"Tractor Tire" Feedbunks

"Tractor Tire" Feedbunks TIRES/WHEELS New Uses 24-1-1 Ever since tractor manufacturers started putting rubber tires on tractors, farmers have been turning the worn-out tires into feed bunks. Most just lay the tires flat on the ground, or turn them inside out. We recently came across Oklahoma farmer Bob Burton who's come up with a totally new way to use old tires as feeders. He cuts them and then lays them out in one long strip. "I took the first one I made to a show near Wichita Falls, Texas, last summer and couldn't believe how much interest there was in them. I took orders for 60 feeders right at the show," says Burton. To make a feedbunk, Burton first cuts off both beads with a jig saw and then cuts through the tire in one spot. Then he stretches it"out across wooden blocks, with the tread side up, and wires each end to a post. A come-along is used to stretch the tread out tight. He then marks the center of the tread all the way down the tire to mark where he will bolt a length of 3-in. channel iron that keeps the tire from curling back up. He drills 3/8-in. dia. holes on 16-in. centers through the channel iron and tire. Then he bolts them together using 1/4-in. carriage bolts and washers. He also welds a crossbar across each end of the channel iron. The last step is to simply turn the completed tire bunk over. "I use them in pastures and wheat fields where cattle graze. The thing I really like about them is that the calves can easily reach the feed without wasting it. With other tire feedbunks I've seen the calves often can't reach the feed so they jump into the feeder. I use rear tractor tires to make most of my feeders but have also used smaller trailer and flotation tires. Old tires with the tread worn down work best because they're the easiest to work with and you can leave more of the sidewall on, which makes the trough deeper. However, the more of the sidewall left, the harder it will be to stretch out the tire. I don't use steel-belted tires because they're too difficult to cut up. "Marking the center of the tread before you bolt on the channel iron is important in order to keep the trough from æsnaking'. I stretch the tire across wood blocks so I can get underneath to fasten the bolts. "I started out selling my tire feedbunks for $75 apiece, but I have since discontinued that due to a lack of time." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Bob Burton, Rt. 1, Box 960, Loveland, Okla. 73553 (ph 580 479-5739 or 597-6613; Website: ksb960@aol.com).

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