Using winter grade (wont' freeze) windshield washer antifreeze to 70% fill rear tire on L&G tractors is very common.

Cheap, about 8 lbs per gallon, easy to get, and more environmentally safe than ethylene glycol antifreeze.

When you fill tires you add weight that the frame and axle does not need to carry so it's less of a load than any physical weight you add on the back. Wheel weights work but bolted to the wheels adds a load on the transmission where fluid filling doesn't.

The down side of filling tires is that when tubeless the wheels can rust on the inside. Some use tubes and fluid fill the tube.

There's trick stuff called RIMGUARD that is non-toxic, based on beet juice, 30% heavier than water mix, and won't rust anything, but it's not cheap.

One method for getting the windshield washer mix into the tires is how a friend of mine does it.
He blocks up the axle so the tire is off the ground a bit.
He then removes the valve core from the valve stem and positions the valve stem at 12 o'clock.
He modified a 2-gallon garden pump sprayer spray wand by adding a 2 foot length of plastic "spaghetti tubing"to the spray wand. This is the tiny, 1/8" diameter stuff, get it at automotive parts stores.
He puts the WW fluid in the pump container, pumps up the pressure, and inserts the open end of tubing about a foot into the valve stem. Then he locks the spray valve and the fluid runs into the tire, air escapes around the spaghetti tubing as it is displaced by the fluid.
When fluid begins to run out around the tubing, the tire is as full as this technique will get it.
He then shuts the spray valve, withdraws the tubing and installs the tire valve core.
Inflate to normally recommended tire pressure.

Uggg, went looking today for winter WW fluid, no joy. Think I may just do a 20% mix of calcium cloride or even rock or table salt. That will gain a bit of weight in the process as the alcohol specific gravity is .8 and a mix would actualy lower the weight over using plain water. Figure that much salt will cost about $20 vs $40 for the WW fluid.

Picked up a cheap 12V tire pump today, $2 yard sale find, going to open it up and see if I can flow the liquid through it and then give it a toss, I have a siphon/aspirator I could probably evacuate all the air out of the tube to start then pump it full with fluid carefully.

Walmart has been selling Winter ww right through the year.

Bushleague,

Here in California I almost doubt our local Walmart has winter blend, average winter cold around here is 30's with the very occational dip to the teens for a few hours. I'll check it out but seems just adding a couple pounds of either calcium cloride or sodium cloride(table salt) per gallon to the fill would work and also provide a weight in excess of the WW fluid. Alcohol has a SG of ~.8, salt water about 1.3 I think, so WW fluid would be SG of less than 1.0.

one other fluid - more expensive, but friendly to environment/pets/etc - is potable RV antifreeze...

Problem solved, wallyworld and ace have 30-40# sacks of watersoftener salt for $5-7 depending on quality. Can't see any enviromental disaster from a few gallon of salt water leaking out of a tire.

Gempler's sells an adapter to connect valve stem to a garden hose with a relief valve to allow air pressure to escape out of the tire. Then insert a small funnel into short length of garden hose to pour windshield washer fluid in.

Here is a link that might be useful: adapter

I know this thread is old, but it's snowplowing season and this is the best way to weight your tires down. Here is the method I used to fill my GT225's 23x10.50-12 tires:
1) remove the tire
2) remove the valve stem core with a valve stem tool ($1 at auto parts store)
3) with the tire flat on the ground and the valve stem up, give the sidewall one carefully aimed whack with a sledgehammer (swing like you mean it).
4) Now that you've broken the top bead free, push it down around the tire, and jam a piece of wood or the handle of a big screwdriver between the tire and the rim. Leave the bottom bead seated.
5) pour windshield washer fluid into the tire until it's full. I forget the amount, but it was something like 6 gallons per tire.
6) inflate the tire with an air compressor with a bottle reservoir (the kind you would use to power a nailer).
7) after the bead snaps in place, re-insert the valve core. Adjust the pressure to where you want it.

Hi Folks,
All good info here, I'd be very careful about using Calcium Chloride as it promotes rust. Look at Farm Tractor tires that are loaded sometime, and you'll notice they're rusty around the valve stems. Don't know about water softener salt?

I use a pump up garden sprayer, take the nozzle off and the hose typically fits over the valve stem (core removed of course). You have to unplug it to burp the air but it works. Haven't heard of the spaghetti tubing, but it seems an improvement, will see if it's available here.

This is a great forum, learn lots of stuff, or at least a "point of departure" for some screwy idea you have appears.

Be well,

EV