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Just a crazy idea


Mat Perucci

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I was curious and did some calculations for adding lead inside the wheels. I know i sound crazy. Lead weighs .411 pounds per cubic inch and thers 231 cubic inches to a gallon. A 23-8.5-12 holds around 6 gallons = 569lbs each tire A 23-10.5-12 holds around 7 gallons= 664lbs each tire A 26-12-12 holds around 10 gallons = 949lbs each tire I could see it being practical but extreme being way to costly, hazardous, expensive and time consuming.
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HIi, I used an old 4:00x12 rim of a 2 wheel tractor and welded the center and bolt holes up. I use it for a mold and pour lead in it. It makes a perfect 100 lb weight for the tractor tires and it fits flush with the outside of the wheel so it doesn't catch on anything. I bore a 1-1/2 inch recess (using a flat speed-bore for wood bit) in the outside to recess the bolt heads, and then a 1/2 inch hole on through the lead and then use 1/2 inch bolts that just fit the square holes in the rims. I made them in the 70s when I mowed cemetaries and needed the weight, but regular weights would hit on the stones and chip the corners off. I use an LP flame thrower and an old power company transformer tub with a bail type handle and a handle like a frying pan to dump it. This set up will melt about 125 lbs of lead in about 1/2 hour. You need to keep skimming the top off as all of the imputities float. The mold MUST be perfectly level.!!! If not the lead that forms the lip on the outside diameter of the wheel will not be uniform thickness. CAUTION: TAKE THE FLAME THROWER AND HEAT THE MOLD BEFORE POURING INTO IT. IF THERE IS ANY MOISTURE IN THE MOLD IT WILL CREATE STEAM AND BLOW HOT MOLTEN LEAD ALL OVER YOU!!!!!! NOT GOOD!!!! Also keep in mind that a 700 degree bucket of hot lead weighing about 125 lbs requires extreme care in handling and pouring; dropping, slopping or spilling it can cause EXTREME BURNS!!! ALSO DO IT WHEN THERE IS A SMALL BREEZE AND STAY UP WIND OF THE LEAD, THE FUMES ARE TOXIC!!! This flame thrower shoots a flame about 6 inches around and about 5 feet long and has dozens of uses around the place. My wife was trying to clean the grates in the gas grill. I told her to let me do it, I would burn the grease off. I went and got the flame thrower and instead of removing the grates and burning the grease off out of the grill, just aimed the flame at them in the grill. In about 40 seconds, the cover on the grill started to tip back, I released the trigger, too late, the aluminum in the back of the grill melted and the cover was starting to fall off. My wife refers to it as my Tim the Tool Man Syndrome, not uncommon around here, as she cooks on our new $510.00 grill. Anyway the weights work wonderful and I have probably made 15 sets through the years. If you use old wheel balance weights, you will need to start with at lease 250 lbs minum to get 200 pounds of usable lead. I set my pot on fire bricks in a steel trough and catch the skimmed lead and sell it for scrap. Al Eden
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I was wondering about filling the tires like you would with a liquid ballast. but making them in molds as wheel weights sounds like a good idea too
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Hi, The tires would be like steel wheels. You need a certain amount of air in them to let them be able to flatten out on the bottom for traction and a tolerable ride. They use a paste (referred to as liquid lead) in the tires of big construction equipment, for traction. They still have air in them. When my brother worked at Allis Chalmers and they made the 260 and 360 motor scrapers, the front (drive wheels) got it in the factory, and they were HEAVY. Al Eden
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Hi, One thing as I mentioned above lead fumes are dangerous as is lead powder etc. This why the lead paint and children is such a big issue. If you do anything with lead, use adequate protection. Al Eden
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