Trench-Digging Wheels For ATV's

Trench-Digging Wheels For ATV's ATV'S ATV'S 26-4-25 Steel "trench wheels" for ATV's are a great new way to drain excess water from fields without damaging much of the crop. So says Steve Raguse, Wheaton, Minn., who's started producing 24-in. dia. wheels that bolt on in place of the original wheels. The patented wheels measure 1 in. wide at the outer edge and flare out to 3 in. wide at the center. Self-cleaning lugs, spaced 6 in. apart, weld onto the face of the wheels at an angle for traction. The wheels make a 2 to 3-in. deep trench in muddy ground. Deeper trenches can be made by making repeated passes in the same tracks. "It's amazing how much water you can drain out in only a few hours with these wheels," says Raguse. "By making four or five passes over the same tracks you can make a trench that's 5 to 6 in. deep to drain excess water. And the wheels work great for making trenches in the bottom of field ditches so they drain water better. By fall, you can drive a combine equipped with a flex head over the trenches and not notice they're there." According to Raguse, it took him many tries to get the wheel hubs just the right size and to get the lugs at the right angle. "The lugs are very aggressive and angled so mud won't build up on them. As a result, these wheels have awesome traction. In fact, I've never been stuck," he says. "The steel wheels actually pull easier than the original rubber wheels. The slower you drive, the deeper the trench. If you're in soil where the wheels sink faster, or if you're worried that you might get stuck, you can just drive faster. As you drive faster centrifugal force lifts the wheels and pulls you out." A set of four wheels sells for $595 plus S&H. "I tried to keep the price down low enough so farmers can justify keeping a set of wheels on hand so they're ready when you need them." If you need to make deeper tracks and want a heavier wheel, Raguse offers a kit that allows you to fill the hollow wheel discs with silica sand to add additional weight. You drill into the bead face and fill the cavity of the wheel with the sand. "The sand adds 40 to 50 lbs. per wheel so I don't recommend using them until you've already tried using the wheels empty," he says. The kit sells for $10 per wheel. According to Raguse, the narrow wheels work best on 4-wheelers but can also be used on 2-WD models. "The only difference is that you may have to drive a little faster with 2-WD models." He says the wheels can be driven on hard surfaces like a gravel road. "You'll get a little vibration, but if you get off to the side of the road where the lugs can sink in the ride will be OK." He also custom builds 64-in. dia. steel wheels for tractors and sprayers. "Newer self-propelled sprayers are equipped with 12-in. wide rubber tires. My wheels are only 4 in. wide so you're trampling only about one third of the crop. Works great with late season applications of Roundup on Roundup Ready soybeans." Raguse sells the wheels direct but is also looking for dealers. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Steve Raguse, Rt. 2, Box 24, Wheaton, Minn. 56296 (ph 320 563-8389 or 320 815-0865;fax 320 563-0092; E-mail: raguse@traverse net.com; Website: www.trenchwheels.com).

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