Keep On Truckin' Through Mud, Snow

Keep On Truckin' Through Mud, Snow TRUCKS Traction Devices 2-2-17 Combines equipped with "skis" worked right through the winter months throughout much of the midwest to harvest corn and sunflower fields that couldn't be harvested last fall because of wet weather. "Our Tire Crawler tracks saved the day for a lot of farmers who ran into harvesting problems last fall," says Sylvan Loegering, sales manager for Loegering Mfg., Casselton, N. Dak., a major supplier of tire crawler tracks for combines, trucks, tractors or skid-steer loaders. Equipped with a set of Tire Crawler tracks, a combine has the "go anywhere" capability of a snowmobile and an army tank, explains Sylvan. "Almost without exception, farmers using Tire Crawlers on combines were able to completely harvest their crop during the extremely wet 1977 harvest season. In New York state, where farmers were having trouble moving corn choppers and corn wagons through the field even when using 4-wheel drive tractors, our Tire Crawler halftracks enabled farmers to use ordinary farm tractors to pull their equipment through and get their chopping done. With the help of a local implement dealer, some of those same farmers took crawler tracks off their tractors and mounted them on combines." Sylvan notes that the Loegering Tire Crawler tracks are all-steel, over-rubber tire tracks that were originally designed for use on skid-steer loaders. "They're built to stay on during the vigorous maneuvers typical of skid loaders and will stay in place equally well on combines, tractors and other type machines," Sylvan points out. "Their patented selfcleaning design eliminates the problem of mud building up between the tire and track. They do not bind or break under sticky or freezing conditions. Their simple construction does away with a host of mechanical problems often associated with tracks. They have no rollers, sprockets, idlers or carriers to wear out. A simple tension adjustment corrects loose tracks without affecting anything else. Despite their simplicity, we feel our Tire Crawlers provide traction and flotation equal to that of higher priced conventional crawler tracks." After initial installation, Tire Crawlers are mounted in four steps: (1) Drive onto the unrolled track. (2) Wrap the ends around. (3) Pull the ends together. (4) Fasten the connecting links. To remove, you simply unhook the links and drive off. Tire Crawlers are designed to allow your tires to slip inside the tracks under excessive loading but still permit the use of normal power under soft or slippery conditions. Loegering Mfg. has tracks to fit most Deere, Gleaner and International Harvester combines, and Models 8600, 8800 and 7300 made by White. "We can fit many other makes and models but some retooling may be necessary to get the proper clearance," explains Sylvan. Cost to equip a Deere 6600, for example, assuming it has 23.1 by 26 tires, would be right at $4,500. Loegering also offers Tires Crawlers for straight trucks, tractors, skid-steer loaders and for self propelled forage harvesters. For more details, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Loegering Mfg., Casselton, N. Dak. 58012 (ph. 701-347-4149). In Michigan, farmers who own combines equipped with flotation crawler tracks were getting around $30 an acre to custom harvest waterlogged corn fields last fall, and snow-packed fields last winter. That's about double the regular rate for custom combining, Fred Riplo, of the Gilbert and Riplo Co., headquartered at Ravenna, told FARM SHOW. The firm did a booming business last fall with their "easy on - easy off" combine tracks. They're designed to bolt on like a tire and require no undercarriage. "Most owners tell us it only takes an hour to put a set of our steel tracks on, and even less time to remove them," Fred explains. "We can custom fit most any combine and keep 30 in. wide tracks on hand for the Deere 6600 and 7700 models, the Gleaner M, the 815 IH and the 7600 White. By running the combine one gear higher, you get the same travel speed with flotation tracks as you were getting previously," Fred points out

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