Thin Steel Wheels For Narrow Rows

Thin Steel Wheels For Narrow Rows TRACTORS Tires/Wheels 8-3-27 Thin steel wheels, originally designed for moving tractors through muddy rice fields, helped Mississippi farmers Charles Burt Darden and his son Charlie negotiate their narrow row soybean fields last year when wet weather caused a late-season problem with Johnsongrass. The Dardens couldn't get through their narrow-row beans with regular tractor tires without damaging the beans so they replaced the standard tires with the 2-in. wide steel wheels manufactured by Sweco Products, Sutter, Calif. "They work great in muddy fields ù primarily rice fields ù because they cut right through the mud without wallowing in it like rubber tires," William Ziegenmeyer, of Sweco, told FARM SHOW. Ziegenmeyer says the thin steel wheels will also work well on dry-land, not only for late-season work in narrow row beans but also for double-cropping ù such as seeding soybeans into wheat ù without damaging the standing crop. Sweco makes the narrow wheels in standard sizes ranging from 3 1/2 ft. to 7 ft. in diameter. They're 2 in. wide at the outer edge and expand to 6 to 7 in. wide at the hub. During the manufacturing process, the wheels are packed tightly with a hard foam that deadens the inside and helps provide support. Ziegenmeyer says the wheels can be fitted to most any tractor and can be taken over the road at slow speeds. Sweco custom-builds thin steel wheels up to 10 ft. in diameter. A 7-ft. dia. steel wheel made of 12 ga. steel sells for $850. For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Sweco Products, Inc., 2455 Palm Street, Sutter, Calif., 95982 (ph 916 755-0521).

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