Air Seeder Packer Wheels Make From Car Spare Tires

Air Seeder Packer Wheels Make From Car Spare Tires AIR SEEDERS Air Seeders (42B) 22-2-44 Small spare car tires can be used to make low-cost packer wheels, says Frank Steffen, High Level, Alberta, who mounted a series of 15-in. spare tires on back of his Friggstad 41-ft. air seeder. The tires mount in seven sections and are spaced 1 ft. apart. The sections allow the rig to follow the ground contour and to fold for transport. The tires mount on 1 1/8-in. dia. shafts supported by 3-in. sq. steel support arms that bolt to the back of the air seeder. Downpressure is applied to each section by a pair of coil springs mounted at the top of each support. "It saves a trip over the field because I don't have to use a separate packer tool," says Steffen. "I use the air seeder to plant wheat and canola. When I bought the air seeder five years ago it wasn't available with packer wheels. The wheels improve seed to soil con-tact. Most new air seeders now come factory equipped with packer wheels. "I bought 41 spare tires at a scrap yard for $10 apiece. My total cost was about $1,000. Factory-made add-on packer wheels for an air seeder of this size would sell for about $7,000. When I bought the tires I had to sort them out into sets because some had a little more rubber on them than others. However, since each wheel is independently mounted it can rotate freely even if all the tires aren't sized exactly the same." Steffen cut the centers out of the wheels, leaving only the rubber and wheel rims, and welded four steel spokes into each wheel from the inside of the rim to a steel tube that slides over the shaft. Each wheel is independently mounted on a sleeve. The bottom end of each support is connected to the shaft by pillow block bearings mounted on the arms. A steel pin and bushing at the top end of each support allows it to flex up and down. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Frank Steffen, Box 458, High Level, Alberta, Canada T0H 1Z0 (ph 403 926-3488).

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