How much water to put in roller

[acorn]

From memory concrete is nearly twice the weight of water, need to get the mix right and may need to cut a bigger hole to pump it in

..concrete is @ 2.5 times the weight of water.......

I did fill ours with concrete.....the frame broke..

 

[Lofty1984]

How , it will make the roll structure far mor more rigid

Far more weight on the Center shaft

 

[feilding]

There's only 2 amounts in a ballast roller, full all summer, empty all winter. Filled mine today.

 

[M-J-G]

I

I thought the oil was to stop it freezing

I dont know, does it?

 

[Wesley]

I dont know, does it?

Thats what I was always told. You have to be careful taking the plug out on a hot day to check its full though...the smell of rancid watery waste oil isn’t the easiest thing to get off you when it spurts out under pressure!

 

[Hfd Cattle]

Not sure why the roll would be emptied in Winter . Filled mine up 20 odd yrs ago with water and anti freeze and never touched it since .

 

[czechmate]

Mine is leaking on the inside which I have tried to repair but without success
Of course it stays half full, I have toyed with the idea of half filling it with molasses, being heavier than water to get the weight still, it might be thick enough to not leak, but I don’t know what temp molasses would go down to in the winter without doing damage - I have over wintered in ibc’s without it freezing

 

[Exfarmer]

Mine is leaking on the inside which I have tried to repair but without success
Of course it stays half full, I have toyed with the idea of half filling it with molasses, being heavier than water to get the weight still, it might be thick enough to not leak, but I don’t know what temp molasses would go down to in the winter without doing damage - I have over wintered in ibc’s without it freezing

Mollasses is highly corrosive

 

[czechmate]

Mollasses is highly corrosive

Ah, right

 

[roscoe erf]

I

I thought the oil was to stop it freezing

oil and water don't mix

 

[5020man]

Quite.
But they do emulsify, a bit like mayonnaise.

 

[Red Fred]

Mollasses is highly corrosive

After watching various Youtube videos about rust removal, I took a bucket of rusty old spanners and filled it with molasses. After about a week, the warmer weather seems to have started speeding things up and the molasses is really attacking the rust (and presumably the metal underneath.) The bucket of vinegar alongside seems to have worked even faster.

 

[Ali_Maxxum]

Fill it. Our roller is 19yr old and was only emptied last year to do a bit of welding on it where we had to flip it over. Filled back up with water only, you aint gonna freeze that amount of water.

 

[tinsheet]

Ours, is full of Concrete, their bloody heavy compared to water filled ones. Replaced the wooden bearings about 10 years back with new wooden ones, ok to this day, but we wouldn't do the mileage that some do.

 

[betternextyear]

Filled my grays roller with concrete 25 years ago. Havnt broken it yet.

 

[davidroberts30]

Filled my grays roller with concrete 25 years ago. Havnt broken it yet.

same as that

 

[collywol]

You can let the water out if you ever get it stuck. Don’t ask , I have experience!

 

[Nearly]

Fill it. Our roller is 19yr old and was only emptied last year to do a bit of welding on it where we had to flip it over. Filled back up with water only, you aint gonna freeze that amount of water.

Freezing only needs to freeze, thaw a little and refreeze a few times to push a seam out.
I bought a cracked one cheap them cut a hole in one end and filled it with builder's sand ( known as subsoil round here).
Welded a plate over the hole and never touched it since.

 

[czechmate]

Freezing only needs to freeze, thaw a little and refreeze a few times to push a seam out.
I bought a cracked one cheap them cut a hole in one end and filled it with builder's sand ( known as subsoil round here).
Welded a plate over the hole and never touched it since.

hmm, just sand

 

[Nearly]

hmm, just sand

Heavier than water, less abrasive than rubble, cheaper than concrete.
Less of a environmental incident than oil.