Animal and Farm Safety with Tire Ballast

Is Your Tire Ballast Safe for Plants, Animals and People?

If you work in areas that are environmentally sensitive or contain livestock and other animals, it’s important to select the correct tire ballast.

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Most liquid tire ballasts are toxic to plants, animals and humans, not to mention corrosive to machinery.

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While frame weights or weight boxes don’t pose the same risks to crops and livestock that chemical ballast options such as methanol, calcium chloride or windshield washer fluid do, they don’t weigh down tires at the traction point, and they are the most expensive option per pound.

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And while water is non-toxic, it is lighter than other liquid ballasts and freezes at 32℉, which means it isn’t a realistic choice in colder climates.

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A Comparison of Liquid Ballast Types

In this article, we’ll compare the environmental safety of the available liquid ballast options for plants, animals and people, while also keeping in mind other factors that impact the choice of ballast.

Liquid tire ballasts: Which is safest for plants, animals and people?

One of the biggest advantages of Rim Guard Beet Juice Tire Ballast is its environmental safety. 100% natural, the proprietary mixture begins with a byproduct of the sugar beet manufacturing process. It isn’t the beet juice you get at the store, and it isn’t made from the beets you might eat at home.

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Rim Guard is made in America from sugar beets grown on farms in California, Colorado, Idaho, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming. The beets are processed at 23 factories located near the fields where they are grown. These factories run nearly around the clock from October through April. (To find out more about sugar beets and those who farm them, check out www.sugaralliance.org)

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The organic makeup of beet juice is what makes this raw material such an effective liquid tire ballast. In fact, Beet Juice Tire Ballast is the heaviest non-toxic liquid ballast available today, providing both significant weight and freezing protection.

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Other available liquid tire ballasts — including methanol, windshield washer fluid and calcium chloride  — are toxic to the environment, to livestock and to the people who handle these products.

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Methanol

Ingestion of methanol can cause a wide range of serious adverse health effects in animals, including seizures, and can be deadly. Windshield wiper fluid usually contains methanol, posing many of the same risks to animals and humans, and is unsafe if it leaks into groundwater.

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Calcium Chloride and Windshield Washer Fluid

Ingesting calcium chloride is also a serious safety and health risk. It can cause burns to the mouth, throat and stomach. Direct contact on the skin can result in irritation or burns. In addition to the risks that calcium chloride poses to animals and humans, it can contaminate soil and groundwater.

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Extreme caution must be taken when transporting, installing and disposing of methanol, windshield washer fluid or calcium chloride because of their toxicity. Even inhaling the vapors of these liquid ballasts can be harmful to animals and humans.

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With the increased risks to the environment come increased costs in the form of safety precautions and time. For example, both calcium chloride and windshield washer fluid require tubes for safety. If and when spills do occur, they must be remediated right away to minimize contaminating the surrounding area.

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Rim Guard Beet Juice Tire Ballast

By contrast, if Rim Guard Beet Juice Ballast spills on the ground, the plants in the spill area will actually grow better, because beet juice naturally contains nutrients. If it happens to spill on other surfaces, Rim Guard is water-soluble, making it easy to wash away.

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Rim Guard Beet Juice Ballast provides the advantages of liquid ballast without the risks of chemical options. Non-toxic, biodegradable, and water-soluble, Beet Juice Ballast is safe for people and livestock.

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Personal experience with Beet Juice Ballast

Environmental safety matters to the people who sell and use tire ballast.

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“Our workers like Beet Juice because it doesn’t burn their hands like calcium chloride and doesn’t shrink or destroy their leather shoes or gloves,” said Curt Wells of Jerry’s Tire in Michigan.

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Scott Sylvester of Union Farm Equipment in Union, Maine, needs a ballast that is not only safe for humans and animals but also for transport. “When you are mixing calcium, your skin is exposed to the product and that is very hard on your skin, clothes and equipment . . . and if you have a cut on your hand, you will know it!” said Sylvester. “Beet Juice is non-toxic to animals, which is something you can’t say about calcium. If you were transporting Beet Juice and a spill occurred, you would not have to worry about it causing any environmental damage because it is environmentally safe. Calcium kills grass and rusts out rims and Beet Juice will not.”

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Mike Heinrich, a farmer in Webberville, Michigan, appreciates Beet Juice Tire Ballast for the natural properties and safety of using it in his equipment. “I love that it is safe to handle for people and safe around livestock. I have beet juice in all four tractors. Beet Juice Ballast is also heavier than calcium chloride and it cleans up easy.”

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Beet Juice Ballast Is the Safest Choice

There’s no need to expose your crops, livestock or employees to a corrosive, toxic liquid ballast. Safe on soybeans, gentle on grapevines and non-toxic to cottonseed and all other crops, Rim Guard Beet Juice Ballast is effective, sustainable and animal food-safe.

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We hope this helps answer your questions about the environmental safety of various tire ballasts and offers other useful points of comparison for selecting among ballasts.

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If you have questions, concerns, or want other helpful hints about Rim Guard Beet Juice Tire Ballast, please call us at 616-608-7745 or email info@rimguardsolutions.com.

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If you want additional information or are interested in becoming a dealer, please fill out the form at https://www.rimguardsolutions.com/contact or email info@rimguardsolutions.com to schedule a quick, 15-minute phone call.

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Find your closest Rim Guard Dealer here!

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