap. It will suck the fluid in. Of course you have to do this over and over....buy a drill pump.

[56FordGuy]

Call General Tire in Gallatin. I can't guarantee they have methanol, but they've had the answer for all my other tractor (and truck) tire problems.

[Guest HVAC Worker]

Learn something new everyday.

[Guest db99wj]

Learn something new everyday.

+1. Interesting stuff.

[glockster157]

To answer the question, why don't I take the tires or tractor to a tire shop or COOP and have them do it is threefold. One I do not want to haul the tractor or have to take off the tires and haul them and I do not want to deal with weighted tires off the tractor. Second, I do not want to have to pay several hundred dollars to have it done, I can do it for $125 or less, Third is I just like to do thing myself that I can do.

I have been quoted $33 per five gallons of methanol and that it needs to be 40% to guarantee against freezing. I can get WW fluid -20F for 1.64 a gallon or $99 a 55 gallon drum. If Wally world does not have the WW by Thursday I am getting the drum.

[Guest canynracer]

why not antifreeze? I know you can set the store brand at walmart for cheap, I would think you only need three gal mixed with water per tire to prevent freezing.

you could also buy it in 55 gal drums...

just curious

[56FordGuy]

why not antifreeze? I know you can set the store brand at walmart for cheap, I would think you only need three gal mixed with water per tire to prevent freezing.

you could also buy it in 55 gal drums...

just curious

I've never liked antifreeze because of potential leak issues around the dogs. A small issue, but still possible. Likewise, I think some other fluids weigh more per gallon. I have calcium chloride in the tires right now, because the tires were filled that way when I bought the tractor. I may be replacing the drive tires before too long, when I do I'm planning to go with the washer fluid.

[Guest canynracer]

Gotchya!! never thought about the critters.

[Rightwinger]

slight drift but for those of you that don't do heavy tractor work, have your regular tires filled with nitrogen instead of "air". Will give you better gas mileage as it doesn't leak out as quick under normal conditions and it also does not react with the rubber of the tire so they wear longer.

Notrogen is a noble gas as opposed to the oxygen in air which is highly reactive over time (why tire rubber gets gray and brittle)

Gateway Tire in Gallatin puts in all their new tires and will do yours for a small fee.

We researched this as a cost reduction plan at work and big fleets are seeing great numbers, in the 20+% range in savings

[glockster157]

Each tire will hold about 30 gallons. By the mix charts I have seen to get even close to that -20 range I would have be at 40% or better. That is 12 gallons per tire. Too expensive.