Tire Baler Generates Income, Free Building Blocks

Tire Baler Generates Income, Free Building Blocks BALERS 30-2-34 Mary and Dave Falk killed two birds with one stone when they rented a tire baler machine from Encore Systems. They've helped get rid of old tires in their county and they ended up with a bunch of tire bales that they're now using to construct a new storage building. Best of all, the disposal fee they charged for the tires paid for the rental of the machine. "We wanted to use alternative building materials from the area and build as cheaply as possible," explains Mary. "We had considered rammed earth tire construction, but we didn't have the time and labor. Then we found out about Encore Systems and tire bales." Encore makes a tire baler which packs 100 car tires into a brick 30 by 50 by 60 in. Each bale weighs a ton and is fastened with five 9-gauge galvanized or stainless steel baling wires. The 5-to-1 volume reduction leaves very little room for air and creates an easy-to-move building block. The tire bales provide great insulation, act as load-bearing walls, and are virtually indestructible. Like a child's wooden building block, they are easily stacked and require no stabilizing structure around them. "They have approximately R-200 insulation," says Ed Drews, owner, Encore Systems. "There is a 3,000 sq. ft. home built with tire bales in Colorado that heats with propane for $40 a month in winter and needs no air conditioning in the summer because of the super insulation." Drews sells the $50,000 tire balers around the world. He sees them as a preferred alternative to burning and has seen them used for buildings, erosion control and even for building roads in swampy areas. Drews warns prospective buyers not already in the tire business that getting in is not easy. The established relationships with tire dealers and existing used tire vendors are not easy to break into. "If you are interested, try to hook up with a local tire vendor that already has the area business," says Drews. "Local dealers will continue to give him the business." After getting in contact with Drews, the Falks rented a baler for $1,000 a month. A state permit allowed them to buy and stockpile 10,000 tires. They put out the word, and after a few false starts, they finally got a supply of used tires. One false start involved a local tire vendor who reneged on a deal part way through. The Falks learned the hard way to have a contract in place. "People pay $2.50 or more to dispose of tires, which is why so many end up in the woods and ditches," explains Mary. "We figured we could charge 75ó and people would bring them to us. The charge would pay for the baler." A friend got the word to some folks with large illegal stockpiles of used tires. Others brought in two or three at a time. It took the Falks two months to get enough tires for their project. "We have an underground cheese aging room for the sheep milk cheese we produce on our farm," explains Mary. "We have started providing aging room for other small artisan cheese makers in the region, but we needed a better unloading area." Initially the Falks planned to build a small room with a loading dock so semis could back in and unload pallets of cheese. With the tire bales, they decided to build a larger multi-purpose room. They settled on a 1,600 sq. ft. room with 10-ft. tall bale walls. The bales are set into a hillside, and the room will encompass the entry to their current cave or aging room. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Mary Falk, LoveTree Farmstead Cheese, 12413 Cty. Rd. "Z", Grantsburg, Wis. 54840 (ph 715 488-2966; fax 715 488-3957; lovetree @grantsburgtelcom.net; www.lovetree farmstead.com) or Ed Drews, Encore Systems, 585 NW Third Street, Cohasset, Minn. 55721 (ph 218 328-0023 or 888 548-6710; fax 218 328-0024; encore@tirebaler.com; www.tirebaler.com).

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.