Wet Conditions Won't Stop ATV Roller

Wet Conditions Won't Stop ATV Roller ATV'S ATV'S 28-6-27 What do you get when you combine three 44-gal. drums and an ATV? For Paul Rivers of Taranaki, New Zealand, the answer is a go-anywhere ATV land roller. The innovative dairy farmer patented his invention and nicknamed it "The Rainy Day Roller" because it allows him to work in wet conditions when no one else can. "Here in New Zealand, we do a lot of intensive grazing in the winter, which is a very wet season. The cows do a lot of damage to the ground with their feet," Rivers explains. "You can often wait days for the right ground conditions to roll, only to have the next heavy shower fill up the hoof holes and re-form the puddles before you get started." Because it's wet so much of the time in winter it's normally very difficult to get on the land to repair the damage, he says. A conventional tractor gets stuck easily on the soft ground and a pull-type roller can drag loose soil in front of it, clogging, "and it's really frustrating." "My ATV roller allows me to get on the land right away without even having to wait for the rain to stop. It's actually quite therapeutic to operate because it's so rewarding and enjoyable to know you are winning the battle," he says. "When the cows make a mess at night I go out in the morning and roll it flat like a bowling green after moving them on to the next paddock. After two years of use, our pastures have never looked better or been more productive." The Rainy Day Roller is 8-ft. wide. To build it, he cut out the ends of two of the drums and welded 1-in. cleats onto two steel bands that he wrapped around each of the drums for traction. He deflates the rear ATV tires and slips the drums over them, re-inflating them to about 18 psi air pressure so that they grip the drums from the inside. The air valves are accessible through a small hatch in the drums between two cleats. The third drum is pulled behind in the middle by a drawbar with an axle through the drum, just like a conventional land roller. "The low psi in the tires allows the rollers to be flexible so they adjust to the ground contour and give you a nice even roll," Rivers explains. "There's very little stress on the differential and wheel bearings. "This thing works like magic. It will go on soggy ground where my own physical footprint would leave a depression in the ground, but you can float across with the ATV and leave it smooth." To increase the roller's weight and effectiveness when working during summer on harder ground, Rivers fills two round 35-liter plastic jars with either water or sand, and slides them inside the 44-gal. wheel drums. He welded some bracing to support them inside, and a catch to stop them from falling out. "For the rear, center drum, I normally put 35 liters of water directly in it, using the existing plug. It's not as heavy because it doesn't have any weight from the ATV, so if you want more weight, you just add more water," he explains. Rivers is working to develop a modified system that would be a "one-size fits all ATVs" unit. "My current design limits it to certain tire sizes and I'm planning to make it more universal before I put it on the market." He plans to pursue the international marketplace and welcomes inquiries from interested parties. "It may look simple, what I've done, but it didn't just happen overnight û it's not something you can just knock up in the back shed in five minutes," he says. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Paul Rivers, 1602 Carrington Road, R.D.1, New Plymouth, New Zealand (ph 011 646 7535123; email: mlrivers@paradise.net.nz).

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